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Shroud
Goodreads Choice Award
Nominee for Readers' Favorite Science Fiction (2025)On a planet shrouded in darkness, a stranded crew must fight for survival. But, the darkness may have plans of its own in this wildly original story from Adrian Tchaikovsky, Hugo and Arthur C. Clarke Award–winning author of Children of Time.
They looked into the darkness and the darkness looked back . . .
New planets are fair game to asset strippers and interplanetary opportunists – and a commercial mission to a distant star system discovers a moon that is pitch black, but alive with radio activity. Its high-gravity, high-pressure, zero-oxygen environment is anathema to human life, but ripe for exploitation. They named it Shroud.
Under no circumstances should a human end up on Shroud’s inhospitable surface. Except a catastrophic accident sees Juna Ceelander and Mai Ste Etienne doing just that. Forced to stage an emergency landing, in a small, barely adequate vehicle, they are unable to contact their ship and are running out of time. What follows is a gruelling journey across land, sea and air. During this time, Juna and Mai begin to understand Shroud’s dominant species. It also begins to understand them . . .
They looked into the darkness and the darkness looked back . . .
New planets are fair game to asset strippers and interplanetary opportunists – and a commercial mission to a distant star system discovers a moon that is pitch black, but alive with radio activity. Its high-gravity, high-pressure, zero-oxygen environment is anathema to human life, but ripe for exploitation. They named it Shroud.
Under no circumstances should a human end up on Shroud’s inhospitable surface. Except a catastrophic accident sees Juna Ceelander and Mai Ste Etienne doing just that. Forced to stage an emergency landing, in a small, barely adequate vehicle, they are unable to contact their ship and are running out of time. What follows is a gruelling journey across land, sea and air. During this time, Juna and Mai begin to understand Shroud’s dominant species. It also begins to understand them . . .
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First published February 27, 2025
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About the author
Adrian Tchaikovsky
198 books18.3k followersADRIAN TCHAIKOVSKY was born in Lincolnshire and studied zoology and psychology at Reading, before practising law in Leeds. He is a keen live role-player and occasional amateur actor and is trained in stage-fighting. His literary influences include Gene Wolfe, Mervyn Peake, China Miéville, Mary Gently, Steven Erikson, Naomi Novak, Scott Lynch and Alan Campbell.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,382 reviews
June 29, 2025
I’m fascinated by science fiction stories that show us the glimpses of alienness that is indeed different from either our anthropomorphized “little green men” in a galaxy far far away or is just sufficiently puzzling as to be at least somewhat unknowable. Lem’s Solaris with planetary ocean, Clarke’s Rendezvous with Rama with strange creations by a civilization we do not get to see, and even Watts’s Blindsight among discourse on the consciousness. We readers see it with our human minds from the sidelines, not quite *in* on the story.
And here Tchaikovsky does something similar but yet more accessible, showing humans baffled by and completely misunderstanding an alien intelligence (given very limited potential for meaningful communication) while also introducing the point of view of that intelligence that also misunderstands humans. And in true Tchaikovsky style, expect at least something insectoid, because it’s all about multiple appendages for our zoology-inclined writer here.
Shroud is a first contact story — not just for humans (for whom it’s more of a horror survival story) but for the alien intelligence, set on the background of exploitative corporate-driven human expansion beyond our Solar system. Corporate greed demands stripping new planets for resources as humanity needs to spread and pockets need to be lined, while regular habitat-tank-bred people scramble to prove their usefulness to the bosses or else being shelved in cold storage awaits.
The planet destined for resource stripping is Shroud, a giant moon cloaked in darkness of its dense atmosphere and drenched in the absolute cacophony of screaming radio waves and electromagnetic communication, and apparently home to metal-encased life which may be, inconvenient as it is, quite sapient. And when an accident lands two humans in a survival pod right on the very inhospitable surface of Shroud, the meeting of two intelligences may have far-reaching consequences, as long as survival of either one is possible.
Tchaikovsky’s forte, as usual, is examining the Us vs. Them division and looking for the ways towards understanding and acceptance as Other does not have to mean enemy. And cruel bleakness of the world where corporations run rampant and people are reduced to being resources and hopeless scramble to acquire a few of the non-human resources. And bonds that are forged under pressure. The interludes - the voice neither of the Light nor the Dark - reminded me of those in The Doors of Eden — my favorite parts of that book.
I loved the world Tchaikovsky created, so alien and unfriendly to life as we know it, and surreal enough to vividly feature in my dreams for a few days.
My only complaint is the pacing of the middle act. I loved all the dangers and strangeness of the planet, and dangerous misunderstandings stemming from the lack of ability to communicate — but the trek through the entire hemisphere of Shroud took a few dozen pages too long, becoming slightly repetitive. I still enjoyed it, but trimming a few pages off could have improved the pace and required less patience around the halfway mark. Although I still loved the lovely worldbuilding, grateful I’m not seeing it firsthand through the cameras of the survival pod.
4.5 stars.
——————
Also posted on my blog.
And here Tchaikovsky does something similar but yet more accessible, showing humans baffled by and completely misunderstanding an alien intelligence (given very limited potential for meaningful communication) while also introducing the point of view of that intelligence that also misunderstands humans. And in true Tchaikovsky style, expect at least something insectoid, because it’s all about multiple appendages for our zoology-inclined writer here.
“Consciousness, intellect, the ability to analyse the world, to anticipate consequences, to predict outcomes and solve problems, arose on Shroud, as it did on Earth. Except on Shroud, it did not arise within the individual body, but between them.”
Shroud is a first contact story — not just for humans (for whom it’s more of a horror survival story) but for the alien intelligence, set on the background of exploitative corporate-driven human expansion beyond our Solar system. Corporate greed demands stripping new planets for resources as humanity needs to spread and pockets need to be lined, while regular habitat-tank-bred people scramble to prove their usefulness to the bosses or else being shelved in cold storage awaits.
“We were going to spread ourselves across the near-side section of the galaxy like a rash.”
The planet destined for resource stripping is Shroud, a giant moon cloaked in darkness of its dense atmosphere and drenched in the absolute cacophony of screaming radio waves and electromagnetic communication, and apparently home to metal-encased life which may be, inconvenient as it is, quite sapient. And when an accident lands two humans in a survival pod right on the very inhospitable surface of Shroud, the meeting of two intelligences may have far-reaching consequences, as long as survival of either one is possible.
“Our xenobiology primers cautioned against imputing actual intelligence to any aliens we might discover, merely on account of complicated things they may be able to do. Of course, Concern doctrine was very focused on resource extraction and exploitation of whatever we encountered in the galaxy. Intelligent aliens might introduce a level of moral complexity that would compromise operational efficiency. Cynical of me to think about it in that way, I know, but there was always a good commercial use-case for minimizing the potential rights of whoever’s environment you were destroying.”
Tchaikovsky’s forte, as usual, is examining the Us vs. Them division and looking for the ways towards understanding and acceptance as Other does not have to mean enemy. And cruel bleakness of the world where corporations run rampant and people are reduced to being resources and hopeless scramble to acquire a few of the non-human resources. And bonds that are forged under pressure. The interludes - the voice neither of the Light nor the Dark - reminded me of those in The Doors of Eden — my favorite parts of that book.
“The ramping up from defence to extermination. The way it was always going to go.”
I loved the world Tchaikovsky created, so alien and unfriendly to life as we know it, and surreal enough to vividly feature in my dreams for a few days.
My only complaint is the pacing of the middle act. I loved all the dangers and strangeness of the planet, and dangerous misunderstandings stemming from the lack of ability to communicate — but the trek through the entire hemisphere of Shroud took a few dozen pages too long, becoming slightly repetitive. I still enjoyed it, but trimming a few pages off could have improved the pace and required less patience around the halfway mark. Although I still loved the lovely worldbuilding, grateful I’m not seeing it firsthand through the cameras of the survival pod.
4.5 stars.
——————
Also posted on my blog.
