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Shroud

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Shroud

By: Adrian Tchaikovsky
Narrated by: Sophie Aldred
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About this listen

They looked into darkness. The darkness looked back . . .

An utterly gripping story of survival on a hostile planet from Adrian Tchaikovsky, author of the Arthur C. Clarke Award-winning Children of Time.

A commercial expedition to a distant star system discovers a pitch-black moon alive with radio activity. Its high-gravity, high-pressure, zero-oxygen environment is deadly to human life, but ripe for exploitation. They named it Shroud.

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.

But as they travel, Juna and Mai begin to understand Shroud’s unnerving alien species. It also begins to understand them. If they escape Shroud, they’ll somehow have to explain the impossible and translate the incredible. That is, if they make it back at all . . .

©2024 Adrian Tchaikovsky (P)2024 Macmillan Australia Audio First Contact Hard Science Fiction Science Fiction Space Exploration Survival Heartfelt

Critic Reviews

‘The smartest evolutionary worldbuilding you’ll ever read’ – Peter F. Hamilton, author of Salvation on Children of Time

‘Compelling on human and cosmic levels, and unputdownable’ – Stephen Baxter, author of Proxima on Alien Clay

‘Heart-in-the-mouth fantastic’ – New Scientist on Alien Clay
All stars
Most relevant  
I am in awesome of Adrian Tchaikovsky's ability to construct complete new worlds and systems of life, then integrate them with what it means to be human.

Just ... Wow!

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Excellent ideas, narration and plot. Won’t disappoint. Thoughtful and entertaining as usual. The narrator again is perfect. Great SciFi

The best around

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Fantastic story that was incredibly well narrated. Tchaikovsky's dark world of shroud could not be more compelling.

A lightless world filled with the light of life

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At first I thought this story wasn’t as good as other works by Tchaikovsky, but as the story progressed I became more and more impressed with the originality of its premise and development. The reading was excellent.

Impressive feat of imagination

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Fabulous book, detailed with heaps of sci-fi as well as human behaviour (and alien behaviour!)

Completely engrossing

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Adrian has done it again, producing an instant favourite story of mine. A deep narrative with very deep plot points that makes it all come together in the end and leaves you feeling tingly from it all.
This book leaves you feeling satisfied and happy, the journey was worth it without any cliche twists, it gives you an ending that feels right.

The voice acting is marvellous, certainly doing Adrian’s work justice, multiple characters with their own personality were really captured in this audiobook.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves thoughtful world building, xeno biology and a impactful narrative. No gung-ho action, but thoughtful storytelling, deep and engaging atmosphere and especially perspectives for alien and human.

World building and atmosphere

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A bit of a battle to get through the slow middle section but ended satisfied

Great world and character building but slow

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The best he's written so far. really good ending with limitless possibilities for book 2

great

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Interesting sc-fi story rooted in theoretical xeno-biology. Solid ending compared to the author's other works.

Otherworldly themes.

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Really liked how you see the world from the human point of view, then follow that chapter from how the alien sees it!

Awesome perspective

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