Dark Agent

Neal Asher's second suspenseful space opera returns to the Polity universe, and this time, the stakes are even higher.

". . . Balls-to-the-walls levels of exuberance and inventiveness . . ."

—Locus Magazine on Dark Diamond

FORGE A NEW FUTURE. OR BE CONSUMED BY THE PAST.

Captain Blite and Agent Cormac thought they had defeated the malevolent AI Straeger. But Straeger’s mission to plunge the galaxy into a devastating war is far from over. With a twisted p-Prador army bred from the Spatterjay virus, Straeger sets his plans in motion.

Meanwhile, in the war-struck world of Yossander’s Hold, Blite and Cormac are trapped in a maelstrom of betrayal and violence. They must fight their way through the chaos as they seek to repair Blite’s damaged ship. But their escape requires resources from the Bracken, and aboard that ship, a terrifying transformation is underway . . .

Recognizing the threat posed by the p-Prador, the Prador Kingdom and the human Polity’s ruling AI form an uneasy alliance. But with Straeger’s plans unfolding and reality itself under threat, the galaxy is poised on the brink of destruction. Can Blite and Cormac survive the escalating war and the collapse of time itself?

Published:
Publisher: Pan Macmillan
Editors:
Claire Baldwin

Cover Artists:
Steve Stone

Genres:
Science Fiction

Tags:
Polity

American cover.

 

Dark Diamond

Doomed to die. And die again.

Dark Diamond is the first in a high-octane space opera trilogy, Time’s Shadow. From Neal Asher, creator of the Polity universe.

‘Infinitely entertaining’ – Locus Magazine

Somebody is trying to kill Captain Blite, but each attempt ends in unexpected failure. All Blite knows is that a black diamond – left to him by the dark AI Penny Royal – is the cause of his unlikely survival.

Each failed attempt on Blite’s life generates temporal anomalies, drawing the scrutiny of the ruthless Mobius AI Straeger, who craves the power and possibilities the diamond holds. But they also draw the attention of the legendary Polity agent Ian Cormac, whose skills and destructive reputation may make him Blite’s only hope. Caught in the crossfire of galactic forces, Blite must uncover the true nature of the dark diamond before it causes his destruction . . .

Praise for Neal Asher

‘Neal Asher’s books are like an adrenaline shot targeted directly for the brain’ – John Scalzi, author of Old Man’s War

‘Non-stop action and unimaginable stakes’ – Yoon Ha Lee on The Soldier

‘Imaginative, energetic and insane’ – SFX on Brass Man

Published:
Publisher: Tor
Editors:
Claire Baldwin

Cover Artists:
Neil Lang, Steve Stone

Genres:
Science Fiction

Tags:
Polity

American cover.

World Walkers

Can they flee a dying Earth? As the totalitarian Inspectorate tightens its grip, one man discovers the power to slip through the gaps and traverse alternate universes. World Walkers by Neal Asher is an exhilarating standalone novel set within the Owner Trilogy.

Ottanger always believed his mutation to be chance or perhaps the actions of fate. Or even the result of pollution on a hellish overpopulated Earth, ruled by a totalitarian Committee and its ruthless Inspectorate. But, when Ottanger is captured, tortured and made the subject of a strange experiment by the Inspectorate, he discovers otherwise - his mutation allows him to walk between alternate worlds.

When Ottanger is thrown from his timeline from the far future, he meets the Fenris – humanity’s future form. Ottanger is a survivor of the Fenris’ altruistic experiment to create world walkers, their goal to help humanity escape their decaying version of Earth. But there are too few of Ottanger’s fellow world walkers to make a difference. And the multiverse has revealed an even greater threat than the Committee and its harsh regime.

There’s a form of humanity that functions as one mind and it is anathema to the Fenris. Now the trillion-strong hive has noticed the Fenris’ experiments with world walkers. It wants this technology. And it won’t rest until it has it – even if this means a war across the multiverse . . .