August 24, 2025
4.0 Stars
Once again Adrian Tchaikovsky shows himself to be a prolific author who doesn't drop sacrifice quality for quantity. This novel is a great balance of some solid science fiction elements balanced out by an engaging plot. So often I find it hard to find novels that can do both.
In terms of plot, this one certainly isn't revolutionary but it lands the narrative beats without feeling tired. I appreciate that the author brings familiar science fiction ideas and stories to a new audience who are just getting into the genre through more modern titles like this one.
If you are a fan of this author's previous science fiction novels, specifically Alien Clay, than I would highly recommend this one. If you are new to this novel, this is also an excellent place to start.
Disclaimer I received a copy of this book from the publisher.
Once again Adrian Tchaikovsky shows himself to be a prolific author who doesn't drop sacrifice quality for quantity. This novel is a great balance of some solid science fiction elements balanced out by an engaging plot. So often I find it hard to find novels that can do both.
In terms of plot, this one certainly isn't revolutionary but it lands the narrative beats without feeling tired. I appreciate that the author brings familiar science fiction ideas and stories to a new audience who are just getting into the genre through more modern titles like this one.
If you are a fan of this author's previous science fiction novels, specifically Alien Clay, than I would highly recommend this one. If you are new to this novel, this is also an excellent place to start.
Disclaimer I received a copy of this book from the publisher.
March 10, 2025
Stars I gave just for the last 10 percent of story... Let me put this into words you can understand... well... sorry I can't...
The crew of the Garveneerr Composite Mission Vessel, a Special Projects team, is on Shroud, a zero-oxygen, high-radiation planet. After an unexpected accident, Juna Ceelander and Mai Ste Etienne find themselves in a small, makeshift vehicle, separated from their ship and lacking communication. As they travel through Shroud, they find species...
And now this, you should know, this is how a science fiction horror story should go on, this is how alien and space planet develop and you freak out and pull your hairs out...
My huge thanks to Pan Macmillan via NetGalley for DRC. I have given my honest review.
The crew of the Garveneerr Composite Mission Vessel, a Special Projects team, is on Shroud, a zero-oxygen, high-radiation planet. After an unexpected accident, Juna Ceelander and Mai Ste Etienne find themselves in a small, makeshift vehicle, separated from their ship and lacking communication. As they travel through Shroud, they find species...
And now this, you should know, this is how a science fiction horror story should go on, this is how alien and space planet develop and you freak out and pull your hairs out...
My huge thanks to Pan Macmillan via NetGalley for DRC. I have given my honest review.
October 14, 2025
Brilliant ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
January 13, 2025
This is another excellent example of Adrian Tchaikovsky exploring alienness by dumping some unfortunate protagonists into a hostile and incomprehensible alien environment - the planet Shroud - with insufficient resources to get safely home.
The hostility of the environment on Shroud is well established in the first section of the book, but the central two thirds of the story chronicles the journey of Juna and Mai, constrained within a vehicle barely adequate for the task, to reach a place from which they have at least a slim chance of being rescued. This central section falls into a pattern of Juna and Mai lurching from one risky and unknown situation to the next, as their predicament gets progressively more dire.
Throughout the story, the incredible “otherness” of the native life on Shroud is superbly drawn, with the story peppered with short sections from the point of view of that native life. The gulf of understanding between the humans and the natives is the driving power behind the narrative, and builds the story to a very satisfying final chapter, as the difficulties in one life form’s meaningful comprehension of the other comes to a head.
My only reservation was that, for me, I was losing engagement with the story during the long trek to safety. As Juna and Mai found themselves in increasingly difficult situations, I found myself just treading water waiting for the narrative tide to turn. When the tide did turn, though, I was back and fully invested in the story’s conclusion, and the pay-off at the end is quite rewarding.
The structure of the story is similar in many ways to one of Tchaikovsky's earlier books, Alien Clay. As with that book, if you’re new to Adrian Tchaikovsky, I wouldn’t necessary start here - but it’s an imaginative and thought provoking exploration of alienness.
Thank you #NetGalley and Pan MacMillan / Tor for the free review copy of #Shroud in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Under no circumstances can a human survive Shroud’s inhospitable surface – but a catastrophic accident forces Juna Ceelander and Mai Ste Etienne to make an emergency landing in a barely adequate escape vehicle. Alone, and fighting for survival, the two women embark on a gruelling journey across land, sea and air in search of salvation.The alienness of the life on Shroud is so very… alien. This is something that Adrian Tchaikovsky seems to excel at. It put me in mind of Stanislaw Lem’s Solaris - where the alienness is so unfathomable that it’s difficult to see where an attempt at first contact could even begin.
The hostility of the environment on Shroud is well established in the first section of the book, but the central two thirds of the story chronicles the journey of Juna and Mai, constrained within a vehicle barely adequate for the task, to reach a place from which they have at least a slim chance of being rescued. This central section falls into a pattern of Juna and Mai lurching from one risky and unknown situation to the next, as their predicament gets progressively more dire.
Throughout the story, the incredible “otherness” of the native life on Shroud is superbly drawn, with the story peppered with short sections from the point of view of that native life. The gulf of understanding between the humans and the natives is the driving power behind the narrative, and builds the story to a very satisfying final chapter, as the difficulties in one life form’s meaningful comprehension of the other comes to a head.
My only reservation was that, for me, I was losing engagement with the story during the long trek to safety. As Juna and Mai found themselves in increasingly difficult situations, I found myself just treading water waiting for the narrative tide to turn. When the tide did turn, though, I was back and fully invested in the story’s conclusion, and the pay-off at the end is quite rewarding.
The structure of the story is similar in many ways to one of Tchaikovsky's earlier books, Alien Clay. As with that book, if you’re new to Adrian Tchaikovsky, I wouldn’t necessary start here - but it’s an imaginative and thought provoking exploration of alienness.
Thank you #NetGalley and Pan MacMillan / Tor for the free review copy of #Shroud in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
June 17, 2025
Incredibly and endlessly fascinating, but is perhaps a bit dry, leaving something to be desired in the entertainment category. The alternating human and alien perspectives effectively highlight the enormous gulfs of perspective and comprehension between the two, driving home the conundrum of two sapient species barely able to recognize intelligence in the other due to behavior and motivations that are so utterly alien and incomprehensible. While the story may fall short in some regards, Tchaikovsky's sheer brilliance and creativity in imagining the unimaginable, with a shocking level of scientific detail, certainly does not.
November 16, 2025
It’s a zinger!
A commercial extraction crew arrives on a hostile moon called Shroud, a pitch black, high gravity world marked as the next corporate resource to exploit. When a disaster strands two crew members, Juna and Mai, on the surface, they are forced to cross its dangerous land, sea and sky while confronting the planet’s dominant alien lifeforms. It’s a story of struggle and adventure all told through the wonderfully wry tone of Juna, the alien perspective and a third person.
Sci-fi at its best
This is a brilliant takedown of bureaucracy and the kind of capitalist expansionism that treats space as another frontier to strip for profit. Tchaikovsky shows exactly how an exploitative model built for efficiency can backfire when it meets an alien intelligence that simply refuses to play by human rules.
Aliens worth rooting for
The world building is exceptional. The aliens think, adapt and communicate in ways that feel strange but coherent. The more you learn about them, the more you want them to win. It is a clever inversion, and it works.
The humans
Back at base, humans are shelved, drugged and worked as components in an economic machine called Opportunities. It is unsettling because the metaphor is so close to corporate life. People function as cogs, not characters, and their individuality is treated as a problem rather than a strength.
The story
The plot moves quickly, the stakes are sharp, and the final solution is deeply satisfying. It is an on point science fiction story that delivers a sharp philosophical point without losing momentum.
Two thumbs up
A smart, unsettling and surprisingly hopeful story. Tchaikovsky exposes the absurdity of unchecked off-world capitalism. The resolution is wonderful, a deeply satisfying story.
A commercial extraction crew arrives on a hostile moon called Shroud, a pitch black, high gravity world marked as the next corporate resource to exploit. When a disaster strands two crew members, Juna and Mai, on the surface, they are forced to cross its dangerous land, sea and sky while confronting the planet’s dominant alien lifeforms. It’s a story of struggle and adventure all told through the wonderfully wry tone of Juna, the alien perspective and a third person.
