I read about 30 books a year. This is by far the best story and best writing i have read in years. My favourite book. A must by

Imagine if Jeff Vandermeer's Annihilation and Ursula K Le Guin's The Word For World is Forest had a baby. That's pretty damn close to what we got here with Alien Clay, and I adored it. This is a book about divergent evolution, symbiotic relationships in nature, revolution and uprising and yet, at the same time, becoming a part of the machine in which you live your life. It's full to the brim with Tchaikovsky-isms, with a liberal dose of body horror and all sorts of creepy alien insects and creatures. I'll admit it did take me a little while to get with the first-person perspective - it felt a little clunky and unnecessary at first, but it ended up working brilliantly and it had completely grown on me by the quarter way mark. "Sometimes you go your whole life not rocking the boat and they throw you over the side anyway." Tchaikovsky... well, the man is a genius. A rockstar. This book is fantastic. Thank you Pan Mac for the proof. What an joy it's been.

This is the first book by this author that I've read. I can now understand why people love his writing. As someone who tends to lean more towards the fantasy genre, I found this sci-fi book easy to read, understand, and enjoyable. I enjoyed this book! Alien Clay is full of tension and contains themes of rebellion among others. I’d recommend this to any sci-fi fan or even someone who wants to try sci-fi for the first time.

I am always excited when a new Adrian Tchaikovsky book comes out and I was not disappointed. In Alien Clay the author manages to combine some very thought provocing ideas about the nature of totalitarianism with a fascinating and novel alternative form of biological evolution. At the same time the reader enjoys a roller coaster ride of survival on an alien planet. . A space colony of political misfits is humanities spearhead on what appears to be a benign new planet but they soon find that the regime that banished them and their guards are not all they need to overcome. They story of how they survive the planet's weird forms of life and their imprisonment there is a terrific yarn. For me the essence of science fiction is new worlds and novel ideas: this book is stuffed full of them.

I was a little apprehensive to read Alien Clay by Adrian Tchaikovsky. I had read one of his short stories; The Road to Aldebaran and absolutely loved it, but then when I tried one of his full-length books; The Doors of Eden, I had to DNF it after 3 attempts. I really needn’t have worried - I thoroughly enjoyed Alien Clay and was hooked throughout. We are introduced to Arton Daghdev, a rebel professor who has been shipped off to a prison colony on a new planet for upsetting The Mandate. However, the planet of Kiln holds a secret and Arton should have been careful what he wished for when he said he wanted to study alien life up close and personal. Although I found The Doors of Eden to be a little inaccessible due to the more traditional sci-fi nature of the text, Alien Clay is a more relatable and easy read, whilst still keeping the intelligent narrative voice of Tchaikovky. Arton is an interesting character, and everything is written from his perspective. There are some time jumps in the third part of the story, as we are treated to flashbacks interspersed with current events, but this works well to keep the tension high. The world building of the planet of Kiln is vast and detailed, and I could picture everything that was described which is sometimes an issue for me with Sci-Fi books. Not wanting to give any spoilers, the last part of the book is brilliantly crafted, and I really enjoyed seeing the characters develop. Although the ending is a touch cliched, I think it was the only way it could have ended. Overall, Alien Clay was a 5 star read for me and has made me want to explore more of Tchaikovsky’s writing. Thank you to NetGalley & Pan Macmillan – Tor for the chance to read the ARC in exchange for an honest review.