An Evening with Adrian Tchaikovsky and Lauren Beukes

Alien Clay by Adrian Tchaikovsky:

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.

Bridge by Lauren Beukes:

Bridge’s maverick scientist mother Jo is dead. Now she’s examining everything Jo left behind. Which is when she finds her big secret. Is it a drug? A gateway to other worlds? Jo believed so.

Bridge is desperate to see her mother again. Will do anything, risk anything. Including search for her in those other realities. What she doesn’t know is that others are after Jo’s secret. And some believe anyone it touches must be destroyed.

Bridge? She just wants to find her mom.