Sci-fi at its best
This is a brilliant takedown of bureaucracy and the kind of capitalist expansionism that treats space as another frontier to strip for profit. Tchaikovsky shows exactly how an exploitative model built for efficiency can backfire when it meets an alien intelligence that simply refuses to play by human rules.
Aliens worth rooting for
The world building is exceptional. The aliens think, adapt and communicate in ways that feel strange but coherent. The more you learn about them, the more you want them to win. It is a clever inversion, and it works.
The humans
Back at base, humans are shelved, drugged and worked as components in an economic machine called Opportunities. It is unsettling because the metaphor is so close to corporate life. People function as cogs, not characters, and their individuality is treated as a problem rather than a strength.
The story
The plot moves quickly, the stakes are sharp, and the final solution is deeply satisfying. It is an on point science fiction story that delivers a sharp philosophical point without losing momentum.
Two thumbs up
A smart, unsettling and surprisingly hopeful story. Tchaikovsky exposes the absurdity of unchecked off-world capitalism. The resolution is wonderful, a deeply satisfying story.
July 5, 2025
Different, a bit weird even. Anyway ... I'll need a few years to decide if it's a good or a bad type of weird 🤔
June 2, 2025
I just finished this, the latest Tchaikovsky sf novel, only a few months after release, but tomorrow there is another Tchaikovsky sf novel coming out that I also want to read, and I will again not be up to date on his sf novels. When I say he writes them faster than I can read them, I mean it. And I have not even made a serious foray into his fantasy (my priorities are clear). And the amazing thing, is the books are good, and usually quite different from one another.
Shroud is very good, and it is very Tchaikovsky all - far future, exploitative corporation exploring a far flung moon with extreme conditions for strip mining of materials, and there might be alien life on it. This book might be a great starting point for his SF a lot of common themes and a typically banger ending (already read his books till the last page) but in an instance of "it's not the book, it's me" it felt a bit repetitive, overlapping Alien Clay and I preferred AC. Also, "it's not the book, it's me" a lot of the narrative is a planetary (ok, lunar, whatever) survival adventure, and those are, sorry, boring and offputting to me (I dread bad things happening to characters and things looking hopeless) so I kept putting down the book whenever things got dire. (I might be imagining this but I thought there was a nod to A Fire Upon the Deep with the reference to dogs).
It is the Tchaikovsky book I have read so far that goes deeper into character development and interaction and, yes, almost romantic feelings (almost! ). Emotional intelligence and its importance. And it's done well even if it is not even close to being the focus of the book.
I was reading other SF while reading this, and it crystallized my opinion that nobody does evil dystopic evil corporations more deeply and convincingly than Tchaikovsky. His office politics and his getting of how projects and companies really work are absolutely real and much deeper than those of so many other authors (Marta Wells also gets a nod from me for being good at that. Many many others, no...).
Very good in general, but it's not going to be a personal favorite of mine when compared to a few other novels of his.
Shroud is very good, and it is very Tchaikovsky all - far future, exploitative corporation exploring a far flung moon with extreme conditions for strip mining of materials, and there might be alien life on it. This book might be a great starting point for his SF a lot of common themes and a typically banger ending (already read his books till the last page) but in an instance of "it's not the book, it's me" it felt a bit repetitive, overlapping Alien Clay and I preferred AC. Also, "it's not the book, it's me" a lot of the narrative is a planetary (ok, lunar, whatever) survival adventure, and those are, sorry, boring and offputting to me (I dread bad things happening to characters and things looking hopeless) so I kept putting down the book whenever things got dire. (I might be imagining this but I thought there was a nod to A Fire Upon the Deep with the reference to dogs).
It is the Tchaikovsky book I have read so far that goes deeper into character development and interaction and, yes, almost romantic feelings (almost! ). Emotional intelligence and its importance. And it's done well even if it is not even close to being the focus of the book.
I was reading other SF while reading this, and it crystallized my opinion that nobody does evil dystopic evil corporations more deeply and convincingly than Tchaikovsky. His office politics and his getting of how projects and companies really work are absolutely real and much deeper than those of so many other authors (Marta Wells also gets a nod from me for being good at that. Many many others, no...).
Very good in general, but it's not going to be a personal favorite of mine when compared to a few other novels of his.
Read
February 21, 2025Tchaikovsky's science fiction often focuses on a singular theme: curiosity about what might be out there, in the great expanse of the universe. What might alien intelligence, biology, and societies look like? He has explored this question with spiders and octopuses in the Children of Time trilogy, then with Lego-style symbiote in Alien Clay (my personal fave). Now, we have a horror-tinged standalone sci-fi novel about a moon shrouded in darkness, on which lives a hive mind of machine-like monsters.
Our protagonists are the two remaining crewmembers of a ship that was scanning the moon for resources (their society is a hungry capitalist machine), and now they are stranded in the darkness, desperately trying to understand the alien life that lives there, all while the alien life tries to understand them.
Our protagonists are the two remaining crewmembers of a ship that was scanning the moon for resources (their society is a hungry capitalist machine), and now they are stranded in the darkness, desperately trying to understand the alien life that lives there, all while the alien life tries to understand them.
March 31, 2025
Actual rating 2.5/5 stars.
A pitch black and inhospitable moon is discovered and those who uncovered it named it Shroud. They could not survive there and it did not seem to want them, but when two of the crew crash land on its surface they must find a way to do just that.
A bonus star for the alien as well as human perspective this contained but, unfortunately, I found this a dry story with an anticlimactic ending. A space adventure should not be this slow but I found it focused on inward thought more than outward action and it just didn't suit my reading tastes at all. I'm all for a philosophical novel but this probed no deep questions about the meaning of life, so why such a slow pace? I did find the alien perspective an interesting development and appreciated how this differed to other space novels I have read but the book as a whole failed to properly grasp my interest.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the author, Adrian Tchaikovsky, and the publisher, Tor, for this opportunity.
A pitch black and inhospitable moon is discovered and those who uncovered it named it Shroud. They could not survive there and it did not seem to want them, but when two of the crew crash land on its surface they must find a way to do just that.
A bonus star for the alien as well as human perspective this contained but, unfortunately, I found this a dry story with an anticlimactic ending. A space adventure should not be this slow but I found it focused on inward thought more than outward action and it just didn't suit my reading tastes at all. I'm all for a philosophical novel but this probed no deep questions about the meaning of life, so why such a slow pace? I did find the alien perspective an interesting development and appreciated how this differed to other space novels I have read but the book as a whole failed to properly grasp my interest.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the author, Adrian Tchaikovsky, and the publisher, Tor, for this opportunity.
Did not finish
March 6, 2025DNF @ 35%
Well my Tchaikovsky success record is certainly going down. Of the last 4 books I have a 50% DNF rate (Service Model being the other one). Again, this is very much a situation of it’s me and not the book. In this case, while I appreciate the incredibly imaginative world under exploration, I want more story between the characters and less observing fascinating things.
The premise of Shroud reminds me of the excellent book A Darkling Sea by James L. Cambias, which has all the things I missed here in terms of story and character interaction and development.
Well my Tchaikovsky success record is certainly going down. Of the last 4 books I have a 50% DNF rate (Service Model being the other one). Again, this is very much a situation of it’s me and not the book. In this case, while I appreciate the incredibly imaginative world under exploration, I want more story between the characters and less observing fascinating things.
The premise of Shroud reminds me of the excellent book A Darkling Sea by James L. Cambias, which has all the things I missed here in terms of story and character interaction and development.
April 24, 2025
What makes Shroud unique is how it handles alien life. Instead of typical sci-fi aliens that somehow speak English, these creatures communicate entirely differently and perceive the world in ways humans can't imagine. There's so much I would like to say about this book but I don't want to spoil it..
”Contrary to the old maxim, when you’re all in the same tin can with limited elbow room, in space everyone can hear you scream.”
