Definitely the best space opera released this year and a superb finale to the Spatterjay series. Neal brings all his usual flair and unique aliens to the mix in what can only be described as one of his finest novels to date.
Update:
Also The Gabble is in the top ten on Next Read...
I’ve decided this is my ideal form of a short story collection. Like A Touch of Dead (but in a completely differently league) This collects together stories set in the Polity universe. I found it a wonderful introduction to both Neal Asher and the Polity. I am now a firm fan of Gabbleducks and think that you should be too.
13 comments:
a superb finale to the Spatterjay series.
I do hope not Neal,
ditto, wasn't there some odd whelk population on a glod forsaken world in The Gabble?
Why the hell is this book so hard to get in the US?
Paul, quite simply because it is not published there. Try The Book Depository to order it (free shipping).
I must get round to reading your books! So far I've read and enjoyed a story of yours in The Solaris Book of New Science Fiction called 'Bioship'-is that part of Spatterjay?
Larry, Bioship is set in the Polity (Spatterjay and Cormac books), but it's the case that I made the Polity BIG so I could tell just about any story I'd want to tell within it. The biotech of Bioship isn't so overt in those books. But if that's the sort of thing you like I guess the nearest option would be The Skinner (Spatterjay books).
Neal, I must find some in the libray. I have come across one or two of your books but because they tend to be part of a series I'm a bit weary of where to jump in.
Both "Gridlinked" and "The Skinner" are excellent points to start, Larry. If you have both available, I would choose the former.
Neal, thought it interesting that CNN had an article on brain-controlled devices, the forerunners of "augs" "gridlinks" and "haimans"....
http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/12/30/brain.controlled.computers/index.html?iref=mpstoryview
Larry, Gridlinked and The Skinner both start series, but can be read by themselves. Others have read later books in both series and enjoyed them alone. In fact, in America where the Line of Polity isn't published, there are those who have not noticed its absence from the Cormac series. The other stand alones are: Hilldiggers, Cowl, Prador Moon, Shadow of the Scorpion, The Gabble & The Engineer ReConditioned (the last two being collections of short stories).
Thanks Martin, Neal. Sounds a bit like Banks's Culture novels. They're all set in the same universe but its safe to read them in any order (the only Culture novel I've read is Consider Phlebas,very good)
For books that are so difficult to get in the US, they are loved by everyone I seem to loan them to.
*gets back to reading HillDiggers*
thanks - ordered from the Book Depository.
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