In Zero Point we follow the story of Serene Galahad who is trying to reform the Committee, albeit in a radicalized manner. On the other hand the Mars Colony is trying to continue it’s steps toward the independence from Earth while the events about Argus Station are continuing to unfold at it’s hurling toward red planet. The character of Serene Galahad is fantastic. At the same time fiercely intelligent and arch-typically evil, Serena is frightening reminder what might happen if someone like that ended up holding the reins of power in real life. By the end of the book, everything is set up for the final showdown. Even though The Departure was quite bleak book for Neal, Zero Point pushes the darkness one notch further through its exploration of the missuses of technology. You’ll literary squirm at the implications but there is simply no light at the end of the tunnel.
Neal Asher has once again struck gold with Zero Point and I can’t wait for Jupiter War to see what he’ll come up with next.