[frm88]

I completely agree. Tchaikovsky's at his best in the standalone novels, sci-fi or otherwise - I feel that his series are written with an eye to generate a long lasting income whereas his standalones are where he explores new ideas,which makes the vastly more interesting to me. Cage of Souls, Alien Clay and Service Model are some of his finest.

[mancerayder]

I thought Children of Time was very good, although the third book was out there. The themes explored and the world building felt like three books was justified. Shroud is the only standalone I read from him, I enjoyed it and plan on taking your suggestions.