Praise for Neal Asher

'Neal Asher's books are like an adrenaline shot targeted directly for the brain' – John Scalzi

'Without a doubt the most entertaining science fiction author writing today' – SFF World

Published:
Publisher: Pan Macmillan

Jenny Trapdoor

During the prador-human war the Dark Intelligence, the AI Penny Royal, fractured and went rogue. The manipulations insane and incredibly dangerous intelligence were grotesque. It granted wishes that were deals with the devil, and transformed its victims into chimeras of the technological and the organic. Hunted throughout the war and beyond, it finally found redemption and apotheosis, as it moved itself beyond time.

Though Jenny is terrified of the trapdoor spider that has taken up residence in her ship, the arrival of the war in her home system soon dismisses it from her mind. But the spider returns in a way she could never have conceived. . .

Published:
Cover Artists:
Vincent Sammy

Genres:
Fiction, Science Fiction

Tags:
Polity

Fantastical

I’m known for science fiction and that work ends up as a book or in some story collection. But as over the years I scrabbled around to find my opening I also wrote fantasy and other stuff that doesn’t comfortably take a label. These stories have been mouldering on my hard drive for years and I thought it time to scrub them up and put them out there. It concerned me that some might be a bit duff. Publish them anyway, cried the readers, either out of genuine interest or eager to see me fall flat on my face. Some stories were duff, but I have rewritten them into functionality, I think – there are a few here about which I have my doubts. The one about a twenty-something wannabe artist running away with elves still makes me cringe. I also said I would write waffly introduction to each. Do more waffle, the readers cried, so I did.

Enjoy. . .

Neal Asher 20/04/23

Published:
Cover Artists:
Vincent Sammy

Genres:
Fiction, Science Fiction

Lockdown Tales II

A collection of nine novelettes and stories from best-selling SF author Neal Asher (150,000 words of fiction between them), all written during lockdown and including four that are original to this volume. Some of these thrilling and inventive narratives are set during the latter days of Neal's Polity universe, while others explore what comes next.
Contents:
Lockdown Tales II: An Introduction
Xenovore
An Alien on Crete
The Translator
Skin
Eels
The Host
Antique Battlefields
Moral Biology
Longevity Averaging
Available as an A5 paperback, a special numbered limited edition hardback, signed by the author, and in digital format.
Published:
Publisher: Newcon Press
Editors:
Ian Whates

Cover Artists:
Vincent Sammy

Genres:
Fiction, Science Fiction

Tags:
Polity

War Bodies

Rebellion could be their salvation – or their doom.

Long ago, the Cyberat left Earth to co-evolve with machines. Now, led by the powerful dictator Castron, their Old Guard believe that machines should replace the physical body. But these beliefs are upended with the arrival of the human Polity – and their presence ignites rebellion.

Piper was raised as a weapon against the Cyberat, implanted with secretive hardware. When his parents are captured by the Old Guard, the Polity offer him unexpected aid. Piper knows the Polity want more from him, but at what cost? The rebellion also attracts the deadly prador, placing an entire world in peril.

As war rages across the planet, Piper must battle with the unknown technology implanted in his bones. It may be the Polity’s answer to their relentless fight against the prador. It could also be civilization-ending Jain tech – or something far more extraordinary.

War Bodies by Neal Asher is a gripping, high-octane standalone set in his expansive Polity world.

Published:
Publisher: Tor
Editors:
Claire Baldwin

Cover Artists:
Steve Stone

Genres:
Fiction, Science Fiction

Tags:
Polity

Weaponized

Weaponized is a thrilling far-future adventure by acclaimed science fiction author Neal Asher.

A bright new future for humanity – or a dark and inescapable past.

Ursula has lived twice the normal human lifespan, courtesy of the latest technology. But now she’s struggling to find excitement and purpose, so signs up to the Polity’s military. She excels in weapons development, and progresses rapidly up the ranks. But after botching a powerful new ammunition test, she’s dismissed from service.

Hunting for a simpler, more meaningful existence, the ex-soldier heads for the stars. And after founding a colony on the hostile planet of Threpsis, Ursula finally feels alive. Then deadly raptors attack and the colonists are forced to adapt in unprecedented ways. The raptors also raise a deeply troubling question: how could the Polity miss these apex predators? And alien ruins? Meanwhile, biophysicist Oren has formed his own survival plan – one he’ll pursue at any cost.

