Alien Life – The Unseen Library

Publisher: Podium Audio (Audiobook – 5 April 2024)

Series: Standalone/Book One

Length: 9 hours and 31 minutes

My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

The always entertaining and intense Jeremy Robinson returns with a compelling and dark science fiction adventure that takes the reader on one hell of a mushroom trip with Point Nemo.

Jeremy Robinson is an intriguing author who has been contributing some exiting and wild books to various genres for nearly 20 years. Best known for his over-the-top science fiction and horror thrillers, Robinson has written a ton of fantastic books over the years, including his Chess Team, Nemesis Saga and Antarktos Saga series, as well as an awesome collection of standalone novels. I am mostly familiar with the books in Robinson’s more recent Infinite Timeline connected universe, which feature a huge collection of compelling standalone novels that gradually came together as the series continued. I had a wonderful time with several entries from this universe, including Tribe, The Dark and Mind Bullet, the latter two of which were amongst my favourite books and audiobooks of 2021. I have been meaning to read a lot more of Robinson’s books, and I finally got the chance when I grabbed a copy of his latest audiobook, Point Nemo. Originally a screenplay by Robinson, the author morphed Point Nemo into a complex novel that I really got stuck into.

Alien life has been discovered, and it’s far closer to Earth than we ever realised. Mission Specialist Julie Rohr, an astrobiologist, has been sent to the International Space Station to study a strange, migratory space dust called xylem that has unusual properties that could benefit all of humanity. However, despite appearing benign, the xylem is both alive and extremely insidious, causing the International Space Station to fail and crash towards Earth, dragging Julie with it. The destination of the crash landing is Point Nemo.

Lying in the heart of the South Pacific, Point Nemo is the most remote and desolate place on the entire planet. Thanks to its strong and isolating currents, Point Nemo is essentially a dead zone, devoid of life or any form of land, which makes it the perfect place for the world governments to crash their satellites. However, that is no longer the case, as a mysterious island has begun growing in the middle of Point Nemo without anyone knowing. Worse, the island appears to be made up of xylem, and it has begun moving towards inhabited waters.

Determined to investigate this mysterious occurrence and rescue Julie and her research, the US government sends in a small team to find her. Among the team is Julie’s estranged father, renowned mycologist Dr Finn Maddern, who journeys from his isolation in the Amazon rainforest to save his daughter. However, that might prove to be harder than expected as the xylem-forged island is swiftly evolving, becoming ever more dangerous and giving birth to an array of strange and terrifying creatures. As the team begins to suffer tragic loses, it quickly becomes apparent that the island has hostile intentions for all of humanity, and if it escapes Point Nemo, it could destroy all life on the planet. Can Julie and her father find the secrets of the alien island before its too late, or will they end up food for the malicious life forms coming for all of humanity?

Jeremy Robinson produces another high intensity, clever, and exciting read that had me hooked the entire way through. Point Nemo was a very impressive science fiction thriller that make excellent use of the author’s intriguing story concept to create an intriguing and haunting story.

Point Nemo had an outstanding and epic narrative behind it that is heavy on the action, intriguing science fiction elements, and just a bit of body horror, which allows for an intense and fast-paced read. Starting off with a few explosive space station crashes, and never slowing down from there, Point Nemo grabbed my attention very early on, and I liked the unique scenarios that Robinson kept introducing to the plot. There is a fast but comprehensive introduction to the various key players to the story, including primary protagonist and point of view character, Dr Finn Maddern, a literal jungle-man scientist who joins to the team to save his daughter. The protagonists are soon dropped onto the mysterious island, where they quickly begin to understand the unique makeup of the island, and the unusual biological processes going on. I felt the first half of this book was very strong, and while it loses a little of its storytelling punch due to the need to introduce the scenario, it was still extremely gripping.

The second half of Point Nemo is where things really pick up, as Robinson begins to unleash the full horror of the island the protagonists find themselves trapped on. There are some gruesome deaths, insane action sequences, and some very dark moments, as the protagonists begin to understand the full horror of the quickly evolving alien island, and desperately try to find a way to either escape or stop the island from destroying the world. This leads up to a very desperate and compelling conclusion, as the protagonists risk everything to save the day, only to encounter tragedy and more and more deadly alien creatures. The various action sequences littering the second half of the Point Nemo were exceptional and I really liked the sheer tension that Robinson was able inject into the book at times, especially in the final, extended struggle. I cannot emphasise how captivating and exciting this second half of Point Nemo was, and I powered through it so damn quickly. Robinson ends everything on an interesting note that potentially hints at a sequel to come, and I look forward to seeing how he might expand on this fantastic narrative in the future.

Robinson has a very fun and distinctive style for his novels which he reuses again for Point Nemo. Told pretty much exclusively from the first-person perspective of his excellent and compelling protagonists Finn Maddern, the reader is quickly thrust into the action while also being treated to some very relatable insights from his protagonist. As is typical with a Robinson book, Point Nemo moves very fast and is very explosive at time, with the protagonists quickly falling in line with the adventure into the unusual scenario. This book did feel a little overly cinematic at times, probably because that this novel was originally a screenplay, but Robinson has done an outstanding job of fleshing out his original concept into a complete and complex book. Readers unfamiliar with Robinson’s style might not fully appreciate the more casual dialogue and character traits that he utilises, but I think it works extremely well, especially as there is a lot of fun humour and realistic reactions spread out here.

