Dark Intelligence
Ratings20
Average rating3.9
15
Ratings20
Average rating3.9
One man will transcend death to seek vengeance. One woman will transform herself to gain power. And no one will emerge unscathed... Thorvald Spear wakes in a hospital to find he's been brought back from the dead. What's more, he died in a human vs. alien war that ended a century ago. Spear had been trapped on a world surrounded by hostile Prador forces, but Penny Royal, the AI inside the rescue ship sent to provide backup, turned rogue, annihilating friendly forces in a frenzy of destruction and killing Spear. One hundred years later the AI is still on the loose, and Spear vows for revenge at any cost. Isobel Satomi ran a successful crime syndicate, but after competitors attacked she needed power and protection. Negotiating with Penny Royal, she got more than she bargained for: Turning part-AI herself gave Isobel frightening power, but the upgrades hid a horrifying secret, and the dark AI triggered a transformation that has been turning her into something far from human… Spear hires Isobel to track Penny Royal across worlds to its last known whereabouts. But he cheats her in the process and quickly finds himself in her crosshairs. As Isobel continues to evolve into a monstrous predator, it’s clear her rage will eventually win out over reason. Will Spear finish his hunt before he himself becomes the hunted? Dark Intelligence is the explosive first novel in a brand new trilogy from military SF master Neal Asher and a new chapter in his epic Polity universe. Skyhorse Publishing, under our Night Shade and Talos imprints, is proud to publish a broad range of titles for readers interested in science fiction (space opera, time travel, hard SF, alien invasion, near-future dystopia), fantasy (grimdark, sword and sorcery, contemporary urban fantasy, steampunk, alternative history), and horror (zombies, vampires, and the occult and supernatural), and much more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller, a national bestseller, or a Hugo or Nebula award-winner, we are committed to publishing quality books from a diverse group of authors.
Reviews with the most likes.
This book was okay. I thought, before getting it, that it was the first in a series and it is, but first in a series of an even larger series of books by Neal Asher. What that means is that there is a lot of super interesting characters and concepts in this book that I would have liked expanded but were expanded in the first series in this universe.
Towards the end the concepts and names and call backs were coming so fast and furious it was hard to know what was really going on or why it was impactful.
I full accept this was my fault for getting this book first but I definitely thought this was the first book ever in this universe.
Epic, just epic!
Wow, wow
What a wonderful world building.
Man o man, I just loved this.
The premise is awesome!
I loved all the RPG elements too, they are just too awesome.
And the way the story flowed it was smooth as butter.
I will be looking forward to read the second one in the February!
This was not, I felt, one of the strongest of Asher's books, although there's still plenty to like. It's officially the beginning of a trilogy, but, in fact, relies heavily on previous books, so that it feels more like another part of a much longer series. Indeed, I found that to be the main weakness, in that there isn't terribly much new introduced here, more a revisiting of old locations and concepts.
Having said that, many of the characters are new, even if the places that we see them visiting aren't. Of particular interest is the primary character implied by the trilogy title of “transformation”, a haiman being biologically transformed into a hooder. This (along with a less important character who is also altering their species) is perhaps the most intriguing idea in the book, which at times gets a little confusing as the original revenge plot morphs into something more.
It does all make sense in the end, as it eventually becomes clear what the “dark intelligence” of the title - the rogue AI Penny Royal - is trying to do. And, even if it does rely on earlier novels, it does a pretty good job of explaining what happened in them, for those who haven't read them (or have forgotten the details). So, not one of the best, but it still works, and is an enjoyable read.
If you can get past the fact that this space opera is composed with impossible technology, the story slowly progresses toward a rather obvious conclusion. Although, it's not so much ‘conclusion' as a pause in the story before book 2. I didn't hate the book, but it didn't grab my interest, either.
Series
11 primary books13 released booksPolity Universe (chronological order) is a 13-book series with 11 primary works first released in 2001 with contributions by Neal Asher.
Series
3 primary booksTransformation is a 3-book series with 3 primary works first released in 2015 with contributions by Valery Starsky and Neal Asher.
