The author is well aware of the shortcuts he has taken, of the sleigh-of-hand arguments he makes in support of his alternative evolutionary paths. As a trained biologist, he is aware of the infinitesimal probabilities of high intelligence in invertebrate or lizard species. Probably this is another reason why those articles on alternative evolution are kept so short.

The Doors of Eden is an imaginative science fiction novel that asks the ultimate question of “what if?”. If one tiny thing went differently at the very start of existence what would that mean? It’s a question I hadn’t really considered until I read The Doors of Eden and afterwards I was a little overwhelmed by the colossal ramifications suggested by Tchaikovsky. It’s all fictional, yet it’s also completely theoretically possible and that is the part that gets to you. Structured with a dual narrative, it alternates more 'academic' pieces with a third-person limited viewpoint from one of a handful of characters. Although multiple narratives are a technique that often annoy me, Tchaikovsky uses it to good effect. The academic pieces are usually short, while the character narratives are full of action and conflict. He's also kind enough to avoid leaving the reader on a cliff-hanger with each section. The academic writings are taken from an imaginary book, 'Other Edens: Speculative Evolution and Intelligence,' and while they have a drier, more academic tone, each explores a world where what humanity understands as evolution followed a more divergent path. Tchaikovsky, Adrian (30 March 2008). "The Long Good Lunch". Empire Rising. Archived from the original on 13 March 2012. However, as the possibility of the Polish rights being sold seems extremely viable, there is an epilogue to this tale of Frankish ignorance, for in Poland, one would strongly assume, I may finally see my name in print in its unadulterated form.

New in Series

Imagine a universe in which there are myriad Earths. Every parallel Earth is different with different dominant species. Imagine all these branching timelines being done on purpose to find what works best. You know, evolution but on a whole new level. This is the universe of this book.

Eventually, the plot is spanning all sorts of times and beyond, and it's quite an epic conclusion. I think this is certainly a story which builds in the telling and I really enjoyed the journey through the science and beyond. Dude wasn't even trying to make an engaging plot and God forbid he took time out to write characters that would even try to be engaging. Everywhere, a garden of life arises—the very first Eden. But it doesn’t support life like ours, or even our ancestors’. This is life of another caste entirely. A world of quilt-bodied things that lie supine upon the sea floor, or inch slowly across the bacterial mats without limbs or muscles, feeding upon them without mouths. They are a global community of organisms alien to us, and they live without tooth or claw, without eyes, without organs.Up next we actually have an antagonist, sorta. The real antagonist of the story is the heat death of the universe, but Lucas is the right-hand man of another man who isn’t improving things. Lucas is a complicated character who falls into being a bad guy and doesn’t know how to stop. He doesn’t necessarily have a redemption arc, but his story does an amazing job exploring how the tiny choices we make build momentum into who we become, and in some ways how our circumstances–not our inherent nature– determines whether we are good or bad. His story is great; you will have to read the book to understand it better than I can reasonably explain here. The best example of this is The Ice Queen Priestess. I just put the book down and can't remember half the characters names, but if you've read it you'll know who I mean. Her defining character trait is her religious devotion to The Ice Computer. She's its high priestess and her sole goal is communion with her god. So why in the world, at the climax of the book, would she destroy the entire multiverse, except for one reality, at the behest of Nazi Jeff Bezos? Her motivation made sense when she was helping NJB to ruthlessly allow the vast majority of the multiverse to be destroyed so a small portion could be saved. Her god would be saved. That's what matters. But at one point in the novel NJB decides to allow everything except for one single reality to be destroyed, and she continues to help him, even when his plan explicitly involves killing her god. 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.