All the protagonists are very relatable and human in their portrayal, and I found myself getting attached to those that survived. Even those who die due to their own mistakes are quite easy to understand (to a degree, one character’s death was very frustrating), as they have very human traits of stubbornness and pride. Protagonist Finn Maddern was easily the standout of the book, and while his brilliance and humour are typical Robinson protagonist traits, you have to love his jungle scientist background, especially as it sets him up very nicely as a protagonist for this book without turning him into an impossible action hero. Finn’s central perspective for the vast majority of the story is very easy to follow, and Robinson builds him up as quite a complex figure with a powerful past thanks to his first-person narration. The author does switch up the perspective of Point Nemo at times, especially towards the end, and this proves to be quite an effective writing move at times, as it really shows how serious and game-changing events are getting. Point Nemo ended up being a very good standalone book from Robinson, which can be easily enjoyed by any reader looking for a highly thrilling read, although established fans of the author will no doubt appreciate the fun joke references to some of his other works.

I think one of the strongest elements of Point Nemo was the unique science fiction elements that Robinson came up with as the basis for his story. A mysterious alien spore that crashes satellites, enhances biology, creates a massive, connected living island in the ocean and evolves various crazy alien creatures is an outstanding concept that the author uses to full effect in their narrative. The author does an excellent job of breaking down the science behind these elements and presenting it to the reader in a compelling way. There are also some fun dives into mycology, especially as Earth fungi and mushrooms bear some interesting similarities to the alien spores and play a big role in the overall story. The unique island and its fantastic creatures prove to be an amazing part of the book, and I loved how crazy and over-the-top Robinson made them. The various dangers and creatures encountered by the protagonists are legitimately scary at times, and Robinson allows them to make his story particularly gruesome at times. This includes some dark body horror moments that will stick in my mind, and which allows for a particularly shocking narrative that will keep readers very engrossed. I honestly cannot talk up Robison’s science fiction elements enough, especially as this very inventive story basis allowed for a particularly exciting and captivating narrative.

There are several series and authors out there whose works I would always recommend that potential readers should check out on audiobook. Jeremy Robinson is one of these, as all the novels of his that I have enjoyed have been in their audiobook format, which were really damn awesome. This is once again true for Point Nemo, which proved to be an incredible listen. Coming in with a run time of nine and a half hours, the Point Nemo audiobook was a lot of fun, especially as it enhanced Robinson’s exciting adventure, while also showcasing the intense action in all its gory glory. It also helped that Point Nemo was narrated by the legendary R. C. Bray, who is one of my favourite audiobook narrators. Robinson and Bray have a great partnership going, with Bray narrating most of the author’s recent books. Bray has an incredible voice that works extremely well for thrillers and high excitement tales, and any audiobook read by him becomes instantly better. His tones work wonders in the first-person chapters of Point Nemo, and I loved the deep and likeable tones he assigns to the various characters. His narration for the main character, Finn Maddern, was particularly good, and Bray really captured the multiple elements of this complex character. I love how Bray was able to simultaneously bring out Finn’s humour, passion and intensity with his voice work, and you really get drawn into his personal journey as a result. Due to this voice work, as well as how the story was enhanced by being read out, I would strongly recommend the audiobook format as the best way to enjoy Point Nemo.

Jeremy Robinson continues to show why he is one of the best and most insanely inventive authors of the science fiction thriller. Point Nemo is an exciting, addictive, and slightly insane read that had me hooked all the way through, especially as Robinson brought out some amazing and impressive science fiction elements to really enhance his action-packed story. I had such a great time with Point Nemo, especially with its audiobook format with narrator R. C. Bray, who helped to turn this into a five-star read. I cannot recommend Point Nemo enough, and I look forward to more books from Robison in the future, especially if the audiobooks are as epic as this one was.

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Alien Clay Cover

Publisher: Tor (Audiobook – 28 March 2024)

Series: Standalone

Length: 13 hours and 55 minutes

My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

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Adrian Tchaikovsky continues to dominate the science fiction genre with his intriguing new novel, Alien Clay, an awesome read that blends high-concept science with a fantastic and insightful look at human nature.

Chronic overachiever Adrian Tchaikovsky is an author who is swiftly becoming one of my favourite science fiction and fantasy writers. A master of complex and highly inventive fiction, Tchaikovsky has deeply impressed me in recent years with some of his outstanding works, including Day of Ascension (one of my favourite Warhammer 40,000 novels), the novella Ogres, City of Last Chances (one of my favourite audiobooks of 2023) and House of Open Wounds (one of my favourite books of 2023). Due to how awesome these recent books have been, I have been keeping a close eye on Tchaikovsky’s upcoming releases, and I was pleasantly surprised to find out that he had four books coming out in 2024, including three science fiction reads and a cool fantasy release. The first out this year is the fantastic novel, Alien Clay, which saw a group of convicts deal with unnatural issues inside and outside their prison complex on a hostile alien world.