As a desperate battle erupts to consume the planet, Ursula finds she must dig deep into her past to ensure humanity’s future.

Published:
Publisher: Tor
Editors:
Claire Baldwin

Cover Artists:
Steve Stone

Genres:
Science Fiction

Tags:
Polity

Weaponized is a thrilling far-future adventure by acclaimed science fiction author Neal Asher.

A bright new future for humanity – or a dark and inescapable past.

Ursula has lived twice the normal human lifespan, courtesy of the latest technology. But now she’s struggling to find excitement and purpose, so signs up to the Polity’s military. She excels in weapons development, and progresses rapidly up the ranks. But after botching a powerful new ammunition test, she’s dismissed from service.

Hunting for a simpler, more meaningful existence, the ex-soldier heads for the stars. And after founding a colony on the hostile planet of Threpsis, Ursula finally feels alive. Then deadly raptors attack and the colonists are forced to adapt in unprecedented ways. The raptors also raise a deeply troubling question: how could the Polity miss these apex predators? And alien ruins? Meanwhile, biophysicist Oren has formed his own survival plan – one he’ll pursue at any cost.

As a desperate battle erupts to consume the planet, Ursula finds she must dig deep into her past to ensure humanity’s future.

Jack Four

This high-octane adventure is set in the same world as Neal Asher's acclaimed Polity universe. It's a thrilling, fast-paced standalone novel, perfect for fans of Alastair Reynolds and Stephen Baxter.

Created to die – determined to live . . .

Jack Four – one of twenty human clones – has been created to be sold. His purchasers are the alien prador and they only want him for their experimentation program. But there is something different about Jack. No clone should possess the knowledge that’s been loaded into his mind. And no normal citizen of humanity’s Polity worlds would have this information.

The prador’s king has been mutated by the Spatterjay virus into a creature even more monstrous than the prador themselves. And his children, the King’s Guard, have undergone similar changes. They were infected by the virus during the last humans-versus-prador war, now lapsed into an uneasy truce. But the prador are always looking for new weapons – and their experimentation program might give them the edge they seek.

Suzeal trades human slaves out of the Stratogaster Space Station, re-engineering them to serve the prador. She thinks the rewards are worth the risks, but all that is about to change. The Station was once a zoo, containing monsters from across known space. All the monsters now dwell on the planet below, but they aren’t as contained as they seem. And a vengeful clone may be the worst danger of all.

‘Neal Asher’s books are like an adrenaline shot targeted directly for the brain’
John Scalzi, author of the Old Man’s War series

'Magnificently awesome. Then Asher turns it up to eleven'
Peter F. Hamilton, author of Salvation and others, on Asher's The Soldier

 

Neal Asher’s books are like an adrenaline shot targeted directly for the brain

John Scalzi

Magnificently awesome. Then Asher turns it up to eleven

Peter F. Hamilton on The Soldier

A richly imagined, exotic world, non-stop action and unimaginable stakes

Yoon Ha Lee on The Soldier

Published:
Publisher: Pan Macmillan
Genres:
Science Fiction

Tags:
Polity

Lockdown Tales

Best-selling author Neal Asher was far from idle during the isolation of lockdown; he kept himself occupied in the best way possible: he wrote. And his imagination was clearly in overdrive. Five brand new novellas and novelettes and one novella reworked and expanded from a story first published in 2019. Together, they form Lockdown Tales, exploring the latter days of the Polity universe and beyond. What lies in wait for humanity after the Polity has gone?
Six stories, 150,000 words of fiction that crackle with energy, invention and excitement. Within their pages you will encounter prador, hoopers, sassy A.I.s,  resurrected Golem, a mutated giant whelk that can ravage an island, hooders, megalomaniacs, war drones, Penny Royal, an intriguing sfnal take on High Planes Drifter and another with echoes of Robinson Crusoe... In fact, everything you might expect from concentrated Neal Asher and more.
Lockdown Tales: An introduction
The Relict
Monitor Logan
Bad Boy
Plenty
Dr. Whip
Raising Moloch
Available as an A5 paperback and a numbered limited edition hardback signed by the author.
Published:
Genres:
Science Fiction

Tags:
Polity