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jnnutter's review
2.0
I wanted to like this book. But this book was a drag to get through, its 196 pages felt twice as long as the 850 page book I read preceding it. The syntax is clunky to say the least. I would read whole pages and find myself so bored that I had no recollection of what I had read. His world building consisted of forced overly pseudotechnical jargon that rarely was delivered with enough context to make sense of easily, or just repeating phrases for the sake of it (chain glass for example). It didn't get vaguely interesting until the last 50 pages. I usually give a book up to 100 to get moving, but in a sub 200 page it should be engaging much sooner than halfway through. The characters were boring and had no dimension whatsoever. The aliens are just evil monsters hellbent on enslaving and eating humans. The separatists are degenerate scum. The scientists only think about tech. The military guy only cares about his vendetta. It tries to say so much in such a short breadth that it seems apparent that it is just trying to get the pages filled with something. A lot of familiar concepts presented in the most trope laden way possible. There is no suspense, no mystery, nothing that really draws me in to see what's going to happen. It is just a this happened then this then this etc conflict story. I genuinely dont know what the point was. If it was just an action story that moved quickly and was dumb fun, then sure, but it put so much in it felt like it was trying to say something, but it didn't know what. I got through it. So I guess that counts for something, 2/2.5 at best
jasonabbott's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
mhall89446's review against another edition
4.0
hile not great literature, it sure is a fun read. Fast-paced, engaging, and smart--what more could you ask for?
While probably not the first written book in the POLITY series, this is the first chronologically which details how the
Polity ended up at war with the Prador. In the far future, humans aided by articial intelligences, are colonizing the stars--but the odd thing is there are no traces of anyone else being out there. That is until the Prador--giant, space-faring crusteaceans--encounter and go to war with the Polity. While they may sound like farcical aliens, Asher portrays them as an intelligent and fierce foe of humanity.
The two main characters in this book are Jebel Krong, a military officer who survives the initial onslaught of the Prador, and Moria Salem, a scientist with recent cybernetic implements. Add to this the villians, Immanence, the Prador leader, and Conlan, the human rebel which opposes the rise of AIs and the Polity. Characterization in this novel is shown via dialogue and sparse descriptions.
Asher has a direct and action oriented writing style. No lengthy digressions on what a Golem or a runcible is, just enough description to form a rough picture in your mind. As the plot plays out you form a rough idea of what a Golem or a runcible is, but not a page by page explanation as to what it is.
Recommended--a fun, fast paced read!
While probably not the first written book in the POLITY series, this is the first chronologically which details how the
Polity ended up at war with the Prador. In the far future, humans aided by articial intelligences, are colonizing the stars--but the odd thing is there are no traces of anyone else being out there. That is until the Prador--giant, space-faring crusteaceans--encounter and go to war with the Polity. While they may sound like farcical aliens, Asher portrays them as an intelligent and fierce foe of humanity.
The two main characters in this book are Jebel Krong, a military officer who survives the initial onslaught of the Prador, and Moria Salem, a scientist with recent cybernetic implements. Add to this the villians, Immanence, the Prador leader, and Conlan, the human rebel which opposes the rise of AIs and the Polity. Characterization in this novel is shown via dialogue and sparse descriptions.
Asher has a direct and action oriented writing style. No lengthy digressions on what a Golem or a runcible is, just enough description to form a rough picture in your mind. As the plot plays out you form a rough idea of what a Golem or a runcible is, but not a page by page explanation as to what it is.
Recommended--a fun, fast paced read!
skippen's review against another edition
2.0
Pardor Moon is the story a space station that is attacked during an ambassadorial visit by the Pardor to the Polity, and the aftermath of such attack.
This book was at times very interesting, and but at most times, it was dis-jointed and never felt that had any focus. Solid writing, and some very good characters. Despite being very short, the book never felt that it had any focus. The intial story of the attack by the Pardor is interesting, and I quite liked it, but after that attack, we are moved all over the place--jumping from character to character without any context of how they connect or matter to the central storyline.
There are some really neat ideas in this, good characters are started but feel very forced in this short novel that feels like it is in the middle of an established universe/story despite being listed as the first novel in the series. I have no issue with being dropped into the middle of a story, but you need to keep focused on single point, and Asher does not do this. We have multiple storylines that do, in the end, intersect at the end, but he gives us no indication of how the matter to each other in the meantime until he resolves the story in the last 20 pages.
There are some really neat ideas in this book that I would like to see more of. There are characters that I really enjoyed, but everything is just so disjointed that you lose interest in them. I have some desire to continue with this universe, but this unfocused introduction does not inspire to read any more in the Polity cycle.
This book was at times very interesting, and but at most times, it was dis-jointed and never felt that had any focus. Solid writing, and some very good characters. Despite being very short, the book never felt that it had any focus. The intial story of the attack by the Pardor is interesting, and I quite liked it, but after that attack, we are moved all over the place--jumping from character to character without any context of how they connect or matter to the central storyline.
There are some really neat ideas in this, good characters are started but feel very forced in this short novel that feels like it is in the middle of an established universe/story despite being listed as the first novel in the series. I have no issue with being dropped into the middle of a story, but you need to keep focused on single point, and Asher does not do this. We have multiple storylines that do, in the end, intersect at the end, but he gives us no indication of how the matter to each other in the meantime until he resolves the story in the last 20 pages.
