Tag: Books

Geekplanet Review

Posted on by Neal Asher

Nice review here at Geekplanet of Shadow of the Scorpion…

Beginning with Gridlinked, and continuing most recently with Line War, Neal Asher’s stories of Agent Ian Cormac have garnered some good reviews. Despite this, and despite my weakness for space opera, they’ve nevertheless remained under my radar. Shadow of the Scorpion is a prequel, outlining the origin story of the series’ protagonist. This being my first foray into the world of the Polity, I can’t tell you how it compares to the other books, but from the perspective of a new reader I can assure you I’m hooked.

Gabbleduck – Robert McGregor

Posted on by Neal Asher

Here’s another one:


Please accept this as a submission for your drawing contest. My father and I are great fans of your books and between us we own just about all of them with the exception of The Gabble, Orbus and Shadow of the Scorpion. I have a hunch that your depiction of AI will influence some young reader, somewhere, to actually set about making such things possible some day! Hurray!

Consider yourself held responsible for our collective fates.

HA HA HA………(only partially joking…….)

KEEP WRITING!

Mr Crane – Carlos Mendez

Posted on by Neal Asher

Here’s another one from Carlos Mendez. Comments please! Incidentally, I’ll put the picture title and artist’s name in the titles of these posts from now on.

Artist’s Comments
This is another piece inspired on Neal Asher’s books. It’s a mad Golem Android called Mr. Crane…

The words “Golem Android” evoke to me something technologically very advanced (an android with an AI) but at the same time something classic-old fashioned (something with a medieval air…a Golem…). That’s why I tried to give it a “mechanic look”…with those clockwork-like wheels and all…

I have to admit it…Jack Kirby was one of my greatest influences…and Jim Steranko (who was clearly inspired by Kirby…) and Mike Mignola (who is also influenced by Kirby) …and Paul Gulacy (who was very influenced by Steranko…ok, ok, ….Steranko was influenced by…Kirby…!)

The Polity Books

Posted on by Neal Asher

v:* { BEHAVIOR: url(#default#VML) } o:* { BEHAVIOR: url(#default#VML) } w:* { BEHAVIOR: url(#default#VML) } .shape { BEHAVIOR: url(#default#VML) } @font-face{ font-display:swap; font-family: Cambria Math; } @font-face{ font-display:swap; font-family: Calibri; } @font-face{ font-display:swap; font-family: Tahoma; } @page Section1 {size: 612.0pt 792.0pt; margin: 72.0pt 72.0pt 72.0pt 72.0pt; } P.MsoNormal { FONT-SIZE: 11pt; MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; FONT-FAMILY: “Calibri”,”sans-serif” } LI.MsoNormal { FONT-SIZE: 11pt; MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; FONT-FAMILY: “Calibri”,”sans-serif” } DIV.MsoNormal { FONT-SIZE: 11pt; MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; FONT-FAMILY: “Calibri”,”sans-serif” } A:link { COLOR: blue; TEXT-DECORATION: underline; mso-style-priority: 99 } SPAN.MsoHyperlink { COLOR: blue; TEXT-DECORATION: underline; mso-style-priority: 99 } A:visited { COLOR: purple; TEXT-DECORATION: underline; mso-style-priority: 99 } SPAN.MsoHyperlinkFollowed { COLOR: purple; TEXT-DECORATION: underline; mso-style-priority: 99 } P.MsoAcetate { FONT-SIZE: 8pt; MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; FONT-FAMILY: “Tahoma”,”sans-serif”; mso-style-priority: 99; mso-style-link: “Balloon Text Char” } LI.MsoAcetate { FONT-SIZE: 8pt; MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; FONT-FAMILY: “Tahoma”,”sans-serif”; mso-style-priority: 99; mso-style-link: “Balloon Text Char” } DIV.MsoAcetate { FONT-SIZE: 8pt; MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; FONT-FAMILY: “Tahoma”,”sans-serif”; mso-style-priority: 99; mso-style-link: “Balloon Text Char” } SPAN.EmailStyle17 { COLOR: windowtext; FONT-FAMILY: “Calibri”,”sans-serif”; mso-style-type: personal-compose } SPAN.BalloonTextChar { FONT-FAMILY: “Tahoma”,”sans-serif”; mso-style-priority: 99; mso-style-link: “Balloon Text”; mso-style-name: “Balloon Text Char” } .MsoChpDefault { mso-style-type: export-only } DIV.Section1 { page: Section1 } I just got an email from someone who was reading Hilldiggers and wanted to know which books precede it. I often get asked about which book fits where so here, so I can copy a link rather than type out the list each time, is the chronology and order of the books in each series:

Prador Moon

The Shadow of the Scorpion (young Cormac)

The Cormac Series:
1) Gridlinked
2) The Line of Polity
3) Brass Man
4) Polity Agent
5) Line War

The Spatterjay Series:
1) The Skinner
2) The Voyage of the Sable Keech
3) Orbus

Hilldiggers

The Gabble — a collection of short stories set throughout the above chronology.

