This is the second book in 'The Final Architecture' trilogy.
Background:
The story takes place in the distant future, when humans have colonized
space and encountered many kinds of intergalactic species. The most
frightening of these entities are called Architects, each one as large
as a moon, with crystalline spikes radiating from its surface.
An
Architect will suddenly appear over an inhabited world, then quickly
reshape it into a gigantic sculpture, killing everything that lives
there....as if the Architect doesn't 'see' the inhabitants.
An
Architect destroyed Earth, and the remaining shards of humanity reside
elsewhere in the universe. Over time, humans became divided into two
rival groups: The Colonies - composed of biologically natural men and
women (Colonists) that live on habitable planets and moons;
and The Parthenon - comprised of parthenogenetically grown women (Partheni) who reside on spacecraft fitted to their needs.
Other
species in the universe include artificial intelligence creatures
called hivers (made of insects), as well as beings that resemble giant
versions of slugs, crabs, clams, fungi, locusts, aquatic blobs, and
more. 
During
the Architect onslaught, a human girl called Xavienne Torino was able
to mentally connect with an Architect and persuade it to cease its
attack and go away. Xavienne was termed an "Intermediary' (Int) and a
program was developed to tinker with people's brains to make more Ints. 
Almost no one survived the procedure. However, a spaceship navigator called Idris Telemmier was transformed into an Int.
In
addition to communicating with Architects, Idris is able to steer
spacecraft through a region of the universe called unspace, where
distances of lightyears can be traversed in a few days. Idris is the
navigator on a salvage vessel called the Vulture God, whose crew
consists of a handful of humans and aliens.
Since
Ints are VERY valuable commodities, the Colonists, Partheni, and other
groups are constantly trying to conscript or kidnap Idris for their own
purposes, one of which is making more Ints.
*****
As
'Eyes Of The Void' opens, the Architects, who've been gone for fifty
years, return and start destroying worlds again. By now, it's known that
planets containing remains left behind by mysterious 'Originators' are
immune from destruction. For this reason, communities are built on
Originator ruins, which are supposedly safe from destruction by
Architects.
Idris
Telemmier is currently working on a Partheni garden ship called Ceres, a
huge spaceship that produces food and contains thousands of
individuals. Some of Idris's old crewmates are with him on the Ceres,
and others remain on the Vulture God, doing salvage work.
Idris's job is to take groups of Partheni into unspace, to identify potential Ints and train them
The
universe is in constant turmoil with various groups competing for
power, money, and Ints. This leads to hijackings, kidnappings, battles,
and deaths, all of which is exacerbated by the deadly Architects.
In this fraught atmosphere, a Colonial intelligence agent called Havaer Mundy uncovers a nefarious plot.
While
Colonials, Partheni, and other groups fight each other - and the
Architects cause chaos - a few rich human conspirators plan to build and
launch arkships, containing people they've selected, to roam the
universe and preserve humanity. The schemers even foment war among other
groups, to distract attention from their activities. 
The
novel's action accelerates when an Architect shows up near Arc
Pallator, a planet with vast Originator ruins. A community of Colonials
live among the relics, confident the Architects won't destroy their
world. How wrong they are!! An Architect arrives and sends down mobile
crystal shards to excavate the ruins, and prepare for the planet's
destruction. 
To
rescue Arc Pallator's residents, Colonials, Partheni, the Vulture God,
Idris, and other beings rush to the planet. In the chaos, Idris is
kidnapped by a human-alien symbiont named Emmaneth.
Emmaneth
takes Idris to a planet called Criccieth's Hell, where scientists found
an Originator machine. The researchers are using the high-tech device,
with a cot for a passenger, to enter and study unspace, where they've
found an Architect nursery.....and they need Idris's help.
At
the same time, Idris's crewmates and friends, along with Havaer Mundi,
set out to get Idris back. Havaer is also working to expose the human
conspirators secretly building arkships.
This
is the crux of the plot, but the story is very complicated, with a
large array of characters, and a great deal of action and adventure. [I
frequently had to consult Tchaikovky's endnotes, where he provides a
timeline, glossary, and lists of characters, worlds, species, and
ships.]
By the end of the novel, a coalition of species are
working in a powerful Originator installation, to find a way to stop the
Architects. Does this mean genocide of the spiky aliens? Book three
should reveal all.
This
is a good story, but it requires careful attention. I'd advise reading
the trilogy straight through, to keep on top of everything that's
happening. Recommended to sci-fi fans.
Rating: 4 stars
