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Alien Clay
From Arthur C. Clarke and Hugo Award-winning author Adrian Tchaikovsky comes a far-future epic that confirms his place as a modern master of science fiction, in which a political prisoner must unlock the secrets of a strange and dangerous planet.
The planet of Kiln is where the tyrannical Mandate keeps its prison colony, and for inmates, the journey there is always a one-way trip. One such prisoner is Professor Arton Daghdev, xeno-ecologist and political dissident. Soon after arrival, he discovers that Kiln has a secret. Humanity is not the first intelligent life to set foot there.
In the midst of a ravenous, chaotic ecosystem are the ruins of a civilization, but who were the vanished builders and where did they go? If he can survive both the harsh rule of the camp commandant and the alien horrors of the world around him, then Arton has a chance at making a discovery that might just transform not only Kiln, but distant Earth as well.
The planet of Kiln is where the tyrannical Mandate keeps its prison colony, and for inmates, the journey there is always a one-way trip. One such prisoner is Professor Arton Daghdev, xeno-ecologist and political dissident. Soon after arrival, he discovers that Kiln has a secret. Humanity is not the first intelligent life to set foot there.
In the midst of a ravenous, chaotic ecosystem are the ruins of a civilization, but who were the vanished builders and where did they go? If he can survive both the harsh rule of the camp commandant and the alien horrors of the world around him, then Arton has a chance at making a discovery that might just transform not only Kiln, but distant Earth as well.
13 pages, Audible Audio
First published March 28, 2024
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About the author
Adrian Tchaikovsky
189 books17.2k followersADRIAN TCHAIKOVSKY was born in Lincolnshire and studied zoology and psychology at Reading, before practising law in Leeds. He is a keen live role-player and occasional amateur actor and is trained in stage-fighting. His literary influences include Gene Wolfe, Mervyn Peake, China Miéville, Mary Gently, Steven Erikson, Naomi Novak, Scott Lynch and Alan Campbell.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,089 reviews
September 22, 2024
“Kiln doesn't do death like Earth does. Kiln does life.”
Revolutionary evolution. Or perhaps evolutionary revolution.
However you describe it, it’s classic Tchaikovsky, with excellent science fiction full of fascinating ideas and compelling characters, solid worldbuilding, interesting science, a bit of sociopolitical musings — and the desire to look for what connects us rather than divides us (basically, the same version of Tchaikovsky that wrote the brilliant Children of Time).
“A lot of symbiosis,” Primatt says, catching her breath at the top of the stairs. “Cut something open and there’s something else inside it, wearing its skin.”
Kiln is a planet teeming with life, but unlike Earth life it seems to thrive mostly on symbiosis. Look closer at any creature here, and you’re likely to discover that it’s a macrospecies, comprised of symbiotic bits and pieces (a “natural” Exquisite Corpse) and powered by rapid-response evolution. Arton Daghdev gets to work with those, but in a different capacity than this scientist would have expected. You see, Kiln is also a labor camp, a penal colony run by totalitarian society where dissidents are sent and expected to die — not just because of awful work conditions but also because once Kiln life infects you, it seems to lead to madness and death as it tries to assimilate you. But if you put a bunch of revolutionaries in a labor camp, don’t be surprised if they will quickly organize a few subcommittees and start planning a revolution.
Except we all know what happens to the best-laid plans of mice and men — or humans and biospheres, if you please.
Exposed to what? To everything that is Kiln. That fantastically opportunistic biosphere that says, “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, and I shall find a way to infiltrate their biology and make them my own.”
Liberté, Egalité and Fraternité, as the book sections tell us (since any book with revolution in it must allude to the French one), and it’s fraternité where it gets fun and reminds me a bit of the spirit of Children of Time. Tchaikovsky definitely has his favorite themes, and he always manages to give a fresh take on them.
It’s a serious book but with a bit of humor built into it, even if at times it’s gallows humor that can veer into horror territory. It’s dark in themes but never oppressively so, although a few parts leave quite a weight on the heart. But hopelessness gives way to hope, and none of that is corny or cheesy or preachy — but rather a bit sarcastically flippant until it isn’t, and really grows on you (figuratively, I must specify, in the context of this story). And that ending — well, you decide if it’s happy or if it’s hiding quite a bit of horror in it, actually.
“How do you become the fittest on Kiln? It’s not about how many enemy empires you can trample to dust with your sandalled feet. Surviving on Kiln is all about how much life you can interlock with. The services you can provide. On Kiln no species is an island. Nothing needs to be ruggedly self-sufficient, because there’s always someone who can do the thing for you, better than you could, in exchange for what you’ve got. Evolution as a barter economy. Everything becoming better and better at finding ways to live with its neighbours. Daniel in the lions’ den lets the lions eat his legs, because then they will carry him meekly about on their backs.”
4.5 stars. Good as expected from Tchaikovsky.
__________
Thanks to NetGalley and Orbit Books for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.
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Also posted on my blog.
January 4, 2025
Another fantastic entry from the prolific Tchaikovsky. It snuck just under the annual calendar flip to become one of the best reads of 2024. Interestingly, I started this mid-December but paused, feeling a 'too bleak, too current' kind of vibe. When I picked it up on the 30th, I was unable to put it down (this is a trouble I have with kindle books. I approach many of them as novellas and the 'just one more chapter' philosophy results in delayed chaos).
It begins as the narrator, Professor Daghdev, is waking from a cold sleep, the landing pod of convicts hurtling down to a penal outpost on a habitable world. Daghdev has been condemned by the Mandate, an authoritarian-type society that does not tolerate political or cultural dissidence. As an ecologist with an interest in alien biology, he reviews his luck in being sentenced to Kiln, one of only a handful of planets discovered to date that have any semblance of life.
The tone is very much fitting a professor: dry, urbane, an intellectual approach, and a tendency towards emotional distance. I should think this might be the biggest sticking point for many people, but as a long-term academic type, it was very familiar. Actually, I thought it was a great person for a narrator, as he has a strong interest in the planet life and can speculate on some of the xenobiology (as opposed to friend Murderbot, who's analysis is that it either eats humans or doesn't). Tchaikovsky does well with him, and the moments that Daghdev finds his distanced approach failing are all the more impactful.
I have a reservation or two, but I think it deserves a re-read--and a slow one--to chew on those concerns. Roughly, I have two: the narrative structure of the return walk, which in my mind deserved longer, in keeping with the build of the first part and the horror a 'long walk' (waves at Stephen King) deserves. The second is a chance to chew around the xenobiology. I'm very interested to give these things some deeper thought and perhaps do a little research to feel out likelihood.
I've had a sneaking suspicion that Tchaikovsky is influenced by his reading list. In this case, I noted strong Annihilation vibes. Overall, I think of it as a cross between some of his best works, Children of Time and Walking to Aldebaran, a hefty splash of a more palatable Cage of Souls (which took place in an island prison, at least until the point I quit) and a dash of Doors of Eden (what kind of writer is this, that I can reference such different works by the age of 52? Simply astonishing). Highly recommended for people who might have enjoyed any of those works.
Four and a half symbionts, rounding up.
It begins as the narrator, Professor Daghdev, is waking from a cold sleep, the landing pod of convicts hurtling down to a penal outpost on a habitable world. Daghdev has been condemned by the Mandate, an authoritarian-type society that does not tolerate political or cultural dissidence. As an ecologist with an interest in alien biology, he reviews his luck in being sentenced to Kiln, one of only a handful of planets discovered to date that have any semblance of life.
The tone is very much fitting a professor: dry, urbane, an intellectual approach, and a tendency towards emotional distance. I should think this might be the biggest sticking point for many people, but as a long-term academic type, it was very familiar. Actually, I thought it was a great person for a narrator, as he has a strong interest in the planet life and can speculate on some of the xenobiology (as opposed to friend Murderbot, who's analysis is that it either eats humans or doesn't). Tchaikovsky does well with him, and the moments that Daghdev finds his distanced approach failing are all the more impactful.
I have a reservation or two, but I think it deserves a re-read--and a slow one--to chew on those concerns. Roughly, I have two: the narrative structure of the return walk, which in my mind deserved longer, in keeping with the build of the first part and the horror a 'long walk' (waves at Stephen King) deserves. The second is a chance to chew around the xenobiology. I'm very interested to give these things some deeper thought and perhaps do a little research to feel out likelihood.
