Scan barcode
beyadob's review against another edition
5.0
I finished reading the book today and was absolutely blown away. There's lots of blood and gore, hard sci-fi, and mind bogglingly terrifying aliens. Can't go wrong with this one.
## Augs and AI
The unity between humans and AI really stood out to me. While most authors would've painted AI as evil, Asher chose to depict them as benign, benevolent rulers who have chosen to bond with and work alongside humans. Not only has this resulted in a truly technological society, it also makes for an interesting narrative choice.
Instead of dancing around the same old tropes, Asher cleverly uses the AI to make sense of U-space (faster than light travel) and the impossible logic (illogic?) of such a device. The mathematics behind the runcibles that make up the Polity is absurdly difficult and impossible for human minds to comprehend. The AI are the only ones who are capable of controlling and maintaining the runcibles and travel through them.
This is where the concept of augs (augmentations) come in. Humans and AI can coexist together but can't bond, which is why the augs, which are essentially computers, can be planted in your head. They enable users to do a lot of things we take for granted on our smartphones, and more! The fun part is how they can be turned into supercomputers with the power of the cloud. There are some truly impressive applications, and Asher has only just scratched the surface in this book.
## The Prador
I was terrified from the get-go. There's no beating around it - these aliens are god damn horrifying, especially with their size and total disregard for human life. Prador culture is also distinctly different from ours - the way they treat their children was appalling to watch. Not only do they slice and dice their way through the book, there's an extended chapter where they experiment on prisoners. Asher paints a sickening picture of war atrocities, and the images of Prador chomping on limbs wasn't fun to imagine.
Immanence was quite easily the terrifying of the lot. He was cunning and manipulated not just his 'children', but also outmaneuvered the humans multiple times. Before *Prador Moon*, I hadn't rooted so much for a villain's downfall. I desperately wanted him to eat lead, so the payback he gets was conclusively satisfying.
## Politics
Of course, it wouldn't be hard sci-fi without some politics thrown in - not much, but still enough to make things interesting. The power structure of the Prador struck me as curious and not really conducive to a highly technological society. As Immanence describes it, there's constant in-fighting, which is why the Prador have to be cunning and manipulative, forming and breaking alliances to survive. It's a challenging world, which begs the question: how did they get so advanced? Is it the need to kill each other that drove their technological progress?
Also, the promotion of second-children to first-children and so on was fascinating. Exerting control through pheromones was intriguing, especially in how strong and long-lasting (even after they lose their bodies) the control was. I'm guessing the other books in the series explore the Prador even more.
As for humans, their coexistence with AI was mostly in the background. It seemed like a peaceful one, though the existence of a separatist movement suggests many aren't happy with the arrangement. From what I've read, most of humanity seems content with the AIs in power, mostly because of their benign nature. But the callous nature in which one AI (spoilers) foregoes saving humans in favor of chasing aliens, albeit logical, didn't sit too well with me.
In conclusion, it was refreshing to read something so fast-paced and interesting after such a long time. Now, on to the next in the series!
## Augs and AI
The unity between humans and AI really stood out to me. While most authors would've painted AI as evil, Asher chose to depict them as benign, benevolent rulers who have chosen to bond with and work alongside humans. Not only has this resulted in a truly technological society, it also makes for an interesting narrative choice.
Instead of dancing around the same old tropes, Asher cleverly uses the AI to make sense of U-space (faster than light travel) and the impossible logic (illogic?) of such a device. The mathematics behind the runcibles that make up the Polity is absurdly difficult and impossible for human minds to comprehend. The AI are the only ones who are capable of controlling and maintaining the runcibles and travel through them.
This is where the concept of augs (augmentations) come in. Humans and AI can coexist together but can't bond, which is why the augs, which are essentially computers, can be planted in your head. They enable users to do a lot of things we take for granted on our smartphones, and more! The fun part is how they can be turned into supercomputers with the power of the cloud. There are some truly impressive applications, and Asher has only just scratched the surface in this book.
## The Prador
I was terrified from the get-go. There's no beating around it - these aliens are god damn horrifying, especially with their size and total disregard for human life. Prador culture is also distinctly different from ours - the way they treat their children was appalling to watch. Not only do they slice and dice their way through the book, there's an extended chapter where they experiment on prisoners. Asher paints a sickening picture of war atrocities, and the images of Prador chomping on limbs wasn't fun to imagine.
Immanence was quite easily the terrifying of the lot. He was cunning and manipulated not just his 'children', but also outmaneuvered the humans multiple times. Before *Prador Moon*, I hadn't rooted so much for a villain's downfall. I desperately wanted him to eat lead, so the payback he gets was conclusively satisfying.
## Politics
Of course, it wouldn't be hard sci-fi without some politics thrown in - not much, but still enough to make things interesting. The power structure of the Prador struck me as curious and not really conducive to a highly technological society. As Immanence describes it, there's constant in-fighting, which is why the Prador have to be cunning and manipulative, forming and breaking alliances to survive. It's a challenging world, which begs the question: how did they get so advanced? Is it the need to kill each other that drove their technological progress?
Also, the promotion of second-children to first-children and so on was fascinating. Exerting control through pheromones was intriguing, especially in how strong and long-lasting (even after they lose their bodies) the control was. I'm guessing the other books in the series explore the Prador even more.
As for humans, their coexistence with AI was mostly in the background. It seemed like a peaceful one, though the existence of a separatist movement suggests many aren't happy with the arrangement. From what I've read, most of humanity seems content with the AIs in power, mostly because of their benign nature. But the callous nature in which one AI (spoilers) foregoes saving humans in favor of chasing aliens, albeit logical, didn't sit too well with me.
