I’m getting more and more impressed with Adrian Tchaikovsky, I know he’s been around for a while but most, or all, of his earlier work has been in the fantasy genre, which I rarely read, and only more recently has he been producing science fiction, which I very much do read, and very good it is too, with this being no exception.
Walking to Aldebaran is a compact little novella that can be read in a single session (I took two) and it packs an awful lot in. The story and science are both interesting and work well on the surface. An alien object has been detected out past the orbit of Jupiter and Gary Rendell, the narrator, is part of a multinational expedition sent to investigate. But now he’s on his own in a seemingly endless labyrinth of alien tunnels that defy the laws of physics as we understand them. And he’s not alone, and something is happening to him.
But there’s an awful lot going on just below the surface as well. As I said it packs a lot in: science, horror, madness and awesome twists. And along the way he gives a nod to so many other books and films it’s almost easier to name the ones he’s missed. Of course it’s possible that once you’ve started noticing the references that he clearly intended you might start seeing many that he didn’t (I saw similarities with Greg Bear’s Eon for example but maybe because I’d just finished another Bear book). Regardless there are many that were clearly intended and beautifully carried off. Almost as soon as it the story gets going it’s clearly influenced by Andy Weir’s Martian, Gary Rendell’s voice and situation is not dissimilar to Mark Watney’s although Gary does seem a little more erudite whilst also being more angry. But as the story progresses, with nods to The Wizard of OZ and even, maybe, Star Wars, Gary’s character goes in totally different directions to Mark’s with madness creeping in as he progresses through increasingly surreal misadventures.
And Tchaikovsky’s writing also excels; as Gary’s journey progresses and madness looms and his situation and character become ever darker so the style of prose also changes to match. And the final twist left me wondering how I had missed the hints that had appeared along the way. But little more can be said without severe spoilers!
Walking to Aldebaran is another one of those rare books that had me planning a re-read as soon as I finished. I need to read and fully appreciate it again now I know where it was all leading to. This is not like anything else I’ve read from Tchaikovsky and has increased my respect for an author I was already getting seriously keen on.
5/5 stars
Walking to Aldebaran is a compact little novella that can be read in a single session (I took two) and it packs an awful lot in. The story and science are both interesting and work well on the surface. An alien object has been detected out past the orbit of Jupiter and Gary Rendell, the narrator, is part of a multinational expedition sent to investigate. But now he’s on his own in a seemingly endless labyrinth of alien tunnels that defy the laws of physics as we understand them. And he’s not alone, and something is happening to him.
But there’s an awful lot going on just below the surface as well. As I said it packs a lot in: science, horror, madness and awesome twists. And along the way he gives a nod to so many other books and films it’s almost easier to name the ones he’s missed. Of course it’s possible that once you’ve started noticing the references that he clearly intended you might start seeing many that he didn’t (I saw similarities with Greg Bear’s Eon for example but maybe because I’d just finished another Bear book). Regardless there are many that were clearly intended and beautifully carried off. Almost as soon as it the story gets going it’s clearly influenced by Andy Weir’s Martian, Gary Rendell’s voice and situation is not dissimilar to Mark Watney’s although Gary does seem a little more erudite whilst also being more angry. But as the story progresses, with nods to The Wizard of OZ and even, maybe, Star Wars, Gary’s character goes in totally different directions to Mark’s with madness creeping in as he progresses through increasingly surreal misadventures.
And Tchaikovsky’s writing also excels; as Gary’s journey progresses and madness looms and his situation and character become ever darker so the style of prose also changes to match. And the final twist left me wondering how I had missed the hints that had appeared along the way. But little more can be said without severe spoilers!
Walking to Aldebaran is another one of those rare books that had me planning a re-read as soon as I finished. I need to read and fully appreciate it again now I know where it was all leading to. This is not like anything else I’ve read from Tchaikovsky and has increased my respect for an author I was already getting seriously keen on.
5/5 stars