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Space

Would we recognise alien intelligence, asks Adrian Tchaikovsky novel

In Shroud, Adrian Tchaikovsky's intriguing new novel, two women marooned on a strange moon encounter alien life – and struggle to recognise intelligence in other beings, finds Emily H. Wilson

By Emily Wilson

5 February 2025

Spacecraft over the mountainous terrain of the planet.; Shutterstock ID 85321648; purchase_order: -; job: -; client: -; other: -

What might be lurking on the surface of the unusual moon Shroud?

Shutterstock/Iurii


Adrian Tchaikovsky (Tor)

The latest novel by Adrian Tchaikovsky, Shroud, examines the question of whether, faced with an alien intelligence, we would actually perceive it as intelligent. That and whether the aliens would recognise us as anything above pond life.

The setting is the far future and a foray by a commercial vessel into a new star system. The ship’s culture is cruel, petty and highly corporate – that is, entirely recognisable to humans alive today. The crew are unfrozen, used as needed, then summarily refrozen.…

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