Search

Book Review: Adrian Tchaikovsky’s Alpha Centauri: Alien Clay

Cover of Alien Clay by Adrian Tchaikovsky, featuring yellow plants or fungi against a blue background with more flora and possibly animals.

And on a planet like Kiln, where the alien life is incompatible with human life…but the alien life is extremely good at trying to bridge that gap, this is a slow death sentence…or is it? Daghdev is a classic protagonist in the Tchaikovsky model, often isolated from his fellows and only slowly coming to bridge those gaps as well…

Book Review: One Level Down, by Mary G. Thompson

Cover of One Level Down by Mary G. Thompson, featuring a stack of cubes with clouds and skies on some sides and circuitry on others, with a little blond girl walking on one of the lower levels.

I found the focused self-control and resilience of the protagonist inspiring, and I was rewarded with a very satisfying conclusion. This is a novella with a compelling character and some really interesting ideas, and I will definitely be looking for more from Thompson.