(Drivebycuriosity) - Adrian Tchaikovsky belongs to the rising stars on the contemporary science fiction firmament. I enjoyed his novels "Shroud" (my review ) and "Children of Time" (review ). But I got mixed impressions with his book "Alien Clay" ( amazon.)
The plot is told in first person, by a scientist who fell in disgrace with a totalitarian government and was sent to a penal colony on an exoplanet. There are 2 story lines, almost 2 separate books: The confrontation of the humans with the alien environment and the human interactions on the planet (this is a spoiler free blog).
The descriptions - and the explanation - of the alien environment is a master piece. Tchaikovsky`s planet planet is full of exotic life, populated with bizarre complex organism, that seem to be highly toxic for humans. Event though the descriptions sound fantastical, they are based on our knowledge about evolution, chemistry and biology. But unfortunately to end the plot becomes mystical and kind of religious. Stanilaw Lem`s "Solaris" is much better and more convincing.
The other book, the human interaction, is ultra violent and military, tending to madness and - unfortunately - turns somewhat into a political manifest.
I like Tchaikovsky`s "Shroud" much better (my review ).
