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Orbit

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


Publication date ‏ : ‎ September 17, 2024


Language ‏ : ‎ English


Print length ‏ : ‎ 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: #65,713 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #219 in Space Operas #269 in Science Fiction Adventures #673 in Literary Fiction (Books)


#219 in Space Operas:


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Top Amazon Reviews

    • New and exciting planet to explore.
Format: Paperback
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
    • good ideas, meandered about
Format: Kindle
Great start. Interesting local. Good character development. Then got bogged down as though author paid by the word. Much like those movies that would’ve been really good if they were just 30min shorter. It’s no “Children”, but an ok-good read.
Reviewed in the United States on October 20, 2025 by G
    • Awesome. Tchaikovsky does it again
Format: Kindle
First I read Children of Time - a masterpiece - now this. I want more. Amazing concept for an alien ecology and how a human presence changes its arc.
Reviewed in the United States on March 9, 2026 by J. D.
    • Prison planet, interstellar dystopia, and alien life
Format: Kindle
After loving this writer's "Children of Time" trilogy, I came to this book with high expectations, but found it lacking. Except for the main character, all the other characters are flat. The alien biology is based on ideas from his previous books. The dystopian interstellar 'empire' that he describes is interesting and the fascist government is a warning for our times. As in other books, he is not always open to the reader about what is going on so we do get surprises while reading. Summary: a decent book with some interesting plot twists and characters, but not the writer's best . ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on August 15, 2025 by Bharti
    • slow start. tough read. ends great.
Format: Kindle
Big fan of the author. But this was a bit tough to get through. Ending was great, if you can get to it.
Reviewed in the United States on December 26, 2025 by Tyler Elliott
    • Classic theme - solving the mystery of alien life on an alien planet
Format: Kindle
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
    • Alien life like no other and resistance to boot. Great for our times
Format: Paperback
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
    • Good story though somewhat predictable at times.
Format: Kindle
Adrian writes a good story. He creates fascinating worlds with characters that are well developed and often thought provoking. This story is no different there. We have our main character who is a political prisoner and highly educated academic being sent to a death colony of a planet to be forced labor. The trip takes decades, the prisoners sent through the atmosphere like the disposable fodder they are onto a world that appears to actively hate them and seeks to destroy them by whatever means necessary. On top of that the Warden is a rather sadistic individual who fancies himself an academic. Since the majority of other prisoners are also academics and even if they escape they are lightyears from home with no real exit plan we have the makings of a quandary. While some parts of the plot are predictable, the strange science of the planet itself is fascinating in the thought provoking way of the authors that explores humanity, sentience and freedom of thought. It really is a good book and while not in the league of others Adrian has written it definitely deserves a place on the shelf. Thank you netgalley and the publishers for allowing me to read this book so I can write an honest review. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on September 17, 2024 by RavenousReader

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