The Doors of Eden
by Adrian Tchaikovsky (Goodreads Author), Sophie Aldred (Narrator)
Lee and Mal go hunting for cryptids on Bodmin Moor and find more than they bargained for. Mal goes missing. Years pass. Government physicist Kay Amal Khan is attacked. MI5’s Julian and Alison get involved into the case and find a connection to that mysterious disappearance on the moor. They all go places that are not of this Earth. More would be spoilers…
Interludes tell us of alternate paths of evolution. Tchaikovsky does this well. It reminded me strongly of Children of Time and its intricate world building.
I listened to the audiobook, narrated by an actress who has appeared on Dr Who. I hope she was chosen on purpose. Not only, because she does a very good job, but also because that adds a nice nerdy touch to this audiobook.
I read the blurb before diving into this book, but somehow expected something more fantastical, out-of-this-world and bizarre. The Guardian called this „a dizzyingly inventive techno-thriller which explores issues of evolutionary biology and contemporary politics . That description is a good fit.
Not bad. Fun world building. It didn‘t knock me off my feet, although that might be more my not so stellar success rate with audiobooks than the book itself. I also didn‘t quite understand the ending, aka I expected something else to happen and was confused how it didn‘t and why the alternative ending was feasible. I might have nodded off briefly somewhere in between though and simply missed the explanation. Again, that is on me, not the book. There were no lengths, the pacing was good throughout the book. I was never bored. I liked the characters and the fact that there were shades of grey and that not everybody was just black or white. Bonus points for the relaxed representation of a trans character, a same-sex relationship and gender in general. So, yes, probably 4 stars after all. Oh, I loved the trilobites! Wood lice? Cool idea!
I might not be averse to reading a sequel, if it should materialize.
Cathy's Reading Bonanza 