Synopsis
Alien Clay is a thrilling far-future adventure by acclaimed Arthur C. Clarke Award-winning author Adrian Tchaikovsky.
‘Unputdownable’ – Stephen Baxter, author of Proxima
They travelled into the unknown and left themselves behind . . .
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.
‘A warning for a future we don’t want . . . Highly recommended’ – Tade Thompson
‘An excellent story told with Adrian’s trademark skill and flair’ – James Oswald
‘An intriguing puzzle with plenty of thrills’ – The Guardian
Shortlisted for Best Novel at the 2025 Hugo Awards
Details
28 March 2024
9781035013746Reviews
An interplanetary-scale, hyper-Orwellian stew of malignant academia . . . The regularity with which Tchaikovsky delivers great books is astounding. Highly recommendedTade Thompson, author of Rosewater
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 SFStephen Baxter, author of Proxima
The central concept unravels itself in a manner that is both deeply satisfying and not at all predictable. He truly is one of our finest writers of SF right now. The whole was an excellent story told with Adrian's trademark skill and flairJames 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 oneIan McDonald, author of New Moon
