Professor Arton Daghdev is a xenobiologist who is shipped out (along with other political dissenters) on an expedition mission to the strange and deadly planet of Kiln. There he’s tasked with investigating the ruins of an alien civilization whose inhabitants mysteriously vanished without a trace.
Alien Clay is Adrian Tchaikovsky’s newest and mind-blowingly brilliant sci-fi novel that further solidifies him as a titan of the genre.
In line with his previous works, the worldbuilding is extensive and well-thought out, which comes as a bit of a double-edged sword. On one hand, Tchaikovsky excels at creating believable planets and complex politics. On the other hand, the info-dumping does break up the story's momentum at times.
As a result, the story gets off to a slower start. It's not until roughly a quarter in that we get a terrifying glimpse of the body horror and cosmic horror of the planet. Then it takes around half of the novel to finally get to the exploration of the ruins. This is where things get really interesting and where I truly became hooked.
So overall, if you adore stories with science teams on deadly missions (i.e. Prometheus and Annihilation) where the environment seeps into the characters and slowly transforms them inside and out, I cannot recommend this one enough.
Thank you, NetGalley and Orbit, for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
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