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Expert System #1
The Expert System's Brother
Bestselling British master of science fiction Adrian Tchaikovsky brings readers a new, mind-expanding science fantasia in The Expert System's Brother
After an unfortunate accident, Handry is forced to wander a world he doesn’t understand, searching for meaning. He soon discovers that the life he thought he knew is far stranger than he could even possibly imagine.
Can an unlikely saviour provide the answers to the questions he barely comprehends?
After an unfortunate accident, Handry is forced to wander a world he doesn’t understand, searching for meaning. He soon discovers that the life he thought he knew is far stranger than he could even possibly imagine.
Can an unlikely saviour provide the answers to the questions he barely comprehends?
160 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 17, 2018
1026 people are currently reading
4929 people want to read
About the author
Adrian Tchaikovsky
195Ìýbooks15.7kÌýfollowersADRIAN TCHAIKOVSKY was born in Lincolnshire and studied zoology and psychology at Reading, before practising law in Leeds. He is a keen live role-player and occasional amateur actor and is trained in stage-fighting. His literary influences include Gene Wolfe, Mervyn Peake, China Miéville, Mary Gently, Steven Erikson, Naomi Novak, Scott Lynch and Alan Campbell.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 613 reviews
November 2, 2020
If I were a teacher, I’d say, “I expected better.� Comparisons are insidious, no doubt, but his book Children of Time was one of my ‘Best Reads� of 2017, and ‘Walking to Aldebran� was quite the little twist of of novella. So rated against himself, he has a lot to live up to, including incredible world-building, interesting characters, and fascinating biology, and this piece just doesn’t get there. Nonetheless, it remains a well-written piece on a youth confronting the harsh realities of his village, and eventually discovering larger truths on the way.
When I first started reading, I had hopes that Tchaikovsky’s fascination with insects was going to play a big role again:
“Over the next few days the hive swelled noticeably, its outsides crawling with the humble wasps we saw every day, that were the tree’s means of sampling and testing its dependents�
but he never really delved into the mechanics of that, except for a couple of throw-away, hand-wavy lines in the end. Too bad! I mean, I wasn’t really hoping for wasps, but I was would have been on board for it.
The writing is solid, and his main character, Handry, believable. He provided an interesting contrast to Koli in The Book of Koli, also a recent buddy read, and who was similarly brought up in a small, isolated village and forced out. The emotional contrast between the two was obvious. Handry was definitely preferable and showed a far more natural emotional progression through the story.
“And yet, if I never asked, I could believe in some notional future cure that would come as soon as I did ask. It was fear of certainty that held me back.�
It’s a quick read, decently done, but with metatext that’s too simplistic for my taste. But by no means am I giving up on Tchaikovsky–this just won’t be the series to continue.
When I first started reading, I had hopes that Tchaikovsky’s fascination with insects was going to play a big role again:
“Over the next few days the hive swelled noticeably, its outsides crawling with the humble wasps we saw every day, that were the tree’s means of sampling and testing its dependents�
but he never really delved into the mechanics of that, except for a couple of throw-away, hand-wavy lines in the end. Too bad! I mean, I wasn’t really hoping for wasps, but I was would have been on board for it.
The writing is solid, and his main character, Handry, believable. He provided an interesting contrast to Koli in The Book of Koli, also a recent buddy read, and who was similarly brought up in a small, isolated village and forced out. The emotional contrast between the two was obvious. Handry was definitely preferable and showed a far more natural emotional progression through the story.
“And yet, if I never asked, I could believe in some notional future cure that would come as soon as I did ask. It was fear of certainty that held me back.�
It’s a quick read, decently done, but with metatext that’s too simplistic for my taste. But by no means am I giving up on Tchaikovsky–this just won’t be the series to continue.