The book balances several key elements; a tense survival story, attempts to understand alien beings, and questions about how different species can communicate. The author creates a vivid picture of this dark world through the eyes of both humans and aliens. What I found fascinating was how an alien intelligence may interpret the actions of humans and vice versa. Tchaikovsky is a master at making you think about things differently which I absolutely love. The ending is both hopeful, uncertain and also a emotionally charged, leaving you wondering about the future of human-alien relations.
”I had the couch shoot me with a mood stabiliser. Standard working practice when despair was creeping in.”
Overall, Shroud is an amazing thought provoking sci-fi book that explores what might happen when humans encounter life forms that are truly alien, rather than just humans in costume. While the beginning moves slowly to give background on the events that happen on Shroud, the story builds into a gripping tale that keeps you wanting more. I always enjoy Tchaikovsky’s work and this is no exception.
”Contrary to the old maxim, when you’re all in the same tin can with limited elbow room, in space everyone can hear you scream.”
The book balances several key elements; a tense survival story, attempts to understand alien beings, and questions about how different species can communicate. The author creates a vivid picture of this dark world through the eyes of both humans and aliens. What I found fascinating was how an alien intelligence may interpret the actions of humans and vice versa. Tchaikovsky is a master at making you think about things differently which I absolutely love. The ending is both hopeful, uncertain and also a emotionally charged, leaving you wondering about the future of human-alien relations.
”I had the couch shoot me with a mood stabiliser. Standard working practice when despair was creeping in.”
Overall, Shroud is an amazing thought provoking sci-fi book that explores what might happen when humans encounter life forms that are truly alien, rather than just humans in costume. While the beginning moves slowly to give background on the events that happen on Shroud, the story builds into a gripping tale that keeps you wanting more. I always enjoy Tchaikovsky’s work and this is no exception.
July 26, 2025
While on a mission to explore the commercial possibilities of Shroud, two of the crew members, Juna Ceelander and Mai Ste Etienne, become stranded. Shroud is completely inhospitable to human life, but not to all life forms. Juna and Mai encounter several of these life forms, but they name the dominant species Shrouders.
This is an intelligent, suspenseful and unique first contact story. Part of the book is written from the point of view of a Shrouder, so we get to see how the two groups misunderstand each other. They seriously underestimate their intelligence and sophistication. There are only rudimentary efforts towards communication. The Shrouder have some amazing capabilities and are extremely adaptable. This author is very prolific, and I haven’t enjoyed everything I’ve read by him, but I loved this one.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.
This is an intelligent, suspenseful and unique first contact story. Part of the book is written from the point of view of a Shrouder, so we get to see how the two groups misunderstand each other. They seriously underestimate their intelligence and sophistication. There are only rudimentary efforts towards communication. The Shrouder have some amazing capabilities and are extremely adaptable. This author is very prolific, and I haven’t enjoyed everything I’ve read by him, but I loved this one.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.
January 24, 2026
Project Hail Mary meets The Martian.
A mission to hunt out opportunities. To harvest resources. To create self-sufficient, resource-generating waystations that would serve to resupply the next wave of human exploration.
Shroud - the name assigned to the moon where our team finds itself stranded with something strange on the planet.
I didn’t connect to the characters at all. The plot happened to them. There was almost no point to them except to provide the narrative.
I was expecting this to be full of dread, existentialism, loneliness, and isolation. We are told our characters are lonely and isolated, but never truly shown except for the basic premise.
It was only her presence that stopped me howling like a wounded animal, honestly. Only the discovery that sheer social embarrassment was apparently a stronger driver for me than fear of death.
I mean, honestly that’s relatable.
My main issue was that most of the book was details I didn’t care about. I know this is a sci fi, but I wanted it to be more engaging than it was.
Physical arc gifted by Tor.
Bookstagram
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A mission to hunt out opportunities. To harvest resources. To create self-sufficient, resource-generating waystations that would serve to resupply the next wave of human exploration.
Shroud - the name assigned to the moon where our team finds itself stranded with something strange on the planet.
I didn’t connect to the characters at all. The plot happened to them. There was almost no point to them except to provide the narrative.
I was expecting this to be full of dread, existentialism, loneliness, and isolation. We are told our characters are lonely and isolated, but never truly shown except for the basic premise.
It was only her presence that stopped me howling like a wounded animal, honestly. Only the discovery that sheer social embarrassment was apparently a stronger driver for me than fear of death.
I mean, honestly that’s relatable.
My main issue was that most of the book was details I didn’t care about. I know this is a sci fi, but I wanted it to be more engaging than it was.
Physical arc gifted by Tor.
Bookstagram
Tiktok
December 7, 2024
Firstly, thank you so much to Pan MacMillan (Tor) and the author for the physical ARC of this book!
Shroud is a sci fi thriller following a crew who have encountered a new world shrouded (lol) in darkness, and the things that lurk amongst it.
The start of the book is very heavy with technical and sci fi jargon but that very quickly makes way for a more human-centric and emotive story following Juna and Mai.
I thought it was bloody fantastic.
It’s just enough science fiction to scratch my itch without venturing into the realms of head scratching nonsense that can sometimes plague stories like this.
It felt like such a unique story, and the way Tchaikovsky included two different alternative narratives was a refreshing take on the stranger lost in a strange world trope.
Shroud feels like a story of polarities - light and dark, up and down, known and unknown. With enough stakes to keep you wanting more and to find out what comes next, but without making things unrealistic.
A strong female-led and focused narrative was also a big plus for me. It felt well told and I can genuinely see this easily making the transition to film at some point, akin to stories like Project Hail Mary, Gravity and the like.
I’d highly suggest picking up a copy of Shroud in February if you like science fiction, and a good healthy amount of tension in your stories.
4.0/5.0
Shroud is a sci fi thriller following a crew who have encountered a new world shrouded (lol) in darkness, and the things that lurk amongst it.
The start of the book is very heavy with technical and sci fi jargon but that very quickly makes way for a more human-centric and emotive story following Juna and Mai.
I thought it was bloody fantastic.
It’s just enough science fiction to scratch my itch without venturing into the realms of head scratching nonsense that can sometimes plague stories like this.
It felt like such a unique story, and the way Tchaikovsky included two different alternative narratives was a refreshing take on the stranger lost in a strange world trope.
Shroud feels like a story of polarities - light and dark, up and down, known and unknown. With enough stakes to keep you wanting more and to find out what comes next, but without making things unrealistic.
A strong female-led and focused narrative was also a big plus for me. It felt well told and I can genuinely see this easily making the transition to film at some point, akin to stories like Project Hail Mary, Gravity and the like.
I’d highly suggest picking up a copy of Shroud in February if you like science fiction, and a good healthy amount of tension in your stories.
4.0/5.0
November 30, 2025
A rather dark and somber first contact story by Mr. T set in a gloomy future dystopia (and Mr. T does gloomy future dystopias very well!). In orts and scraps, we slowly learn of a past Earth torn and ravaged by corporate wars, leaving humanity in grim orbital habitats. The corporations, now called concerns, now compete for the stars, with each one sending out colony missions to 'asset strip' systems to further the colonization effort. One such mission arrives in an odd system where a moon of a gas giant emits a cacophony of radio signals. The moon, orbitally locked to the gas giant, possesses an atmosphere dark and murky and the team sent by the concern to investigate it deem it Shroud. We know from the brief prologue that our protagonist, Juna Ceelander, will crash land on the moon, but the author takes some time in getting the reader there.
Shroud can be read on a number of levels, which might be why it has such mixed reviews. First, we have the future dystopia of the concerns and how they have shaped/warped humanity. The concerns indoctrinate everyone from an early age, teaching them how they must work hard for their 'wage-worth'. On the mission itself, this translates into people being 'frozen' until needed and only thawed until their usefulness ends. It takes resources to feed people after all! This gloomy reality sets the stage for the exploration of the system and the characters involved.
