Elder Race

Adrian Tchaikovsky was born in Lincolnshire before heading off to Reading to study psychology and zoology. He subsequently ended up in law and has worked as a legal executive in both Reading and Leeds, where he now lives. Married, he is a keen live role-player and occasional amateur actor and has trained in stage-fighting. He's the author of Children of Time, the winner of the 30th Anniversary Arthur C. Clarke Award, and the Sunday Times bestseller Shards of Earth.

Shortlisted for the Ursula K. Le Guin Fiction Prize!

An Indie Next Reading Group Selection!

"There's an Ursula Le Guin-like grace to [Tchaikovsky's] storytelling, to the shifting of cadences. Everything about this book suggests deliberate care in uniting epic fantasy's immersive world-building with the sharp, dislocating bursts of high-concept science fiction... Ten out of 10." -New York Times

"[An] epic tale of a land ruled by magic-or the sober record of a world colonized by science...The double vision built into the story works well." -Wall Street Journal

"[A] seamless blend of science fiction and fantasy... Recommended for lovers of portal fantasy, lost colony science fiction, and stories on the border between the two genres" -Library Journal

"Tchaikovsky takes beloved tropes to exciting new places, carried by memorable characters and clever prose. This proves yet again why Tchaikovsky is a master of the genre mash-up." -Publishers Weekly

"Elder Race is a really fun novella, displaying Tchaikovsky's trademark sharp prose and big ideas conveyed in interesting ways." -GrimDark Magazine


More Praise for Adrian Tchaikovsky

"Picking up an Adrian Tchaikovsky book is proof you love your brain and want it to be happy." -John Scalzi

"A great coming-of-age story that careens through a world so vividly realized that you can feel each insect bite and taste every acrid berry. The Expert System's Brother gives you that visceral eek of satisfaction as its pieces come into view then fit together with exacting precision. It's a smart story, smartly told." - Hugo Award winner, John Chu

"I loved it. A bold, vivid story about humanity and the broader universe. Should we mold the universe to suit us? Or should we mold ourselves to suit the universe? Adrian Tchaikovsky keeps these choices in tension, and kept me riveted to the page." - Ramez Naam, author of Nexus on The Expert System's Brother

"Children of Time is a joy from