Alien Clay

Name: Alien Clay
Brand: Hachette Audio
Availability: InStock
Author: Adrian Tchaikovsky
ISBN: 9781668642702

Author: Adrian Tchaikovsky

Narrator: Ben Allen

Unabridged: 13 hr 56 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Orbit

Published: 09/17/2024

Categories: Fiction, Science Fiction, Literary Fiction, Action & Adventure

Synopsis

From Arthur C. Clarke 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.

This audiobook edition includes an exclusive interview between Ben Allen and Adrian Tchaikovsky.

About Adrian Tchaikovsky

Adrian Tchaikovsky is the author of the ten-book Shadows of the Apt series, starting with Empire in Black and Gold. His other works include the novel Children of Time, which won the 2016 Arthur C. Clarke Award, the short story collection Feast and Famine, and the novellas The Bloody Deluge and Even in the Cannon's Mouth. He has been shortlisted for the David Gemmell Legend Award and the British Fantasy Award.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Jackson on April 03, 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......more

Goodreads review by BJ on 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 t......more

Goodreads review by Rachel (TheShadesofOrange) on September 29, 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 an......more

Goodreads review by Trish on May 01, 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 politic......more

Goodreads review by Ian on 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: On the distant world of Kiln lie the ruins of an alien......more

Quotes

Praise for The Final Architecture:“Enthralling, epic, immersive, and hugely intelligent.” —Stephen Baxter

“Adrian Tchaikovsky: king of the spiders, master worldbuilder, and asker of intriguing questions. His books are packed with thought-provoking ideas (as well as lots of spiders; did I mention the spiders?). One of the most interesting and accomplished writers in speculative fiction.” —Christopher Paolini

“Adrian Tchaikovsky’s Shards of Earth is one of the most stunning space operas I’ve read this year....Tchaikovsky’s world building is on glorious display as he throws all manner of spaceships, creepy aliens and strange technology into a delicious sci-fi soup. It’s dense, it’s funny, it’s exciting, it’s touching and it’s perfect for someone looking for a space opera built on a grand scale.” —BookPage (starred review)

“Dazzlingly suspenseful...Tchaikovsky’s intricately constructed world is vast yet sturdy enough to cradle inventive science, unique aliens, and complex political machinations. With a mix of lively fight scenes, friendly banter, and high-stakes intrigue, this is space opera at its best.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“Tchaikovsky writes space opera on a grand scale, creating a massive, complex, vividly realized future environment...He guides the reader through this endlessly intriguing universe with a rock-steady sure hand. Fans of space opera should leave the book in breathless anticipation of the second installment in the trilogy.” —Booklist—--

Ben Allen performs a thought-provoking science fiction story about a political dissident who is trying to survive on an alien planet that serves as a tyrannical empire's prison. Anton arrives on the planet nicknamed Kiln to discover humanity was not the first sentient lifeform to visit. Kiln's ecosystem is chaotic, hungry, and hiding several enticing secrets. Anton not only must survive the prison camp but also the bizarre alien world. Allen's clipped intonation complements the third-person prose wonderfully. The artful use of an intense tone to heighten drama results in a captivating performance. Allen maintains an understated but noticeable difference between dialogue and narrative while highlighting the moments of dark humor. He makes the immersive and imaginative story one to get lost in. J.M.M. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2024, Portland, Maine [Published: SEPTEMBER 2024]—AudioFile Earphones Award Winner