When xeno-biologist Arton Daghdev is exiled to a alien planet, he journeys through a dangerous and hostile wilderness. Yet on his expedition, he uncovers lost alien ruins - and the mysterious builders who abandoned them.

An interplanetary-scale, hyper-Orwellian stew of malignant academia . . . The regularity with which Tchaikovsky delivers great books is astounding. Highly recommended -- Tade Thompson, author of Rosewater Alien Clay is convincing, compelling on human and cosmic levels, and unputdownable. With work like this, Adrian Tchaikovsky is fast becoming the voice of his generation in British SF -- Stephen Baxter, author of Proxima The central concept unravels itself in a manner that is both deeply satisfying and not at all predictable. He truly is one of our finest writers of SF right now. The whole was an excellent story told with Adrian's trademark skill and flair -- James Oswald, author of the Inspector McLean series A hell prison on a hell planet with a thrilling, important message: only connect. Adrian's firing on all cylinders in this one -- Ian McDonald, author of New Moon Is Tchaikovsky propping up the science fiction industry single-handedly? He is so prolific and reliably excellent that I think he might be * New Scientist * Restlessly brainy and utterly involving, Alien Clay is as morally engaged as 1984 and as immersive as Avatar * Daily Mail * [Adrian Tchaikovsky] has created a wonderfully strange new world as the basis for an intriguing puzzle with plenty of thrills * Guardian * Imaginative, horrifying and always amusing, it's the perfect gateway into what makes Tchaikovsky great. * SciFiNow * [A] brilliant, gripping standalone novel, which reconstitutes numerous familiar SF tropes to create something thought-provoking, unexpected and at times unsettlingly weird * SFX Magazine, 5* Review * Alien Clay by Adrian Tchaikovsky is another revolutionary adventure on an exoplanet with its own rules and paradigms * British Fantasy Society *

Adrian Tchaikovsky was born in Woodhall Spa, Lincolnshire, and headed off to university in Reading to study psychology and zoology. For reasons unclear even to himself, he subsequently ended up in law. Adrian has since worked as a legal executive in both Reading and Leeds and now writes full time. He also lives in Leeds, with his wife and son. Adrian is a keen live role-player and occasional amateur actor. He has also trained in stage-fighting and keeps no exotic or dangerous pets of any kind - possibly excepting his son. Adrian is the author of the critically acclaimed Shadows of the Apt series, the Echoes of the Fall series and other novels, novellas and short stories. The Tiger and the Wolf won the British Fantasy Award for Best Fantasy Novel - and Children of Time won the Arthur C. Clarke Award for Best Science Fiction Novel. This was in the award's thirtieth anniversary year.