A review by ogokoo
Alien Clay by Adrian Tchaikovsky

dark mysterious reflective tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

I was really excited about this book for a while and it did not live up to my excitement. Far from Tchaikovsky's best. The first person narration was a disservice in mutliple ways, especially because Daghdev is a pretty unremarkable and annoying character. I also have an issue with the message (?) of the ending: Arton's words, albeit we understand he is an unreliable narrator now, but they're all we have to go on about the book's messages, 
seem to suggest that dispersing the Kiln microbiome onto the incoming prisoners and also Earth is the right thing, the good thing to do. I undrstand thst there are in fact many things about the unity achieved thru Kiln's microbiome that are a cherished improvement for the infected. But what about consent? The marchers had no choice. But anyone else unaffected should have a choice.
 

One other thing that was not explained -
how come Clem and the other guy in the isolation tank seemed so intensely affected by Kiln, in a painful way, but no one else had filaments growing from their mouth and causing them pain?
 
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