Children of Ruin

I also really enjoyed volume 2. However, I should point out to others that, unlike the first volume, it contains a horror element. But I enjoyed the ride and the new alliances. Oh, and unlike in the last book, I was more attached to the human characters.

The epilogue is somewhat strange but optimistic. That's why I read sci-fi!

Tchaikovsky's Children Of Series focuses on the lifeforms left behind by mankind's self-destruction. The sentient spiders from Children of Time are back, and are exploring a solar system caught in a civil war. One of science fiction's strengths is being able to imagine other beings, and Tchaikovsky's depictions of their life and thoughts are excellent here as well.