November 1, 2020
“It is a great poison, to know you have a destiny and that everything you do is right by default.�The inhabitants of this world may act like they live in a fantasy setting, in apparent symbiosis with trees and wasps and hives, with the all-knowing ghosts taking over some of them an leading them into a future that is the same as the past. Except, of course, this is Adrian Tchaikovsky who gave us sentient spiders and space-faring octopuses (or maybe octopi or octopods?) and whatever the mindf*ck was Aldebaran, and these humans are actually existing in the world that is very much science fictional despite the fantasy veneer.
“She spoke very loud, as though we were deaf or stupid. Looking on us, there was a part of her brain trying to recognise the mob in front of her as people and not finding what it sought in us. The Severance blinded her to us as human beings, but she was someone who could think around things like that, hence this whole plan.�
Just like in my much-beloved spiders/octopods series, Tchaikovsky raises the question of Otherness. Who and why we designate as “the other� and the weight of this divide and the need to bridge it. Stripping the science fictional and fantasy details from this one, the deep wound of otherness remains - yes, done in a voice that, despite some gruesome scenes, feels overall kind and optimistic and, for the lack of better word, young - but still focusing on the pain of the divide.
And with every divide comes pain, and with pain comes resentment, and with that comes the want for revenge. Righting the wrongs can mean very different things, and when runaway, can lead down dangerous paths full of retaliation and messianism and speeches of birthrights and destinies.
“His smile was brilliant, as hard to look at as the sun. “Now, will you follow where I lead?�
He knew we would; we knew we would, but there is a special magic in saying so, binding yourself with word and thought to another man’s purpose. From that moment, as Ostel and I tried to outdo ourselves with our babbling pledges, we were his followers and members of his congregation.�
And yeah, it’s all done a bit lightly compared to the three Tchaikovsky’s books I’ve read so far, but still the emphasis is there. Otherness, divide, change, adaptation, compromise and costs of all of these. There is a bit of YA feel, perhaps due to the protagonist’s age, and the resolution is a bit on the simplistic side, but it’s still pretty good. Not up to par with the three amazing books of his I mentioned earlier, but not many are.
3.5 stars. May round up once I think about it some more.
“I am ashamed of who I was that night, more so because I became a man who has always been within this body but held back by the regard of others. When we surround ourselves with people who call evil good, how quickly we accept their definitions and speak them back, round and round until every way we experience the world is tainted by it.�
—â¶Ä”â¶Ä”â¶Ä�
Buddy read with carol.
August 22, 2019
I love this author! He has such a brilliant imagination.
In we visit a planet centuries after its settlement by humans who had discovered it was virtually uninhabitable. As a result they made a number of serious changes to their descendants to make them able to survive and be comfortable, with some resultant unexpected results.
The world building was really good and the idea of a planet which has stood still in time was marvellous. I particularly enjoyed the very clever ending.
Another really enjoyable book from this very versatile author.
In we visit a planet centuries after its settlement by humans who had discovered it was virtually uninhabitable. As a result they made a number of serious changes to their descendants to make them able to survive and be comfortable, with some resultant unexpected results.
The world building was really good and the idea of a planet which has stood still in time was marvellous. I particularly enjoyed the very clever ending.
Another really enjoyable book from this very versatile author.
June 8, 2024
A short piece that nevertheless manages the richness in worldbuilding that I have come to associate with Tchaikovsky's work. While I didn't like this one quite as much as the novella , it was still very good. Tchaikovsky again shows how very skilled he is at capturing the voices of his characters, and so we see here with the point of view character, Handry, use of a very different style and phrasing than in other works.
The story itself is fairly straightforward and I wasn't surprised by anything that happened, but the overall execution is excellent and makes it truly enjoyable.
The story itself is fairly straightforward and I wasn't surprised by anything that happened, but the overall execution is excellent and makes it truly enjoyable.
May 30, 2021
Protagonist, Handry, is all but cast-out from his society after an accident. He is shunned and ignored, but saved from isolation, for a time, by his sister. However, she is infiltrated with the ghost of decision-making and becomes society's new doctor, after the demise of the last one. With her new role Handry looses the last link to all he is familiar with and forced to live a life adrift.
