Alien Clay

By: Adrian Tchaikovsky

Narrated by: Ben Allen

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.

©2024 Adrian Tchaikovsky (P)2024 Orbit

Critic reviews

“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)

Another Great Book

If you have read his Children of Time series and enjoyed it then you will like this book.

Thought provoking mystery

Another great novel by Tchaikovsky. I really enjoyed the mystery and thought it all fit together very well.

Great story

Enjoy his books that include animals nature in space loved the spider one Children of time

excellent

great listen and hopefully this will turn into a series. I also recommend listening to the interview at the end.

Thoughtful

I liked everything about this book. I liked the juxtaposition of The Mandate with the human body. Not too long, not too short. Just enough real biology with inventiveness. Oh, and I love how he does characters. Good narration as well

Truly compelling scifi

This is just fantastic. Highly recommend to xenobiologists, alien historians and rebels. Fantastic narrator and amazingly funny, yet emotional fiction.

Wild and engaging!

Super story. I was hooked immediately and really sank into it. Great both as sci fi and as political thriller.

Danielle Olivaw Approved

The horrifying yet oddly beautiful beginnings of Asimov's universal Gaia.
Not really, but it felt like getting into the nightmarish bowels of the spread of Gaia from Asimov's Foundation series.
This was a good book, it started slow, but typically held me captivated while listening.
With a beautiful ending to a book that started as a nightmare.

An example of the best of science fiction

Tchaikovsky is a leading writer in sci-fi (and fantasy with which I’m less familiar) I’ve never been disappointed by a book he’s written. Alien Clay, in the tradition of all great sci-fi, builds a recognizable world in an alien landscape. One big theme—the desire of autocrats to bend science to their ideological bias—is explored in a compelling way. The work camp on the planet Kiln is grim, and the local biology seems bent on killing everything from Earth. But there’s a mystery in the how and why this is happening.

amazing prose, remarkably cohesive ideas

I'm a huge fan of science fiction that combines clever exploration of established scientific principles with perceptive understanding of human relationships, whether interpersonal or social. This book succeeds masterfully at both. And it's written as literature, not just a script for a film.