They thought they’d found refuge. But paradise became their prison. Experience the Sunday Times bestselling science-fiction adventure from Adrian Tchaikovsky, continuing the epic journey that began with Children of Time. This installment plunges readers into a terrifying new frontier of first contact and the nature of intelligence among the stars.

Centuries ago, a maverick terraforming team created something terrible and unexpected out of vanity and spite on a distant planet. Generations later, tormented scientist Alis rediscovers this lost outpost aboard a research vessel. Waking from nightmares to a catastrophe, Alis finds the crew vanished, leaving only the belligerent mantis-shrimp captain, Cato, and the ship’s AI, Kern. To find their lost fellows, Alis and Cato must venture into the darkness of the planet below to confront what the ancient terraformers unleashed, and determine if their last surviving crewmate poses a greater threat than the world itself.

Key Features/Benefits

• Far-future science fiction adventure exploring themes of first contact and intelligence.
• From Adrian Tchaikovsky, the Sunday Times bestselling author of the series.
• Features epic adventure and a terrifying new frontier following the events of Children of Time.
• Reading age recommended for 18 years and up.

Specifications

• Author: Adrian Tchaikovsky
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Edition: Main Market
• Print Length: 704 pages
• Publication Date: March 26, 2026
• ISBN-10: 1035057786
• ISBN-13: 978-1035057788
• Dimensions: 166mm x 245mm x 58mm
• Weight: 788 g

Dive into Children of Strife for a smart, surprising, and deeply entertaining exploration of what it means to be intelligent among the stars.