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Alien Clay

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"A staggering, alien vision of deepest solidarity." – Esquire, Best of the Year. 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. Read more

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Orbit (September 17, 2024)


Language ‏ : ‎ English


Paperback ‏ : ‎ 432 pages


ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0316578975


ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 74


Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 13.6 ounces


Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.45 x 1.09 x 8.25 inches


Best Sellers Rank: #27,165 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #43 in Space Operas #100 in Science Fiction Adventures #240 in First Contact Science Fiction (Books)


#43 in Space Operas:


#100 in Science Fiction Adventures:


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Top Amazon Reviews

    • New and exciting planet to explore.
This will give you good ideas of what it might be like on a planet with more complex and faster evolving biology than Earth has. Humans have made it to the planet Kiln and treat it as a reasearch and prison planet. Very cool and unexpected things happen with great detail. It was so fun to read. I love the ending. If you like imaging what other planets in the Milky Way are like you should read it. Probably my second favorite book by Tchaikovsky after Chilren of Time. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on May 2, 2025 by Amazon Customer
    • I love Tchaikovsky’s world creation ideas.
Tchaikovsky does it again. His ability to create a believable utterly alien world and make it work within the limitations of the English langauge is beyond par. The world of Kiln is an amazing accomplishment, told through the eyes of a dissent professor from an authoritarian earth government. Naturally, being a dissent, he is sent to a prison camp on a foreign world. The themes of being prisoner have been explored before by Tchaikovsky, but this is really something different. On the downside, there are times when the narrative overwhelms the story and the sheer volume of description loses the reader for periods. But, I kept reading because I really wanted to know where this was going. Perhaps that is Tchaikovsky’s magic. Read it, get immersed in the story, and enjoy it. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on March 29, 2025 by Harry S. Steinmetz
    • Classic theme - solving the mystery of alien life on an alien planet
This book had quite a memorable opening scene as Professor Arton Daghdev and other prisoners are unceremoniously dropped out of an interstellar craft in a plastic bubble on a harrowing flight down to the surface of the alien planet Kiln below. Those that survive the drop are hurriedly picked up by prison guards before they can be attacked by native flora and fauna. Thus marks the beginning of Daghdev's new life on this seemingly hell-hole of a planet. But Daghdev is given somewhat special treatment by the Commandant as he hopes the Professor can shed some light on the ruins found on the planet presumably built by long dead intelligent aliens. This is yet another exiting, thoughtful and compelling story by Adrian Tchaikovsky. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on April 6, 2025 by Richard Irwin
    • Very difficult and depressing read
I found this to be a very difficult and depressing read. The novel’s protagonist and other main characters were unlikable in any way I could imagine and more often than not I would put the book down and question the value of continuing. I’ve given this three stars because, once again, the author does an an amazing job at world building and it’s very easy to visualize the word he has created and the terror created within. I also found the conclusion to be somewhat uplifting. But this is not “Children of Time.” That series was amazing. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on March 9, 2025 by M. Sorkin
    • Alien life like no other and resistance to boot. Great for our times
a. I have not read any other Adrian Tchaikovsky, and chose this book as a semi-utopian/optimistic book for the end of a class. It follows and is narrated in first person from the perspective of Prof Arton Daghdev (don’t pronounce the “g”). He was part of a resistance cell on Earth but was shipped over 30 years in cryo-stasis to Kiln where he is tasked with uncovering artifacts from an ancient civilization. At first liked by the commandant he is arrested for plotting against him and given the lowest station work on the world. The world is interesting—the plant and animal life is nothing like on Earth—they can’t eat Earth life and Earth-beings cannot eat them. They are not species though, because they seem to change different parts, or to be nested inside each other, but not as parasites, but allies. This book is fantastic and has an interesting thought both about biology and about revolution. Certainly written in the spirit of Kropotkin if not influenced by him. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on April 29, 2025 by Obi-Wan-Kentucky
    • not his best but still worth reading
AT’s fertile imagination and interest in ecology and conscious minds creates a new perspective on our own world, especially the deterioration of the USA republic. He struggles to communicate what awareness would be if it were an emergent property of communal life. I honestly don’t know how he manages to capture such ephemeral knowledge in a story. But he does. Enjoy ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on March 5, 2025 by G.F.M.
    • Entertaining new thoughts
I enjoyed this book. There were interesting new thoughts. I liked the character development, the action, and the story. I was a bit distracted by the pronouns, though. They aren't integrated into my brain yet. Nevertheless I'll look for another book by this author.
Reviewed in the United States on May 8, 2025 by Gary Mattingly
    • Fantastic as it is timely
This wonder-filled novel works on many levels. The world building and prose are second-to-none. The characters are fully fleshed out, complex, and engaging. The Mandate, the authoritarian state of the novel, is horrifyingly realistic with echoes of the Gulag Archipelago and solidly founded in historic and present-day societies. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on January 28, 2025 by Free Thinker

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