From the Bookshelf of SpecFic Buddy Reads…
Find A Copy At
Group Discussions About This Book
No group discussions for this book yet.
What Members Thought
2020: Well, that was some well-done mindf*ck.
I read it, got to the end, sat there open-mouthed for a bit, then promptly went to the beginning and read it again, this time with the clarity of hindsight picking up on all those clues scattered around like a delicious trail of breadcrumbs. Well - “If they didn’t want to be eaten, they shouldn’t be so delicious.”
I read it, got to the end, sat there open-mouthed for a bit, then promptly went to the beginning and read it again, this time with the clarity of hindsight picking up on all those clues scattered around like a delicious trail of breadcrumbs. Well - “If they didn’t want to be eaten, they shouldn’t be so delicious.”
“Most of the Crypts are dark as midnight, a horror of endless cold corridors cut in the stone where every step could see you into a trap...more
You know those times when you are reading Harlan Ellison and you say to yourself, "Where are all the newer writers doing DARK FREAKING TWISTS in their SF, full of humor, horror, and anxiety?"
Ah, good news, ya'll! This one fits the bill. :) In fact, I think I should make a little bookshelf named "MUAHAHAHAHAHA".
Yep. Expect a first-contact scenario playing out in flashback, wry and disturbing humor as we catch up with our poor pedestrian walking through the halls of the Frog God, and explore dista ...more
Ah, good news, ya'll! This one fits the bill. :) In fact, I think I should make a little bookshelf named "MUAHAHAHAHAHA".
Yep. Expect a first-contact scenario playing out in flashback, wry and disturbing humor as we catch up with our poor pedestrian walking through the halls of the Frog God, and explore dista ...more
Fun little novella that pairs a first contact situation with some tasty (body)horror as the first person narrator makes his way through the dark tunnels of an alien artefact, found somewhere beyond Pluto. Turns out he is not alone.
There's not a lot of plot here. It's mainly about what happens to the protagonist's mind (and body?).
What made this so enjoyable for me is the sarcastic voice of the narrator. In that sense, and because of the initial setup, there's indeed some similarity to The Marti ...more
There's not a lot of plot here. It's mainly about what happens to the protagonist's mind (and body?).
What made this so enjoyable for me is the sarcastic voice of the narrator. In that sense, and because of the initial setup, there's indeed some similarity to The Marti ...more
Bwahahahahahaha!
Do you happen to know the movie The Cube (and/or maybe it's sequel)? What started out as a relatively straightforward space adventure turns into quite similar mindfuckery.
Gary is one of a number of astronauts from all kinds of countries on Earth that are sent to a mysterious Artifact that looks a bit like a frog face. It's huge and somehow not entirely abiding by the laws of physics and we've discovered it behind Pluto.
As these things go, once we finally get over our usual squabb ...more
Do you happen to know the movie The Cube (and/or maybe it's sequel)? What started out as a relatively straightforward space adventure turns into quite similar mindfuckery.
Gary is one of a number of astronauts from all kinds of countries on Earth that are sent to a mysterious Artifact that looks a bit like a frog face. It's huge and somehow not entirely abiding by the laws of physics and we've discovered it behind Pluto.
As these things go, once we finally get over our usual squabb ...more
I'm a huge fan of Adrian Tchaikovsky, and I usually love his amazing creativity and literate writing style, but this one was just not for me.
The story here was not particularly original or even a fresh take on a familiar one. I also didn't much care for the blackly humorous tone adopted by the protagonist. The whole combination was just a miss for me.
I didn't DNF it early on as it was a novella and I wanted to finish it before making my final call. The last 20% was the best part for me, so I'm g ...more
The story here was not particularly original or even a fresh take on a familiar one. I also didn't much care for the blackly humorous tone adopted by the protagonist. The whole combination was just a miss for me.
I didn't DNF it early on as it was a novella and I wanted to finish it before making my final call. The last 20% was the best part for me, so I'm g ...more
A bit odd, a spacefaring novelette and starting it by stumbling through a cave system.
