Fantasy and science fiction author Adrian Tchaikovsky has been awarded the 2016 Arthur C. Clarke Award, the UK’s most prestigious science fiction prize. Tchaikovsky won the award for his novel Children of Time.

Synopsis for Children of Time

The novel is described as “post-humanity,” and follows the last remnants of the human race as they leave behind a dying Earth, launching into space into the hopes of finding a new home. Following after their ancestors, they discover the greatest treasure of their past age: a planet that has been terraformed and prepared for human life. However, they soon discover that this New Eden is far from perfect. In the long years after the planet was abandoned by its original architects, another species, the Spiders, have claimed it as home. And the Spiders, who have reached levels of evolution and intelligence to match humans, aren’t keen on giving up their new home. With the fate of humanity in the balance, the two races are forced to test how far they’ll go to survive.

Tchaikovsky Discusses the Theme of the Book

During his acceptance speech, Tchaikovsky noted a recurring theme between the novels that were on the shortlist for the award:

“It’s a book about spiders, but it’s also a book about empathy. One of the things that struck me about the shortlist for this year is empathy as a theme that runs through a lot of these books. Empathy across races, across borders… One of the things the book is about is the ability of humanity to seize value in things that are different, and the danger when that doesn’t happen. I guess what I’m saying is, the spiders are not from outer space after all, they are, in a way, in all of us.”

The 2016 Arthur C. Clarke Award Shortlist

Pick Up a Copy of Children of Time

If you’re interested in reading Children of Time, you can head over to Amazon and pick up either a hard copy or a digital copy.

So, what do you think? Do you agree with the award? What do you think of Children of Time?

Featured Images: Pan Macmillan