Second, we have the 'hardish' story of first contact, for when Juna and an engineer land on Shroud in their exploratory pod they are approached by some sort of beings. I loved the world of Shroud, so mysterious! Bathed in perpetual darkness, life has still evolved, but one very different from humanity for sure. The gravity is almost 2 C and the air pressure is some 20 times that of Earth. Most of the 'beasts' that wander the moon communicate with something akin to radar or radio emissions, which accounts for the 'noise'. Tchaikovsky does a find job oscillating between the aliens and Juna, with each 'side' narrating their experience of the first contact. Intermixed in the tall are various 'interludes' which foreshadow some intelligent communication between the alien 'shrouders' and humanity, but I will leave that alone to avoid spoilers.
Thirdly, Tchaikovsky gives us a rousing planetary (moonitary?) adventure, with Juna and the other women she is in the pod with trying to figure out how to survive and ideally make contact with the orbiting ship; there is a line, and anchor, connecting the moon to the exploration ship, but it resides on the other side of the moon from where they landed. All kinds of trials and tribulations beset Juna and the pod in a rather hair-raising fashion!
All in all, I really enjoyed this. Tchaikovsky spins a complicated first contact tale rife with adventure and also the dystopian human society. Tchaikovsky must really dig putting new twists on old science fiction tropes and does a fine job here. The prose, however, often reflects the gloomy dystopian human society, for better or worse. 4 moody stars!
Shroud can be read on a number of levels, which might be why it has such mixed reviews. First, we have the future dystopia of the concerns and how they have shaped/warped humanity. The concerns indoctrinate everyone from an early age, teaching them how they must work hard for their 'wage-worth'. On the mission itself, this translates into people being 'frozen' until needed and only thawed until their usefulness ends. It takes resources to feed people after all! This gloomy reality sets the stage for the exploration of the system and the characters involved.
Second, we have the 'hardish' story of first contact, for when Juna and an engineer land on Shroud in their exploratory pod they are approached by some sort of beings. I loved the world of Shroud, so mysterious! Bathed in perpetual darkness, life has still evolved, but one very different from humanity for sure. The gravity is almost 2 C and the air pressure is some 20 times that of Earth. Most of the 'beasts' that wander the moon communicate with something akin to radar or radio emissions, which accounts for the 'noise'. Tchaikovsky does a find job oscillating between the aliens and Juna, with each 'side' narrating their experience of the first contact. Intermixed in the tall are various 'interludes' which foreshadow some intelligent communication between the alien 'shrouders' and humanity, but I will leave that alone to avoid spoilers.
Thirdly, Tchaikovsky gives us a rousing planetary (moonitary?) adventure, with Juna and the other women she is in the pod with trying to figure out how to survive and ideally make contact with the orbiting ship; there is a line, and anchor, connecting the moon to the exploration ship, but it resides on the other side of the moon from where they landed. All kinds of trials and tribulations beset Juna and the pod in a rather hair-raising fashion!
All in all, I really enjoyed this. Tchaikovsky spins a complicated first contact tale rife with adventure and also the dystopian human society. Tchaikovsky must really dig putting new twists on old science fiction tropes and does a fine job here. The prose, however, often reflects the gloomy dystopian human society, for better or worse. 4 moody stars!
April 26, 2025
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ — "Shroud" by Adrian Tchaikovsky
Some books you read. Some books you experience. And some books… they touch something deep inside you and stay there, humming like a distant song long after you turn the last page.
Shroud is one of those rare books.
It’s not about war.
It’s not about conquest.
It’s not even about survival in the traditional sense.
It’s about contact.
About connection across unimaginable gaps — between species, between ideas, between what we fear and what we hope for in the deep quiet places of our hearts.
The story follows Djuna and Saint-Etienne, stranded on an alien world unlike any we know — a world that isn't just alive, but thinking. As the humans struggle to understand, to survive, to be seen, the alien mind they encounter — the Shroud — struggles too. To reach out. To change. To remember something it lost long ago.
Through hauntingly beautiful writing, Tchaikovsky shows not just the terror of the unknown, but the hope hidden inside it.
Not loud, not easy, but real.
By the end, Djuna doesn't simply survive.
She transcends.
She carries forward the first true bridge between two ways of being — still human, but something more, something connected.
And the Shroud, once cold and untouchable, learns to wonder again.
This book touched me deeply.
It’s about trusting in the possibility of understanding, even when everything — fear, survival, instinct — tells you to retreat.
It reminded me that true growth doesn’t come from conquering the unknown.
It comes from listening to it.
From letting it touch you.
From daring to become more.
Shroud is the most beautiful book I've read in 2025 so far.
It left me in awe, in reflection, and — somehow — more hopeful about the endless conversation waiting for all of us, out there in the stars.
Final verdict:
Read it not to conquer it.
Read it to feel it.
Some books you read. Some books you experience. And some books… they touch something deep inside you and stay there, humming like a distant song long after you turn the last page.
Shroud is one of those rare books.
It’s not about war.
It’s not about conquest.
It’s not even about survival in the traditional sense.
It’s about contact.
About connection across unimaginable gaps — between species, between ideas, between what we fear and what we hope for in the deep quiet places of our hearts.
The story follows Djuna and Saint-Etienne, stranded on an alien world unlike any we know — a world that isn't just alive, but thinking. As the humans struggle to understand, to survive, to be seen, the alien mind they encounter — the Shroud — struggles too. To reach out. To change. To remember something it lost long ago.
Through hauntingly beautiful writing, Tchaikovsky shows not just the terror of the unknown, but the hope hidden inside it.
Not loud, not easy, but real.
By the end, Djuna doesn't simply survive.
She transcends.
She carries forward the first true bridge between two ways of being — still human, but something more, something connected.
And the Shroud, once cold and untouchable, learns to wonder again.
This book touched me deeply.
It’s about trusting in the possibility of understanding, even when everything — fear, survival, instinct — tells you to retreat.
It reminded me that true growth doesn’t come from conquering the unknown.
It comes from listening to it.
From letting it touch you.
From daring to become more.
Shroud is the most beautiful book I've read in 2025 so far.
It left me in awe, in reflection, and — somehow — more hopeful about the endless conversation waiting for all of us, out there in the stars.
Final verdict:
Read it not to conquer it.
Read it to feel it.
March 20, 2025
It took a little while, but once this story had its hooks in me it did not let go. Wow! It is hard to really talk about the parts that floored me without giving away spoilers, but let’s try. Firstly, the world-building is spectacular. The physical spaces, yes, from the way the different celestial bodies in this corner of space relate to each other to the complexities of the ship to the absolutely wild and complex world of Shroud. But more than just the places, the thoughts and ideas and people that fill those places. The direct connections between greed and individualism, the destruction of Earth, and the entire project of strip-mining the universe all set the stage, and the violences and pressures of those capitalist systems are literally a thrumming undercurrent running through the story. That affects all the people we meet on the ship and how their world is socially organized, and it affects our main protagonists as they traverse this alien planet. Maybe more important, though, is the alien society and culture. The relationship between form and function, the ingenious biological obstacles Tchaikovsky put on Shroud and the way the flora and fauna there overcome those obstacles, it is just genius. And in that regard yes, it does feel a little more hard-sciencey than some of his other works, and that totally works for the story. There is such wonderful detail of the science and tech, and it goes a long way to helping convey the sterility of human connection.
The writing is superb. It is not, especially at the beginning, as intimate as some of his other novels. The majority of chapters are from one character’s POV, though we do occasionally get chapters from the aliens’' POV, which are genius, and they increase as frequency as the mission develops. In between sections there are brief interludes, and these contain more of the dry, cheeky voice I have come to expect from Tchaikovsky, and these discuss evolution on Shroud, helping give us context. The writing in these three sections, (main character, alien, interlude) is distinct and clear, and as the character’s learn more and the situation develops the tones and urgency of their voice changes. I won’t lie, the very first section feels a little dry, a little distant, disconnected. But then there is the emergency event that really gets our narrative moving and the intensity and personality to the writing grows and grows along with the narrative. It all works together really well, and that also speaks to the pacing. At its genre heart this is a survivalist horror story, about being trapped in a hostile environment and stripped of nearly all the resources you need to survive. There are only so many ways to keep readers invested, by letting the characters overcome some obstacles only to discover new ones, and Tchaikovsky does this incredibly well. In lesser writers’ hands these kind of stories feel like a group of disconnected save points, little unrelated mini-missions that plod their way from point A to B. Tchaikovsky is able to create a plot that builds on itself, challenges (and victories) that are iterative, that grow with our characters, and in the process all of the emotions, the terror and despair, and the rare joy and celebration, are all amplified. The obstacles never feel disproportionate to the world, nor the ways they are navigated. Everything fits together in a quite satisfying way.
