From the mind of Neal Asher, world-renown author of more than 20 books and nominee for both the Philip K. Dick and the British Fantasy Society awards, comes a new action-filled science fiction Polity epic.
Three visitors arrive on one of the most unique (and deadly) worlds science fiction has ever seen, in the start of a classic Polity series from Neal Asher.
Welcome to Spatterjay . . . where sudden death is the normal way of life.
On the remote planet Spatterjay arrive three travelers: Janer, acting as the eyes of a hornet Hive mind; Erlin, a xenobiologist searching for an ancient sea captain; and Sable Keech, who himself has been dead for 700 years. On this ocean world, visitors are rare, and the native hoopers—humans infected with a local virus that renders them nearly invincible, though at monstrous cost—patrol the open seas, risking the voracious appetites of the planet’s deadly wildlife.
Somewhere out there is Spatterjay Hoop, the last member of a band of pirates, whose many years spent on the planet have transformed him into a grotesque monster. And a vicious alien prador is about to pay Spatterjay a visit as well, intent on extermination. As the visitors’ paths converge, major hell is about to erupt in a chaotic waterscape where minor hell is already a remorseless fact of everyday life . . . and death.
Review
Praise for The Skinner
“An exhilarating tour through one of the most ingeniously, elaborately deadly worlds since Harry Harrison invented Deathworld. ” — Locus
“Dune meets Master and Commander.” — Entertainment Weekly
General Praise for Neal Asher:
“ Neal Asher’s books are like an adrenaline shot targeted directly for the brain.” — New York Times bestselling author John Scalzi
“With mind-blowing complexity, characters, and combat, Asher’s work continues to combine the best of advanced cybertech and military SF. ” ? Publishers Weekly , starred review
“ Asher is a modern master of sci-fi. ” — Starburst magazine
“ A wide-screen special-effects extravaganza , a space opera featuring gods and monsters . . . Doc Smith and Olaf Stapledon in a blender, turned up to eleven , with the contents splattering across the ceiling.” ?Russell Letson, Locus
“Asher has an amazing talent for world-building, for writing larger-than-life characters, for weaving gripping plots and for imagining exotic alien races and wonderful technologies. Huge ships! Big weapons! Space battles! Ground battles! Treason! Revenge! This is New Space Opera at its best. ” — Sense of Wonder
“ Hardboiled, fast-paced space opera . . . Asher’s books are similar to the world of Iain M. Banks’ Culture universe , but the Polity is arguably a much darker and more vicious environment—and all the better for it.” — The Register
Praise for The Skinner
“An exhilarating tour through one of the most ingeniously, elaborately deadly worlds since Harry Harrison invented Deathworld. ” — Locus
“Dune meets Master and Commander.” — Entertainment Weekly
General Praise for Neal Asher:
“ Neal Asher’s books are like an adrenaline shot targeted directly for the brain.” — New York Times bestselling author John Scalzi
“With mind-blowing complexity, characters, and combat, Asher’s work continues to combine the best of advanced cybertech and military SF. ” ? Publishers Weekly , starred review
“ Asher is a modern master of sci-fi. ” — Starburst magazine
“ A wide-screen special-effects extravaganza , a space opera featuring gods and monsters . . . Doc Smith and Olaf Stapledon in a blender, turned up to eleven , with the contents splattering across the ceiling.” ?Russell Letson, Locus
“Asher has an amazing talent for world-building, for writing larger-than-life characters, for weaving gripping plots and for imagining exotic alien races and wonderful technologies. Huge ships! Big weapons! Space battles! Ground battles! Treason! Revenge! This is New Space Opera at its best. ” — Sense of Wonder
“ Hardboiled, fast-paced space opera . . . Asher’s books are similar to the world of Iain M. Banks’ Culture universe , but the Polity is arguably a much darker and more vicious environment—and all the better for it.” — The Register
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 twenty books, many set within his “Polity” universe, including Gridlinked , The Skinner , and Dark Intelligence. He divides his time between Essex and a home in Crete.
On the planet Spatterjay arrive three travelers: Janer, acting as the eyes of the hornet Hive mind, on a mission not yet revealed to him; Erlin, searching for Ambel -- the ancient sea captain who can teach her how to live; and Sable Keech, on a vendetta he cannot abandon, though he himself has been dead for 700 years. This remote world is mostly ocean, and it is a rare visitor who ventures beyond the safety of the island Dome. Outside it, only the native Hoopers dare risk the voracious appetites of the planet's wildlife. But somewhere out there is Spatterjay Hoop -- and Keech will not rest until he brings this legendary renegade to justice for hideous crimes committed centuries ago during the Prador Wars.
While Keech is discovering that Hoop is now a monster -- his body and head living apart from each other -- Janer is bewildered by a place where the native inhabitants just will not die and angry when he finally learns the Hive mind's intentions for him. Meanwhile, Erlin thinks she has plenty of time to find the answers she seeks, but could not be more wrong. For one of the most brutal of the alien Prador is about to pay the planet a surreptitious visit, intent on exterminating all remaining witnesses to his wartime atrocities. As the visitors' paths converge, major hell is about to erupt in a chaotic waterscape where minor hell is already a remorseless fact of everyday life . . . and death.