Plot Synopsis:

They travelled into the unknown and left themselves behind . . .

On the distant world of Kiln lie the ruins of an alien civilization. It’s the greatest discovery in humanity’s spacefaring history – yet who were its builders and where did they go?

Professor Arton Daghdev had always wanted to study alien life up close. Then his wishes become a reality in the worst way. His political activism sees him exiled from Earth to Kiln’s extrasolar labour camp. There, he’s condemned to work under an alien sky until he dies.

Kiln boasts a ravenous, chaotic ecosystem like nothing seen on Earth. The monstrous alien life interacts in surprising, sometimes shocking ways with the human body, so Arton will risk death on a daily basis. However, the camp’s oppressive regime might just kill him first. If Arton can somehow escape both fates, the world of Kiln holds a wondrous, terrible secret. It will redefine life and intelligence as he knows it, and might just set him free . . .

Alien Clay was another awesome and complex read from Tchaikovsky that combined his trademark love of high-concept science fiction, with cynical examinations of human nature and society. Set in a dark future where a tyrannical government places intense doctrinal limitations on scientific study, Alien Clay is told from the perspective of Professor Arton Daghdev, an ecologist who has been exiled to the Kiln labour camp in dramatic fashion due to his radical scientific and political thoughts. Initially employed as a lab assistant researching the highly unusual biology and apparent extinct intelligent life on Kiln, Arton walks the thin line between rebel and survivor. However, his actions soon lead to him to be forced to explore the planet’s surface, and the changes wrought by the alien biology outside will have a profound effect on everyone left on Kiln.

This proved to be another excellent standalone novel from Tchaikovsky, and you must appreciate his ability to craft another unique setting and set up a compelling narrative within it. The alien planet the narrative is set around is loaded with unusual biological life that bonds with both itself and the human invaders in a very memorable manner, and I loved how weird things got at times. Tchaikovsky blends the story of the protagonist attempting to survive on the planet, with an intriguing focus around political ideology, revolution, and scientific freedom of the future human society. As such, Alien Clay turns into a mixture of science fiction adventure and a political dystopian thriller, as the protagonist is forced to navigate both to survive. These elements are explored in immense detail by the author, and I loved how effortlessly he brings the unique future to life while also layering in some subtle critiques and observations about our own current society and where it is possibly going.

Tchaikovsky did a great job of showcasing all the unique features of Alien Clay through the eyes and mind of his protagonist, who is the position to understand all the science, politics, and social elements of the setting. Loaded with a tragic and complex backstory, Arton proves to be a compelling and relatable protagonist to follow. Forced to overcome the enforced conflicts of his society, the shock at being trapped on an alien world, his stymied scientific curiosity, and so many more setbacks, Arton attempts to find solace in the groundbreaking biology of Kiln. However, when his plans for Kiln go out the window, thanks to the fantastically villainous warden of the prison camp, Arton and a group of other entertaining and compelling prisoners find out just how alive Kiln can be. Tchaikovsky does an excellent job of combining various story elements, including the adventures on Kiln, Arton’s personal rebellious history, and all manner of scientific weirdness, into a single cohesive narrative, and the resulting explosive plot goes in some very interesting directions. The author keeps the tension and intrigue up for as long as he can, including through cleverly skipping a key part of the story and only featuring it later through flashbacks. The ending of the book is very Tchaikovsky and makes excellent use of his scientific and social observations and messaging.

I ended up listening to the audiobook version of Alien Clay, which proved to be a very enjoyable and interesting experience. The audiobook, which had a run time of just under 14 hours, did a great job of telling Tchaikovsky’s complex story, and I appreciated how the story was presented in this format. The unique and intriguing ideas from Tchaikovsky, both scientific and political in nature, really come across more effectively in this format, and I felt that I understood the many nuanced themes and messages that Tchaikovsky was trying to impart with his story a little better. I also really enjoyed the narration featured in the Alien Clay as narrator Ben Allen proved to be an excellent addition to the production. Allen did an amazing job capturing the complex figures with Alien Clay, and his compelling tones really helped to convey all the weird science and alien creatures that the protagonist encountered, as well as the intense personal issues surrounding the protagonist and his companions. I honestly really enjoyed the Alien Clay audiobook, and I felt that this was a really great way to enjoy this compelling story. There is also a fun interview between Allen and Tchaikovsky at the end, that will definitely appeal to fans of the author.

Overall, Alien Clay was a clever and unique science fiction novel that I had a fantastic time listening to. Blending Adrian Tchaikovsky’s brilliant imagination and ability to tell a compelling and complex story, Alien Clay had me hooked the entire way through, and I loved how inventive and scientifically crazy the story got at times. I am hoping to get to Tchaikovsky’s second novel of the year, Service Model, soon, and I have no doubt it is also going to be an outstanding read.

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