I've had a sneaking suspicion that Tchaikovsky is influenced by his reading list. In this case, I noted strong Annihilation vibes. Overall, I think of it as a cross between some of his best works, Children of Time and Walking to Aldebaran, a hefty splash of a more palatable Cage of Souls (which took place in an island prison, at least until the point I quit) and a dash of Doors of Eden (what kind of writer is this, that I can reference such different works by the age of 52? Simply astonishing). Highly recommended for people who might have enjoyed any of those works.
Four and a half symbionts, rounding up.
April 3, 2024
Imagine if Jeff Vandermeer's Annihilation and Ursula K Le Guin's The Word For World is Forest had a baby.
That's pretty damn close to what we got here with Alien Clay, and I adored it.
This is a book about divergent evolution, symbiotic relationships in nature, revolution and uprising and yet, at the same time, becoming a part of the machine in which you live your life.
It's full to the brim with Tchaikovsky-isms, with a liberal dose of body horror and all sorts of creepy alien insects and creatures.
I'll admit it did take me a little while to get with the first-person perspective - it felt a little clunky and unnecessary at first, but it ended up working brilliantly and it had completely grown on me by the quarter way mark.
Tchaikovsky... well, the man is a genius. A rockstar. This book is fantastic.
Thank you Pan Mac for the proof. What an joy it's been.
That's pretty damn close to what we got here with Alien Clay, and I adored it.
This is a book about divergent evolution, symbiotic relationships in nature, revolution and uprising and yet, at the same time, becoming a part of the machine in which you live your life.
It's full to the brim with Tchaikovsky-isms, with a liberal dose of body horror and all sorts of creepy alien insects and creatures.
I'll admit it did take me a little while to get with the first-person perspective - it felt a little clunky and unnecessary at first, but it ended up working brilliantly and it had completely grown on me by the quarter way mark.
"Sometimes you go your whole life not rocking the boat and they throw you over the side anyway."
Tchaikovsky... well, the man is a genius. A rockstar. This book is fantastic.
Thank you Pan Mac for the proof. What an joy it's been.
July 14, 2024
Don’t let the jocular tone mislead you; this is serious science fiction. I don’t usually love this kind of winking narrative voice, with its casual asides and “you won’t believe what happened next!” foreshadowing—although obviously many people do. If nothing else, it’s guaranteed to date the novel terribly in the near future, to absolutely scream 2024 (just as the slangy voice of some new wave scifi screams 1967). But when the underlying storytelling and worldbuilding is this strong, who cares. And if it helps draw in readers of fun, voicey science fantasy who don’t usually pick up the hard stuff, all the better.
Tchaikovsky isn’t funny, not really. Entertaining, yes—funny, no. If you’ve read any Soviet fiction, you’ll see about what he’s after with the prison-camp humor, and also that he doesn’t quite hit the mark. He doesn’t quite hit the mark on characterization either. They just don’t quite step off the page. But again, whatever. This is scifi! I know, I know, everyone wants “character driven.” But honestly, I want my science fiction idea driven. Science driven. Is it an either/or? Of course not—but since, quite frankly, nobody else is doing idea-driven, far-future hard scifi this well right now, I’ll take what I can get. You don’t see me complaining that there aren’t enough space aliens in Tolstoy, so lets not get too worked up if Tchaikovsky is just one of the best science fiction writers working, and not a once-in-a-generation literary genius to boot.
The politics of the novel are interesting and well integrated into the story. That said, as in most of what contemporary westerners write about armed revolution that isn’t firmly grounded in deep research or on-the-ground reporting—in fiction, in magazines, or online—the revolutionary politics aren’t quite convincing. I can’t put my finger on why. I'm sure I couldn’t do better. But you can feel the difference, putting down a book like this and picking up (as I just have) a book like Flowers of Flame, written about the Bangladeshi War of Independence by someone who had just lived through it. This is revolution in theory, not in life.
On the other hand, the book is a master class in how the science in hard science fiction actually gives its worldbuilding a way longer leash than do the norms of fantasy and science fantasy, even as it feels like it should be a shorter one. Fantasy comes back again and again to familiar world building patterns, most of them deeply rooted in the genres of early European literature: the fairy tale, the folk tale, chivalric romance, Indo-European mythology. Root your world building in rigorous exobiological speculation instead and you can roam far, far further.
Tchaikovsky also nails story structure. The mystery builds, grows, transmutes—answers pose questions, questions suggest answers. I still had absolutely no idea where the novel was going at the half-way point, but I could tell I was in good hands, so that uncertainty was a thrill in itself. I finished the novel totally satisfied.
Tchaikovsky isn’t funny, not really. Entertaining, yes—funny, no. If you’ve read any Soviet fiction, you’ll see about what he’s after with the prison-camp humor, and also that he doesn’t quite hit the mark. He doesn’t quite hit the mark on characterization either. They just don’t quite step off the page. But again, whatever. This is scifi! I know, I know, everyone wants “character driven.” But honestly, I want my science fiction idea driven. Science driven. Is it an either/or? Of course not—but since, quite frankly, nobody else is doing idea-driven, far-future hard scifi this well right now, I’ll take what I can get. You don’t see me complaining that there aren’t enough space aliens in Tolstoy, so lets not get too worked up if Tchaikovsky is just one of the best science fiction writers working, and not a once-in-a-generation literary genius to boot.
The politics of the novel are interesting and well integrated into the story. That said, as in most of what contemporary westerners write about armed revolution that isn’t firmly grounded in deep research or on-the-ground reporting—in fiction, in magazines, or online—the revolutionary politics aren’t quite convincing. I can’t put my finger on why. I'm sure I couldn’t do better. But you can feel the difference, putting down a book like this and picking up (as I just have) a book like Flowers of Flame, written about the Bangladeshi War of Independence by someone who had just lived through it. This is revolution in theory, not in life.
On the other hand, the book is a master class in how the science in hard science fiction actually gives its worldbuilding a way longer leash than do the norms of fantasy and science fantasy, even as it feels like it should be a shorter one. Fantasy comes back again and again to familiar world building patterns, most of them deeply rooted in the genres of early European literature: the fairy tale, the folk tale, chivalric romance, Indo-European mythology. Root your world building in rigorous exobiological speculation instead and you can roam far, far further.
Tchaikovsky also nails story structure. The mystery builds, grows, transmutes—answers pose questions, questions suggest answers. I still had absolutely no idea where the novel was going at the half-way point, but I could tell I was in good hands, so that uncertainty was a thrill in itself. I finished the novel totally satisfied.
September 30, 2024
4.0 Stars
This is one of my favourite novels by Adrian Tchaikovsky, who is easily one of the best (and most prolific) science fiction authors writing right now.
This is the story I wanted Mercy of the Gods to be. Both novels address some similar themes and plot points so I couldn't help but compare and contrast these two buzzy new releases.
For me, I loved how this novel balanced a smart engaging plot with interesting science facts. This one really allowed the author to show off his expertise and knowledge. I found myself drawing comparisons to Neal Stephenson who is another author who shines as informing readers.
I would highly recommend this science fiction standalone novel. It's a must read for fans of this author and a great place to start for anyone new to this author.
Disclaimer I received a copy of this book from the publisher.
This is one of my favourite novels by Adrian Tchaikovsky, who is easily one of the best (and most prolific) science fiction authors writing right now.
This is the story I wanted Mercy of the Gods to be. Both novels address some similar themes and plot points so I couldn't help but compare and contrast these two buzzy new releases.
For me, I loved how this novel balanced a smart engaging plot with interesting science facts. This one really allowed the author to show off his expertise and knowledge. I found myself drawing comparisons to Neal Stephenson who is another author who shines as informing readers.
I would highly recommend this science fiction standalone novel. It's a must read for fans of this author and a great place to start for anyone new to this author.
Disclaimer I received a copy of this book from the publisher.
Read
February 24, 2025SF novel about dissidents under a totalitarian reglime being shipped off to forced labour camps on an alien planet. The ecology of Kiln is extremely alien (beautifully depicted) and the humans are terrified of contamination.