And here’s where they all fit in the dateline:

2050 – 2250 Expansion into the solar system. Corporate wars and many generation ships, or early U-space drive ships sent on their way. Also the AI takeover of human affairs, in the ‘Quiet War’. Colony ship to Cull in this time.2130 – Hoop and crew arrive on Spatterjay (mutiny – stolen ship)
2150 – Establishing of Golem series and Cybercorp.
2151 – Algin Tenkian born on Mars.
2190 – Skaidon interfaces with AI and invents the technology leading to the runcible and more efficient U-space engines. Humanity expands into the galaxy.
2260 – First runcible goes online.
2260 – 2350 Massive human expansion into the galaxy.
2348 – Beginning of the Prador Third Kingdom
2339 – Ian Cormac born
2310 – Prador Moon
2310 – 2350 Prador/Human war (Prador Moon)
2350 – Polity police action on Spatterjay.
2356 – Keech is killed hunting Alphed Rimsc
2407 – Disappearance of Dragon from Aster Colora.
2432 – Destruction of the Samarkand runcible.
2434 – Arrival of Hubris at Samarkand (Gridlinked)
2437 – Destruction of Outlink station Miranda (The Line of Polity)
2441 – Pursuit of Skellor (Brass Man)
2443 – Tracing the cource of Jain nodes (Polity Agent)
2444 – Attack of melded entity Erebus (Line War)
2450 – Gosk Balem (Ambel) thrown into the sea – 100 years after war.
2500 – David McGrooger born
2550 – Keech finds Corbel Frane on Viridian – 500 years before
2803 – Polity arrives at Spatterjay to establish runcible base
2853 – Frisk hands herself in (apparently). – 200 years before
2878 – Bloc murdered by Aesop and Bones
3056 – Keech Janer and Erlin arrive on Spatterjay (The Skinner)
3078 – Taylor Bloc’s ship launches (The Voyage of the Sable Keech)
3079 – Orbus sets out (Orbus)
3230 – McCrooger arrives at Bromal and Sudoria (Hilldiggers)

Hope this helps!

BFPO 2006

Posted on by Neal Asher

Here’s the last few post transferred over from my website.

7th February 2006 Just back from a few days in Berlin. The incredibly low temperatures there were an experience not to be missed in themselves (check out one picture in the gallery). Neither of us have seen a river frozen over, for real, for longer than we can remember. We also took a look at the Reichstag, the Brandenberg Gate, Checkpoint Charlie and the museum there. We rode around on the trams, U-bahn, S-bahn all of which were cheaper, more efficient and cleaner than anything found in Britain. Another impressive aspect of Berlin, which I hope applies to all of Germany, was how polite and helpful people were. We only had to stop for a few minutes to study a map before someone approached us to ask if they could be of any help — something you don’t see happening in London. Hannes Riffel, an SF bookshop owner there was a very nice guy to meet, too. He is obviously enthusiastic and knowledgeable about his trade and all things science fiction & fantasy, and keeps an excellent selection on his shelves. Go there, buy there!
19th February 2006
Well, The Voyage of the Sable Keech was launched on the 16th and of course far too much beer was consumed. Thanks to Macmillan for the hospitality. Also my thanks to the guys at the Forbidden Planet Bookshop in London for having me along for a signing session, which seemed to go very well. Now here’s you chance to win some copies of said book, and others, and to play the Sable Keech game! http://www.panmacmillan.com/sablekeech/
1st October 2006 All within two weeks and a nice start to the new year: My short story Mason’s Rats has been taken by David G Hartwell & Kathryne Cramer for their Year’s Best SF 11, and I’ve since been contacted by Gardner Dozois who wants another story published in Asimov’s — Softly Spoke the Gabbleduck — for his ‘Year’s Best’ anthology. And now I discover I’ve made it to the shortlist of the Philip K Dick Award.

New Space Opera 2.

Posted on by Neal Asher

With publication time coming soonish, and with the information already out, here’s the final table of contents for The New Space Opera 2.

