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_b_a_l_'s review
2.0
Been looking forward to this and it was very disappointing.
Cool idea to revisit the Polity universe in a way that conceptually links all the different story lines together but this suffered from too many points of view and felt rather sloppily slapped together.
Cool idea to revisit the Polity universe in a way that conceptually links all the different story lines together but this suffered from too many points of view and felt rather sloppily slapped together.
davecapp's review
4.0
As with all Neal Asher novels this is an in depth dive into a possible world many of us have never thought of. Characters are vivid, whether they be human, cyborg or AI, and the interrelationships between the personalities becomes the key thread that drives the st0ry. While he references other works (many of Ashers story lines tie together) they are not required reading to enjoy this fascinating exploration of the personality development of highly evolved AI's. For lovers of Iian Banks Culture series this can be seen as a view of the dark side of human/machine cultural integration. Overall a fun ride though - highly recommended.
gmerrall's review
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
I've really enjoyed Neal's books in the Polity series which I'm reading in chronological order. However this book is unfortunately my least favourite so far.
cdeane61's review
4.0
Again Asher keeps me riveted.
The AIs in this Polity novel had me laughing out loud at times.
Complex and multilayered,but the ending felt a little disappointing in this one.
Did not stop me from immediately picking up the next in the series.
The AIs in this Polity novel had me laughing out loud at times.
Complex and multilayered,but the ending felt a little disappointing in this one.
Did not stop me from immediately picking up the next in the series.
kodermike's review against another edition
4.0
Great book, solid entry in the Polity universe. Recommend avoiding the ebook if typos bother you - the publisher was lax with typography. Paper edition is perfect.
diaryofthebookdragon's review against another edition
Dark Intelligence intrigued me with it’s summary. A man resurrected after his time? It reminded me of Arthur C. Clarke’s 3001: The Final Odyssey, which I adored.
The start of Dark Intelligence was promising. I loved the everyday life tech:
- Permanent depilations replaced shaving.
- Brushbots clean your teeth perfectly, you just need to insert them into your mouth.
- When you die you are stored into a soulbank. You can choose if you want to be resurrected or maybe live in a virtual reality…
But then main character started having flashbacks of war and Neal Asher completely lost me. It was too militaristic, too dark, too gruesome.
To make my reading even more unbearable, I could not compile all the data and was drowning in info dumps. I later found our that this is set in same Polity universe as Neal Asher’s previous books. Maybe it would have been easier for me if i have read them.
If the world or main character intrigued me, maybe I would have continued reading… But they did not.
I found myself starting to skim not only descriptions but everything else too. I guess I could have gone like this until the end. But why torture myself with a book I do not enjoy?
IN THE END…
Do not let my DNF put you off. Dark Intelligence is not a bad book. I am betting that fans of military space operas might enjoy it.
Disclaimer: I received this ebook from Edelweiss in exchange for a fair and honest review. This text is also posted on my blog Bookworm Dreams in a little bit more styled edition.
(Gave up on 12% @ 02.Feb.2015.)
The start of Dark Intelligence was promising. I loved the everyday life tech:
- Permanent depilations replaced shaving.
- Brushbots clean your teeth perfectly, you just need to insert them into your mouth.
- When you die you are stored into a soulbank. You can choose if you want to be resurrected or maybe live in a virtual reality…
But then main character started having flashbacks of war and Neal Asher completely lost me. It was too militaristic, too dark, too gruesome.
To make my reading even more unbearable, I could not compile all the data and was drowning in info dumps. I later found our that this is set in same Polity universe as Neal Asher’s previous books. Maybe it would have been easier for me if i have read them.
If the world or main character intrigued me, maybe I would have continued reading… But they did not.
I found myself starting to skim not only descriptions but everything else too. I guess I could have gone like this until the end. But why torture myself with a book I do not enjoy?
IN THE END…
Do not let my DNF put you off. Dark Intelligence is not a bad book. I am betting that fans of military space operas might enjoy it.
Disclaimer: I received this ebook from Edelweiss in exchange for a fair and honest review. This text is also posted on my blog Bookworm Dreams in a little bit more styled edition.
(Gave up on 12% @ 02.Feb.2015.)
ornithopter1's review
1.0
DNF at 25%
Started well, with lots of concise world-building detail, or so I thought. Then, after growing bored with the book, I looked it up and realised this is book NINE in the author's universe, so maybe the world-building is simply laying out groundwork already developed and shared from those other books. No actual characters here: Just a cypher of a protagonist whose entire character is 'revenge'. Maybe there was more to it, but if so, it was held too close to the chest to see and I wasn't intrigued enough to find out either way. The shine of novelty very quickly fades from the protagonist and there's not much there once the introduction is over. The one thing I can say about him is he's apparently a world champion technobabble record holder. Technobabble on a repeat cycle. There's lots of alien/human body-horror which, again, seemed like impressive writing until I realised 20% further into the book that it seemed to be all the writer was inclined to do. It overstayed its welcome and became utterly tedious. After reading a quarter of the book and still failing to feel any connection with anyone or anything in the story, I decided to move on.
Started well, with lots of concise world-building detail, or so I thought. Then, after growing bored with the book, I looked it up and realised this is book NINE in the author's universe, so maybe the world-building is simply laying out groundwork already developed and shared from those other books. No actual characters here: Just a cypher of a protagonist whose entire character is 'revenge'. Maybe there was more to it, but if so, it was held too close to the chest to see and I wasn't intrigued enough to find out either way. The shine of novelty very quickly fades from the protagonist and there's not much there once the introduction is over. The one thing I can say about him is he's apparently a world champion technobabble record holder. Technobabble on a repeat cycle. There's lots of alien/human body-horror which, again, seemed like impressive writing until I realised 20% further into the book that it seemed to be all the writer was inclined to do. It overstayed its welcome and became utterly tedious. After reading a quarter of the book and still failing to feel any connection with anyone or anything in the story, I decided to move on.
booklifer's review
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
balthazarlawson's review against another edition
2.0
I can't say I disliked this book but, also, I can't say I enjoyed the book. If you're a fan of deep space science fiction you would probably enjoy the read but I'm not that big a fan unless it's done well. There were parts I enjoyed but some parts I just loathed.
This is a story of righting wrongs and Machiavellian revenge where you don't know who is who, including yourself. It got confusing at times. There are strange creatures, AI and humans and they all get mixed up. The ending is clearly setting up for a sequel but I won't be reading any more in the series.
This is a story of righting wrongs and Machiavellian revenge where you don't know who is who, including yourself. It got confusing at times. There are strange creatures, AI and humans and they all get mixed up. The ending is clearly setting up for a sequel but I won't be reading any more in the series.
wiseard's review
1.0
The first book in this series I actually disliked. The climax of the book was such a convoluted mess that it didn't inspire me to actually want to finish the book.
The main character has no character and the plot has few redeeming points. I especially disliked Spear's chapters since they're the only ones in first person. Seems that the author probably tried to rectify the issues with characters having undifferentiated narrative lenses so instead of actually fixing it he tried to just change the person narrating the main character. To me this is not enough.
Developments of the Polity Universe at large are still very cool and it's the only reason I still continue.
The main character has no character and the plot has few redeeming points. I especially disliked Spear's chapters since they're the only ones in first person. Seems that the author probably tried to rectify the issues with characters having undifferentiated narrative lenses so instead of actually fixing it he tried to just change the person narrating the main character. To me this is not enough.
Developments of the Polity Universe at large are still very cool and it's the only reason I still continue.