(Found) Book about crystalline/silicon aliens

[Amplithuhedron]

I read this book more than 20 years ago. It’s about a guy who comes from a world where everybody is wearing full body suits that protect everyone from the environment and that provide all kinds of conveniences. He’s sent to an alien world where his company has set up some kind of colony/research outpost in order to investigate some problems with the aliens. He arrives and starts to look around the world using a super powerful version of those full body suits equipped with all sorts of weapons and augmentation. A some point however he stumbles upon a crystalline wall and tries to cut (?) through. This is where this alien activates it’s defense mechanism- apparently a laser - and his suit is disabled. He manages to crawl out of his suit, but now defenseless, soon gets attacked and is left to die with horrible wounds. Half dead he’s picked up by another alien creature that manages to establish a mind meld with him and “fixes/cures” him by turning half of his body into crystal. He then manages to venture back to his base only to discover some kind of plot and finally fighting against his former employers for the freedom of the aliens.

 

[ashewyntr]

Sentenced to Prism by Alan Dean Foster

 

[Amplithuhedron]

Wow, you have no idea how long I have been looking for this book...loved it as a kid...thank you so much!!!