It's basically a whacking great fable about the spread of ideas, about collaboration in both senses, about the impossibility of knowing who you can trust in an oppressive regime and what people will do to survive. And, in the end, about how the only hope lies in fighting for the communal good, because the individual who attempts to fight the system is doomed. This is played out in
It's extremely clever as a political/social parable. It feels hopeful, too, until you realise that the conditions that allow the hope to arise are basically not replicable on Earth, and now you're depressed again, but at least you've read a good book.
One thing I have to mention: It's written in present tense while repeatedly and indeed aggressively using flashbacks and foreshadowing and jumping around in time, and commenting on how the narrator has skipped something and will come back to it, and then coming back to it but in the present tense, and talking about things that are happening in the present tense but interspersed with reflections on it from a later point. thusly:
I mean you could write an essay on the shift of time / vantage point in that paragraph alone. I am pretty sure that it's a deliberate reflection of the spoilered set-up above, whereby I will therefore add this to my amazingly short list of 'Books That Use Present Tense for a Valid Reason' while still mumbling about how distracting I find it.
It's basically a whacking great fable about the spread of ideas, about collaboration in both senses, about the impossibility of knowing who you can trust in an oppressive regime and what people will do to survive. And, in the end, about how the only hope lies in fighting for the communal good, because the individual who attempts to fight the system is doomed. This is played out in
It's extremely clever as a political/social parable. It feels hopeful, too, until you realise that the conditions that allow the hope to arise are basically not replicable on Earth, and now you're depressed again, but at least you've read a good book.
One thing I have to mention: It's written in present tense while repeatedly and indeed aggressively using flashbacks and foreshadowing and jumping around in time, and commenting on how the narrator has skipped something and will come back to it, and then coming back to it but in the present tense, and talking about things that are happening in the present tense but interspersed with reflections on it from a later point. thusly:
One day the camp has a deeply unwelcome visitor. There's a rumour, afterwards, that it was something brought in for the dissection table which was insufficiently dead. ...there was also a rumour that it was something that had hit the labaratory slab entirely dead but then we boffins had brought it back to life. ... All I know is that Maintenance are raked over the coals for leaving some hole open in the perimeter, even though no hole is actually found. Maybe it drifted in like a spore... The only certainty is that, one day, suddenly it's here and it's our problem. A thing from Kilm is inside the compound. It sets up on the gantry level...
I mean you could write an essay on the shift of time / vantage point in that paragraph alone. I am pretty sure that it's a deliberate reflection of the spoilered set-up above, whereby I will therefore add this to my amazingly short list of 'Books That Use Present Tense for a Valid Reason' while still mumbling about how distracting I find it.
September 17, 2024
i’ll keep this review short cause i don’t have much to say about this story overall. the writing is very stream of consciousness as the mc Arton is on this outer planet work camp, there’s a lot of talking and i was expecting something completely different than what i got. i honestly felt like this was chore to read and some of the terminology went completely over my head. the aliens in this book aren’t the kind that i enjoy in my sci-fi books, so that was also disappointing too. im sure other people will love this more than i did but it’s just not for me.
↬ many thanks to NetGalley, the author and Orbit books for the arc, all opinions are my own.
↬ many thanks to NetGalley, the author and Orbit books for the arc, all opinions are my own.
June 28, 2024
Not what I was hoping for. The premise sounds great — inmate in a prison colony on a hostile planet investigates mysterious ruins that hint at intelligent life. Such potential!
Unfortunately… 1) the book is completely written in the casual, very un-literary voice of the protagonist (I know it was intentional and I don’t need prose to be flowery, but this just felt amateurish), 2) the relatively thin plot focuses mostly on politics and struggles in the prison colony (while the mystery of the intelligent somethings is just outside, practically unexplored!), 3) so much reads like a spacey body horror, which just isn’t my thing, and 4) the mystery is explained all too easily, making me wonder why the first 85% was even necessary.
All in all I think there are the kernels of two interesting stories here — one about a future dystopian Earth that sends inmates on a one-way trip to prison colonies on other planets, and another about potential intelligent life and an expedition to study it. But this combination was distracting and unfocused and really detracted from both stories.
Unfortunately… 1) the book is completely written in the casual, very un-literary voice of the protagonist (I know it was intentional and I don’t need prose to be flowery, but this just felt amateurish), 2) the relatively thin plot focuses mostly on politics and struggles in the prison colony (while the mystery of the intelligent somethings is just outside, practically unexplored!), 3) so much reads like a spacey body horror, which just isn’t my thing, and 4) the mystery is explained all too easily, making me wonder why the first 85% was even necessary.
All in all I think there are the kernels of two interesting stories here — one about a future dystopian Earth that sends inmates on a one-way trip to prison colonies on other planets, and another about potential intelligent life and an expedition to study it. But this combination was distracting and unfocused and really detracted from both stories.
May 1, 2024
This newest of Tchaikovsky's scifi novels starts out with the age-old warning "be careful what you wish for", because we follow Professor Arton Daghdev, who always wanted to study alien life. He forgot to specify. So now, he is shipped off to Kiln, an alien planet far from Earth, for being a political activist and dissident. Because Kiln is to the current political regime what Australia once was to Great Britain: essentially a prison planet.
There, Daghdev is put into a work camp with no chance of ever returning. The problem with stuffing the place with political personae non grata? Yeah, you can guess.
However, there is another system that is dangerous to every human on Kiln: the planet itself. I mean, one doesn't have to be an expert to expect a planet with actual alien life being dangerous. But Kiln ... man, that planet has it dialed up to 11! The eco-system is not only chaotic but pratcially eats/absorbs everything.
I did think that combining evolution and revolution was an interesting choice. This is Tchaikovsky though so of course it ended up being brilliant.
At first, I have to admit, reading so much about Earth politics and the pecking order in the work camp seemed too much (and slightly boring) to me. However, the more we read, the more of the planet the MC is encountering, the more we see the (r-)evolution and connections and THAT was mind-blowing.
My favorite part was nevertheless the actual discovery / exploration. Tchaikovsky's version of life so far from our solar system was nothing short of awesome and I wanted more. Not too long ago, I have seen the show Scavengers Reign with my buddy-reader and loooved the creepy atmosphere and unpredictability and we both agreed that we'd like to see more of this type of scifi. Well, wish granted, I guess.
Loved the science, loved the speculative bits, loved the examination of the alien as well as the self, loved the writing itself and - most of all - the worldbuilding. Just plain loved everything about this!
There, Daghdev is put into a work camp with no chance of ever returning. The problem with stuffing the place with political personae non grata? Yeah, you can guess.
However, there is another system that is dangerous to every human on Kiln: the planet itself. I mean, one doesn't have to be an expert to expect a planet with actual alien life being dangerous. But Kiln ... man, that planet has it dialed up to 11! The eco-system is not only chaotic but pratcially eats/absorbs everything.
I did think that combining evolution and revolution was an interesting choice. This is Tchaikovsky though so of course it ended up being brilliant.
At first, I have to admit, reading so much about Earth politics and the pecking order in the work camp seemed too much (and slightly boring) to me. However, the more we read, the more of the planet the MC is encountering, the more we see the (r-)evolution and connections and THAT was mind-blowing.
My favorite part was nevertheless the actual discovery / exploration. Tchaikovsky's version of life so far from our solar system was nothing short of awesome and I wanted more. Not too long ago, I have seen the show Scavengers Reign with my buddy-reader and loooved the creepy atmosphere and unpredictability and we both agreed that we'd like to see more of this type of scifi. Well, wish granted, I guess.
Loved the science, loved the speculative bits, loved the examination of the alien as well as the self, loved the writing itself and - most of all - the worldbuilding. Just plain loved everything about this!
June 3, 2024
Right from the first two pages I was completely hooked. The plot builds up gradually and at it’s own pace about the alien planet and the political balance between it's inhabitants themselves. The story is told in the third person which I liked and felt really worked well in this book and complimented it's flow.
The world building is very imaginative as are the complex relationships between it’s characters and the environment. The author's ability to create a believable alien ecosystem, along with the engaging plot and character development, is nothing but exceptional. I thoroughly enjoyed this all the way through and found it very hard to put down. I found myself really connecting with the different characters and rooting for them all the way.
