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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.
henriklukee's review against another edition
4.0
Somewhere between 4 and 5 stars.
Really good over the top scifi. All kinds of mad scifi tech that still feels believable. Good complex plot with lots of twists and enough action to keep it interesting. I'd highly recommend this if you want to read scifi where you don't need to think about if it is scientifically accurate and so on.
Really good over the top scifi. All kinds of mad scifi tech that still feels believable. Good complex plot with lots of twists and enough action to keep it interesting. I'd highly recommend this if you want to read scifi where you don't need to think about if it is scientifically accurate and so on.
joosty's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
davidscrimshaw's review
4.0
Space battles, weird aliens, sarcastic artificial intelligences: pretty much everything you want in Neal Asher novel.
dryhop's review against another edition
4.0
I won't lie; this book started out slow for me and that was disappointing. This is the first book by Neal Asher that I could find in my local Barnes and Nobles, so I was quite excited to dive in. I struggled through the first bit.
However, it picked up quite a bit of steam after that. I enjoyed viewing the world through multiple viewpoints. I wish the viewpoints had been a tad more diverse as they all sounded a wee bit the same, but it was still an interesting technique. Having never read anything in the Polity universe before, I enjoyed getting to know this world that I had heard so much about.
In the end, this book was a good read but not worth a full five stars from me. I did enjoy it enough that I will be keeping my eyes open for the next installment, though.
However, it picked up quite a bit of steam after that. I enjoyed viewing the world through multiple viewpoints. I wish the viewpoints had been a tad more diverse as they all sounded a wee bit the same, but it was still an interesting technique. Having never read anything in the Polity universe before, I enjoyed getting to know this world that I had heard so much about.
In the end, this book was a good read but not worth a full five stars from me. I did enjoy it enough that I will be keeping my eyes open for the next installment, though.
jercox's review
4.0
Deus ex machina, but it starts out that way, so no false advertising... Decent story.
erikbail's review
2.0
I actually put this down half way through because I could care less what happened to the characters. I was rooting for the black ai and a side character. Picked out back up because I haven't added anything to my Kindle recently and it was just sitting there. It was always moving and action so that was nice. Just no one to really care about. I want to give Asher another try though.
cybergoths's review against another edition
5.0
First new Asher series that I've read in a while, and it doesn't disappoint. It picks threads up from previous books and runs with them. Although the human - and prador - characters are the primary perspectives through which we see the world, the real underlying story is of machinations between the dark-AI called Penny Royal, and the other AIs in the Polity. Penny Royal is at the heart of many nightmares, hiding in the no-man's land of the Graveyard, and area of space between the Prador Kingdom and the Polity.
Thorvald Spear is a man whose colleagues were murdered by Penny Royal, and he wakes up, restored from a memory back up, 100 years after he died. He then sets on a quest of vengeance against the AI.
It's noticeable that Asher's characterisation is stronger in this book than others. I enjoyed the pace of this, it felt almost turned up to 11. This is the new British Space Opera style pioneered by Iain M Banks, Alastair Reynold, Ken MacLeod and Asher himself completely on form.
Thorvald Spear is a man whose colleagues were murdered by Penny Royal, and he wakes up, restored from a memory back up, 100 years after he died. He then sets on a quest of vengeance against the AI.
It's noticeable that Asher's characterisation is stronger in this book than others. I enjoyed the pace of this, it felt almost turned up to 11. This is the new British Space Opera style pioneered by Iain M Banks, Alastair Reynold, Ken MacLeod and Asher himself completely on form.