Tchaikovsky is good at giving his characters emotional depth. Here, we spend most of our time with a very select number of characters, and while they feel fully realized and complete, perfectly three-dimensional characters, I would have liked a little more inner journey, especially on the page, if that makes sense. The characters they are at the end is different than who they were in the beginning, and that is clear at the end, but it is difficult to track it through the story, and it was hard to feel as connected to these characters as I have with those in other novels he has written. With that said, a type of confessional intimacy does develop, and given the other ideas and themes and worlds being explored it was never like there was lack of things to keep my attention.
Part of that is because he is playing with a lot of really hefty ideas here. Yes, the dangers of individualism and greed, certainly, the dangers of the oligarchs owning the working class to such a literal extent they can put workers in hibernation chambers for years on end when they aren’t necessary to bite back a little of the bottom line. And there are a whole mess of science ideas, about convergent evolution and how resources and necessity work together to mediate experience and growth. But there are also ideas about human consciousness and psycho-social development, about connection and what it means to be part of community, what it means to see others as comrades instead of competition. Given the circumstances he depicts this amazing simultaneity of claustrophobia and a vast, empty desolation, and how both of those extremes can work on our minds at the same time to drive us further from ourselves. He manages to hide these really important ideas, essentially about what it means to think and be, a literal ontology of becoming, within this thrilling, engaging survival horror set in a wild alien ecosystem. The novel balances intimacy with being sometimes staggering in scope, and by constantly exploring these kinds of dichotomies Tchaikovsky is able to keep you invested and compelled to learn more.
(Rounded from 4.5)
The writing is superb. It is not, especially at the beginning, as intimate as some of his other novels. The majority of chapters are from one character’s POV, though we do occasionally get chapters from the aliens’' POV, which are genius, and they increase as frequency as the mission develops. In between sections there are brief interludes, and these contain more of the dry, cheeky voice I have come to expect from Tchaikovsky, and these discuss evolution on Shroud, helping give us context. The writing in these three sections, (main character, alien, interlude) is distinct and clear, and as the character’s learn more and the situation develops the tones and urgency of their voice changes. I won’t lie, the very first section feels a little dry, a little distant, disconnected. But then there is the emergency event that really gets our narrative moving and the intensity and personality to the writing grows and grows along with the narrative. It all works together really well, and that also speaks to the pacing. At its genre heart this is a survivalist horror story, about being trapped in a hostile environment and stripped of nearly all the resources you need to survive. There are only so many ways to keep readers invested, by letting the characters overcome some obstacles only to discover new ones, and Tchaikovsky does this incredibly well. In lesser writers’ hands these kind of stories feel like a group of disconnected save points, little unrelated mini-missions that plod their way from point A to B. Tchaikovsky is able to create a plot that builds on itself, challenges (and victories) that are iterative, that grow with our characters, and in the process all of the emotions, the terror and despair, and the rare joy and celebration, are all amplified. The obstacles never feel disproportionate to the world, nor the ways they are navigated. Everything fits together in a quite satisfying way.
Tchaikovsky is good at giving his characters emotional depth. Here, we spend most of our time with a very select number of characters, and while they feel fully realized and complete, perfectly three-dimensional characters, I would have liked a little more inner journey, especially on the page, if that makes sense. The characters they are at the end is different than who they were in the beginning, and that is clear at the end, but it is difficult to track it through the story, and it was hard to feel as connected to these characters as I have with those in other novels he has written. With that said, a type of confessional intimacy does develop, and given the other ideas and themes and worlds being explored it was never like there was lack of things to keep my attention.
Part of that is because he is playing with a lot of really hefty ideas here. Yes, the dangers of individualism and greed, certainly, the dangers of the oligarchs owning the working class to such a literal extent they can put workers in hibernation chambers for years on end when they aren’t necessary to bite back a little of the bottom line. And there are a whole mess of science ideas, about convergent evolution and how resources and necessity work together to mediate experience and growth. But there are also ideas about human consciousness and psycho-social development, about connection and what it means to be part of community, what it means to see others as comrades instead of competition. Given the circumstances he depicts this amazing simultaneity of claustrophobia and a vast, empty desolation, and how both of those extremes can work on our minds at the same time to drive us further from ourselves. He manages to hide these really important ideas, essentially about what it means to think and be, a literal ontology of becoming, within this thrilling, engaging survival horror set in a wild alien ecosystem. The novel balances intimacy with being sometimes staggering in scope, and by constantly exploring these kinds of dichotomies Tchaikovsky is able to keep you invested and compelled to learn more.
(Rounded from 4.5)
May 1, 2025
This was out of this world. Well worth making space in your reading schedule for it. It'll leave you starstruck and over the moon that you read it!
April 12, 2025
Nobody can accuse Tchaikovsky of not having an incredible imagination with every book he writes. I’m always super impressed with him but almost every time I read his book it just doesn’t grab me. I have a hard following his descriptions of the aliens as well as action scenes. I probably will finish the books I already have by him but not pick up anything in the future unless he switches to fantasy.
December 6, 2025
«شراود» از آن کتابهایی است که ایده و داستانش آنقدر قوی و جذاب است که تا مدتها توی ذهن میماند، اما خودِ فرایند خواندنش واقعا بهسختی پیش میرود. چایکوفسکی یک دنیای شگفتانگیز ساخته: قمری تاریک و خفه، موجودات بیگانهای که از دیدنشان فقط همان چند ثانیه تصویر، حس «بیگانگی مطلق» میدهد و رابطهای عجیب بین ذهن انسان و زیستجهان شراود که کمکم از سطح یک مواجهه علمیتخیلی ساده عبور میکند و به تأملی درباره استعمار، استثمار، فردیت و «دیگری» میرسد.
لایههای اخلاقی و سیاسی رمان هم کاملا قابلتوجه است؛ از نقد ساختارهای شرکتی بیوجدان، تا اینکه انسان همیشه میخواهد هرچیزی را که میفهمد، تکهتکه کند و بفروشد. از این نظر، کتاب هم بهلحاظ مفهومی غنی است، هم از نظر ساخت جهان و تخیل زیستی، واقعا خلاقانه.
مشکل اصلی، جایی است که این همه ایده خوب باید در قالب روایت بنشیند. ساختار فصلهای «روشنایی/تاریکی»، رفتوبرگشتهای مداوم بین سطح و عمق، و لحن گاهی بسیار فشرده و توضیحی راوی باعث میشود خواندن کتاب بیشتر شبیه یک مأموریت طاقتفرسای بقا باشد تا یک تجربه روان روایی. فصلها مدام با جزئیات فنی، توصیف شرایط فیزیکی، توضیح مکانیک زیستسامانهها و تکرار چرخههای سقوط، بقا، آسیب، تعمیر و دوباره حرکت پر میشوند و خیلی وقتها کشش دراماتیک بهجای اینکه از درون شخصیتها و انتخابهایشان بیاید، زیر خروارها توصیف و تحلیل علمینما دفن میشود.
نتیجه این است که با وجود اینکه میدانی داستان دارد به سمت چیزی مهم و بزرگ میرود، هر فصل برای رسیدن به آن نقطه، آنقدر سنگین و «پُر» روایت میشود که واقعا آدم پیر میشود تا تمامش کند و گاهی واقعا مخ آدم سوت میکشد از این همه فشار اطلاعاتی و حسی.
