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riley_rose's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
thedragonsden_'s review
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
snuzzbobble's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
crazyforbooksandcoffee's review
5.0
Professor Arton Daghdev is being shipped off to an alien planet as punishment to a labour campon Kiln. There he is condemned to work in this alien world until he dies. The planet Kiln has the strangest ecosystem which when given a chance will invade the human body and take over. Daghdev has to fight to stop Kiln invading his body as well as the strict regime of the labour camp and its leader. Which will kill him first ? Kiln has a secret will Daghdev be the one to discover what others have failed to find.
I had a great time reading this. A very creepy dark atmosphere. I will be thinking about this book for quite some time. This is a brilliant sci fi quick read and I would highly recommend it.
Thank you to Netgalley, Pan MacMillan and Adrian Tchaikovsky for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I had a great time reading this. A very creepy dark atmosphere. I will be thinking about this book for quite some time. This is a brilliant sci fi quick read and I would highly recommend it.
Thank you to Netgalley, Pan MacMillan and Adrian Tchaikovsky for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
lessa_riel's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
jessywhale's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
tricky_rikke's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
scytmo's review
4.0
This is a gripping and fast-paced adventure set on a very alien world. The world buiding is excellent, and the “alienness” is so well depicted that it I had a creepy sense of foreboding throughout a lot of the book.
A plot summary from the blurb:
For me it was a page-turner from the very beginning - it was engaging and well paced, and I enjoyed the slightly flippant first-person narrative. This is my first Adrian Tchaikovsky book, but if this is his writing style, then I’ll definitely be reading more. One odd stylistic quirk: the author broke the fourth wall a few times - talking directly to the reader. It wasn’t clear what the purpose of this was, and I was expecting it to become relevant at some point - which it didn’t. This didn’t detract, but I did wonder what the point was.
The world building is so well integrated with the plot that it felt effortless. And it had a lot of ground to cover - from the Mandate, an ideological quasi-scientific/relgious organisation with totalitarian control over Earth’s society, to the flora and fauna of an oh-so-alien planet, “Kiln”, that Daghdev gets exiled to. And it’s that alienness that I really enjoyed about the book - it was somehow simultaneously seductive and replusive.
The plot has jeopardy from start to finish, but this really ramps up about two-thirds of the way through the book. Events unfold that emerge beautifully from the world building - the potentially extreme risks of the situation the characters find themselves in have been so well established that the consequences are obvious without having to be described.
So why not 5 stars? Only because it’s not a book that will stay with me. The plot and characters were enjoyable and engaging in the moment, but I’m not sure I’ll remember them a few months from now. I enjoyed the alienness, but it won’t stay with me in the same way as the unknowable alienness in [b:Solaris|95558|Solaris|Stanisław Lem|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1498631519l/95558._SX50_.jpg|3333881], for example. None of that stopped it from being a cracking adventure, though, and I’d happily recommend it to anyone looking for that.
Thank you #NetGalley and Pan Macmillan Tor for the free review copy of #AlienClay in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
A plot summary from the blurb:
On the distant world of Kiln lie the ruins of an alien civilization. It’s the greatest discovery in humanity’s spacefaring history – yet who were its builders and where did they go?
Professor Arton Daghdev had always wanted to study alien life up close. Then his wishes become a reality in the worst way. His political activism sees him exiled from Earth to Kiln’s extrasolar labour camp. There, he’s condemned to work under an alien sky until he dies.
For me it was a page-turner from the very beginning - it was engaging and well paced, and I enjoyed the slightly flippant first-person narrative. This is my first Adrian Tchaikovsky book, but if this is his writing style, then I’ll definitely be reading more. One odd stylistic quirk: the author broke the fourth wall a few times - talking directly to the reader. It wasn’t clear what the purpose of this was, and I was expecting it to become relevant at some point - which it didn’t. This didn’t detract, but I did wonder what the point was.
The world building is so well integrated with the plot that it felt effortless. And it had a lot of ground to cover - from the Mandate, an ideological quasi-scientific/relgious organisation with totalitarian control over Earth’s society, to the flora and fauna of an oh-so-alien planet, “Kiln”, that Daghdev gets exiled to. And it’s that alienness that I really enjoyed about the book - it was somehow simultaneously seductive and replusive.
The plot has jeopardy from start to finish, but this really ramps up about two-thirds of the way through the book. Events unfold that emerge beautifully from the world building - the potentially extreme risks of the situation the characters find themselves in have been so well established that the consequences are obvious without having to be described.
So why not 5 stars? Only because it’s not a book that will stay with me. The plot and characters were enjoyable and engaging in the moment, but I’m not sure I’ll remember them a few months from now. I enjoyed the alienness, but it won’t stay with me in the same way as the unknowable alienness in [b:Solaris|95558|Solaris|Stanisław Lem|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1498631519l/95558._SX50_.jpg|3333881], for example. None of that stopped it from being a cracking adventure, though, and I’d happily recommend it to anyone looking for that.
Thank you #NetGalley and Pan Macmillan Tor for the free review copy of #AlienClay in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
gibs144's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5