BLOG TOUR: Alien Clay - Adrian Tchaikovsky

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.

 

What did I think?

Science fiction is not one of my preferred genres but I do like to push myself out of my comfort zone now and again so I was very intrigued by Alien Clay.  That stunning cover is enough to draw you into the world that has been created within the pages of the book.

Arton Daghdev has been exiled to Kiln, an extrasolar planet that is 30 years away from Earth.  I mean just the fact that it takes 30 years to get to the planet made me stop and consider how very insignificant we are in the universe.  Kiln could very well be Earth many years in the future when we have damaged the planet to the point of extinction of our species.

I was surprised how easy I found it to read and I quickly built up a mental image of the camp and planet in my mind.  The story is very imaginative but there are also little snippets of facts about weird and wonderful creatures that I had never heard of but found fascinating when I later researched them.

The vibrant and dangerous ecosystem of Kiln adds an almost horror element to the story that made my skin crawl at times as it is so vividly described.  I loved that there is a constant scent of revolution in the air, leading to questions about who can be trusted.

Mind-blowing, eye-opening and provocative, Alien Clay is an incredibly thought-provoking and entertaining novel that may be a frightening glimpse into the future for our own planet.  I'm not quite a sci-fi convert yet but this book has certainly made me more open to reading other books by Adrian Tchaikovsky and other authors in the sci-fi genre.

I received an ARC to read and review for the blog tour and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

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The Finery - Rachel Grosvenor

Tyranny is in the air in the city of Finer Bay, and Professor Wendowleen Cripcot would like to be left alone, thank you very much. The memories of the last one hundred years are quite enough to be getting on with, if only these young upstarts from the government body, The Finery, would stop trying to control her every move. 

With the eyes of a dictator upon her, there are not many places to hide...but Wendowleen has never been one to back down from a fight (just ask her pet wolf), and insurrection is brewing underground.

 

What did I think?

It's always a little daunting when I start a book in an unfamiliar genre but I knew from the very first page that I was going to love The Finery.  So, if you say you don't read fantasy then definitely make an exception for Rachel Grosvenor's fantastic debut novel.

Professor Wendoleen Cripcot is almost 101 years old but she still has her wits about her and she refuses to be told what to do, especially by that young whippersnapper, the Dictator.  Wendoleen is such a feisty character and I absolutely loved her and her pet wolf.  The character of Wolf is easily one of my favourite fictional animal characters and I loved his voracious appetite that added a wonderful sprinkly of humour throughout the novel.

As Finer Bay is a dictatorship, there's more than a hint of revolution bubbling beneath the surface and when The Finery captures Wendoleen in their crosshairs she has no alternative but to join the revolution.  I absolutely loved this part of the story and I could almost 'hear the people sing' as they rose up and made their voices heard.

Incredibly entertaining and so vividly written, it's very easy to forget that The Finery is a fantasy novel as I was so completely immersed in the story from start to finish.  The Finery isn't just a magnificent debut, it's a groundbreaking novel that has put fantasy firmly on my list of genres.  Put Rachel Grosvenor on your bookshelf and your watch list, readers!

I chose to read an ARC and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

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