Originally posted to I Should Read That

I received a digital copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This review is spoiler-free.

I absolutely love Adrian Tchaikovsky’s Children of Time and was curious to see what his other science fiction books were like while I awaited the release of Children of Ruin. Walking to Aldebaran is the perfect way to sample his writing style -- clocking in at right around 140 pages, it’s a short but effective story of an astronaut lost in space. This novella will please his long-time fans and new readers alike.

This story is both incredibly dark and incredibly funny, and it showcases what an amazing writer Tchaikovsky is. Although it took me a little while to get fully into the story, I found myself totally gripped by Rendell's story. Rendell reminds me a little bit of Mark Watney from The Martian -- he uses humor to get through his ordeal and has such a strong and unique voice. However, unlike Watney, Rendell is losing his grip on his sanity has he wanders the cold, dark, physics-defying Crypts -- and he'll be the first to admit it to you. I really loved, if that’s the right word, piecing his story together via flashbacks and the bits of his current situation that he chooses to reveal. As you uncover more and more of Rendell's tale, your understanding and horror grow. The fact that Tchaikovsky pulls such a compelling and complex tale together in 140 pages is pretty incredible.

That's all I'm going to say -- again, this is quite a short book! If you’re looking for a short sci-fi read or want to sample Tchaikovsky’s writing before committing to one of his many (many) books or series, Walking to Aldebaran is a great place to start.