This was an odd and unsettling little novella that I felt never allowed me to feel properly settled in the world or the story-line. Whilst I appreciated the inventive concept I struggled to find a connection with this story. Maybe it was the bizarre concept or that the truncated length didn't leave much room for a bond to build with the characters, alongside the introduction of such a unique premise. I enjoyed my experience of reading it, but it left me feeling distanced and more than a little puzzled.
This was an odd and unsettling little novella that I felt never allowed me to feel properly settled in the world or the story-line. Whilst I appreciated the inventive concept I struggled to find a connection with this story. Maybe it was the bizarre concept or that the truncated length didn't leave much room for a bond to build with the characters, alongside the introduction of such a unique premise. I enjoyed my experience of reading it, but it left me feeling distanced and more than a little puzzled.
February 14, 2021
2021-02: 4 stars. Enjoyed this again. Reread this so I could refamiliarize myself with Handry and Melody, and the world, prior to reading the next instalment.
2018-10: 4 stars. Having learned about expert systems many years ago, the title of this novella told me a lot about what this story could be about. And though there wasn’t anything really surprising about this story (e.g. the behaviour of the charismatic and driven leader of the Severed individuals was fairly easy to predict, and what the effect of the villages� food on the Severed meant), I liked Tchaikovsky’s characterization of Handry and Melory.
2018-10: 4 stars. Having learned about expert systems many years ago, the title of this novella told me a lot about what this story could be about. And though there wasn’t anything really surprising about this story (e.g. the behaviour of the charismatic and driven leader of the Severed individuals was fairly easy to predict, and what the effect of the villages� food on the Severed meant), I liked Tchaikovsky’s characterization of Handry and Melory.
August 9, 2020
Brilliant world building full of mystery and otherworldly strangeness, and character development with real emotional resonance. Two critical aspects of a compelling story, rarely done in equal regard with such mastery, and accomplished here with an amazing economy. Plus, as I've come to expect from Tchaikovsky, a mind blowing reveal that made me scream "No f'ing way!" and re-cast the story in a wholly different, unexpected light. Apparently there's a sequel coming, , which I'll be eagerly awaiting.
Read
April 3, 2021Post-tech dystopia novella, sort of thing. A boy in a primitive society using hugely advanced tech they don't understand is thrown out of his village and in the course of his wandering comes to learn about the world he's in. It's really about cults and in groups and society. Fascinating and engrossing: this author is damn good at short form world building.
October 9, 2018
On this world humanity exists in small tightly controlled communities with a high level of interdependence. When a young boy has an accident that partially severs him from his community he ends up leaving it and journeying in a way that few others do, discovering a lot about himself, the world and how it came to be the way it is.
writes brilliant science fiction. While I didn't like this as much as most of his other novels and novellas I've read, that isn't much of a slight; it's still better than 90% of his competition. The world-building is inventive, detailed and self-consistent and the character development is wonderful.
writes brilliant science fiction. While I didn't like this as much as most of his other novels and novellas I've read, that isn't much of a slight; it's still better than 90% of his competition. The world-building is inventive, detailed and self-consistent and the character development is wonderful.
December 28, 2018
Another masterclass in world-building from Adrian Tchaikovsky, author of the superlative Children of Time, with its sequel Children of Ruin out in May 2019. It is great to have Tchaikovsky bring his particular brand of hard sociological SF to the tor.com novella line-up, which continues to attract some of the most interesting writers in the genre.
I really enjoyed this, and hope it forms part of a larger project that Tchaikovsky continues to develop. Unfortunately, effective alien points-of-view continues to be a bête noire of SF. However, Tchaikovsky’s penetrative and highly descriptive prose makes for a truly immersive reading experience.
