Alien Clay
An incredible science fiction tale of first contact with the unknown, shortlisted for Best Novel at the 2025 Hugo Awards
Published on 28. March 2024
560 pages
978-1-0350-1377-7 (ISBN)
Description
They travelled into the unknown and left themselves behind . . . Alien Clay is a thrilling tale of alien encounter - from the acclaimed Arthur C. Clarke Award-winner Adrian Tchaikovsky.
'Unputdownable' - Stephen Baxter, author of Proxima
Professor Arton Daghdev has always wanted to study alien life in person. But when his political activism sees him exiled to the planet Kiln, condemned to work under an unfamiliar sky until he dies, his idealistic wish becomes a terrible reality.
Kiln boasts a ravenous, chaotic ecosystem. Its monstrous alien life means Arton will risk death on a daily basis - if the camp's oppressive regime doesn't kill him first. But, if he survives, Kiln's lost civilization holds a wondrous, terrible secret. It will redefine life and intelligence as he knows it - and might just set him free.
'Heart-in-the-mouth fantastic' - New Scientist
'Restlessly brainy and utterly involving' - Daily Mail
'The perfect gateway into what makes Tchaikovsky great' - SciFiNow
'Unputdownable' - Stephen Baxter, author of Proxima
Professor Arton Daghdev has always wanted to study alien life in person. But when his political activism sees him exiled to the planet Kiln, condemned to work under an unfamiliar sky until he dies, his idealistic wish becomes a terrible reality.
Kiln boasts a ravenous, chaotic ecosystem. Its monstrous alien life means Arton will risk death on a daily basis - if the camp's oppressive regime doesn't kill him first. But, if he survives, Kiln's lost civilization holds a wondrous, terrible secret. It will redefine life and intelligence as he knows it - and might just set him free.
'Heart-in-the-mouth fantastic' - New Scientist
'Restlessly brainy and utterly involving' - Daily Mail
'The perfect gateway into what makes Tchaikovsky great' - SciFiNow
Reviews / Votes
'This is what it's like to be sentenced to Transportation in a fictional futuristic world . . . The regularity with which Tchaikovsky delivers great books is astounding. Highly recommended -- Tade Thompson, author of <i>Rosewater</i> Alien Clay is convincing, compelling on human and cosmic levels, and unputdownable. With work like this, Adrian Tchaikovsky is fast becoming the voice of his generation in British SF -- Stephen Baxter, author of <i>Proxima</i> One of our finest writers of SF right now . . . an excellent story told with Adrian's trademark skill and flair -- James Oswald, author of the Inspector McLean series A hell prison on a hell planet with a thrilling, important message: only connect. Adrian's firing on all cylinders in this one -- Ian McDonald, author of <i>New Moon</i> Is Tchaikovsky propping up the science fiction industry single-handedly? He is so prolific and reliably excellent that I think he might be * New Scientist * Restlessly brainy and utterly involving, Alien Clay is as morally engaged as 1984 and as immersive as Avatar * Daily Mail * [Adrian Tchaikovsky] has created a wonderfully strange new world as the basis for an intriguing puzzle with plenty of thrills * Guardian * Imaginative, horrifying and always amusing, it's the perfect gateway into what makes Tchaikovsky great. * SciFiNow * [A] brilliant, gripping standalone novel, which reconstitutes numerous familiar SF tropes to create something thought-provoking, unexpected and at times unsettlingly weird * SFX Magazine, 5* Review *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Pan Macmillan
Target group
Interest Age: From 18 years
ISBN-13
978-1-0350-1377-7 (9781035013777)
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Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Person
Adrian Tchaikovsky was born in Woodhall Spa, Lincolnshire, has practised law and now writes full time. He's also studied stage-fighting, perpetrated amateur dramatics and has a keen interest in entomology and tabletop games.
Adrian is the author of the critically acclaimed Shadows of the Apt series, the Echoes of the Fall series and other novels, novellas and short stories. Children of Time won the prestigious Arthur C. Clarke Award, and Children of Ruin and Shards of Earth both won the British Science Fiction Award for Best Novel. The Tiger and the Wolf won the British Fantasy Award for Best Fantasy Novel.
Adrian is the author of the critically acclaimed Shadows of the Apt series, the Echoes of the Fall series and other novels, novellas and short stories. Children of Time won the prestigious Arthur C. Clarke Award, and Children of Ruin and Shards of Earth both won the British Science Fiction Award for Best Novel. The Tiger and the Wolf won the British Fantasy Award for Best Fantasy Novel.
