The most imaginative alien biology in modern science fiction

Adrian Tchaikovsky always delivers incredible biology but really outdid himself with this one, creating a whole alien ecology that feels fundamentally different to our own but still feels scientifically grounded.

The protagonist is sarcastic narrates the thoughts and feelings of an exiled academic who failed to be the kind of revolutionary he wanted to be on dictatorship earth.

Perhaps what is most terrifying is not the Elephant's Dad who stampedes through the forest, or the cackling infected researcher who hoots and laughs in the night, but the fact that the human society known as the Mandate feels as though it really could lie in our real world future.

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4 people found this helpful

1984 Meets Avatar

Great protagonist, great story. Almost a hypothetical solution fulfilling communism, only solved in fantasy horror.

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Alien meets Avatar, meets 1984

What happens if you take Alien, Avatar, and 1984, put them together, and shake them well? You end up with a one-of-a-kind alien world, a mixture of fear, awe, and hope so thrilling and fascinating that it is unputdownable.

One might say that not much happens in the book, BUT if you are searching for something extraordinary alien, highly imaginative, and thought-provoking, this is the book for you.

For my part, it is like having an old wish fulfilled: since I first saw Alien I found myself trying to change my position, like I could see hidden angles and explore more of that massive derelict ship full of dormant Xenomorph eggs.
Surely, that ship had a full story to tell... too bad that it was so infested, that the expedition was a disaster... no time to explore there...
Alien Clay gave me the chance to explore... without the terror of the Xenomorphs.

Yet, the alien life form on Kiln carries a lot of unknown danger, so much so that for a while I was afraid that some gruesome monsters would burst out from the humans trapped there...
But there is beauty and mystery too...

I will listen to it again!

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1 person found this helpful

The filler

This was a pleasant romp, worth the credit mostly.
An interesting premise of political dissidents sent to a far flung life bearing planet. The “intrigue” eventually raise to an interesting point of rather drawn out over the length of the book.
Worthy of a listen if you’re looking….

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Thought provoking

Narrated by Ben Allen
Adrian Tchaikovsky is such a good writer, his humans and aliens are brilliantly interwoven. Xeno-biologist and freedom fighter, Arton Daghdev, is exiled for his crimes to an alien planet where he's imprisoned under an oppressive regime. At first he's given some status because of his scientific work, but he's soon busted to a basic work detail in the toxic atmosphere of this very alien planet. He is tasked with discovering the origin of alien ruins, and the mystery of who the builders were, and where are they now. And he does indeed make that discovery, but not in the way the camp commandant expects him to.

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Good idea but not alot happens.

I love the children of time series but I'm struggling to get to those heights with the author's other books. The idea is interesting but not a lot happens and i found it very slow.

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1 person found this helpful

what stood out most:

Felt a boot on my throat the whole time. And really liked the flora and fauna in the book.

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Nothing Really Happens. I was kinda bored throughout.

I loved some of the authors other books, particularly the Final Architecture series. But I just didn't enjoy this. Too much politics and revolution talk, not enough happening to drive forwards the story. The last 90 mins of the book is the most interesting, but the previous 12 hours was just OK. In summary, it was disappointing.

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2 people found this helpful

Another interesting Adrian Tchaikovsky book!

The first 3/4 of the book were excellent and interesting with characters which were fun to listen to and a developing story.

However, later I found thr story and key developments in it weren't explained amazingly and felt like they clashed with earlier points a little bit.

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2 people found this helpful

Interesting ideas on evolution and society and relatable renegade characters

Great antidote to the wallowy architecture series. A little bit cliche in terms of the plot arc but a return to ‘children of’ style so go there if you liked that

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