This sequel has less science and more character development than Darwin’s Radio.
I felt drawn in by the characters, although the action never really grabbed me. I enjoyed seeing the characters develop and change as events evolved around them. ( )

Since I didn't like Darwin's Radio, decided not to read this one. ( )

Sequel to Darwin's Radio.

More sociology and less science in this book than the first. This work proceeds on a more personal level following characters we got to know in the first book. The political intrigues are not as fleshed out so policy decisions are less charged. I would have liked more explanation of the biology behind the Shivites skills and some hints as to what a mature civilization of Shivites might accomplish (perhaps Bear is holding back for a sequel). Similarly, some tantalizing hints regarding Kaye's "epiphany" but not a lot of development in that direction - I did PARTICULARLY like one confrontational scene in relation to this.

Still a very good book, criticism mainly because the ideas in this book (and the first) had a potential to be GREAT but fell a little short. ( )

While this can certainly be counted as another tour de force by Greg Bear, it does not quite match the sheer intellectual power of the first book in this series, Darwin's Radio. This book follows the continuing story of the Rafelson family - Mitch, Kaye, and their superior daughter, Stella Nova. Stella was among the first of a new species of human and was born towards the end of the first book, but this book begins 12 years later and is centered around her story and what has become of the new "virus children".

One of my main dislikes of the book were the time leaps. If I was to draw out the sequence of this book, it would rise to fever pitch twice before plummeting back to a starting point. Bear basically continues to increase the suspense and draw out the story, only to pull back at the last moment and shoot forward three years to see the aftermath of that event. While this technique could be successful in some cases, I believe it falls flat here, especially since after the time jump, it often takes several chapters to get back into the flow of the story. This jerky exposition creates a disconnect with the story, which did not allow me to fully immerse myself in Bear's world for most of the book.

Another problem is the seemingly random instance of God, which is never fully explained and is not necessary in the least to making the rest of the novel a comprehensive story. However, as always, Bear's science is flawlessly elegant and well-explained, even to those of us without extensive biological backgrounds (namely, me). Before reading this series I knew nothing about retroviruses or the various schools of thought on the function of viruses. While I am still not interested in biology, Bear creates a wonderful synergy between the reader and his subject matter.

All in all I would recommend this book to the discerning scifi reader. While it takes some heartiness to get through a thick Bear novel, it is worth it in the end as long as you stop periodically to reflect on his revelations. ( )

Darwin’s Children by Greg Bear is a satisfying but imperfect follow-up to Darwin’s Radio that reaches too far outside the scientific realm and into politics and religion. Bear is a gifted storyteller with a knack for building great suspense. Bear uses a scientific framework to create interesting characters and places them in situations that compel you to read on to find out what happens next. Darwin’s Children is no different.

Read my full review on the Used Books Blog:
http://usedbooksblog.com/blog/darwins... ( )