Overall a beautifully written, immersive, engaging and thought provoking read for those looking for adventure, aliens of a sort and weird stuff. It’s detailed world, compelling characters, and thought provoking themes make it a gritty must read for sci-fi and fantasy fans alike. This book will stay with me for a long time it was a privilege to read.
The world building is very imaginative as are the complex relationships between it’s characters and the environment. The author's ability to create a believable alien ecosystem, along with the engaging plot and character development, is nothing but exceptional. I thoroughly enjoyed this all the way through and found it very hard to put down. I found myself really connecting with the different characters and rooting for them all the way.
Overall a beautifully written, immersive, engaging and thought provoking read for those looking for adventure, aliens of a sort and weird stuff. It’s detailed world, compelling characters, and thought provoking themes make it a gritty must read for sci-fi and fantasy fans alike. This book will stay with me for a long time it was a privilege to read.
July 16, 2024
Liberté, Egalité and, oh yeah, Fraternité.
A few of Tchaikovsky's SF novellas are being published thematically with a theme "Terrible World: Revolutions" which is also a perfect description for this standalone novel. Terrible worlds need revolutions, and that is a frequent theme with him. This is also clearly written by the person writing the Children books. It is very Adrian Tchaikovsky, because even for somebody who writes incredibly varied books, there are a lot of his common themes and interests shining through.
It is also dark and claustrophobic through a lot of it, full of the despair of an autocratic prison camp, but Adrian Tchaikovsky is great at endings, and it all pays off beautifully. (Personal opinion: Adrian Tchaikovsky is the living SF writer who is best at endings.)
It is so full of themes. Biblical (this was released on Easter week, maybe just a coincidence, but there are IMO Passion of Christ themes and about Adam and clay), literary (I wish I remembered better The Word for World Is Forest), and historical (the French Revolution, of course, the Soviet Union). The cover designer totally missed the opportunity to refer to the Garden of Earthly Delights, which is actually name-checked. (I hope some edition of this one day gets a Bosch-inspired cover.) And biology, so much biology... So much exposition on biology, revolutionary ethos, and epistemology, all the while from Arton's cynical, sarcastic, acknowledgedly bitchy, unreliable, and somehow still idealistic POV. It flirts a bit with SF horror themes also, and I would swear there is a kind of Star Trek (or Darkover?) trope joke around
It's a very dense book, and in the first half I could not read it for long, since it was so dark. If I were to describe books that I like and do not like, I would describe this as too dark or grim for me, except it wasn't after all, and even as dark as it was, I still loved it, it was fantastic, and it gave me that incredible rush of satisfaction, the sense of wonder I get from SF, and everything clicking.
It's very, very good. It's dark though and seemingly hopeless, though much of it. Fantastic wrapping up of it all. I probably need to reread it one day. Book hangover established, but in a very good way.
A few of Tchaikovsky's SF novellas are being published thematically with a theme "Terrible World: Revolutions" which is also a perfect description for this standalone novel. Terrible worlds need revolutions, and that is a frequent theme with him. This is also clearly written by the person writing the Children books. It is very Adrian Tchaikovsky, because even for somebody who writes incredibly varied books, there are a lot of his common themes and interests shining through.
It is also dark and claustrophobic through a lot of it, full of the despair of an autocratic prison camp, but Adrian Tchaikovsky is great at endings, and it all pays off beautifully. (Personal opinion: Adrian Tchaikovsky is the living SF writer who is best at endings.)
It is so full of themes. Biblical (this was released on Easter week, maybe just a coincidence, but there are IMO Passion of Christ themes and about Adam and clay), literary (I wish I remembered better The Word for World Is Forest), and historical (the French Revolution, of course, the Soviet Union). The cover designer totally missed the opportunity to refer to the Garden of Earthly Delights, which is actually name-checked. (I hope some edition of this one day gets a Bosch-inspired cover.) And biology, so much biology... So much exposition on biology, revolutionary ethos, and epistemology, all the while from Arton's cynical, sarcastic, acknowledgedly bitchy, unreliable, and somehow still idealistic POV. It flirts a bit with SF horror themes also, and I would swear there is a kind of Star Trek (or Darkover?) trope joke around
It's a very dense book, and in the first half I could not read it for long, since it was so dark. If I were to describe books that I like and do not like, I would describe this as too dark or grim for me, except it wasn't after all, and even as dark as it was, I still loved it, it was fantastic, and it gave me that incredible rush of satisfaction, the sense of wonder I get from SF, and everything clicking.
It's very, very good. It's dark though and seemingly hopeless, though much of it. Fantastic wrapping up of it all. I probably need to reread it one day. Book hangover established, but in a very good way.
March 21, 2024
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 Solaris, 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 Solaris, 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.
September 22, 2024
Equally fascinating and disturbing look at an alien world where biological evolution has developed along lines that are wholly different than on Earth. A world where fitness to survive is based on an organism's ability to cooperate with others, through a kind of modular symbiosis, rather than directly compete.
The story is gripping, full of psychological suspense, a scientific mystery that keeps mutating and transforming in unexpected ways, and not so infrequent body horror. All deftly wrapped in a compelling theme of anti-authoritarianism, as represented by the protagonist's revolutionary struggles against an oppressive regime in a dystopic future where intellectuals are being purged in the face of the regime's autocratic dogma which reaches its hooks deep into science.
This is Tchaikovsky doing what he does best, blending mind blowing and often creepy science with a compelling, visceral tale. In many ways it feels like a slap in the face, meant to push us out of our intellectual comfort zones and force us to consider that we really don't know what we don't know when it comes to the forms life may take in the broader universe.
The story is gripping, full of psychological suspense, a scientific mystery that keeps mutating and transforming in unexpected ways, and not so infrequent body horror. All deftly wrapped in a compelling theme of anti-authoritarianism, as represented by the protagonist's revolutionary struggles against an oppressive regime in a dystopic future where intellectuals are being purged in the face of the regime's autocratic dogma which reaches its hooks deep into science.
This is Tchaikovsky doing what he does best, blending mind blowing and often creepy science with a compelling, visceral tale. In many ways it feels like a slap in the face, meant to push us out of our intellectual comfort zones and force us to consider that we really don't know what we don't know when it comes to the forms life may take in the broader universe.
May 12, 2025
This one was really rather philosophical. Starting with the premise of exoplanet colonization using a prison camp work force kind of situation run by an authoritarian regime that runs Earth. Throw dissident scientists into the mix and you have the initial situation. It quickly diverges as our MC (one of the dissident scientists) discovers there is a lot more to this planet than anyone back on Earth knows.
I really enjoyed it and the narrator was really very good.
I received an ARC for this back in March, but I failed to read it on time. I'm really glad that I read it now, though.
I really enjoyed it and the narrator was really very good.
I received an ARC for this back in March, but I failed to read it on time. I'm really glad that I read it now, though.
September 5, 2024
This is my eighth Adrian Tchaikovsky book. He is absolutely my favourite author at present, and it’s incredible how his books have such variety. There are always themes of camaraderie, as well as the whole being more than the sum of their parts, and that concept really is taken to the nth degree in Alien Clay (yay symbiosis)!
At times, this felt like horror rather than sci-fi. As though it was a study of how many horrific, disgusting, terrifying alien creatures/plants could be put on the page, all squished up together. We are on the planet of Kiln, which is used as a labour camp for those against the totalitarian Mandate on Earth, and where prisoners are sent to work until their inevitable death.
Because Kiln will kill you sooner rather than later.
Lost civilisations, ancient ruins, the unknowable. These are all core themes of Alien Clay and explored in a few different lenses, which kept my curiosity until the end of the book. I like the heart of the story - the fearing the unknown while even the known might not be good. I like the theme of free thinking, of challenging beliefs, of wanting change and trying again even if you aren’t successful.
Additionally, Alien Clay has a very deliberate narrative style. I don’t know if it has a specific name, but it will either work with you or not (and is present in other books, such as the War Eternal series or The Book Thief). Unfortunately, I really am not a fan of the narrator telling us the story from some indeterminate future point. It robs stakes, lessens my feelings of being invested, and I have never really got on with the whole, “ah but you won’t believe what happens next”, type remarks scattered throughout. In Alien Clay, this is also compounded by the flippant tone the MC/narrator has, which again lessens the tension (and again the prison-camp humour will either tickle you or it won’t).
