Reviews

Alien Clay by Adrian Tchaikovsky

cmdrburton's review against another edition

dark hopeful mysterious medium-paced

4.5

Read Entangled Life after this. They go together like bread and butter.

mdiffer's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring mysterious reflective tense medium-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? Yes

4.5

amandadwhite's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny 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? No

4.25

ogokoo's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

I was really excited about this book for a while and it did not live up to my excitement. Far from Tchaikovsky's best. The first person narration was a disservice in mutliple ways, especially because Daghdev is a pretty unremarkable and annoying character. I also have an issue with the message (?) of the ending: Arton's words, albeit we understand he is an unreliable narrator now, but they're all we have to go on about the book's messages, 

seem to suggest that dispersing the Kiln microbiome onto the incoming prisoners and also Earth is the right thing, the good thing to do. I undrstand thst there are in fact many things about the unity achieved thru Kiln's microbiome that are a cherished improvement for the infected. But what about consent? The marchers had no choice. But anyone else unaffected should have a choice.

 

One other thing that was not explained -

how come Clem and the other guy in the isolation tank seemed so intensely affected by Kiln, in a painful way, but no one else had filaments growing from their mouth and causing them pain?

 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, and Physical abuse

daveruff's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

ninbus's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

gingernutpup's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

I love this author, but the story wasn't for me. Sadly I could not connect with the main character, nor even the strange planet the story is set on. 

fosterwalrus's review against another edition

adventurous informative reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

literaryhomeboy's review against another edition

3.0

3.5/5 - Adrian does not miss

mtadie's review against another edition

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0