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4.0 AVERAGE
4.0 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
challenging
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I did really enjoy Alien Clay, but I feel that it might have benefited from an editor with a heavier hand, as it gets a bit rambling in parts. Still, well worth the read.
"Give me my ignorance. Keep me from the understanding that will turn me into the thing I see before me."
My first Adrian Tchaikovsky book and I was not disappointed. The prose is eloquent and there is such intelligence in his storytelling. The ecosystem of Kiln feels alive and deeply alluring. The biopunk/biohorror is top notch, with vivid descriptions and terrifying prospects. The
The characters did fall a bit flat for me. Daghdev is not the most engaging protagonist, although I did enjoy his deadpan humor. He is a bit of an unreliable narrator and we're dependent on his, admittedly quite surface level, interpretations of others to form an impression of them. He either already knows someone from his time before Kiln, or doesn't have enough interactions with them to make them stand out. This didn't take away too much from the main plotline for me, as the revolutionary sentiment of the crew is so integral to this story. As a unit they become much more interesting.
"As we learn, we teach. We grow wise together, the world and us."
The ending was very fitting. No big twist, just a logical progession of events that wrap up with an open ending that I enjoyed immensely. Super curious to jump into Tchaikovsky's fantasy work too, definitely picking up more of his books soon.
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I didn't find the narrator/main character particularly interesting, and there's a fair amount of penal colony/academic politicking, which was fine but not particularly engaging either. The world and alien life forms though - those were fascinating! That's where Alien Clay shined. The narrative choices around the big plot point i.e. survive in Kiln after being stranded were odd. The narrative jumped forward (and then back again), which removed a lot of the suspense of the plot.
Also, if explorations of funky xenobiology interest you, you should watch Scavenger's Reign if you haven't yet.
Also, if explorations of funky xenobiology interest you, you should watch Scavenger's Reign if you haven't yet.
I absolutely cannot deal with the authoritarian regime/work camp/academia mash-up happening at the beginning of the story.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated