I have said in the past that I used to think I didn’t like Adrian Tchaikovsky’s books. I mean, I was told that I SHOULD like them since I’m a big fan of Peter F. Hamilton’s space opera doorstoppers. But when I tried to read one of his books a few years ago I rage-quit it like 12% of the way through.
But then when his novella Elder Race was nominated for a Hugo, I read it and enjoyed it. I also read Ogres when it was nominated, and it wasn’t half bad. I enjoyed Service Model when the publisher and NetGalley gave me an eARC in exchange for an honest review, and it wasn’t bad. My main complaints were too many pop culture references and some incoherent worldbuilding. His other big novel from last year, Alien Clay, really didn’t do much for me. I hated the protagonist and felt it was dreary.
When I reviewed Service model, I explained that I would definitely check out this author’s next book. And here we are!
Shroud is a much more interesting first contact novel than Alien Clay. Scientists crash on a planet, meet some eyeless aliens who live in the dark, and survive until rescue. We also get some sections from the aliens’ point of view.
Although not a riveting page turner, I did enjoy this book.
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