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kara_oak's review against another edition
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
iceoshi's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
jw101's review against another edition
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
futuregazer's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
crickety's review against another edition
adventurous
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
3.25
Throughout the first half of Alien clay, I was skeptical. The characterization was weak, and the plot appeared predictive and frankly boring. The mandate was pretty cookie cutter totalitarian regime (the discussion of science as a tool for the state with “Scientific Philanthropy” was apt). The last half is where the novel picks up proper steam and becomes engaging. While the characters are still not well-developed, the unique portrayal of alien biology with a different foundational principle makes the book well worth reading. The themes of power, resistance, and hyper individualization came to better relief against this xenobiology.
Is the mandate a global organization (I presumed this was the case)? Would all humans and animals be integrated into the Kiln organization? Would this lead to an understanding between humans and animals? Since on Kiln, the complexity of human brains means that they represent a “disproportionate amount of the emergent mind of Kiln’s biosphere […]”, does that mean that humans will continue to somewhat direct the Kiln? The biology of Earth and Kiln seem to be such contrasting choices. Earth is organized by individual entities in competition, Kiln consist of collectives in support. So I wonder if there is truly an intermediate existence between these alternatives or whether one logic of being will take over.
All in all, thought provoking concept but the writing somewhat brings down the score for me.
++ alternative foundation of biology
+ themes of resistance & community well explored
- Shallow characters
- First half is slow
ratgrrrl's review against another edition
5.0
This was bloody brilliant!
Tchaikovsky fully getting wild with biology and anthropology with some anarcho-communism and anti-fascism thrown in for good measure.
In many ways it feels laser focused to my interests.
I thoroughly enjoyed the story, but not necessarily a huge amount more than the ideas, buf it was still great.
Proper review in the future, maybe.
Tchaikovsky fully getting wild with biology and anthropology with some anarcho-communism and anti-fascism thrown in for good measure.
In many ways it feels laser focused to my interests.
I thoroughly enjoyed the story, but not necessarily a huge amount more than the ideas, buf it was still great.
Proper review in the future, maybe.
zivan's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I love it when Tchaikovsky gets to play with an alien ecology.
Rebel scientists study an alien ecosystem with mysterious ruins at its center under the boot of a authoritarian regime that does not tolerate deviation from orthodox dogma.
Lots' of anti-fascism, symbiosis vs. hierarchy.
Lots of weird aliens, lots of body horror.
The ending was a bit too perfect, no system has only upsides.
pernilleed's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
4.0