He is also not afraid to make the reader work, throwing him or her head-first into his imagined world, and barely allowing time for catch-up as the plot rattles along at a good old clip. Tchaikovsky reminds me somewhat of (a slightly more world-weary) Larry Niven and David Brin, as this novella could easily also be branded horror.
I really enjoyed this, and hope it forms part of a larger project that Tchaikovsky continues to develop. Unfortunately, effective alien points-of-view continues to be a bête noire of SF. However, Tchaikovsky’s penetrative and highly descriptive prose makes for a truly immersive reading experience.
He is also not afraid to make the reader work, throwing him or her head-first into his imagined world, and barely allowing time for catch-up as the plot rattles along at a good old clip. Tchaikovsky reminds me somewhat of (a slightly more world-weary) Larry Niven and David Brin, as this novella could easily also be branded horror.
December 10, 2021
More of a 3.5 for the rating, I'd just put this novella on the shelf that I'd name "a light-touch fish-out-of-water SF".
It's a voyage of self-discovery that reads like a fantasy novel even though there are some rather strong SFnal ties just below the surface that are pretty easy to follow as a reader, but not so much for the MC.
Honestly tho, I didn't really get into it all that much despite being an otherwise rabid fan of Tchaikovsky. Others might enjoy it more than I did.
It's a voyage of self-discovery that reads like a fantasy novel even though there are some rather strong SFnal ties just below the surface that are pretty easy to follow as a reader, but not so much for the MC.
Honestly tho, I didn't really get into it all that much despite being an otherwise rabid fan of Tchaikovsky. Others might enjoy it more than I did.
November 21, 2018
This is a novella, which I hope will be nominated for major SF&F awards for this year.
Just like his SF novel , masterfully mixes classical SF tropes and modern concern with social issues. A young boy is accidently changed, which alienate him from his village and the world itself, like a form of allergy from everything. While the village seems low tech, it is hinted from the start (even by the book’s title) that there is some high tech hidden behind the scenes, like in . The boy has to go on the quest without clear goal and manages to learn about the world and himself.
A very nice read.
In my head the villagers were on my trail, coming with slings, spears, with lanterns and righteous anger. I could picture all those familiar faces twisted by the same emotion, as though they had all kept a ghost inside them, all this time. I could remember them before the accident, that was the worst thing. If I had been born to this, surely it wouldn’t be so raw? But I’d been one of them, once. And no doubt if this had happened to someone else, I’d be with the mob, a cudgel in my hand and no doubts in my head.
Just like his SF novel , masterfully mixes classical SF tropes and modern concern with social issues. A young boy is accidently changed, which alienate him from his village and the world itself, like a form of allergy from everything. While the village seems low tech, it is hinted from the start (even by the book’s title) that there is some high tech hidden behind the scenes, like in . The boy has to go on the quest without clear goal and manages to learn about the world and himself.
A very nice read.
In my head the villagers were on my trail, coming with slings, spears, with lanterns and righteous anger. I could picture all those familiar faces twisted by the same emotion, as though they had all kept a ghost inside them, all this time. I could remember them before the accident, that was the worst thing. If I had been born to this, surely it wouldn’t be so raw? But I’d been one of them, once. And no doubt if this had happened to someone else, I’d be with the mob, a cudgel in my hand and no doubts in my head.
September 15, 2022
This turned out unexpectedly touching and personal; managed to pull me in completely. No small part thanks to the emphasis, which the author's dedication put on some of the themes present in the narration.
Apart from being full of excellent self-reflections, the story has some quite appealing character chemistry and wonderful, gut-wrenching developments.
Though most significance for my experience with this might stem from personal reasons, this still felt very wholesome and sincere overall, besides that. Any initial infatuated intrigue the title might've held before diving into this, effectively turned into a full blown admiration as the story progressed.
________
Reading updates.
Apart from being full of excellent self-reflections, the story has some quite appealing character chemistry and wonderful, gut-wrenching developments.
