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iono's review against another edition
adventurous
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Deportation, and Slavery
Moderate: Colonisation, Confinement, Death, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Torture, Murder, Sexual content, and Animal death
azrah786's review against another edition
4.0
[This review can also be found on my BLOG]
**I was provided with an ARC of the book by TorUK & Black Crow PR for a blog tour in exchange for an honest review**
CW: gun violence, blood, injury, body horror, gore, torture, murder, death, confinement, police brutality, slavery, colonisation
--
They don’t call Adrian Tchaikovsky the master of worldbuilding for nothing and having recently picked up Children of Time as well as Alien Clay I couldn’t agree more.
This book takes place on a far off planet known as Kiln, one of the destinations in the vast universe where insurrectionists acting against the thinking of the authoritative Mandate are sent to serve their life sentences as a labour force. The story recounts the experiences of one dissenter, Professor Arton Daghdev, an ecologist with a curiosity for exploring alien life who must follow the firm orders of the Mandate as they research into the abandoned ruins on Kiln and not step out of line. However, it’s not just the brutal hand of his overlords that Arton and his fellow convicts have to survive from because Kiln itself is nothing short of monstrous and it’s holding onto more secrets than anybody expected.
Not only does Tchaikovsky’s storytelling paint such a vivid picture of the alien setting that is as awe-inspiring as it is horrific but the history of humanity is just as skilfully woven into the narrative that you are well and truly immersed into this universe. There’s an unserious vibe to the narrative voice of Arton despite the ongoing tensions of the plot that makes it easy to engage with the story too. Plus as an ecologist he is very much in his element and all the scientific knowledge that flows through the telling made everything all the more compelling.
However, this isn’t your usual first contact story. Though the theme of colonisation is very much there, the focus is on evolution just as much as it is on revolution. On the curiosity and control that is craved by both mankind and nature.
I often found I could tell where the plot itself was going and the narration did have a lot to do with this as the protagonist was constantly alluding to things “going wrong” which did ebb my enjoyment a little. There’s a fair amount of body horror and things do get WEIRD but the eeriness comes from “how” everything comes about over the “what is going on” and the “why” of Kiln’s mysteries which is what makes this book a page turner.
If you’re a fan of space exploration and stories about survival with a dose of the uncanny then definitely check this one out!
Final Rating – 4/5 Stars
**I was provided with an ARC of the book by TorUK & Black Crow PR for a blog tour in exchange for an honest review**
CW: gun violence, blood, injury, body horror, gore, torture, murder, death, confinement, police brutality, slavery, colonisation
--
They don’t call Adrian Tchaikovsky the master of worldbuilding for nothing and having recently picked up Children of Time as well as Alien Clay I couldn’t agree more.
This book takes place on a far off planet known as Kiln, one of the destinations in the vast universe where insurrectionists acting against the thinking of the authoritative Mandate are sent to serve their life sentences as a labour force. The story recounts the experiences of one dissenter, Professor Arton Daghdev, an ecologist with a curiosity for exploring alien life who must follow the firm orders of the Mandate as they research into the abandoned ruins on Kiln and not step out of line. However, it’s not just the brutal hand of his overlords that Arton and his fellow convicts have to survive from because Kiln itself is nothing short of monstrous and it’s holding onto more secrets than anybody expected.
Not only does Tchaikovsky’s storytelling paint such a vivid picture of the alien setting that is as awe-inspiring as it is horrific but the history of humanity is just as skilfully woven into the narrative that you are well and truly immersed into this universe. There’s an unserious vibe to the narrative voice of Arton despite the ongoing tensions of the plot that makes it easy to engage with the story too. Plus as an ecologist he is very much in his element and all the scientific knowledge that flows through the telling made everything all the more compelling.
However, this isn’t your usual first contact story. Though the theme of colonisation is very much there, the focus is on evolution just as much as it is on revolution. On the curiosity and control that is craved by both mankind and nature.
I often found I could tell where the plot itself was going and the narration did have a lot to do with this as the protagonist was constantly alluding to things “going wrong” which did ebb my enjoyment a little. There’s a fair amount of body horror and things do get WEIRD but the eeriness comes from “how” everything comes about over the “what is going on” and the “why” of Kiln’s mysteries which is what makes this book a page turner.
If you’re a fan of space exploration and stories about survival with a dose of the uncanny then definitely check this one out!
Final Rating – 4/5 Stars
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Gun violence, Blood, Gore, Murder, Confinement, Death, and Slavery
Moderate: Torture, Colonisation, and Police brutality
gen_wolfhailstorm's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
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? N/A
5.0
Thank you Black Crow PR for sending me out a copy to participate in the book tour. All opinions remain 100% genuine.
