Children of Time
The last survivors of Earth discover a terraformed planet, but it has been claimed by an unexpected new civilization.
Where Children of Time keeps showing up
Four of our editors' lists feature this novel.
Books in conversation with Children of Time
A few of the closest reads from our full list.
What you might want to know about Children of Time
The questions readers send us most often, answered without spoilers.
A scientist's terraforming experiment seeds a far planet with monkeys and an uplift virus. The virus takes, in spiders. Generations later, a ship of human refugees from a ruined Earth arrives in the same orbit.
Adrian Tchaikovsky's Children of Time series has three books: Children of Time, Children of Ruin, and Children of Memory. Each can largely stand alone, though continuity rewards reading in order.
Yes. Children of Time won the 2016 Arthur C. Clarke Award. It is widely cited as one of the best science fiction novels of the 2010s for its uplifted-spider premise and deep-time storytelling.
Children of Time was written by Adrian Tchaikovsky, published in 2015 by STEMCOOL.
Children of Time is 616 pages in standard print editions, though page counts vary slightly between hardcover, paperback, and large-print formats.
At an average reading pace of about 250 words per minute, Children of Time takes most readers 9 to 13 hours to finish.
Children of Time is a standalone novel by Adrian Tchaikovsky, not part of a series.
Children of Time is available in hardcover, paperback, ebook, and audiobook formats from Amazon, Bookshop.org, ThriftBooks, and most major bookstores.