The backstory is well told and the slow reveal of how Gary got to the present point is well done. Fun scenes, interesting aliens, growing creepiness factor... loved the aliens! So imaginative! Loved the humour, the general screwiness, the Britishness. Devious. I would like to spend more time on... never mind. Anything else I want to mention here would be a spoiler. I think the less you know, the more fun this w ...more
The backstory is well told and the slow reveal of how Gary got to the present point is well done. Fun scenes, interesting aliens, growing creepiness factor... loved the aliens! So imaginative! Loved the humour, the general screwiness, the Britishness. Devious. I would like to spend more time on... never mind. Anything else I want to mention here would be a spoiler. I think the less you know, the more fun this w ...more
An excellent novella that has an astronaut lost and alone in the dark in an endless alien-built labyrinth in space. The story unfolds in parallel timelines with Gary lost in the tunnels in one and the process by which he got there in the other. More would be spoilery and this definitely has its twists.
I'm somewhat dismayed; I've really enjoyed everything else I've read by Adrian Tchaikovsky. Not this time. This novella was a slog to get through. I appreciated the black humour, but this story never gelled for me. And yes, the twist in the story was clever, but, by that time, I'd mostly checked out.
2.5-3 stars. ...more
2.5-3 stars. ...more
3.5 stars.
Decades ago, a Night Gallery episode featured the conundrum of astronauts landing in an unknown location, no hope of departure or return home. The ironic paradox lay in where they had landed, and the consequences, driven on both sides by what H. P. Lovecraft termed mankind's greatest fear, fear of the unknown. That fear can blind us to both common sense and discernment, skewing our perspective so we can't recognize reality.
WALKING TO ALDEBARAN is both Space Opera with Hard SciFi, and a fine wor ...more
WALKING TO ALDEBARAN is both Space Opera with Hard SciFi, and a fine wor ...more
This was well-written, the narrative drenched with sarcastic, dark British humor down to its very surprising end.
I would like to thank NetGalley and Rebellion Publishing for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I would like to thank NetGalley and Rebellion Publishing for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I thought a lot about what my first Adrian Tchaikovsky should be - settled finally on this which seemed to read as a cross between The Martian and Europa Report.
What is Aldebaran?
It is the brightest star in the constellation Taurus and the name comes from Arabic — “al-Dabarān” (الدبران) — which means “the follower”, because it appears to follow the Pleiades cluster across the sky.
First thoughts: Intense and unsettling look into existential dread, loneliness, bordering on hopelessness and des ...more
What is Aldebaran?
It is the brightest star in the constellation Taurus and the name comes from Arabic — “al-Dabarān” (الدبران) — which means “the follower”, because it appears to follow the Pleiades cluster across the sky.
First thoughts: Intense and unsettling look into existential dread, loneliness, bordering on hopelessness and des ...more
I only recently discovered Tchaikovsky when I read The Doors of Eden so an intriguing novella by him sounded fun.
The writing is amazing and I loved the first 75% of this book, but then it got weird at the end. Dropping to 3 stars from 4 for a WTF ending to a fun story.
Im definitely looking forward to exploring more of this prolific dudes work. ...more
The writing is amazing and I loved the first 75% of this book, but then it got weird at the end. Dropping to 3 stars from 4 for a WTF ending to a fun story.
Im definitely looking forward to exploring more of this prolific dudes work. ...more
This is the first thing I've read by Adrian Tchaikovsky, but it won't be the last. I'm amazed at how much story was packed into a relatively small amount of pages. The world building was interesting, and the whole tale played with my brain. It also helped that there was some humor, espeically at the first. It really helped me get into the story. The aliens were very alien, as was the setting. I really liked it!
...more
May 28, 2019
Jo
marked it as to-read
May 29, 2019
Gali
marked it as to-read
Oct 18, 2019
DivaDiane SM
marked it as to-read
Nov 02, 2021
Di Maitland
marked it as own-to-read
Jul 01, 2024
Aiden McClure
marked it as to-read
Feb 28, 2025
Niki Hawkes - The Obsessive Bookseller
marked it as to-read
