Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky
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Strap on your space boots and grab an interstellar passport, because you're about to embark on an epic adventure across the cosmos. Welcome to ‘Children of Time', where the mad-scientist Dr. Avrana Kern has a plan - A plan to create a whole new world filled with her own version of evolved, clever monkeys. But guess what? Like a classic kitchen experiment, it goes bananas.
Just when Dr. Kern thinks she's got it all figured out, an uprising on her ship gives her a one-way ticket to Suspended Animation Land. Meanwhile, her precious monkeys perform a cosmic barbeque stunt and the planet they were supposed to inhabit, Kern's World, is left to the teeny-tiny, eight-legged, jumping spiders. Little did anyone expect that Dr. Kern's genetic wizardry would turn these spiders into the next big thing.
As these Portiids (that's the fancy term for our evolved spiders, by the way) jump, spin, and weave their way into a sprawling civilization, Earth is falling apart. The remnants of humanity decide to take a field trip to the stars in their trusty starship, the Gilgamesh. They are in search of a new paradise but instead, they get eight-legged neighbors with attitude.
The starship crew, led by Commander Guyen, Holsten, Lain and their mates, get ready to take the rollercoaster ride of their lives – and deaths, and rebirths. Time is all wibbly-wobbly when you're zooming through space, so buckle up.
Will the humans outwit the spidery geniuses? Will the spiders spin a web too complex for anyone to escape? Or will the two species learn to share a cup of cosmic tea?
As they all get caught in the web of life, literally and figuratively, this thrilling, mind-boggling, and at times heart-rending story takes you through the endless possibilities of ‘what if?'.
‘Children of Time' will make you cheer, gasp, and possibly develop a newfound respect for the itsy-bitsy spider. So get ready to dive into a universe filled with bizarre twists and turns, where legacies are woven and the battle for the ultimate real estate - a new Earth - is on.
Just remember: In space, everyone can see you spin.