The MC himself is a little too arrogant for my tastes, and though for very real reasons begins to change around halfway through, made it difficult to root for. But I feel like the focus on the story wasn’t about likeable characters or interesting plots, it was more about taking what we think we know and making it part of something greater and more complex than we can understand.
This sci-fi really does have the setting as character, and Tchaikovsky’s worldbuilding reaches ever greater heights. The curiosity and mystery kept me glued to the pages until the very end, even if I didn’t get on with the main character or overall plot as much as I would have liked.
Recommend if you want a new type of alien civilisation story that will keep you guessing until the final pages!
At times, this felt like horror rather than sci-fi. As though it was a study of how many horrific, disgusting, terrifying alien creatures/plants could be put on the page, all squished up together. We are on the planet of Kiln, which is used as a labour camp for those against the totalitarian Mandate on Earth, and where prisoners are sent to work until their inevitable death.
Because Kiln will kill you sooner rather than later.
Lost civilisations, ancient ruins, the unknowable. These are all core themes of Alien Clay and explored in a few different lenses, which kept my curiosity until the end of the book. I like the heart of the story - the fearing the unknown while even the known might not be good. I like the theme of free thinking, of challenging beliefs, of wanting change and trying again even if you aren’t successful.
Additionally, Alien Clay has a very deliberate narrative style. I don’t know if it has a specific name, but it will either work with you or not (and is present in other books, such as the War Eternal series or The Book Thief). Unfortunately, I really am not a fan of the narrator telling us the story from some indeterminate future point. It robs stakes, lessens my feelings of being invested, and I have never really got on with the whole, “ah but you won’t believe what happens next”, type remarks scattered throughout. In Alien Clay, this is also compounded by the flippant tone the MC/narrator has, which again lessens the tension (and again the prison-camp humour will either tickle you or it won’t).
The MC himself is a little too arrogant for my tastes, and though for very real reasons begins to change around halfway through, made it difficult to root for. But I feel like the focus on the story wasn’t about likeable characters or interesting plots, it was more about taking what we think we know and making it part of something greater and more complex than we can understand.
This sci-fi really does have the setting as character, and Tchaikovsky’s worldbuilding reaches ever greater heights. The curiosity and mystery kept me glued to the pages until the very end, even if I didn’t get on with the main character or overall plot as much as I would have liked.
Recommend if you want a new type of alien civilisation story that will keep you guessing until the final pages!
December 15, 2024
Добрият чичо Ейдриън я сътвори отново - магията на добрата научна фантастика, която не е съвсем фантастика, защото под пласта от приключения бушуват или пък тихичко циркулират концепции.
Това става ясно още от заглавията на трите части - кому би хрумнало да ги кръсти “Свобода”, “Равенство” и “Братство” - на френски! - ако не е фен на просвещението и френската революция?
Ако списъкът ще улесни нещата, имаме си още:
✔️тоталитарна дистопия на земята с концентрационни лагери в избрани звездни системи и има ли смисъл неконформизмът
✔️Отзвуци от Оруеловата “1984” и от затворническата лагерна проза за ГУЛАГ. При това поднесени с дълбоко разбиране.
✔️планетата Килн с непонятни и опасни форми на живот, странна еволюция, базирана на симбиоза и още по-непонятни руини, оставени от незнайни строители
✔️ благата и капаните на науката и на догмите
✔️ малко екология
✔️ малко за смисъла на съществуването и ролята на човечеството
✔️ И да - Йеронимус Бош с неговите средновековни символи, тревожно преплитащи органично с неорганично, от “Градината на земните радости”. Кой меркантилен днешен автор-фантаст препраща към Йеронимус Бош, за бога?! Чайковски, ето кой…
Главният герой разказва от първо лице в подвеждащо забавен маниер. Е, всъщност не е забавен. Иван Денисович на моменти говори така. Разобличаващо.
Краят малко ме накара на посърна - дойде ми леко разтеглен и предимно според пазарните канони. Но не съвсем, не съвсем. И да му се не види, Ейдриън, защо така заряза романтиката?!
Не бих искала да стъпвам на Килн, но беше дяволски интересно да чета за нея. Чайковски държи ниво и припомня защо фантастиката е важна - в самостоятелно заглавие, а не в петнайсети том…
4,5⭐️
—————
▶️ Цитати:
🧩 “A people without hope, what will they do? One of two things: nothing, or everything.”
——
🧩“What if we inadvertently discovered a reality that didn’t match the dogma?”
——
🧩“A final irony, the career academic ending his life as a lesson.”
——
🧩“You can’t dictate properly unless you have a list of things that are right and lawful against a list of things that aren’t, and never the twain shall meet.
…
“What?’ they’d say. ‘You don’t want this unpleasant circumstance we’re forcing on you? Then you’re obviously in favour of this absurdly exaggerated opposite we’ve just invented.”
…
“You don’t want these laws? Then you must want rampant anarchy!’
…
“And with a good enough speaker that kind of argument, shouted from the enshrined pulpit of Mandate-approved media, can sound very persuasive, mostly because there’s never anyone there to argue back. The idea that there might be shades of possible in between any two opposites was anathema to Mandate thought, and this crept into their scientific orthodoxy too,”
….
‘“Scholastic purges?”’[…] “After people outside the institutions got wind of what was going on, they needed a name for it. So they cast it as halting the corruption of young minds, think of the children . . . You know, the usual.”
——
🧩“It’s fear of the whip, not greed, that turns us all into potential betrayers.”
——
🧩“the universe isn’t a place of binaries. Control is not either absolute or absent. It’s a gradient,”
——
🧩“They want very specific answers from science. Black and white answers to complex questions”
——
🧩“Human history is full of social conventions designed to salve the consciences of the mighty and curb the ambitions of the small.”
——
🧩“So we invent philosophies to tell us we were right to do what we did and we’re allowed to do what we want. You find a god, basically, who tells you you’re okay. And maybe it’s actual God, because that’s an easy out. God says. Why? If you’re asking that question then you haven’t got faith and you’re out of the God club.”
——
🧩“An enquiring scientific mind and a rigid orthodox thinker, all crammed into that one head. Simultaneously driven to find out the answer, and absolutely sure he knows what that answer will be.”
——
🧩“We always underestimate the complexities that can arise from simple systems. ”
——
🧩“A disillusioned revolutionary is a dangerous thing.”
——
🧩“Being incarcerated by an oppressive regime makes you political by default.”
——
🧩“Any oppressive system needs an element of arbitrary punishment just to keep people properly on their toes”
——
🧩“seeing random chance in the world is the result of insufficient data ”
——
🧩“What makes you ‘fittest’ isn’t being bigger and stronger than everything else. It isn’t even necessarily being better at any given thing than everything else. Because you need everything else. That’s how biology works. Each cell needs the other cells, each organ needs the other organs, each organism needs the other organisms. The base unit of life is all life.”
October 1, 2024
“It has a body that’s all long spines like a sea urchin, with a lot of legs projecting off from this at all angles, studded with thorns and hooks. There’s no front or back, or visible sense organs. Or probably all of it hosts the little independent units that gather sensory info.”
“ …the thing comes shouldering between the trees, like some gentrified local, demanding you move your food truck out of their nice clean neighborhood.”
Professor Arton Daghdev has run afoul of an authoritarian regime and is exiled from Earth to a prison camp on Kiln. Everyone sent there is basically expected to be killed by one of the many, many dangers on Kiln. But there are also people there who are trying to unravel the mystery behind the disappearance of the civilization that used to inhabit Kiln.
The story is told from the pov of Arton, and I enjoyed his light touch. I also liked the creatures. The science and world building were my favorite parts of the book. I was much less interested in the politics, and that took up a lot of the book. This book is complete but there is room for a sequel, although the author has said that he has no plans to continue the story.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.
“ …the thing comes shouldering between the trees, like some gentrified local, demanding you move your food truck out of their nice clean neighborhood.”
Professor Arton Daghdev has run afoul of an authoritarian regime and is exiled from Earth to a prison camp on Kiln. Everyone sent there is basically expected to be killed by one of the many, many dangers on Kiln. But there are also people there who are trying to unravel the mystery behind the disappearance of the civilization that used to inhabit Kiln.
