Sorry, Star Wars sequel trilogy: The finest space operas of the 21st century played out on the page. Adrian Tchaikovsky’s Hugo-nominated Final Architecture trilogy raised the bar on modern sci-fi epics. And now it’s getting a prequel in the form of a new graphic novel, Salvation’s Child, for which Polygon is able to share an exclusive excerpt.
Released between 2021 and 2023, Final Architecture spans three doorstopper novels: Shards of Earth, Eyes of the Void, and Lords of Uncreation. The novels are set in a future where humanity is under constant threat of attack from the Architects — creatures as large as moons who can travel outside normal space, showing up only to shred planets to ribbons. Salvation’s Child covers the origin story of Xavienne Torino (“Xavi”), the first known Intermediary, a person with the ability to sense Architects before they arrive.
Shards of Earth picks up more than a century into the conflict. Thanks in larger part to Xavi’s ability, the Architects retreat, and haven’t been seen in years. But prior to discovering Intermediary abilities, humanity spent decades on the run, jetting from solar system to solar system to avoid getting run through an intergalactic cosmic paper shredder. In an email interview with Polygon, Tchaikovsky said he was keen to explore this earlier period of Final Architecture canon.
|
Book |
Synopsis |
Pages |
|---|---|---|
|
Shards of Earth (2021) |
Idris Telemmier, an Intermediary, and his fellow crew on the scavenger ship Vulture God discover evidence of the Architects’ return, kickstarting a chase across the galaxy. |
548 |
|
Eyes of the Void (2022) |
Various political factions (human and non-human) vie to exert control over the Vulture God’s crew, as Idris works with the Parthenon to train up a new crew of Intermediaries in the face of continued Architect attacks. |
596 |
|
Lords of Uncreation (2023) |
Despite existential threat from Architects, disputes between factions escalate into system-destroying battles, while Idris and crew investigate ancient artifacts that could end the war with the Architects. |
608 |
“This is a point in time when Earth has been lost and the whole human race exists as a fleet of refugees seeking anywhere that will take them in,” Tchaikovsky said. “It’s a time referred to often in the books, and it’s absolutely formative on the human culture we see in those later days. A time of terrible privation, constant fear, desperation and shortages, but also enormous courage and camaraderie between the surviving humans.”
Salvation’s Child is illustrated by Mike Collins, a comic artist who’s worked on DC Comics titles (including Wonder Woman and Superman) and storyboarded various TV shows (including Good Omens and His Dark Materials). Final Architecture features a wide array of innovative alien species, many of whom Collins brings to life in the graphic novel: the crab-like Hannilambra, the giant Castigar space worms, the army of Parthenon human clones. (Fun fact: Collins modeled the clones after the likeness of Sophie Alred, who narrated the audiobooks of the original trilogy.)
“The advantage of a graphic novel is that the medium can bring the setting to life in a completely different way,” Tchaikovsky said. “Mike’s visual take on the universe of the Architects is something completely new, and the chance for a window on the past of the series that one can actually see through really inspired me to explore the setting’s backstory.”
Salvation’s Child will be released on May 26, but you can read an excerpt of it below..
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