Children of Ruin by Adrian Tchaikovsky

In this powerful sci-fi thriller, a human outpost lies derelict in space until a scout ship discovers it, and a planet best left unexplored. From the author of the hugely acclaimed Children of Time, winner of the Arthur C. Clarke Award, Children of Ruin is set in the same universe, with a new cast of characters and a thrilling new narrative.

It has been waiting through the ages. Now it's time.

Thousands of years ago, Earth's terraforming program took to the stars. On the world they called Nod, scientists discovered alien life - but it was their mission to overwrite it with the memory of Earth. Then humanity's great empire fell, and the program's decisions were lost to time.

Aeons later, humanity and its new spider allies detected fragmentary radio signals between the stars. They dispatched an exploration vessel, hoping to find cousins from old Earth.

But those ancient terraformers woke something on Nod better left undisturbed. And it's been waiting for them.

Adrian Tchaikovsky was born in Lincolnshire, England, 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.

Adrian is the author of the critically acclaimed series' Shadows of the Apt and Echoes of the Fall, the first of which, The Tiger and the Wolf, won the prestigious British Fantasy Award for Best Novel in 2017. He is also the bestselling author of several standalone novels, including Children of Time, winner of the 30th Anniversary Arthur C. Clarke Award for Best Science Fiction Novel, Children of Ruin, and The Doors of Eden.