The story is told from the pov of Arton, and I enjoyed his light touch. I also liked the creatures. The science and world building were my favorite parts of the book. I was much less interested in the politics, and that took up a lot of the book. This book is complete but there is room for a sequel, although the author has said that he has no plans to continue the story.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.
January 3, 2025
Alien anarchy.
I just never get sick of Tchaikovsky. Every book I read of his makes me want to read more. Alien Clay is a triumph. This book works on so many levels and for so many reasons. Let’s put aside that this book is written with incredible wit and dry humor that seethes between the sentences. The setting of the alien planet has all the on brand creativity and originality you would expect from this author. The masterful first person POV is highly engaging and works from an exposition stand point as well as plot progression. Putting all that aside, this book is about a freaking revolution on an alien planet against an autocratic regime and it all just worked so well. Blending something like class conflict with alien mass sentience was just masterful. Just read this amazing book.
I just never get sick of Tchaikovsky. Every book I read of his makes me want to read more. Alien Clay is a triumph. This book works on so many levels and for so many reasons. Let’s put aside that this book is written with incredible wit and dry humor that seethes between the sentences. The setting of the alien planet has all the on brand creativity and originality you would expect from this author. The masterful first person POV is highly engaging and works from an exposition stand point as well as plot progression. Putting all that aside, this book is about a freaking revolution on an alien planet against an autocratic regime and it all just worked so well. Blending something like class conflict with alien mass sentience was just masterful. Just read this amazing book.
October 18, 2024
I find it amazing that Tchaikovsky, perhaps the most prolific author writing today in fantasy/science fiction, never falls into a formulaic trap. Yes, he is guilty at times of reinventing old tropes, but typically does a great job with them. Alien Clay definitely possesses and 'old school' feel to it, despite having a few theys among the usual hes and shes. Told in first person past tense, the narrator and main protagonist, Professor Arton Daghdev, chronicles the events after his arrival on "Kiln," one of several planets humanity discovered that carry life.
Tchaikovsky sets the story against a grim, totalitarian ruling cast on Earth, where you bow to the masters or face the consequences. Daghdev, a scientist studying exobiology and ecology, refused to bow and eventually faced exile on Kiln. Kiln contains one human settlement, essentially a work colony for prisoners. The settlement does contain some 'free' scientists, mostly second rate, and a commander with pretensions of science, but most of the people are 'rebel' exiles from Earth, doing the grunt work. The alien life on Kiln puzzles the scientists, as does the numerous artifacts they discover there-- primarily strange buildings and obviously produced by a sentient race. Yet, they find no trace of these 'people', just the buildings with their strange, unintelligible writings on them.
While the 'free' scientists (biologists, anthropologists, etc.) stay safe in their domed encampment, teams of prisoners are repeatedly sent out to explore and gather specimens from the 'wild'. Given that all the prisoners are basically expendable, they are only given shoddy protection and second rate tech on their missions; human labor is cheaper than maintaining quality tech! Through the eyes of Daghdev's reflections, the mysteries of the world slowly unfold...
The story packs it punch on three levels. First, the dystopian human society itself, subjugating people, secondly, the mystery of the sentient aliens who left the structures on the planet, and finally, the strangeness of the local flora and fauna. On the latter, it seems every living thing operates as a complicated symbiotic lifeform. Yes, humans have all kinds of things 'tagging along' in our bodies, but on Kiln, even basic body parts seem to be interchangeable. Need something to see with? Well, you can find something that would be happy to colonize you!
I will stop with the overall sitrep to avoid spoilers here. While I really liked this, the first person retrospective narration did not really ring my bell. I also find it a bit disjointed at times unlike most of Tchaikovsky's work. For example, the arrival of Daghdev on the disposable ship (really a neat idea) happened first, and then Daghdev explained it (e.g., the tech and rationale). This back and forth repeated itself over and over, bucking the narrative flow. Nonetheless. I got used to it quickly enough and the denouement? Nice. 4 alien clay stars!!
Tchaikovsky sets the story against a grim, totalitarian ruling cast on Earth, where you bow to the masters or face the consequences. Daghdev, a scientist studying exobiology and ecology, refused to bow and eventually faced exile on Kiln. Kiln contains one human settlement, essentially a work colony for prisoners. The settlement does contain some 'free' scientists, mostly second rate, and a commander with pretensions of science, but most of the people are 'rebel' exiles from Earth, doing the grunt work. The alien life on Kiln puzzles the scientists, as does the numerous artifacts they discover there-- primarily strange buildings and obviously produced by a sentient race. Yet, they find no trace of these 'people', just the buildings with their strange, unintelligible writings on them.
While the 'free' scientists (biologists, anthropologists, etc.) stay safe in their domed encampment, teams of prisoners are repeatedly sent out to explore and gather specimens from the 'wild'. Given that all the prisoners are basically expendable, they are only given shoddy protection and second rate tech on their missions; human labor is cheaper than maintaining quality tech! Through the eyes of Daghdev's reflections, the mysteries of the world slowly unfold...
The story packs it punch on three levels. First, the dystopian human society itself, subjugating people, secondly, the mystery of the sentient aliens who left the structures on the planet, and finally, the strangeness of the local flora and fauna. On the latter, it seems every living thing operates as a complicated symbiotic lifeform. Yes, humans have all kinds of things 'tagging along' in our bodies, but on Kiln, even basic body parts seem to be interchangeable. Need something to see with? Well, you can find something that would be happy to colonize you!
I will stop with the overall sitrep to avoid spoilers here. While I really liked this, the first person retrospective narration did not really ring my bell. I also find it a bit disjointed at times unlike most of Tchaikovsky's work. For example, the arrival of Daghdev on the disposable ship (really a neat idea) happened first, and then Daghdev explained it (e.g., the tech and rationale). This back and forth repeated itself over and over, bucking the narrative flow. Nonetheless. I got used to it quickly enough and the denouement? Nice. 4 alien clay stars!!
August 8, 2025
First-rate book, to my pleasant surprise, as it starts out pretty grim. Let me first point you to the best review I saw online, by the reliable Paul Di Filippo at Locus: https://locusmag.com/2024/10/paul-di-...
Excerpt:
“At a medium distance in the future, the Earth is ruled by an authoritarian government called the Mandate. There are frequent mini-rebellions against the dictatorship, but they always fail. And what happens to the captured rebels? Exiled en masse to a harsh labor camp on the planet of Imno 27g (otherwise known as Kiln). Arton is one such, a professor whose antifa playacting went a bit too far.”
Once you’ve read that review, I’ll have some comments. The first being: now I wonder what the other two 2024 Tchaikovsky books were that PdF liked?
Back to the book at hand. I went into it cold, and my experience with Tchaikovsky has been mixed. The opening is great, and the book seldom flags. The narrator’s voice, “witty, self-pitying, cynical, hopeful, resigned, ambitious, fearful, brave” is a good bit of the appeal. The Mandate’s cynical cruelty and grim enforcers will remind you of 1984. But the biology of Kiln is what makes the book special. I have a quote below about an Earthly parasite with Kiln-like attributes. And it’s amusing that, in the climax,
The ending was a bit disappointing, as if the author was losing interest? But overall, this was a 4+ star read, and his best novel I’ve read so far. Recommended reading. High marks!
Excerpt:
“At a medium distance in the future, the Earth is ruled by an authoritarian government called the Mandate. There are frequent mini-rebellions against the dictatorship, but they always fail. And what happens to the captured rebels? Exiled en masse to a harsh labor camp on the planet of Imno 27g (otherwise known as Kiln). Arton is one such, a professor whose antifa playacting went a bit too far.”
Once you’ve read that review, I’ll have some comments. The first being: now I wonder what the other two 2024 Tchaikovsky books were that PdF liked?
Back to the book at hand. I went into it cold, and my experience with Tchaikovsky has been mixed. The opening is great, and the book seldom flags. The narrator’s voice, “witty, self-pitying, cynical, hopeful, resigned, ambitious, fearful, brave” is a good bit of the appeal. The Mandate’s cynical cruelty and grim enforcers will remind you of 1984. But the biology of Kiln is what makes the book special. I have a quote below about an Earthly parasite with Kiln-like attributes. And it’s amusing that, in the climax,
The ending was a bit disappointing, as if the author was losing interest? But overall, this was a 4+ star read, and his best novel I’ve read so far. Recommended reading. High marks!