In conclusion, it was refreshing to read something so fast-paced and interesting after such a long time. Now, on to the next in the series!
kathodus's review against another edition
4.0
I'm re-reading Asher's Polity books, in chronological order within the Polity universe. I would not recommend this reading order for first-time readers, as the emotional impact of much of the story is stronger if you read them in the order they were written. However, I'm having fun re-reading them in this order, where any surprises are because I've forgotten details.
Prador Moon is sci-fi and horror together. Asher's characterization of alien flora and fauna is excellent (someone recently pointed this out on an SFF website I frequent, and it's true). The book is short and fast-paced, the universe vividly imagined and... fun seems the wrong word, but it is.
My main problem with the book is Asher's tendency to repeat adjectives/adverbs within the same or consecutive sentences. Seems like poor editing to me, but it's only a minor annoyance.
I'd give the book 4.5 stars if I could, but 5 seems a little high.
Prador Moon is sci-fi and horror together. Asher's characterization of alien flora and fauna is excellent (someone recently pointed this out on an SFF website I frequent, and it's true). The book is short and fast-paced, the universe vividly imagined and... fun seems the wrong word, but it is.
My main problem with the book is Asher's tendency to repeat adjectives/adverbs within the same or consecutive sentences. Seems like poor editing to me, but it's only a minor annoyance.
I'd give the book 4.5 stars if I could, but 5 seems a little high.
woodge's review against another edition
3.0
Neal Asher's brand of SF is not for the squeamish. Prador Moon is set within his Polity universe. The Polity is the collective group of worlds which is run by AI and policed by Earth Central Security agents. Unlike the first Polity novel, Gridlinked (which I've read), this one does not feature ECS agent Ian Cormac. Prador Moon is a standalone novel which details the first contact with emissaries of the Prador Second Kingdom. The alien race known as the Prador are huge crab-like beasts who give new meaning to the world hostile. For instance they enjoy dining on humans and occasionally will eat their own young. (I found much to admire in their parenting skills.) This tale has two main characters: Jebel Krong and Moria Salem. Jebel Krong becomes a revenge-driven leader of the defensive forces; Moria Salem is getting used to having a new aug implanted on her skull. Think of an aug as like a small super-computing wi-fi connected interface to universe-spanning data bank. That would take some getting used to. Anyway, Prador Moon is a short book that moves quickly. It occasionally gets lost in head-scratching technobabble but only for a paragraph here and there. It's a nice diversion for Asher fans. But if you're interested, I'd suggest checking out Gridlinked first. That said, The Skinner is my favorite Asher tale and one I plan on revisiting some day. The Skinner also features some Prador characters. They are nasty!
chadsmartt's review against another edition
3.0
DNF @ 30%
Written well but it wasn't holding my interest.
Written well but it wasn't holding my interest.
jrydenbark's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
macindog's review against another edition
4.0
Set in Neal Asher's, Polity universe, this is a tale of first contact with an alien species. Unfortunately, the Prador Third Kingdom is a society of highly-intelligent and aggressive amphibious crustaceans for whom conflict, cannibalism and assassination are the norm.
The Prador, deeming humanity as an inferior and weaker race, embark on an interstellar war intent on the conquest and slavery of the human race and the destruction their Polity and its AIs. As an added bonus, human flash is also so very tasty.
This is the story of the beginning of the war with the Prador and one man's vengeance on the alien captain who struck the first blow in it.
While the Prador embody many of the horrors in people's nightmares, Asher can make them almost humourous in their interactions with their own kind. If you're a fan of Asher's Polity or Cormac novels, then this is a must read. For those new to Asher's work, it's also chronologically the first in his series of Polity-related stories and well worth reading - you might get hooked.
The Prador, deeming humanity as an inferior and weaker race, embark on an interstellar war intent on the conquest and slavery of the human race and the destruction their Polity and its AIs. As an added bonus, human flash is also so very tasty.
This is the story of the beginning of the war with the Prador and one man's vengeance on the alien captain who struck the first blow in it.
While the Prador embody many of the horrors in people's nightmares, Asher can make them almost humourous in their interactions with their own kind. If you're a fan of Asher's Polity or Cormac novels, then this is a must read. For those new to Asher's work, it's also chronologically the first in his series of Polity-related stories and well worth reading - you might get hooked.
r00b0t's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
3.0
frater's review against another edition
3.0
Prador Moon is the first Neal Asher novel i've yet read and although it was certainly a rollicking action fest that hit all the marks; man-eating crabs, check, insanely powerful weapons, check, kick-ass but dark military protagonist, check, hilariously awesome ending, check... It didn't hit the right notes for me and i'm at a loss to explain why. It did seem somewhat rushed, somewhat distanced from the action, whereas most of my favorite space-opera (Reynolds, Moon, Banks...) tend to be very close in to the protagonists, so that may well be part of it.
Regardless, it was a well designed story in a well detailed universe and I enjoyed it enough to look forward to reading the next in the series.
Regardless, it was a well designed story in a well detailed universe and I enjoyed it enough to look forward to reading the next in the series.
dlwchico's review against another edition
4.0
I’m surpised Neal Asher isn’t better known in America. All of his Polity Universe books that I’ve read I’ve enjoyed quite a bit. This one is set early in the timeline of his future history and concerns the first contact between the Polity and the nasty alien Prador. The Prador are classic science fiction space alien monsters. Lots of violence and action in this one. I dug it.