The Doors of Eden Review | Adrian Tchaikovsky

Adrian Tchaikovsky has been on my TBR wish-list for years. I couldn’t wait to dive into this! It’s complex; it’s epic; and enjoyable from start to finish. It contains a mystery, other worlds, space and end of time. What’s not to like? Here’s my The Doors of Eden review.

*External links below are affiliate links, meaning at no extra cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. For more information, click here.

Publisher: Pan Books | Date: 2020 | Genre: Science Fiction

Plot: Lee’s best friend went missing on Bodmin Moor, four years ago. She and Mal were chasing rumours of monsters when they found something all too real. Now Mal is back, but where has she been, and who is she working for?

When government physicist Kay Amal Khan is attacked, the security services investigate. This leads MI5’s Julian Sabreur deep into terrifying new territory, where he clashes with mysterious agents of an unknown power ­who may or may not be human. And Julian’s only clue is some grainy footage ­– showing a woman who supposedly died on Bodmin Moor.

Khan’s extradimensional research was purely theoretical, until she found cracks between our world and countless others. Parallel Earths where monsters live. These cracks are getting wider every day, so who knows what might creep through? Or what will happen when those walls finally come crashing down…

Waterstones | Bookshop.Org | The Book Depository | Amazon | Foyles

I received The Doors of Eden from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The Doors of Eden Review

The Doors of Eden is a bulky read. Not only due to being around 600 pages long, but because of the scope of what is covered. We start on Earth, then explore other universes, travel through space and deal with different creatures. There’s a lot going on – but it works.

Characters

There’re a lot of characters in The Doors of Eden, and I can’t do them all justice. I loved the representation of sexuality though and typically, it’s the humans that are the douches, not the ‘aliens’.

Lee and Mal are a fun pair. Lee is in over her head as soon as world starts colliding, but she knows what she wants: Mal. She’ll deal with anything if it means she stays by Mal’s side – even if she doesn’t know what’s going on.

Julian is your typical spy-behind-a-desk – not as used to action as he likes to think. I really liked Julian: he’s overwhelmed for most of the book but always stayed true to his principles. Julian’s “wait, what?” often gave the readers the chance to catch their breath.

Kay and Alison are both intriguing. They have connections to these other worlds due to their respective skill-sets. They are often the explanation for both characters and readers what is going on. Their development was abstract, but they were still engaging.

There’re too many characters to talk about! But the great cast makes you feel both hopeful for humanity, and fear for it.

“But I’m sure you want us out of your… lovely forest, so why don’t you show us where the…” Wardrobe was the word his mind supplied, uselessly. “Where the exit is, miss, and we can be out of your hair.”

The Doors of Eden by Adrian Tchaikovsky

Themes

In a nutshell, The Doors of Eden has a simple premise: the end of the universe. Not just ours, but every division that’s been occurring since the beginning of time.

There’s nothing simple about this book.

We start hunting monsters. We end up deep in space with three different species trying to save the world by stopping dimensions crashing into each other.

It’s more than that, though. It tackles the big questions about humanity – and whether we’re worth saving.

Writing

This is a lengthy novel with far-fetched events taking place. It needed strong writing, and it delivered.

Insertions from another perspective, and a Groundhog Day style event, threw me a few times. But you soon pick up what is going on, and it doesn’t pull you away from the story.

The writing takes you to these other worlds, introduces the inhabitants. You care for the characters; you fear for the universe. What more can you want?

Final thoughts

I had high expectations for this book and it didn’t disappoint. There’s a lot going on, so I imagine if you’re not a science fiction/fantasy reader, it wouldn’t be your thing. But for those of you that are, I highly recommend The Doors of Eden and hope this review shows how much. I’m looking forward to picking up more of his work.

Grab your own copy!

Does this sound like your kind of book? Have you read any Adrian Tchaikovsky? Let me know!

You may also like:

• Book Review: To Sleep in a Sea of Stars by Christopher Paolini
• Book Review: The Nothing Within by Andy Giesler

Waterstones | Bookshop.Org | The Book Depository | Amazon | Foyles

Twitter | Facebook | Pinterest | Instagram