-
Dark Intelligence
- Narrated by: Jonathan Yen
- Length: 18 hrs and 29 mins
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Buy for $29.95
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
Publisher's summary
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.
Listeners also enjoyed...
-
The Soldier
- Rise of the Jain, Book 1
- By: Neal Asher
- Narrated by: David Marantz
- Length: 15 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In a far corner of space, on the very borders between humanity’s Polity worlds and the kingdom of the vicious crab-like prador, is an immediate threat to all sentient life: an accretion disc, a solar system designed by the long-dead Jain race and swarming with living technology powerful enough to destroy entire civilizations. Neither the Polity or the prador want the other in full control of the disc, so they’ve placed an impartial third party in charge of the weapons platform guarding the technology from escaping into the galaxy: Orlandine, a part-human, part-AI haiman.
-
-
disappointing.
- By golly folye on 01-16-19
By: Neal Asher
-
The Engineer ReConditioned
- By: Neal Asher
- Narrated by: Todd McLaren
- Length: 10 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Mysterious aliens...ruthless terrorists...androids with attitude...genetic manipulation...punch-ups with lasers...giant spaceships...what more do you want? A collection by the author of Gridlinked, The Skinner, In the Line of Polity, Cowl, Brass Man, and The Voyage of the Sable Keech.
-
-
Great into to Asher
- By SciFi Kindle on 06-26-13
By: Neal Asher
-
Steel World
- Undying Mercenaries, Book 1
- By: B. V. Larson
- Narrated by: Mark Boyett
- Length: 12 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the 20th century Earth sent probes, transmissions, and welcoming messages to the stars. Unfortunately, someone noticed. The Galactics arrived with their battle fleet in 2052. Rather than being exterminated under a barrage of hell-burners, Earth joined their vast Empire. Swearing allegiance to our distant alien overlords wasn't the only requirement for survival. We also had to have something of value to trade, something that neighboring planets would pay their hard-earned credits to buy. As most of the local worlds were too civilized to have a proper army, the only valuable service Earth could provide came in the form of soldiers....
-
-
A 14 year old boy’s idea of a “Real Man”
- By C. Brown on 04-16-19
By: B. V. Larson
-
Eversion
- By: Alastair Reynolds
- Narrated by: Harry Myers
- Length: 10 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the 1800s, a sailing ship crashes off the coast of Norway. In the 1900s, a Zepellin explores an icy canyon in Antarctica. In the far future, a spaceship sets out for an alien artifact. Each excursion goes horribly wrong. And on every journey, Dr. Silas Coade is the physician, but only Silas seems to realize that these events keep repeating themselves. And it's up to him to figure out why and how. And how to stop it all from happening again.
-
-
An entirely new level of science fiction
- By Possum Bean on 01-08-23
-
Shards of Earth
- By: Adrian Tchaikovsky
- Narrated by: Sophie Aldred
- Length: 18 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Idris has neither aged nor slept since they remade him in the war. And one of humanity's heroes now scrapes by on a freelance salvage vessel, to avoid the attention of greater powers. After Earth was destroyed, mankind created a fighting elite to save their species, enhanced humans such as Idris. In the silence of space they could communicate, mind-to-mind, with the enemy. Then their alien aggressors, the Architects, simply disappeared - and Idris and his kind became obsolete. Now, 50 years later, Idris and his crew have discovered something strange abandoned in space.
-
-
Not sure what the point was [Spoilers]
- By C. Andrew Hessler on 08-27-21
-
Imperial Deserter
- Decline and Fall of the Galactic Empire, Book 1
- By: Andrew Moriarty
- Narrated by: Christopher Grove
- Length: 11 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Dirriken Friedel used his aristocratic connections to rescue his troops. He didn't plan on starting a war or killing them himself. Now he spends his days in jail, waiting for an assassin sent by his dead officers families to end his misery. When he's broken out by off-duty marines he has a chance to start over, if he's worthy. During his ramshackle escape he collects a broken-down trading ship, a bitter former army officer, a genetically altered religious fanatic, a runaway ingenue, a sham engineer, and a murderous femme fatale.
-
-
Enjoyable characters and banter
- By Anonymous User on 09-19-24
By: Andrew Moriarty
-
The Soldier
- Rise of the Jain, Book 1
- By: Neal Asher
- Narrated by: David Marantz
- Length: 15 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In a far corner of space, on the very borders between humanity’s Polity worlds and the kingdom of the vicious crab-like prador, is an immediate threat to all sentient life: an accretion disc, a solar system designed by the long-dead Jain race and swarming with living technology powerful enough to destroy entire civilizations. Neither the Polity or the prador want the other in full control of the disc, so they’ve placed an impartial third party in charge of the weapons platform guarding the technology from escaping into the galaxy: Orlandine, a part-human, part-AI haiman.
-
-
disappointing.
