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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 against another edition
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
bosermoki's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
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? Yes
4.0
weemadando's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
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? Yes
5.0
It seems incredibly reductive to say "Adrian. Tchaikovsky does the Area X trilogy, but explicitly about revolutionary politics and relationships within marginalised and persecuted communities" but that's my take away and it fucking ruled.
catarina_'s review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-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? Yes
5.0
sashas_books's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.25
A book club pick :)
All right, this was very interesting. It’s probably one of the more interesting “Tchaikovskys” I’ve read so far. I liked it a lot, with some reservations that I have so far had trouble articulating. Writing things down usually helps, so here we go.
The totalitarian state of this universe has labour camps on planets it wants to explore. Convicts are shipped there, as cheaply as possible. (Me: labour camps on Earth are cheaper.) The author obviously knows about sharashkas of the Soviet Gulag – and the main character is to help the research into the alien artefacts of Kiln. (The research findings need to confirm to the state doctrine, of course.) The artefacts are creepy and fascinating and seem to have been made by a vanished civilization. I like this kind of mystery.
The labour camp dynamics and horrors were written well, yet there was a sarcastic detachment that bothered me. It is a legitimate narrative choice; it has been done before. It is just that in this particular case I had trouble feeling, experiencing, diving in. Things were happening, I wanted to know what would happen next, so on I read, that’s it. It also made the characters more puppet-like, and the beginning of the book had led to me to expect a more character-driven story…
I really liked the subversive nods to the French Revolution, as parts 1, 2, and 3 are Liberté-Égalité-Fraternité. As you read, it becomes more and more subversive and twisted. I loved that!
The world of Kiln is fascinating and amazing, truly alien, with frighteningly different (to conservative humans, that is) genetics and ecology. The references to Hieronymus Bosch are the loveliest things. I didn’t know I wanted a Boschian alien world in my books, but suddenly, there is was, and I happily ate it all up. The true nature of Kiln wasn’t that much of surprise, but Tchaikovsky is doing ambitious, ambiguous stuff here, so kudos to him. Is our narrator reliable, by the way? Ha! But I am always eager to see another take on the “there are many ways of being human (post-human?)” theme. (Also me, screaming: doesn’t anyone in this labour camp have an immune system??? Me, having caught my breath: ok, so Kiln stuff is good it adaptation, so maybe it fools the human immune system. But do mention it specifically, please?) The ending is not unexpected. Is it satisfying or horrific? It depends.
Quotes that I liked:
“Just because the tyrant dresses like a clown doesn’t mean he’s funny.”
“The greatest privilege of power is being able to overlook the fact that you’re even wielding it.”
All right, this was very interesting. It’s probably one of the more interesting “Tchaikovskys” I’ve read so far. I liked it a lot, with some reservations that I have so far had trouble articulating. Writing things down usually helps, so here we go.
The totalitarian state of this universe has labour camps on planets it wants to explore. Convicts are shipped there, as cheaply as possible. (Me: labour camps on Earth are cheaper.) The author obviously knows about sharashkas of the Soviet Gulag – and the main character is to help the research into the alien artefacts of Kiln. (The research findings need to confirm to the state doctrine, of course.) The artefacts are creepy and fascinating and seem to have been made by a vanished civilization. I like this kind of mystery.
The labour camp dynamics and horrors were written well, yet there was a sarcastic detachment that bothered me. It is a legitimate narrative choice; it has been done before. It is just that in this particular case I had trouble feeling, experiencing, diving in. Things were happening, I wanted to know what would happen next, so on I read, that’s it. It also made the characters more puppet-like, and the beginning of the book had led to me to expect a more character-driven story…
I really liked the subversive nods to the French Revolution, as parts 1, 2, and 3 are Liberté-Égalité-Fraternité. As you read, it becomes more and more subversive and twisted. I loved that!
The world of Kiln is fascinating and amazing, truly alien, with frighteningly different (to conservative humans, that is) genetics and ecology. The references to Hieronymus Bosch are the loveliest things. I didn’t know I wanted a Boschian alien world in my books, but suddenly, there is was, and I happily ate it all up. The true nature of Kiln wasn’t that much of surprise, but Tchaikovsky is doing ambitious, ambiguous stuff here, so kudos to him. Is our narrator reliable, by the way? Ha! But I am always eager to see another take on the “there are many ways of being human (post-human?)” theme. (Also me, screaming: doesn’t anyone in this labour camp have an immune system??? Me, having caught my breath: ok, so Kiln stuff is good it adaptation, so maybe it fools the human immune system. But do mention it specifically, please?) The ending is not unexpected. Is it satisfying or horrific? It depends.
Quotes that I liked:
“Just because the tyrant dresses like a clown doesn’t mean he’s funny.”
“The greatest privilege of power is being able to overlook the fact that you’re even wielding it.”
jslikesbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
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? No
5.0