از طرف دیگر، فاصله عاطفی بین خواننده و شخصیتها زیاد است؛ جونا و بقیه روی کاغذ جالباند، اما زیر بار ایدهها و سازوکارهای دنیاسازی، جا برای تنفس احساسی ندارند و لحظات انسانی خوبشان (که هست) آنقدر دیر و کمپراکنده سر میرسد که تأثیر کاملشان را نمیگذارند. برای من «شراود» بیشتر شبیه یک شاهایدۀ علمیتخیلی بود که در یک روایت نهچندان مهار شده و بیش از حد فشرده و خستهکننده گیر افتاده؛ کتابی که اگر نصف این توضیح میداد و کمی بیشتر به ریتم و تنفس خواننده رحم میکرد، میتوانست به یک شاهکار واقعی نزدیک شود. با اینحال، خود ایدهها، فضای منحصربهفرد، و پایان تأثربرانگیز و تکاندهندهاش آنقدر خوب هست که نتوانم بیرحمانه آن را حذف کنم؛ برای همین سه ستاره به نظرم منصفانه است: نه آنقدر ضعیف که بشود راحت نادیدهاش گرفت، نه آنقدر روان و خوشخوان که بتوانم با خیال راحت به کسی که حوصلهاش کم است پیشنهادش کنم.
لایههای اخلاقی و سیاسی رمان هم کاملا قابلتوجه است؛ از نقد ساختارهای شرکتی بیوجدان، تا اینکه انسان همیشه میخواهد هرچیزی را که میفهمد، تکهتکه کند و بفروشد. از این نظر، کتاب هم بهلحاظ مفهومی غنی است، هم از نظر ساخت جهان و تخیل زیستی، واقعا خلاقانه.
مشکل اصلی، جایی است که این همه ایده خوب باید در قالب روایت بنشیند. ساختار فصلهای «روشنایی/تاریکی»، رفتوبرگشتهای مداوم بین سطح و عمق، و لحن گاهی بسیار فشرده و توضیحی راوی باعث میشود خواندن کتاب بیشتر شبیه یک مأموریت طاقتفرسای بقا باشد تا یک تجربه روان روایی. فصلها مدام با جزئیات فنی، توصیف شرایط فیزیکی، توضیح مکانیک زیستسامانهها و تکرار چرخههای سقوط، بقا، آسیب، تعمیر و دوباره حرکت پر میشوند و خیلی وقتها کشش دراماتیک بهجای اینکه از درون شخصیتها و انتخابهایشان بیاید، زیر خروارها توصیف و تحلیل علمینما دفن میشود.
نتیجه این است که با وجود اینکه میدانی داستان دارد به سمت چیزی مهم و بزرگ میرود، هر فصل برای رسیدن به آن نقطه، آنقدر سنگین و «پُر» روایت میشود که واقعا آدم پیر میشود تا تمامش کند و گاهی واقعا مخ آدم سوت میکشد از این همه فشار اطلاعاتی و حسی.
از طرف دیگر، فاصله عاطفی بین خواننده و شخصیتها زیاد است؛ جونا و بقیه روی کاغذ جالباند، اما زیر بار ایدهها و سازوکارهای دنیاسازی، جا برای تنفس احساسی ندارند و لحظات انسانی خوبشان (که هست) آنقدر دیر و کمپراکنده سر میرسد که تأثیر کاملشان را نمیگذارند. برای من «شراود» بیشتر شبیه یک شاهایدۀ علمیتخیلی بود که در یک روایت نهچندان مهار شده و بیش از حد فشرده و خستهکننده گیر افتاده؛ کتابی که اگر نصف این توضیح میداد و کمی بیشتر به ریتم و تنفس خواننده رحم میکرد، میتوانست به یک شاهکار واقعی نزدیک شود. با اینحال، خود ایدهها، فضای منحصربهفرد، و پایان تأثربرانگیز و تکاندهندهاش آنقدر خوب هست که نتوانم بیرحمانه آن را حذف کنم؛ برای همین سه ستاره به نظرم منصفانه است: نه آنقدر ضعیف که بشود راحت نادیدهاش گرفت، نه آنقدر روان و خوشخوان که بتوانم با خیال راحت به کسی که حوصلهاش کم است پیشنهادش کنم.
March 14, 2025
“Let me put it into words you can understand. Life begins in darkness, where it belongs. There is only darkness, the natural state of all that is, so why should a word even be needed for it?“
So, two women crashland on an inhospitable moon. No oxygen, high gravity, total darkness. And things that go bump in the everlasting night. To have any chance of rescue, they have to limp halfway around this moon in their little, cramped and damaged pod. No big deal, right?
Rich in sarcasm. The POV from the alien(s) is nicely done. I rooted for them. I thought it would all berunning very slow limping from the creepy aliens and much screaming, but there is a lot more.
You need patience! Well, I did anyway. This is slow. So slow. And so much dense text and information. But this world is so cool and I just love Tchaikovsky‘s wicked imagination and humour. It took me two weeks to get through this and towards the end I was at first disappointed at the direction the plot took and then it got really good again.
Loved the ending! I doubt that there will be a sequel, but I would love to read it. Great stuff. After finishing the book, I had to go back and read all the interludes again. The headspace and progression of the aliens was fascinating.
Tchaikovsky is showing yet again a very repressive dystopian, corporate society, without personal freedom or choices. It reminded me in parts of Cage of Souls and quite strongly of Alien Clay. If you liked that one, this should be right down your alley.
One of the things I like about Tchaikovsky‘s writing: It doesn‘t matter what gender the characters are and physical descriptions are just that. It took me half the book to figure out if the main character is female or male. It could have gone either way. Very refreshing.
Because of the slow pacing I figured for most of this that I would give it 4 stars, but considering how excited I am about this book, 5 stars it is! 🌚🌚🌚🌚🌚
P.S.: „… the slowest and most obvious heist in history.“
Good one! 😆
I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher or author through NetGalley. All opinions are my own and I was not required to give a positive review.
So, two women crashland on an inhospitable moon. No oxygen, high gravity, total darkness. And things that go bump in the everlasting night. To have any chance of rescue, they have to limp halfway around this moon in their little, cramped and damaged pod. No big deal, right?
Rich in sarcasm. The POV from the alien(s) is nicely done. I rooted for them. I thought it would all be
You need patience! Well, I did anyway. This is slow. So slow. And so much dense text and information. But this world is so cool and I just love Tchaikovsky‘s wicked imagination and humour. It took me two weeks to get through this and towards the end I was at first disappointed at the direction the plot took and then it got really good again.
Loved the ending! I doubt that there will be a sequel, but I would love to read it. Great stuff. After finishing the book, I had to go back and read all the interludes again. The headspace and progression of the aliens was fascinating.
Tchaikovsky is showing yet again a very repressive dystopian, corporate society, without personal freedom or choices. It reminded me in parts of Cage of Souls and quite strongly of Alien Clay. If you liked that one, this should be right down your alley.
One of the things I like about Tchaikovsky‘s writing: It doesn‘t matter what gender the characters are and physical descriptions are just that. It took me half the book to figure out if the main character is female or male. It could have gone either way. Very refreshing.
Because of the slow pacing I figured for most of this that I would give it 4 stars, but considering how excited I am about this book, 5 stars it is! 🌚🌚🌚🌚🌚
P.S.: „… the slowest and most obvious heist in history.“
Good one! 😆
I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher or author through NetGalley. All opinions are my own and I was not required to give a positive review.
June 10, 2025
2.5 stars. Not a bad book, this just wasn’t really to my taste. I thought the POV of the alien being was cool, but overall I thought this was pretty dry and a bit slow. I expected it to be tense and exciting, but it wasn’t at all. By 75% through, I was ready to wrap things up. The writing isn’t bad, though, and I definitely plan to try another of his books (most likely City of Last Chances), but yeah, this one just fell flat for me.
December 27, 2025
Really fascinating alien/horror stuff in this. I think my only holdback is just HOW alien the alien POV felt, like there are large sections of that POV I just had no earthly idea what they were referencing. I thought it was super fascinating though. Would probably reread this physically as on audio it was hard to picture a lot of stuff. Tchaikovsky is so good at alien POVs.
