Audiobook Review – Alien Clay by Adrian Tchaikovsky, Narrated by Ben Allen (4/5 stars)

Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Science Fiction
Length: 13 hours and 56 minutes
Publisher:‎ Orbit
Release Date: September 17, 2024
ASIN: B0CLQL19D7
Stand Alone or Series: Stand Alone
Source: Bought Audiobook
Rating: 4/5 stars

“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.”

Series Info/Source: This is a stand alone book. I bought this on audiobook.

Thoughts: I enjoyed this book but parts were a bit slow. I also thought the way this was formatted towards the end got slightly confusing (you bounce back and forth between their desolate trek on the planet and the time after they return to camp). I listened to this on audiobook and the audiobook was well done. Previous to listening to this I had read Tchaikovsky’s “Service Model” and really loved it, I also have Children of Time on my wishlist to read.

Arton was caught rebelling against the Mandate and as punishment was freeze-dried and sent to the planet of Kiln to work as slave labor. It’s a one-way trip that many don’t survive but the labor is cheap for the Mandate. Being that Arton is a xeno-ecologist, the team on Kiln hopes to make use of Arton’s skills to help unravel a mystery of strange ruins on the planet’s surface. Unfortunately for everyone Kiln is not forgiving and the life forms on Kiln seek to make everything their own.

This starts off at a pretty fast-paced but then slows quite a bit as Arton tries to settle in to life on Kiln. The book continues that way with sections of slow-burn mystery alternating with break-neck action. It made some parts of the book a bit of a struggle to get through. I did like how the story unwound and especially enjoyed when Arton and his team were out exploring the planet surface. I love how the story wrapped up and really enjoyed the irony of it all.

The characters in here are intriguing. I thought Tchaikovsky did an amazing job representing Arton as a scientist. Arton seems a bit emotionally distanced from everything. His curiosity wins out over empathy or fear at times, but he knows enough to be aware of this fact. He reminded me of both of scientists I know and of how I react to things some times. Sometimes you are in a situation and you know you are supposed to act afraid or horrified or upset, but mostly you end up just being curious about how things will play out. It is very much a scientist mind-set and it was represented very well here.

I enjoyed the premise here and the resolution. While I didn’t like this quite as much as Service Model, I am still happy I read it. I have seen some other reviewers compare this to “Solaris” by Lem, I haven’t read that book or seen the movie but I plan to in the next couple months.

My Summary (4/5): Overall I enjoyed this. It is an intriguing premise with interesting characters. I enjoyed the world of Kiln and a look at such an alien ecosystem. I liked the adventure, the strange way the Kiln ecosystem invades the inhabitants, and this odd exploration of it all. There were parts of the story that felt slow to me, but these were alternated with faster-paced portions. I plan on reading more books by Tchaikovsky in the future.