# Shroud by Adrian Tchaikovsky

11 Hacker News commenters recommended Shroud by Adrian Tchaikovsky and 1 criticized it, November 2025 to November 2026. It was recommended in 5 of 13 months. It meets the Hacker Approved badge rule.

**Verdict:** People praise it for a convincing, truly alien intelligence and vivid ideas, and call it an easy recommendation. Some find the ending unsatisfying and the characters thin.

## Why people recommend it

- Convincing, truly alien intelligence (3 comments): "It is a similar theme with modern writing and convincing aliens as is pretty much expected by now from Tchaikovsky." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47316001)) "I think he did a very capable job of crystallizing the concept of an alien intelligence" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46672177)) "Tchaikovsky does very alien ("real" aliens, not "uplifts") very well." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46671817))
- Strong, easy recommendation (2 comments): "Shroud is great, easy recommendation." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47316589)) "Tchaikovsky's excellent "Shroud" novel" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46670919))
- Enjoyable standalone novel (2 comments): "Shroud is the only standalone I read from him, I enjoyed it" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47297828)) "it's a great book in general, but the bit about our use of a volatile gas for a living environment is pretty neat" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47619271))

## What people warn about

- Ending feels ungratifying (1 comments): "I liked shroud a lot, but the ending felt very ungratifying." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47316128))
- Few people or characters (1 comments): "Tchaikovsky's ideas are striking and well thought-out, but I did not encounter any people in his books" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47333437))

## Alternatives hackers recommend

- [Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir](https://hackerapproved.com/p/project-hail-mary.md): 117 recommend
- [There Is No Antimemetics Division by qntm](https://hackerapproved.com/p/there-is-no-antimemetics-division.md): 98 recommend
- [Blindsight by Peter Watts](https://hackerapproved.com/p/blindsight.md): 96 recommend
- [Dune by Frank Herbert](https://hackerapproved.com/p/dune.md): 82 recommend
- [Accelerando by Charles Stross](https://hackerapproved.com/p/accelerando.md): 71 recommend

## Where to get it

- [See price on Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/dp/0316579025?tag=hackerapprove-20) (affiliate link)
- [Bookshop.org](https://bookshop.org/a/130825/9780316579025) (affiliate link)

## Cite as

Hacker Approved, "Shroud by Adrian Tchaikovsky", https://hackerapproved.com/p/shroud/ (counts from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026).