Though most significance for my experience with this might stem from personal reasons, this still felt very wholesome and sincere overall, besides that. Any initial infatuated intrigue the title might've held before diving into this, effectively turned into a full blown admiration as the story progressed.
________
Reading updates.
November 3, 2024
I don’t write reviews.
Tchaikovsky seemed to be channeling Tanith Lee or Doris Piserchia with his delightful world-building. The story didn’t lack for characters either, or creatures. This was almost in the style of classic SF/fantasy. Very good!
As far as the story goes, I kept being reminded of a quote by William S. Burroughs. “Question: Is Control controlled by its need to control? Answer: yes.�
Is it really true? Do men need to be told how to live? Without religion or government (or in this case, computers) to tell them to be good little children, would they immediately revert to savagery? Or die in the streets for lack of ability to care for themselves or others? I can’t and won’t believe that!
Tchaikovsky seemed to be channeling Tanith Lee or Doris Piserchia with his delightful world-building. The story didn’t lack for characters either, or creatures. This was almost in the style of classic SF/fantasy. Very good!
As far as the story goes, I kept being reminded of a quote by William S. Burroughs. “Question: Is Control controlled by its need to control? Answer: yes.�
Is it really true? Do men need to be told how to live? Without religion or government (or in this case, computers) to tell them to be good little children, would they immediately revert to savagery? Or die in the streets for lack of ability to care for themselves or others? I can’t and won’t believe that!
July 26, 2018
The Expert System's Brother is an underwhelming book/novella. By Adrian Tchaikovsky's standards (I loved The Shadows of the Apt, Dogs of War as well as The Children of Time), this is downright abysmal.
It rehashes an old story (men marooned on another planet) and throws in predictable plot elements with a health dash of old school IT. I found the world building to be quite average as well as its pacing.
It rehashes an old story (men marooned on another planet) and throws in predictable plot elements with a health dash of old school IT. I found the world building to be quite average as well as its pacing.
November 2, 2024
Pretty good fallen-colony story with a clever twist ending. I liked it. 3+ stars
May 3, 2023
Put off reading Tchaikovsky for a very long time because I worried he was going to be too hard SF, too smart, too many insect bits to keep track of. That's not the case at all, and if anything my disappointment goes in the other direction, there's cool insect stuff aplenty but the characters still feel vague and fairytale-ish, without sophistication. Maybe this is a result of the book being a novella, and his novels have the depth I am looking for. We'll see.
June 4, 2021
3.5*(stars)...And I think downgraded mainly because I compare it to the quality of work which this author has put out before and after....Great ideas throughout the story, as always in his work. How he manages to pump out the quantity of varied work of above-average to fantastic quality, is mind-boggling...he has quickly become my favorite, living, author...
November 21, 2018
I had no idea what to expect when I started this one, as I've never read anything else by the author, but I was very impressed by the story. I thought that it had some really interesting things to say about community, autonomy, power, progress, and humanity. Very much my kind of book, and I will definitely be reading more by Adrian Tchaikovsky in the future.
September 10, 2022
Rec. by: Daniel; title
Rec. for: Experts and their siblings
If you read them closely enough together, 's slim novella and 's more expansive Ramparts trilogy (starting with ) share a lot of common features. Both are told by a young man (a boy, really) growing up in a pastoral village that, it's quickly clear, is not in the here-and-now, a village that is surrounded by an environment that is actively hostile to human life. Both boys are, fairly quickly, thrown out of their respective villages (c'mon, that's no spoiler—after all, who wants to read about a kid who grows up and has an utterly peaceful, boring life in a bucolic backwater?), and both later encounter a (okay, that one really is a spoiler). Both villages rely upon mysterious artifacts that we, as readers, are quick to recognize as technologies, that the inhabitants themselves no longer fully understand.