There are some really neat ideas in this book that I would like to see more of. There are characters that I really enjoyed, but everything is just so disjointed that you lose interest in them. I have some desire to continue with this universe, but this unfocused introduction does not inspire to read any more in the Polity cycle.
ag11's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
It delivers, what it promises: lots of action, high tech weapons, big ships, weird aliens and huge space battles. That’s the type of book that made me read sci-fi back in my childhood. Where’s my popcorn ?
ajam's review against another edition
4.0
4★
Expected pulpy popcorn sci-fi, imagine my surprise then, when the first few chapters had a blow-by-blow description of a human being augmented with their version of the net via an aug which can also link to Singularity level AIs. It all escalates from there.
At times, I was reminded of [a:Alastair Reynolds|51204|Alastair Reynolds|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1521740247p2/51204.jpg]'s worldbuilding , [a:Scalzi, John|7325548|Scalzi, John|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png]'humor and [a:Iain M. Banks|5807106|Iain M. Banks|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1352410520p2/5807106.jpg]'s whole Culture Palate.
At times, I also thought maybe this what [a:Greg Egan|32699|Greg Egan|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1375595103p2/32699.jpg] would be like in an alternate universe where he doesn't do HARD 'Hard-Sci-Fi' but just plain old Hard-Sci-Fi instead as I could see intelligent writing reaching that level of wit. (The whole bit abt runcible tech offers such a good example of what I am talking abt.)
Also, this one leans quite a lot towards military sci fi so we have space-time rupturing weapons fired between Singularity achieving AI Ships and some more(Not gonna spoil the end, but we also have a Thanos here), thus is not entirely indicative of what the rest of Asher's Polity Universe has to offer.
Maybe I have found out my next favorite author but it's too early to tell.
Expected pulpy popcorn sci-fi, imagine my surprise then, when the first few chapters had a blow-by-blow description of a human being augmented with their version of the net via an aug which can also link to Singularity level AIs. It all escalates from there.
At times, I was reminded of [a:Alastair Reynolds|51204|Alastair Reynolds|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1521740247p2/51204.jpg]'s worldbuilding , [a:Scalzi, John|7325548|Scalzi, John|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png]'humor and [a:Iain M. Banks|5807106|Iain M. Banks|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1352410520p2/5807106.jpg]'s whole Culture Palate.
At times, I also thought maybe this what [a:Greg Egan|32699|Greg Egan|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1375595103p2/32699.jpg] would be like in an alternate universe where he doesn't do HARD 'Hard-Sci-Fi' but just plain old Hard-Sci-Fi instead as I could see intelligent writing reaching that level of wit. (The whole bit abt runcible tech offers such a good example of what I am talking abt.)
Also, this one leans quite a lot towards military sci fi so we have space-time rupturing weapons fired between Singularity achieving AI Ships and some more(Not gonna spoil the end, but we also have a Thanos here), thus is not entirely indicative of what the rest of Asher's Polity Universe has to offer.
Maybe I have found out my next favorite author but it's too early to tell.
richardneary's review against another edition
4.0
This is great craic! My first Neal Asher read. It's 50% cyberpunk and 50% starship troopers. The Polity is a pretty well conceived universe and I'll be revisiting it soon.
bgjq1993's review against another edition
1.0
First time in a long time I've given up on a book, but I just can't get away with Prador Moon. Might because I haven't read anymore of this universe... Ah well, it only cos me £1
pezski's review against another edition
3.0
Neal Asher's books are pure pulp SF - fast paced, ultra violent and darkly fun reads, complete with big ships, lasers railguns and nukes (oh my!) and, in this case, giant crab-like aliens intent on conquering human space and enslaving or eating all humans.
Strangely, it reads less silly than it sounds.
Strangely, it reads less silly than it sounds.
tuftymctavish's review against another edition
4.0
I wasn't too sure of the order in which to read these Polity Universe books, but as Goodreads assured me this was #1 in that series I decided to start here, having previously sampled a little Agent Cormac in Gridlinked.
Prador Moon briefly mentions the Dragon which had a more significant, and still for me unexplained, part in Gridlinked. But we swiftly move on to the real foe of the story, a 'tastily' alien race. What follows is a quite rapid escalation of the story. It's a short-ish story, a thin novel, so some scenes are rapidly passed through with too little fanfare: the origins of and reasons for Moria's aug, or the development of Jebel Krong between his early persona and that of the bulk of this tale.
So as an action story, I enjoyed it. On to the next in the Goodreads ordering of this series then...
Prador Moon briefly mentions the Dragon which had a more significant, and still for me unexplained, part in Gridlinked. But we swiftly move on to the real foe of the story, a 'tastily' alien race. What follows is a quite rapid escalation of the story. It's a short-ish story, a thin novel, so some scenes are rapidly passed through with too little fanfare: the origins of and reasons for Moria's aug, or the development of Jebel Krong between his early persona and that of the bulk of this tale.
So as an action story, I enjoyed it. On to the next in the Goodreads ordering of this series then...