A review by aristhought
The Doors of Eden by Adrian Tchaikovsky
4.0
I am constantly amazed by Adrian Tchaikovsky’s ability to spin whole fantastical worlds from the roots of real life biology/ecology/palaeontology, and craft whole epics in those worlds at an astonishing rate. The Doors of Eden is one of those epics in worldbuilding that, along with being a gripping story about empathy, communication, and diversity, taught me new things about biology and evolution.
As a queer/trans person I also appreciated how he handled one of the main characters who is a trans woman. Admittedly it wasn’t perfect, but I was pleasantly surprised and touched how he wrote her with great empathy and respect. 2 of the main characters are also lesbians, and it was wonderful to read. These characters are just as human and real as any of the others. Queer representation - especially done well - is still rare in science fiction, and it is greatly meaningful how his stories feature representation in realistic ways without resorting to tokenism or harmful tropes.
As a queer/trans person I also appreciated how he handled one of the main characters who is a trans woman. Admittedly it wasn’t perfect, but I was pleasantly surprised and touched how he wrote her with great empathy and respect. 2 of the main characters are also lesbians, and it was wonderful to read. These characters are just as human and real as any of the others. Queer representation - especially done well - is still rare in science fiction, and it is greatly meaningful how his stories feature representation in realistic ways without resorting to tokenism or harmful tropes.