November 21, 2024
3.9-4.0— it walks the line
This book come from same vein as Mercy of the Gods with a very distinctive vibe that wont be for everyone— it worked better for me than mercy of gods did.
On the distant world of kiln, one of nine habitable planets that spacefarinf humans have ever found, their greatest discovery was made — the ruins of an intelligent civilization.
Earth’s dystopian dictatorship uses political prisoners as a one-way expendable work crew to colonize. They condemn political dissident professor Arton, whose biology skills are sorely needed to investigate the ruins— but the planets’ infectious organisms are wreaking havoc on the meager science team- killing, or changing the crew into something orther and the guards arent motivated to keep him alive. To top if off the professor has been exposed….. now he must race the clock to find the hard science answers to save his life but the answers might be too much to take.
This book was very inventive. First half was engaging but gets a bit lost in the middle. Still a fun conclusion and cery different from his other work… cage of souls.
This book come from same vein as Mercy of the Gods with a very distinctive vibe that wont be for everyone— it worked better for me than mercy of gods did.
On the distant world of kiln, one of nine habitable planets that spacefarinf humans have ever found, their greatest discovery was made — the ruins of an intelligent civilization.
Earth’s dystopian dictatorship uses political prisoners as a one-way expendable work crew to colonize. They condemn political dissident professor Arton, whose biology skills are sorely needed to investigate the ruins— but the planets’ infectious organisms are wreaking havoc on the meager science team- killing, or changing the crew into something orther and the guards arent motivated to keep him alive. To top if off the professor has been exposed….. now he must race the clock to find the hard science answers to save his life but the answers might be too much to take.
This book was very inventive. First half was engaging but gets a bit lost in the middle. Still a fun conclusion and cery different from his other work… cage of souls.
June 23, 2024
ALIEN CLAY's description had me immediately wanting to read it. To me it sounded a lot like Jack McDevitt's Academy series which I absolutely love and is an amazing space opera that has heavy elements of alien archeology and an underlying lost civilization mystery. I have to say that when it comes to sf books, alien archeology is among my very favorite themes. So based on that this book caught my attention from the very first time I saw it marketed on social media. It also didn't hurt that it was written by an author whose books I've appreciated and enjoyed for over a decade now. All of these things pointed to an excellent chance that I would be more than enamored with this story. Ultimately though I thought this was a decent book that just didn't have that wow factor that I had hoped.
This book sets up like it's going to be one heck of a deep dive alien archeology mystery and I was totally here for it. We are introduced to the main players, and main character Arton in particular. Arton is a very accomplished professor and an expert on all types of ancient civilizations. In this case Arton is part of a prisoner group that has been sent on a mission to discover the purpose and origin of a number of structures discovered on the enigmatic planet of Kiln. Seems Arton rubbed all of the wrong people the wrong way with his ardent political activism and found himself on the bad side of the ruling organization called the Mandate. Yeah the Mandate doesn't like people who rock the boat. Let's just say they are an authoritarian extremist faction that expects total subservience for their cause.
All of this captured my curiosity in the first 100 pages of so and boy was I getting excited for the intense exploration to come and the increasing intensity of that early promise. Sadly, although the story itself is fairly interesting, I found myself getting lost in an over-abundance of conversation and dialogue that had me skimming some pages (which I rarely if ever do). Skimming some pages soon became putting the book down for long stretches because I just couldn't totally get into the plot. I finally did manage to finish the book and while the final 50 pages or so were exciting and satisfying, it didn't completely redeem the 200 pages or so before that where I found this book tough sledding. I think I expected a book that was more alien mystery and what I actually got was a more political struggle and social commentary book. Which is fine, but it wasn't the story I was in the mood for unfortunately and thus I enjoyed it far less as a result.
That's not to say that this isn't a good book with the tight writing that we have all come to expect from Adrian Tchaikovsky. There are some really shining moments where his outstanding storytelling shines through. I just would have liked more focus on the exploration aspect and a little less on the character relationship dynamic. Although I was slightly disappointed, I am sure this book will appeal to a great number of SF readers, so don't let my lackluster reaction dissuade you. I am always going to pick up anything Tchaikovsky writes because overall he's written way more hits for me than misses. This one was just okay for me though.
This book sets up like it's going to be one heck of a deep dive alien archeology mystery and I was totally here for it. We are introduced to the main players, and main character Arton in particular. Arton is a very accomplished professor and an expert on all types of ancient civilizations. In this case Arton is part of a prisoner group that has been sent on a mission to discover the purpose and origin of a number of structures discovered on the enigmatic planet of Kiln. Seems Arton rubbed all of the wrong people the wrong way with his ardent political activism and found himself on the bad side of the ruling organization called the Mandate. Yeah the Mandate doesn't like people who rock the boat. Let's just say they are an authoritarian extremist faction that expects total subservience for their cause.
All of this captured my curiosity in the first 100 pages of so and boy was I getting excited for the intense exploration to come and the increasing intensity of that early promise. Sadly, although the story itself is fairly interesting, I found myself getting lost in an over-abundance of conversation and dialogue that had me skimming some pages (which I rarely if ever do). Skimming some pages soon became putting the book down for long stretches because I just couldn't totally get into the plot. I finally did manage to finish the book and while the final 50 pages or so were exciting and satisfying, it didn't completely redeem the 200 pages or so before that where I found this book tough sledding. I think I expected a book that was more alien mystery and what I actually got was a more political struggle and social commentary book. Which is fine, but it wasn't the story I was in the mood for unfortunately and thus I enjoyed it far less as a result.
That's not to say that this isn't a good book with the tight writing that we have all come to expect from Adrian Tchaikovsky. There are some really shining moments where his outstanding storytelling shines through. I just would have liked more focus on the exploration aspect and a little less on the character relationship dynamic. Although I was slightly disappointed, I am sure this book will appeal to a great number of SF readers, so don't let my lackluster reaction dissuade you. I am always going to pick up anything Tchaikovsky writes because overall he's written way more hits for me than misses. This one was just okay for me though.
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April 2, 2024Arthur C. Clarke Award-winning author Adrian Tchaikovsky is prolific, having written multiple sci-fi epics, each of which has further cemented him as a modern giant of the genre. Alien Clay might be his finest work; a novel that doesn't just blend politics with scientific discovery—it stitches them together as inseparable themes and plot elements, all while being set on a strange, deadly, and exciting alien world.
My full thoughts: https://booksandbao.com/best-modern-s...
My full thoughts: https://booksandbao.com/best-modern-s...
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April 2, 2024Between 4 and 5 stars. As so often with Tchaikovsky novels I listen to I will go for a second listen to get all the nuances of this story about revolution, evolution and of course communication - the 3 topics AT always builds his great stories on.
November 6, 2024
Nu šis gan bija viens labs fantastikas gabals. Prime Čajkovskis.
November 23, 2025
‘There’s writing too, Professor Daghdev. Not translatable, obviously, but writing, decoration, art. For the first time, evidence of true thought evolved on another planet, in another solar system entirely.
The writing on the walls of alien temples that can be found underneath the virulent biosphere of the planet Kiln, if translated, would spell something like the titles of the three parts of the novel:
Liberte, Egalite, Fraternite
This is a book about revolution: molecular revolution and political revolution. The way the author weaves together the two concepts that are in fact one is clever and daring, not a surprise to fans of Adrian Tchaikovsky. An easy five star for the ideas. The way these ideas were translated into a plot and the characters didn’t work as well for me: too much exposition/info-dumps in the first half, too little action. The second half has both planetary exploration and actual conflict, but they feel forced, shoehorned into the core message of the novel to the detriment of both the actors and the actual science. At least to me, it seems here that the scientific theories are always twisted to serve the political message, exactly the thing the main narrator, professor Anton Daghdev, decries in the social regime that sends him to a work gulag on the most dangerous planet discovered so far.
The Mandate is very much into polar binaries, it’s in all their rhetoric.