And yet, despite their marked similarities, these books could hardly be more different in detail. In Handry's village of Aro, life is centered on a great tree and the hives of (somewhat more than) wasps that it hosts, whereas the villagers of Koli's Mythen Rood cannot permit any trees at all to gain a foothold within its palisade. The worlds around Handry's and Koli's homes, the triggering events that lead to their individual exiles, the friends (and enemies) they make along their journeys—all are distinct. These works aren't copies of one another; they're merely variations on the same classic theme.
Tchaikovsky's version is just a lot more... compressed. Which certainly can be a good thing. I've often read (and sometimes even said) comments bemoaning the disappearance of the short, snappy, sub-250 page SF novels that were so common in the mid-20th Century, before general consumer demand and the advent of paperless composition using word processors combined to increase page counts. But in this case, especially after having wandered happily through three books' worth of Koli's adventures, Handry's 167-page journey did seem a little rushed.
Just a little, though. is a very good book, and that title is just perfect—so, from this example, I'll be looking out for more of 's work.
Rec. for: Experts and their siblings
If you read them closely enough together, 's slim novella and 's more expansive Ramparts trilogy (starting with ) share a lot of common features. Both are told by a young man (a boy, really) growing up in a pastoral village that, it's quickly clear, is not in the here-and-now, a village that is surrounded by an environment that is actively hostile to human life. Both boys are, fairly quickly, thrown out of their respective villages (c'mon, that's no spoiler—after all, who wants to read about a kid who grows up and has an utterly peaceful, boring life in a bucolic backwater?), and both later encounter a (okay, that one really is a spoiler). Both villages rely upon mysterious artifacts that we, as readers, are quick to recognize as technologies, that the inhabitants themselves no longer fully understand.
And yet, despite their marked similarities, these books could hardly be more different in detail. In Handry's village of Aro, life is centered on a great tree and the hives of (somewhat more than) wasps that it hosts, whereas the villagers of Koli's Mythen Rood cannot permit any trees at all to gain a foothold within its palisade. The worlds around Handry's and Koli's homes, the triggering events that lead to their individual exiles, the friends (and enemies) they make along their journeys—all are distinct. These works aren't copies of one another; they're merely variations on the same classic theme.
Tchaikovsky's version is just a lot more... compressed. Which certainly can be a good thing. I've often read (and sometimes even said) comments bemoaning the disappearance of the short, snappy, sub-250 page SF novels that were so common in the mid-20th Century, before general consumer demand and the advent of paperless composition using word processors combined to increase page counts. But in this case, especially after having wandered happily through three books' worth of Koli's adventures, Handry's 167-page journey did seem a little rushed.
Just a little, though. is a very good book, and that title is just perfect—so, from this example, I'll be looking out for more of 's work.
May 15, 2023
After a lot of reflection, this is about 3.5 stars for me because it doesn't quite stand up to Tchaikovsky's stronger works that explore similar themes.
This book is the story of Handry, a boy who's cast halfway out of his community and then has to flee entirely after a magical ceremony goes wrong. It's also the story of how that moment (and so many other details about the world) aren't magical at all-- experienced genre readers will pick up on how the "bees" around the village and the spirits channeling wisdom through the village leaders seem far more like technological echoes. The contrast is interesting, as is the shape of this alien world.
The strange ecology of this world is really well-developed, and the sci-fi elements perceived through a fantasy/primitive lens are well done: it's something I really enjoyed in a lot of 90s/2000s books but haven't seen as much in recent years. When the narrator describes animals like bears or bees, you slowly experience the distortion of realizing that those words don't mean the same thing to his culture as what you're picturing as a reader.
The characterization is flat to nonexistent, though-- everyone seems like an archetype or an NPC meant to build out the world, so it's hard to be invested in anyone's fate. Spoiler: . Some of the characters are vivid in the way they see the world or make speeches, but I think it's telling that I finished this book less than two months ago and can't remember a single one of their names except the protagonist's. The world is great and I'd love to read more about it, but not because of the people who live there.