Description:
From the mind of Neal Asher, world-renown author of more than 20 books and nominee for both the Philip K. Dick and the British Fantasy Society awards, comes a new action-filled science fiction Polity epic.
Three visitors arrive on one of the most unique (and deadly) worlds science fiction has ever seen, in the start of a classic Polity series from Neal Asher.
Welcome to Spatterjay . . . where sudden death is the normal way of life.
On the remote planet Spatterjay arrive three travelers: Janer, acting as the eyes of a hornet Hive mind; Erlin, a xenobiologist searching for an ancient sea captain; and Sable Keech, who himself has been dead for 700 years. On this ocean world, visitors are rare, and the native hoopers—humans infected with a local virus that renders them nearly invincible, though at monstrous cost—patrol the open seas, risking the voracious appetites of the planet’s deadly wildlife.
Somewhere out there is Spatterjay Hoop, the last member of a band of pirates, whose many years spent on the planet have transformed him into a grotesque monster. And a vicious alien prador is about to pay Spatterjay a visit as well, intent on extermination. As the visitors’ paths converge, major hell is about to erupt in a chaotic waterscape where minor hell is already a remorseless fact of everyday life . . . and death.
Review
Praise for The Skinner
“An exhilarating tour through one of the most ingeniously, elaborately deadly worlds since Harry Harrison invented Deathworld. ” — Locus
“Dune meets Master and Commander.” — Entertainment Weekly
General Praise for Neal Asher:
“ Neal Asher’s books are like an adrenaline shot targeted directly for the brain.” — New York Times bestselling author John Scalzi
“With mind-blowing complexity, characters, and combat, Asher’s work continues to combine the best of advanced cybertech and military SF. ” ? Publishers Weekly , starred review
“ Asher is a modern master of sci-fi. ” — Starburst magazine
“ A wide-screen special-effects extravaganza , a space opera featuring gods and monsters . . . Doc Smith and Olaf Stapledon in a blender, turned up to eleven , with the contents splattering across the ceiling.” ?Russell Letson, Locus
“Asher has an amazing talent for world-building, for writing larger-than-life characters, for weaving gripping plots and for imagining exotic alien races and wonderful technologies. Huge ships! Big weapons! Space battles! Ground battles! Treason! Revenge! This is New Space Opera at its best. ” — Sense of Wonder
“ Hardboiled, fast-paced space opera . . . Asher’s books are similar to the world of Iain M. Banks’ Culture universe , but the Polity is arguably a much darker and more vicious environment—and all the better for it.” — The Register
Praise for The Skinner
“An exhilarating tour through one of the most ingeniously, elaborately deadly worlds since Harry Harrison invented Deathworld. ” — Locus
“Dune meets Master and Commander.” — Entertainment Weekly
General Praise for Neal Asher:
“ Neal Asher’s books are like an adrenaline shot targeted directly for the brain.” — New York Times bestselling author John Scalzi
“With mind-blowing complexity, characters, and combat, Asher’s work continues to combine the best of advanced cybertech and military SF. ” ? Publishers Weekly , starred review
“ Asher is a modern master of sci-fi. ” — Starburst magazine
“ A wide-screen special-effects extravaganza , a space opera featuring gods and monsters . . . Doc Smith and Olaf Stapledon in a blender, turned up to eleven , with the contents splattering across the ceiling.” ?Russell Letson, Locus
“Asher has an amazing talent for world-building, for writing larger-than-life characters, for weaving gripping plots and for imagining exotic alien races and wonderful technologies. Huge ships! Big weapons! Space battles! Ground battles! Treason! Revenge! This is New Space Opera at its best. ” — Sense of Wonder
“ Hardboiled, fast-paced space opera . . . Asher’s books are similar to the world of Iain M. Banks’ Culture universe , but the Polity is arguably a much darker and more vicious environment—and all the better for it.” — The Register
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 twenty books, many set within his “Polity” universe, including Gridlinked , The Skinner , and Dark Intelligence. He divides his time between Essex and a home in Crete.
On the planet Spatterjay arrive three travelers: Janer, acting as the eyes of the hornet Hive mind, on a mission not yet revealed to him; Erlin, searching for Ambel -- the ancient sea captain who can teach her how to live; and Sable Keech, on a vendetta he cannot abandon, though he himself has been dead for 700 years. This remote world is mostly ocean, and it is a rare visitor who ventures beyond the safety of the island Dome. Outside it, only the native Hoopers dare risk the voracious appetites of the planet's wildlife. But somewhere out there is Spatterjay Hoop -- and Keech will not rest until he brings this legendary renegade to justice for hideous crimes committed centuries ago during the Prador Wars.
While Keech is discovering that Hoop is now a monster -- his body and head living apart from each other -- Janer is bewildered by a place where the native inhabitants just will not die and angry when he finally learns the Hive mind's intentions for him. Meanwhile, Erlin thinks she has plenty of time to find the answers she seeks, but could not be more wrong. For one of the most brutal of the alien Prador is about to pay the planet a surreptitious visit, intent on exterminating all remaining witnesses to his wartime atrocities. As the visitors' paths converge, major hell is about to erupt in a chaotic waterscape where minor hell is already a remorseless fact of everyday life . . . and death.
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