Wednesday, February 04, 2015

Looking Good...

"Beautifully paced ... does just as well as at slam-bang action scenes as at painting frightening pictures ... This is space opera at a high peak of craftsmanship."
Publishers Weekly, starred review

“What Asher delivers here is state-of-the-art SF on so many levels … a compelling, smart read.”
—Paul Di Filippo, Locus

"An exciting, intricate, and unabashedly futuristic story rife with twists and turns ... Asher returns to his popular far-future series, Polity Universe, with another fast-paced space opera filled with his trademark technological marvels and elaborate world building."
Booklist

"Hardboiled, fast-paced space opera epic ... Asher’s books are similar to the world of Iain M. Banks’ Culture universe, but the Polity is arguably a much darker and more vicious environment—and all the better for it.”
The Register

"Perpetually on the knife's edge, and this constant tension works wonders for creating a page-turning atmosphere. It's a damningly gripping and infecting book."
Upcoming4.me

"A superb novel and Asher has an amazing talent for world-building, for writing larger-than-life characters, for weaving gripping plots and for imagining exotic alien races and wonderful technologies. Huge ships! Big weapons! Space battles! Ground battles! Treason! Revenge! This is New Space Opera at its best."
Sense of Wonder

"One of his best works so far ... Asher is a modern master of sci-fi."
Starburst magazine

"[The Polity books] are SF novels that mix early cyberpunk’s insouciance with the widescreen baroque spectacle of space opera and the pacing of an airport action-thriller. But even by Neal Asher’s standards, there’s something particularly grisly about Dark Intelligence.”

SFX

9 comments:

Lauris M said...

I am taking a breaks while reading book, for a few days then and now.
I am over half.
It is nice to reflect on book while taking a break.
I don't want to finish this book so fast. It is amazing!

Thanks you!

Neal Asher said...

My pleasure!

John said...

Bravo, just finished it - Its' great to back in The Polity, and what a host of amazing characters. Can't wait for the next one...

Unknown said...

What a pleasure to have a new Asher book on my shelf. Honestly, just looking at it gives me a burst of the good-feels and I am enjoying the hell out of anticipating the long weekend, starts now, but first I am "being good" and doing all the cleaning and minutia of my weekend , so I have nothing gnawing at my conscience that I "ought" to be doing.
Then I will scoff down your book, mate. Thanks, be well.

Miles Campbell said...

I'm with you, Lauris M. Taking it slow to stop myself finishing it too soon! It's great to be back in the Polity Universe again. Also listening to Evokescapes soundtrack too. I always listen to music when reading so it's great to have something composed especially for a book. I think i like this new trend of book soundtracks.

Richard said...

I purchased my copy two minutes after midnight last Thursday and downloaded it immediately. I can only endorse the above comments. I possess, have read (in some cases reread) all your books with the exception of Runcible Tales. I have enjoyed all of them and recommended them to others but this one is especially good. You can of course read it as a standalone but it adds to the enjoyment of if one has read the other polity and spatterjay novels.

I am now fascinated to see how the Atheter will develop. I confess I have a weakness for the Polity universe but this is an exceptionally good book and I look forward to the remainder of the trilogy.

Thank you so much for writing this. I am well aware that the events of last year were terrible for you and they cast a long shadow. I suspect if you and I ever met we would argue a lot but I really respect and esteem what you have achieved.

Thank you again
Richard

Anonymous said...

Penny Royal appears to have infiltrated Twitter. All part of the plan?

https://twitter.com/beeple/status/566051035261566976

Thud said...

Starting it sometime this half term.

Jeff Brady said...

Have a huge problem with your latest effort here Neal - I finished it too quick!! :)

Keep the goodness coming