‘What?’ they’d say. ‘You don’t want this unpleasant circumstance we’re forcing on you? Then you’re obviously in favor of this absurdly exaggerated opposite we’ve just invented’
I will try to be very short about the plot, which is easy because there’s not much of it to spoil: The Earth is controlled by the Mandate, a political organization that admits no dissent and uses massive surveillance, police and spies to identify and destroy all attempts at change. Professor Daghdev believed he could work on the system from inside, but his activities are reported, his revolutionary cell betrayed and ultimately sent to forced labour as far away from the Mandate as possible. Arrival on Kiln is harrowing in the disregard for human life and in the abuses that are designed to keep the camp inmates subservient. Among them, a divide and conquer policy that uses the carrot and stick approach to make the workers suspicious of each other. Being assigned to the science laboratories is considered a boom compared to maintenance work around the isolated dome of the camp, while the teams forced to go out and explore Kiln have the highest death count.
Daghdev realizes that he cannot trust anyone in the camp, not the sadistic commander, the scientists, the technicians, the guards or his fellow inmates. But he is fascinated by the biology of the planet, and his scientific mind cannot stop trying to solve the puzzles Kiln throws at him.
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The universe is a pyramid: physics leading to chemistry, leading to biology; microbes leading to worms, leading to vertebrates, leading to apes, leading to us;
Adrian Tchaikovsky studied zoology and psychology at university in England. Both have served his fiction work immensely. His passion for the natural world, in particular spiders and marine invertebrates, is one of the reasons I always look forward to his unusual and original concepts about alien species and about the future of humanity.
The focus in ‘Alien Clay’ is on molecular biology and symbiosis, as in different species cooperating for a better chance at survival. On Kiln, the evolutionary results are both baffling and spectacular.
Kiln. Kiln is in charge. Any control we think we have is purely illusory.
There is a basic incompatibility between life on Earth and life on Kiln. Humans that get exposed to the alien biosphere have both their bodies and their brains hijacked and destroyed.
‘It’s the same as how a virus forces your cells to unlock, so it can do the dirty in you. How any part of your body does what it needs to. It’s all to do with how your proteins curl up, keys and locks, all that elementary-school stuff.’
We always underestimate the complexities that can arise from simple systems.
Yet, at the most basic level, molecular and DNA, nature follows similar paths, roads that one day might bridge the gap with more studies and more experiments, with a little thinking outside the box. But free thinking is anathema to the Compact. Every scientist must follow the prescribed doctrine or be banned. That doctrine is quite simple, and could probably be turned into a slogan like Humanity First! The Mandate calls it Scientific Philanthropy:
... we were meant. It’s manifest destiny all the way down. A mandate from the dawn of time.
I always approach science-fiction as a genre as revolutionary. It was Ray Bradbury who expressed this best, and I’m only paraphrasing him here, but he said that it is easy to imagine the future. You just have to look at the world around you and imagine more of the same. The results is usually dystopian. The role of the author is in fact to imagine something better, to give us some hope for the future and to help us create better alternatives to the present.
Science, as a creed, should care about truth. It shouldn’t be bent for political aims.
It is actually very easy for me to believe the current novel was born in the world we witness every day, from the rise of fascism to the denial of science, to the manipulation of truth and the massive state surveillance of the individual.
And it is lies about science which cut most deeply, telling you that this or that group of people are naturally inferior, or another group has an innate ability to lead. That there is sufficient genetic distinction to make the call, when in actuality we share the vast bulk of our inheritance with mushrooms. Or else that, because of this kinship with mushrooms, our leaders are justified in keeping us in the dark and feeding us shit.
also,
‘You ever think of the fundamental paradox of our society? How they build a tight-knit machine of a state by breaking everyone down into solitary units turned against each other? How you compel mass obedience out of the most individualistic drives of selfishness, greed and fear?”
The political engagement gets more and more explicit as we follow professor Daghdev around Kiln. He is actually an undercover militant agent, so his focus on issues is probably understandable, the way he looks at the alien biosphere and sees only revolution :
Kiln, that fantastically opportunistic biosphere that says, ‘Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, and I shall find a way to infiltrate their biology and make them my own.’
Like the intelligent Kiln molecules, Daghdev and his comrades hope to infiltrate the Mandate and change it from its core outward, to transform into something more sustainable and compassionate.
On Kiln no species is an island.
Ants and neurons are democracies. [...] There’s no holdout of political grousers claiming someone else won the election.
My favorite quote is about how the need for change is not in our cells or in our metabolism, but in the way we look at the world and at each other. It’s so easy in practice. We need to throw away the failed slogans about manifest destinies, the only true religion or racial superiority, about man as the pinnacle of evolution, and try to see us as small cogs in a vast machine that needs to be understood and protected instead of conquered.
Nothing’s changed except the way we see the world around us and those who inhabit it.
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As I said, I have been a rabid fan of Adrian Tchaikovsky since the debut of his fantasy epic Shadows of the Apt . The only reason I haven’t read all his books is the fact that I cannot keep up with his productivity. He writes too damn fast and too damn well.
I loved the concept of revolutionary molecular biology, but I also struggled with the novel. I might even confess that [Gasp!] I was slightly bored by the lack of subtlety in the political discourse, the lack of action and the slightly suspicious claims about alien biology.
Even the tissue that originates and sends out instructions to the rest of the organism – the brain in us – is diffuse.
The idea of a diffuse brain that is shared between different species is the one that I struggled the most with. That and the need for a written language when all the biological information is shared at a molecular level. I found a similar concept in another book by the author: Children of Memory and in one by Ursula K le Guin : The Word for World Is ForestThe name for the World is Forrest.
I don’t consider three stars a low rating. I liked the book, but I do have some reservations.
December 5, 2024
Čaikovskis kā vienmēr līmenī. Tiešām zinātniska zinātniskā fantastika ar revolucionāru ievirzienu. Izskatās, ka pat fantastikas pasaulē zinātnieka dzìve ir izaicinājumu pilna.
April 30, 2024
DNF @ 14%. The way this story was told was honestly too close to boring. I just kept getting distracted. Very repetitive too. When I tell people what this story is about, it sounds incredibly interesting so what went wrong here?
December 13, 2024
In the distant future, earth is ruled by a totalitarian pseudo-Stalinist government called the mandate.
The mandate has a love/hate relationship with science. It wants science to provide technological advances and reinforce their ideals. What they don’t want is for it to find anything that doesn’t conform to their ideology and they really, really hate scientists who don’t toe the line. Researchers who go looking for scientific truth instead of looking for evidence to support the mandate’s predetermined conclusions quickly find themselves in trouble.
An xenobiologist revolutionary finds himself on a slow boat to a space gulag on the planet Kiln. Kiln is teeming with non sentient life but has tons of ancient ruins, obviously built by an advanced civilization. If so where did they go?
This is classic Tchaikovsky, besides the obvious political questions, it asks much larger ones. Questions about kinds of life, consciousness, society and human nature.
Some of it is a bit heavy handed but this is what science fiction is supposed to be.
Many recent sci-fi stories now seem to want to be Star Wars or game of thrones in space, but it’s at its best when it’s asking questions and exploring concepts.
The mandate has a love/hate relationship with science. It wants science to provide technological advances and reinforce their ideals. What they don’t want is for it to find anything that doesn’t conform to their ideology and they really, really hate scientists who don’t toe the line. Researchers who go looking for scientific truth instead of looking for evidence to support the mandate’s predetermined conclusions quickly find themselves in trouble.
An xenobiologist revolutionary finds himself on a slow boat to a space gulag on the planet Kiln. Kiln is teeming with non sentient life but has tons of ancient ruins, obviously built by an advanced civilization. If so where did they go?
This is classic Tchaikovsky, besides the obvious political questions, it asks much larger ones. Questions about kinds of life, consciousness, society and human nature.
Some of it is a bit heavy handed but this is what science fiction is supposed to be.
Many recent sci-fi stories now seem to want to be Star Wars or game of thrones in space, but it’s at its best when it’s asking questions and exploring concepts.
March 24, 2025
Ooh, reminiscent of Children of Time, this is Adrian Tchaikovsky at his best. He presents a story that is inventive, deeply creative, and which cracks along at pace. Fabulous!
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