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Children of Time Hardcover Box Set

Contributors

By Adrian Tchaikovsky

Formats and Prices

On Sale
Jan 6, 2026
Page Count
1728 pages
Publisher
Orbit
ISBN-13
9780316599023

Price

$90.00

Format

Hardcover

Format:

Hardcover $90.00

This box set contains hardcover editions of the first three novels of Adrian Tchaikovsky’s acclaimed Children of Time series, winner of the Arthur C. Clarke award and one of the bestselling space opera series of the last decade.

The last remnants of the human race left a dying Earth, desperate to find a new home among the stars. Following in the footsteps of their ancestors, they discover the greatest treasure of the past age—a world terraformed and prepared for human life.

But all is not right in this new Eden. In the long years since the planet was abandoned, the work of its architects has borne disastrous fruit. The planet is not waiting for them, pristine and unoccupied. New masters have turned it from a refuge into mankind’s worst nightmare.

Who will inherit this new Earth?
 
Children of Time 
Children of Time
Children of Ruin
Children of Memory

  • "All I can say is hold on for the ride. This is an author who dives head first into Asimov-esque ideas, and who is willing to take the plot in fanciful directions...This finale is worth your time."
    Polygon
  • "Intensely detailed and handily researched, Tchaikovsky's saga creates a deeply immersive narrative."
    Booklist, on Children of Ruin
  • "A novel of sublime plot twists and spectacular set pieces, all underpinned by great ideas. And it is crisply modern―but with the sensibility of classic science fiction. Asimov or Clarke might have written this. A hugely satisfying sequel." 
    Stephen Baxter, on Children of Ruin
  • "Magnificent. This is the big stuff―the really big stuff. Rich in wisdom and Humanity (note the 'H'), with a Stapledonian sweep and grandeur. Books like this are why we read science-fiction."
    Ian McDonald, on Children of Ruin
  • "Children of Ruin is wonderful―big, thinky SF that feels classic without being mired in the past, absolutely crammed with fun ideas. Anyone who likes sweeping, evolutionary-scale stories will love this."
    Django Wexler, on Children of Ruin
  • "Once again, Tchaikovsky performs all the wonders of the first book, while at the same time making some quantum jumps in his sequel ... the underlying message of persisting through misunderstandings, fear, and hatred until harmony and new balances are reached is not just preached, but embodied in thrills both corporeal and intellectual. Tchaikovsky's good sense of pacing and his ability to make arcane scenes and concepts vividly transparent all contribute to a winning tale ... With the guiding spirit of Poul Anderson hovering over his shoulder, and the buttressing work of peers like Vernor Vinge and Paul McAuley standing to either side, Tchaikovsky has made that rare transition from master of fantasy to master of SF."
    Locus, on Children of Ruin
  • "Children of Time is a joy from start to finish. Entertaining, smart, surprising and unexpectedly human."
    Patrick Ness, on Children of Time
  • "Brilliant science fiction and far out world building."
    James McAvoy on Children of Time
  • "A refreshingly new take on post-dystopia civilizations, with the smartest evolutionary worldbuilding you'll ever read."
    Peter F Hamilton on Children of Time

Adrian Tchaikovsky

About the Author

Adrian Tchaikovsky was born in Woodhall Spa, Lincolnshire, and headed off to university in Reading to study psychology and zoology. For reasons unclear even to himself, he subsequently ended up in law. Adrian has since worked as a legal executive in both Reading and Leeds and now writes full time. He also lives in Leeds, with his wife and son. Adrian is a keen live role-player and occasional amateur actor. He has also trained in stage-fighting and keeps no exotic or dangerous pets of any kind—possibly excepting his son.

Learn more about this author