A review by zoekatereads
Alien Clay by Adrian Tchaikovsky

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

 My Adrian Tchaikovsky journey continues! Stepping away from series for a couple of standalones (at least they are for now, he says himself he always finds a way to make a standalone into a series!)

Professor Daghdev, ecologist and condemned political prisoner, awakes from cold sleep to find himself on a penal outpost on a planet brimming with life. It's a one-way trip, but the secrets uncovered in this chaotic ecosystem will change everything.

Politics, planetary exploration, science, uprising, speculative aspects

This was probably my second favourite planetary concept I've seen from Tchaikovsky so far (Shroud holds top prize for me), it really drew me in and made for an exciting plot.

The science was really interesting, and balanced with the plot really well.

The first person narrator took a little getting used to, but I think it really worked given Daghdev's motives and interests in the planet.

The audiobook was excellent - really liked the narrator!