(Drivebycuriosity) - Space operas are an amazing genre. There are no limits for the imagination of the author. Adrian Tchaikovsky`s novel "Shards of Earth" describes a future universe where humans have colonized many worlds but still struggle with many conflicts and a mysterious alien enemy (amazon ).
Tchaikovsky has many grand and unique ideas which are the reason why I read science fiction. There is a mysterious and hyper-powerful alien enemy, called "the architects". I will not tell what this enemy does (this is a spoiler free blog), but his bizarre actions are unique & fascinating.
Tchaikovsky`s protagonists don´t travel to other worlds - or galaxies - through wormholes or portals as usual in modern scifi, instead they use an alternative way which leads to surreal scenes soaked with psychedelic horror. Another reason to read science fiction. There are also a lot alien and strange worlds & species, another feature of top-notch science fiction. These elements lift Tchaikovsky into the class of Heinlein, Asimov & Clarke.
But "Shards" disappoints anyway. The novel is way too long and too ambitious for my taste. The grand ideas - so brilliant they are - don´t fill the more than 500 pages properly. Tchaikovsky filled the plot with too many ridiculous skirmishes and the dialogs are one the (low) level of contemporary TV series. "Shards" could have been an amazing novella over 100 pages or even a strong novel over 300 pages.
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