February 26, 2025
Adrian Tchaikovsky’s Shroud is a science fiction novel that covers themes of survival, first contact, and the complexities of alien ecosystems. The story follows two scientists, Juna Ceelander and Mai Ste Etienne, who, after a catastrophic accident, find themselves stranded on Shroud—a pitch-black, high-gravity moon teeming with alien life. Their journey across this hostile environment forms the basis of the story.
Tchaikovsky has to be praised for his imaginative creation of Shroud’s ecosystem. The alien flora and fauna are intricately detailed, offering a vivid portrayal of life in an environment vastly different from Earth. For me, this has to be one of Tchaikovsky’s most creative and inventive alien worlds, although I haven’t read all of his science fiction yet.
Along the way the novel provides chapters from the viewpoint of Shroud’s indigenous species, offering a unique take on first contact scenarios. I did feel this dual perspective enriched the narrative, giving us the profound differences and potential connections between human and alien consciousness.
The book was fascinating, however, I found the densely detailed scientific explanations and complex descriptions of the alien environment challenging to follow. For me, it made certain sections of the book feel slow-paced and overwhelming. This led to some major pacing issues for me. While the story started and ended with gripping sequences, the middle portion, focuses on the protagonists’ trek through the alien landscape, and was a just a little too repetitive.
Shroud most definitely showcases Adrian Tchaikovsky’s strengths in crafting complex alien worlds and delving into profound themes of connection and survival. For those who appreciate detailed world-building and thoughtful explorations of alien life, Shroud offers a compelling read.
My thanks to both NetGalley and Pan MacMillan for an e-arc and an honest opinion.
Tchaikovsky has to be praised for his imaginative creation of Shroud’s ecosystem. The alien flora and fauna are intricately detailed, offering a vivid portrayal of life in an environment vastly different from Earth. For me, this has to be one of Tchaikovsky’s most creative and inventive alien worlds, although I haven’t read all of his science fiction yet.
Along the way the novel provides chapters from the viewpoint of Shroud’s indigenous species, offering a unique take on first contact scenarios. I did feel this dual perspective enriched the narrative, giving us the profound differences and potential connections between human and alien consciousness.
The book was fascinating, however, I found the densely detailed scientific explanations and complex descriptions of the alien environment challenging to follow. For me, it made certain sections of the book feel slow-paced and overwhelming. This led to some major pacing issues for me. While the story started and ended with gripping sequences, the middle portion, focuses on the protagonists’ trek through the alien landscape, and was a just a little too repetitive.
Shroud most definitely showcases Adrian Tchaikovsky’s strengths in crafting complex alien worlds and delving into profound themes of connection and survival. For those who appreciate detailed world-building and thoughtful explorations of alien life, Shroud offers a compelling read.
My thanks to both NetGalley and Pan MacMillan for an e-arc and an honest opinion.
August 23, 2025
4,0 ✨✨✨
(Audiobook)
(Audiobook)
January 9, 2025
3.5 stars
This kind of feels like it could be Alien Clay, if the “Alien” part was synonymous with the Ridley Scott movie. It feels very dark (figuratively, not just literally) and in several places definitely has that slight sci-fi-horror edge to it. I liked that, but I think the book overall is not quite my type of sci-fi.
There are only two main characters here, and the enclosed space we follow them in for the majority of the book makes for some fantastic character-building opportunities, but I don’t think we got as much of that as circumstances suggest we might have. Instead, the character was largely given over to the Shrouded, the aliens of this world (although, as a sidenote, they are the native species, so technically, our humans here are the aliens…).
I didn’t much like the perspectives we got here from the Shrouded – they just didn’t feel right to me. This has been something I’ve noted in other books and it’s clear to me that it’s a device I’m not much a fan of. In Children of Ruin, I didn’t like the hive-mind perspective that felt disjointed, but certainly alien. Here, the Shrouded perspective just felt too human, and it was a bit off-putting. Seems like you can’t win with me on that one!
We have three main parts to the book in terms of theme and setting, and I think the transition between these is a bit too sudden – the first transition is necessarily so, so that’s fine and was well-handled, but the transition between parts two and three felt a bit abrupt.
I did find the first part in particular to be incredibly densely written. It was full of information and science and technology in big long paragraphs, and it felt like it took me twice as long as it usually would to read individual pages. Once we got into “part two” (my estimation, not the parts the book is actually divided into), things moved along at a much better pace for me.
I think overall this was a good book, but it’s definitely not my favourite Tchaikovsky. Once again though, he showcases an incredible imagination that I just don’t see anyone else getting close to, especially not at the frequency we see new work from him.
This kind of feels like it could be Alien Clay, if the “Alien” part was synonymous with the Ridley Scott movie. It feels very dark (figuratively, not just literally) and in several places definitely has that slight sci-fi-horror edge to it. I liked that, but I think the book overall is not quite my type of sci-fi.
There are only two main characters here, and the enclosed space we follow them in for the majority of the book makes for some fantastic character-building opportunities, but I don’t think we got as much of that as circumstances suggest we might have. Instead, the character was largely given over to the Shrouded, the aliens of this world (although, as a sidenote, they are the native species, so technically, our humans here are the aliens…).
I didn’t much like the perspectives we got here from the Shrouded – they just didn’t feel right to me. This has been something I’ve noted in other books and it’s clear to me that it’s a device I’m not much a fan of. In Children of Ruin, I didn’t like the hive-mind perspective that felt disjointed, but certainly alien. Here, the Shrouded perspective just felt too human, and it was a bit off-putting. Seems like you can’t win with me on that one!
We have three main parts to the book in terms of theme and setting, and I think the transition between these is a bit too sudden – the first transition is necessarily so, so that’s fine and was well-handled, but the transition between parts two and three felt a bit abrupt.
I did find the first part in particular to be incredibly densely written. It was full of information and science and technology in big long paragraphs, and it felt like it took me twice as long as it usually would to read individual pages. Once we got into “part two” (my estimation, not the parts the book is actually divided into), things moved along at a much better pace for me.
I think overall this was a good book, but it’s definitely not my favourite Tchaikovsky. Once again though, he showcases an incredible imagination that I just don’t see anyone else getting close to, especially not at the frequency we see new work from him.
April 3, 2025
sad, this was really a bit boring and not very original in comparison to tchaikovsky’s other work that i’ve read;; boring characters, minimal development, the first half of their journey on shroud was literally just ‘this broke and then we tried to fix it and this broke and the MONSTERS outside are so ambiguous’ and then near the end it got a bit more interesting but honestly not very exciting still. sad
May 21, 2025
CHARACTERS
🔲 mary-sue party
🔲 mostly 2D
🔲 great main cast, forgettable side characters
🔲 well-written
✅ complex and fascinating
🔲 hard to believe they are fictional
PLOT
🔲 you've already heard this exact story a thousand times
🔲 nothing memorable
✅ gripping
🔲 exceptional
🔲 mind=blown
WORLDBUILDING
🔲 takes place in our world
🔲 incoherent
🔲 OK
🔲 nicely detailed
✅ meticulous
🔲 even the last tree in the forest has its own story
ATMOSPHERE
🔲 nonexistent
🔲 fine
🔲 immersive
✅ you forget you are reading a book
PACING
🔲 dragging
🔲 inconsistent
🔲 picks up with time
🔲 page-turner
✅ impossible to put down
I guess I will just read everything this man ever puts on paper.
🔲 mary-sue party
🔲 mostly 2D
🔲 great main cast, forgettable side characters
🔲 well-written
✅ complex and fascinating
🔲 hard to believe they are fictional
PLOT
🔲 you've already heard this exact story a thousand times
🔲 nothing memorable
✅ gripping
🔲 exceptional
🔲 mind=blown
WORLDBUILDING
🔲 takes place in our world
🔲 incoherent
🔲 OK
🔲 nicely detailed
✅ meticulous
🔲 even the last tree in the forest has its own story
ATMOSPHERE
🔲 nonexistent
🔲 fine
🔲 immersive
✅ you forget you are reading a book
PACING
🔲 dragging
🔲 inconsistent
🔲 picks up with time
🔲 page-turner
✅ impossible to put down
I guess I will just read everything this man ever puts on paper.
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