From Powells.com
Our favorite books of the year.
Synopses & Reviews
One man will transcend death to seek vengeance. One woman will transform herself to gain power. And no one will emerge unscathed...
Thorvald Spear wakes in a hospital to find he's been brought back from the dead. What's more, he died in a human vs. alien war that ended a century ago. Spear had been trapped on a world surrounded by hostile Prador forces, but Penny Royal, the AI inside the rescue ship sent to provide backup, turned rogue, annihilating friendly forces in a frenzy of destruction and killing Spear. One hundred years later the AI is still on the loose, and Spear vows for revenge at any cost.
Isobel Satomi ran a successful crime syndicate, but after competitors attacked she needed power and protection. Negotiating with Penny Royal, she got more than she bargained for: Turning part-AI herself gave Isobel frightening power, but the upgrades hid a horrifying secret, and the dark AI triggered a transformation that has been turning her into something far from human…
Spear hires Isobel to track Penny Royal across worlds to its last known whereabouts. But he cheats her in the process and quickly finds himself in her crosshairs. As Isobel continues to evolve into a monstrous predator, its clear her rage will eventually win out over reason. Will Spear finish his hunt before he himself becomes the hunted?
Dark Intelligence is the explosive first novel in a brand new trilogy from military SF master Neal Asher and a new chapter in his epic Polity universe.
Review
"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
Review
"Blends large portions of horror and mystery into an SF tale of revenge and redemption ... a complex and satisfying work.” Library Journal, starred review
Review
"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
About the Author
Neal Asher is a science fiction writer whose work has been nominated for both the Philip K. Dick and the British Fantasy Society awards. He has published more than fifteen books, many set within his Polity” universe, including
Gridlinked,
The Skinner, and
Prador Moon. He divides his time between Essex and a home in Crete.