The "I would later learn that the situation wasn't what I thought" backward-looking voice is a little strained and takes the tension out of some otherwise interesting sequences. It's hard for a narrator to convey raw terror and loneliness one moment after calmly reflecting about how he would later learn the truth behind some magic just a few sentences before. Some books manage that high-wire act by making it more of a clouded-destiny thing with a note of tragedy, but this one overplayed its hand with the implication of how much longer Handry spends alive and learning about the world.
I liked better for its blending of sci-fi and fantasy elements, but that was one of my favorite reads of last year, so no surprise there. And this was the last book I needed for my 2022 reading challenge! Thanks to Hirondelle for rescuing me there.
Other recommendations:
-I read another Tchaikovsky novella, , a month after this and loved it. It's a much darker story in some ways, but the alien-world mindset and sense of engaging with a lost and distorted past was similar.
This book is the story of Handry, a boy who's cast halfway out of his community and then has to flee entirely after a magical ceremony goes wrong. It's also the story of how that moment (and so many other details about the world) aren't magical at all-- experienced genre readers will pick up on how the "bees" around the village and the spirits channeling wisdom through the village leaders seem far more like technological echoes. The contrast is interesting, as is the shape of this alien world.
The strange ecology of this world is really well-developed, and the sci-fi elements perceived through a fantasy/primitive lens are well done: it's something I really enjoyed in a lot of 90s/2000s books but haven't seen as much in recent years. When the narrator describes animals like bears or bees, you slowly experience the distortion of realizing that those words don't mean the same thing to his culture as what you're picturing as a reader.
The characterization is flat to nonexistent, though-- everyone seems like an archetype or an NPC meant to build out the world, so it's hard to be invested in anyone's fate. Spoiler: . Some of the characters are vivid in the way they see the world or make speeches, but I think it's telling that I finished this book less than two months ago and can't remember a single one of their names except the protagonist's. The world is great and I'd love to read more about it, but not because of the people who live there.
The "I would later learn that the situation wasn't what I thought" backward-looking voice is a little strained and takes the tension out of some otherwise interesting sequences. It's hard for a narrator to convey raw terror and loneliness one moment after calmly reflecting about how he would later learn the truth behind some magic just a few sentences before. Some books manage that high-wire act by making it more of a clouded-destiny thing with a note of tragedy, but this one overplayed its hand with the implication of how much longer Handry spends alive and learning about the world.
I liked better for its blending of sci-fi and fantasy elements, but that was one of my favorite reads of last year, so no surprise there. And this was the last book I needed for my 2022 reading challenge! Thanks to Hirondelle for rescuing me there.
Other recommendations:
-I read another Tchaikovsky novella, , a month after this and loved it. It's a much darker story in some ways, but the alien-world mindset and sense of engaging with a lost and distorted past was similar.
May 20, 2024
A tale of an outcast who doesn't forget what matters.
Spoilers:
I love Tchaikovsky and am making my way through his novellas. This didn't disappoint and I enjoyed every bit of it. You'll find the story of a post-terraformed world in the distant future whose society and human genomes have been altered and aided by AI to help the settlers survive. The main character, through no fault of his own, becomes a pariah from his small village and sets out hungry and impoverished to find any means on which to live. Duped by a demagogue, he joins forces with a revolutionary movement and learns the earthly origins and common ancestry of the villages that dot the area. But the main character doesn't forget that everyone has their own narrative they follow to justify cruelty and bring about new change. It's a beautiful and exciting tale.
Spoilers:
I love Tchaikovsky and am making my way through his novellas. This didn't disappoint and I enjoyed every bit of it. You'll find the story of a post-terraformed world in the distant future whose society and human genomes have been altered and aided by AI to help the settlers survive. The main character, through no fault of his own, becomes a pariah from his small village and sets out hungry and impoverished to find any means on which to live. Duped by a demagogue, he joins forces with a revolutionary movement and learns the earthly origins and common ancestry of the villages that dot the area. But the main character doesn't forget that everyone has their own narrative they follow to justify cruelty and bring about new change. It's a beautiful and exciting tale.