This was absolutely fantastic. I feel like there's so much that this story of planetary colonization and the oneness of the mind went into that I can't even begin to fully fathom it all, but my goodness was it bloody fascinating.
We are following Arton, who has just been revived on a distant planet inhabited by prisoners. It's the perfect way to send off convicts on a one way trip to a potentially hostile planet, whilst utilising them as resources to investigate what happened to the builders of the planet Kiln. Gotta love the government, ay?
He first 100 pages of this book had me absolutely hooked and the rest followed suit.
It almost felt like a sci fi murder mystery in tone, but without that actual theme... I'm not really sure how to get that across, but the vibes were immaculate.
Alien Clay has solidified the fact that I really adore the blend of ecology and first contact within science fiction. Something about that combination just scratches a brain itch so satisfyingingly.
Following the perspective of Arton who was locked up for thinking differently and rebelling against the government in science, I must say that I loved that despite the circumstances he found himself in, Arton kept this boisterous and inquisitive personality that came across particularly well on the audiobook version and was just enjoyable to read. Adjacent to that note, I loved the sinisterly playful foreshadowing in Arton's narration, too. He was never fooled that something worse still was to befall him, and he didn't want the reader to be blind to it all, but the way events were alluded to was so.... Tantalizing, I want to say.
The characters hat Arton meets along the way added a great deal of excellently executed tension, as a lot of them were people he knew in his life back on Earth, and of course everyone had this hostility in their eyes, wondering who ratted who out to the authorities to get them into this situation. I felt like no one could be trusted which added to this edge of your seat murder mystery atmosphere I mentioned earlier.
The planet of Kiln was terrifyingly beautiful. From your regular observer, it sounded absolutely dier, uninhabitable and deadly, but once Arton explored more and came to know it more cellularly and .... Yeah, I guess spiritually, it just became this beautiful hub of knowledge and life. I love the awareness that was still had throughout about how much this shifting ideals all sounded like a cult. It kept it a bit light and funny when the science and politics of it all got really heavy.
This was an intelligent novel. As I say, I doubt I can begin to grasp the complexities of this cleverly crafted plot and world, but I thought it was fantastically done and if there was ever any more books set in their world/timeline/etc, I would read it for sure.
I've been steadily making my way through Tchaivosky's works for the last couple months and he's definitely creeping up there with my favourite authors.
This was absolutely fantastic. I feel like there's so much that this story of planetary colonization and the oneness of the mind went into that I can't even begin to fully fathom it all, but my goodness was it bloody fascinating.
We are following Arton, who has just been revived on a distant planet inhabited by prisoners. It's the perfect way to send off convicts on a one way trip to a potentially hostile planet, whilst utilising them as resources to investigate what happened to the builders of the planet Kiln. Gotta love the government, ay?
He first 100 pages of this book had me absolutely hooked and the rest followed suit.
It almost felt like a sci fi murder mystery in tone, but without that actual theme... I'm not really sure how to get that across, but the vibes were immaculate.
Alien Clay has solidified the fact that I really adore the blend of ecology and first contact within science fiction. Something about that combination just scratches a brain itch so satisfyingingly.
Following the perspective of Arton who was locked up for thinking differently and rebelling against the government in science, I must say that I loved that despite the circumstances he found himself in, Arton kept this boisterous and inquisitive personality that came across particularly well on the audiobook version and was just enjoyable to read. Adjacent to that note, I loved the sinisterly playful foreshadowing in Arton's narration, too. He was never fooled that something worse still was to befall him, and he didn't want the reader to be blind to it all, but the way events were alluded to was so.... Tantalizing, I want to say.
The characters hat Arton meets along the way added a great deal of excellently executed tension, as a lot of them were people he knew in his life back on Earth, and of course everyone had this hostility in their eyes, wondering who ratted who out to the authorities to get them into this situation. I felt like no one could be trusted which added to this edge of your seat murder mystery atmosphere I mentioned earlier.
The planet of Kiln was terrifyingly beautiful. From your regular observer, it sounded absolutely dier, uninhabitable and deadly, but once Arton explored more and came to know it more cellularly and .... Yeah, I guess spiritually, it just became this beautiful hub of knowledge and life. I love the awareness that was still had throughout about how much this shifting ideals all sounded like a cult. It kept it a bit light and funny when the science and politics of it all got really heavy.
This was an intelligent novel. As I say, I doubt I can begin to grasp the complexities of this cleverly crafted plot and world, but I thought it was fantastically done and if there was ever any more books set in their world/timeline/etc, I would read it for sure.
I've been steadily making my way through Tchaivosky's works for the last couple months and he's definitely creeping up there with my favourite authors.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Slavery, Colonisation, Gun violence, Body horror, Classism, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, War, Blood, and Confinement
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