Shroud

Shroud is a science fiction novel by Adrian Tchaikovsky about survival and first contact on a truly alien world. Shroud is a pitch-black moon with crushing gravity, and the corporation that employs the crew of the Garveneer is interested in it only for what it might be worth. When an accident sends scientist Juna Ceelander and engineer Mai Ste Etienne down to the surface in a small escape pod, the pair are cut off from their ship and must find a way across the moon's hostile terrain. In total darkness they slowly begin to understand the strange life that dominates Shroud, even as it tries to make sense of them. The novel explores communication, perception and what it means to meet a mind unlike any human one. It was a 2026 Hugo Award finalist for Best Novel.