April 2, 2025
What a lovely little YA book. I'm really starting to thoroughly enjoy everything Mr Tchaikovsky writes (across so many diverse sub genres of sci-fi and fantasy). This was charming and entertaining and interesting. Much fun
2025 reread:
Even better the second time around, esp as i went straight into the sequel, which opens up a LOT of the back story. Such a great story.
2025 reread:
Even better the second time around, esp as i went straight into the sequel, which opens up a LOT of the back story. Such a great story.
July 24, 2018
I could've read 500 pages of this. Feels like a modern Planet of Exile.
EDIT: in fact, it feels like a Hainish Cycle/Ursula K. Le Guin book in general-- short-ish, yet still packing a lot of worldbuilding/story in such few pages, and telling a vivid story about humanity and the universe.
EDIT: in fact, it feels like a Hainish Cycle/Ursula K. Le Guin book in general-- short-ish, yet still packing a lot of worldbuilding/story in such few pages, and telling a vivid story about humanity and the universe.
September 1, 2019
3.5 stars, but rounded up for originality. It was interesting, but I thought it was too abbreviated; perhaps it was purposely made short, though. It was basically a glimpse into a time and place that was pretty unusual, but I had trouble relating to the people and not much actually happened.
May 31, 2022
Tchaikovsky's imagination is endless. A fantastic novella, yet again.
October 20, 2018
A sci-fi novel that occasionally feels like fantasy due to the perspective of its narrator. There’s some excellent expository passages in this novella that make it feel like a fresh sci-fi experience, even though it could have just been a standard planetary colonization tale. I loved the perspective of the narrator, Handry, and the way his people’s viewpoint of the world shaped my reading experience.
I picked this one up based solely on my theory that the Tor.com novella line rarely publishes stinkers, and The Expert System’s Brother only makes that a more convincing argument. It’s a bit slow to start, but this novella gets a solid recommendation from me!
I picked this one up based solely on my theory that the Tor.com novella line rarely publishes stinkers, and The Expert System’s Brother only makes that a more convincing argument. It’s a bit slow to start, but this novella gets a solid recommendation from me!
May 7, 2020
Nota: 1,5.
Ok, admito que só li esse livro pela capa. Mesmo assim, eu esperava mais desse autor. Talvez a história seja surpreendente para quem não leia muito do gênero, mas quem já leu sua quota de ficção cientifica vai conseguir saber exatamente a direção que o autor vai seguir. O livro até traz um questionamento sobre o que nos torna humanos e o conflito entre "modificar" o mundo ou "ser modificado" por ele para sobreviver e evoluir, mas o livro é lento e previsÃvel demais para causar muito impacto. Eu só não abandonei pois as resenhas foram tão positivas que eu esperava uma revelação inimaginável no final, que, na minha opinião, foi só anticlimático mesmo.
Ok, admito que só li esse livro pela capa. Mesmo assim, eu esperava mais desse autor. Talvez a história seja surpreendente para quem não leia muito do gênero, mas quem já leu sua quota de ficção cientifica vai conseguir saber exatamente a direção que o autor vai seguir. O livro até traz um questionamento sobre o que nos torna humanos e o conflito entre "modificar" o mundo ou "ser modificado" por ele para sobreviver e evoluir, mas o livro é lento e previsÃvel demais para causar muito impacto. Eu só não abandonei pois as resenhas foram tão positivas que eu esperava uma revelação inimaginável no final, que, na minha opinião, foi só anticlimático mesmo.
September 24, 2020
Tchaikovsky can always be relied upon to lift my spirits.
February 24, 2022
This had an interesting premise, but I felt the sci-fi part of the world-building wasn't explored enough, and all the twists were telegraphed early on, so there were no real surprises.
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