Children of Time

I really enjoyed Elder Race; I quite enjoyed The Expert System's Brother. For me, this book didn't measure up to those.

It was a slow read at first, but I think I can connect to why - the Human parts of the story are written like standard science fiction, with plot and narrative. I'd have to go back to confirm, but the Bug parts felt almost third person, like a nature documentary. Surely intentional, if that is the case, and if the reader isn't expecting the switches, somewhat jarring. Later in the book this effect either diminished or I got used to it, not sure.

In general, the human story feels flat. The characters didn't grab me, and the direction was depressing (as noted in other reviews). I wasn't in it for the tech, but even those descriptions were not great. While the insect sociology was good (the author is a zoologist), the biology was... hard to swallow. The nano virus has memory, can convey experience, and is passed via the male spiders? A nano virus that was originally designed for primates, not arthropods. I felt like the author made a point about gender through the male spiders, but missed a point about indentured servitude.

Really not convinced by the mind uploading!

Maybe some of this would be corrected on a reread, or through reading the subsequent books. At this point, I'll have to rely on a conversation with a friend who really loved the book instead, because I'm not likely to continue the series at this time. Looking forward to more from this author, though - The Expert System’s Champion.