1. “Utriusque Cosmi”, Robert Charles Wilson
2. “The Island”, Peter Watts
3. “Events Preceding the Helvetican Renaissance”, John Kessel
4. “To Go Boldly”, Cory Doctorow
5. “The Lost Princess Man”, John Barnes
6. “Defect”, Kristine Kathryn Rusch
7. “To Raise A Mutiny Betwixt Yourselves”, Jay Lake
8. “Shell Game”, Neal Asher
9. “Punctuality”, Garth Nix
10. “Inevitable”, Sean Williams
11. “Join The Navy and See the Worlds”, Bruce Sterling
12. “Fearless Space Pirates of the Outer Rings”, Bill Willingham
13. “From the Heart”, John Meaney
14. “Chameleons”, Elizabeth Moon
15. “The Tenth Muse”, Tad Williams
16. “Cracklegrackle”, Justina Robson
17. “The Tale of the Wicked”, John Scalzi
18. “Catastrophe Baker and a Canticle for Leibowitz”, Mike Resnick
19. “The Far End of History”, John C. Wright

The book is due out from HarperEos in the United States and HarperCollins Publishers in Australia this coming July.

Night Session — Ken Macleod.

Posted on by Neal Asher

I think the last Ken Macleod book I read was either Star Fraction or The Cassini Division and Night Sessions definitely won’t be my last. It only took a few pages before I felt something loosening up in my chest because the pages were speeding past and I knew I was in safe hands. This was a thoroughly engaging tale, despite the ‘oops’ moments.

Though this book is great science fiction, it is also a demonstration of how there ain’t nothing that dates so quickly as science fiction. Here we have, as an essential plot driver, medical technology based wholly on embryonic stem cells – a route already being abandoned for adult stem cells. We also have global warming of the Gore/Hansen school – abandoned by the first for carbon trading profit, and preached with such hysteria by the second that a man in a white coat is edging closer, a syringe full of Thorazine concealed behind his back. But of course we must never forget this is fiction.

I think I was hooked properly the moment a main character peered out of his aeroplane window to observe a space elevator and, despite the SFX quote on the front ‘The modern-day George Orwell’ I found this very optimistic in tone. The victory of secularism over religion could be described as extreme optimism, and the sfnal future full of such great techno toys to play with is another form – Macleod did an excellent job of projecting how information technology might be used by a future police force, and really, you gotta love the lead detective’s three-limbed robot called Skulk (short for Skullcrusher). A worthwhile read, this.

Shadow Reviews.

Posted on by Neal Asher

Lot’s of nice things being said out there about Shadow of the Scorpion. Here, in no particular order, is a sampling of some of the reviews I’ve come across:
Curled up with a Good Book Shadow of the Scorpion is fast-paced, with plenty of action, as are Asher’s other scintillating Polity books. Whether you’re already a Polity and Neal Asher fan or are a newbie who enjoys well-written sci_fi, you’re sure to enjoy this fine, action-filled novel. I can hardly wait for the next forthcoming Polity novel, Orbus, to hit bookstores.
Walker of Worlds As for the story itself, another winning combination of character development, aliens, action and political undertones. If you like Neal’s other stuff then this is a novel you can’t miss, but it’s also an ideal step on point for those new to Neal’s work. I thought this was one of Neal’s best to date, and if this is any indication of what to expect from the next few novels, we’re all in for a real treat.
Cool Shite on the Tube, Literature review The roundup? A good, fast-moving, active SF yarn with some interesting ideas woven through it. Worth reading, and worth buying.
Mark Chitty at SFFworld As for the story itself, another winning combination of character development, aliens, action and political undertones. If you like Neal’s other stuff then this is a novel you can’t miss, but it’s also an ideal step on point for those new to Neal’s work. I thought this was one of Neal’s best to date, and if this is any indication of what to expect from the next few novels, we’re all in for a real treat.
Vast Cool and Unsympathetic Shadow of the Scorpion is well worth reading for any fan of Neal Asher, action stories, vivid far-future societies, or examinations of some of the questions raised by technologies to reshape the human mind. I think you’ll get more out of it if you’re already familiar with Ian Cormac and the Polity (Gridlinked would be the place to start there), but it is a self-contained story that stands well on its own. I highly recommend it, and I hope Nightshade continues to bring this sort of book to the U.S.
Book Calender This novel is very dark. It asks a lot of philosophical questions. What divides humans from machines? How can we maintain our freedom and individuality in an artificial world? Combined with the philosophical questions are all out fast paced action sequences. The artificial intelligences come across as more human than humanity. I had a hard time putting this novel down. Green Man Review
Of course, it’s still Asher, so this mission still involves terrorists with anti-matter weapons capable of blowing away large chunks of planet, incredibly durable crab-like aliens capable of shrugging off a hit from heavy artillery, and more alien ecologies and far-future technologies than you can shake a stick at. There’s little praise I can lay on this that won’t be recycled from previous Polity novel reviews. It’s Asher; it’s good. Recommended for anyone who’s a fan of the series or of good hard science fiction in general.