- By golly folye on 01-16-19
By: Neal Asher
-
The Engineer ReConditioned
- By: Neal Asher
- Narrated by: Todd McLaren
- Length: 10 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Mysterious aliens...ruthless terrorists...androids with attitude...genetic manipulation...punch-ups with lasers...giant spaceships...what more do you want? A collection by the author of Gridlinked, The Skinner, In the Line of Polity, Cowl, Brass Man, and The Voyage of the Sable Keech.
-
-
Great into to Asher
- By SciFi Kindle on 06-26-13
By: Neal Asher
-
Steel World
- Undying Mercenaries, Book 1
- By: B. V. Larson
- Narrated by: Mark Boyett
- Length: 12 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the 20th century Earth sent probes, transmissions, and welcoming messages to the stars. Unfortunately, someone noticed. The Galactics arrived with their battle fleet in 2052. Rather than being exterminated under a barrage of hell-burners, Earth joined their vast Empire. Swearing allegiance to our distant alien overlords wasn't the only requirement for survival. We also had to have something of value to trade, something that neighboring planets would pay their hard-earned credits to buy. As most of the local worlds were too civilized to have a proper army, the only valuable service Earth could provide came in the form of soldiers....
-
-
A 14 year old boy’s idea of a “Real Man”
- By C. Brown on 04-16-19
By: B. V. Larson
-
Eversion
- By: Alastair Reynolds
- Narrated by: Harry Myers
- Length: 10 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the 1800s, a sailing ship crashes off the coast of Norway. In the 1900s, a Zepellin explores an icy canyon in Antarctica. In the far future, a spaceship sets out for an alien artifact. Each excursion goes horribly wrong. And on every journey, Dr. Silas Coade is the physician, but only Silas seems to realize that these events keep repeating themselves. And it's up to him to figure out why and how. And how to stop it all from happening again.
-
-
An entirely new level of science fiction
- By Possum Bean on 01-08-23
-
Shards of Earth
- By: Adrian Tchaikovsky
- Narrated by: Sophie Aldred
- Length: 18 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Idris has neither aged nor slept since they remade him in the war. And one of humanity's heroes now scrapes by on a freelance salvage vessel, to avoid the attention of greater powers. After Earth was destroyed, mankind created a fighting elite to save their species, enhanced humans such as Idris. In the silence of space they could communicate, mind-to-mind, with the enemy. Then their alien aggressors, the Architects, simply disappeared - and Idris and his kind became obsolete. Now, 50 years later, Idris and his crew have discovered something strange abandoned in space.
-
-
Not sure what the point was [Spoilers]
- By C. Andrew Hessler on 08-27-21
-
Imperial Deserter
- Decline and Fall of the Galactic Empire, Book 1
- By: Andrew Moriarty
- Narrated by: Christopher Grove
- Length: 11 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Dirriken Friedel used his aristocratic connections to rescue his troops. He didn't plan on starting a war or killing them himself. Now he spends his days in jail, waiting for an assassin sent by his dead officers families to end his misery. When he's broken out by off-duty marines he has a chance to start over, if he's worthy. During his ramshackle escape he collects a broken-down trading ship, a bitter former army officer, a genetically altered religious fanatic, a runaway ingenue, a sham engineer, and a murderous femme fatale.
-
-
Enjoyable characters and banter
- By Anonymous User on 09-19-24
By: Andrew Moriarty
-
First Command Box Set: Spacers, Books 1-6
- By: Scott Bartlett
- Narrated by: Mark Boyett
- Length: 43 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Out of the blue, a young Space Fleet officer's dream becomes reality: He's made captain of a starship. Just in time for the return of humanity's most terrible enemy, after 50 years of peace. To survive against this enemy, Captain Tad Thatcher will have to do more than learn how to become an effective commander, or how to wrangle his wayward crew. He will need to reinvent space combat. From scratch.
-
-
One of my favorite series!
- By Julia Monzon on 08-10-22
By: Scott Bartlett
-
Cage of Souls
- By: Adrian Tchaikovsky
- Narrated by: David Thorpe
- Length: 23 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The sun is bloated, diseased, dying perhaps. Beneath its baneful light, Shadrapar, last of all cities, harbours fewer than 100,000 human souls. Built on the ruins of countless civilisations, Shadrapar is a museum, a midden, an asylum, a prison on a world that is ever more alien to humanity. Bearing witness to the desperate struggle for existence between life old and new is Stefan Advani: rebel, outlaw, prisoner, survivor.
-
-
Slow Start, Strong Finish
- By Jacob McCollum on 05-01-23
-
Teleport
- Teleport, Book 1
- By: Joshua T. Calvert
- Narrated by: Eric Altheide
- Length: 9 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In Lake Maracaibo, in the northwestern part of Venezuela, a long-hidden extraterrestrial artifact underneath the ocean floor triggers a disaster. The United States military launches an expedition, sending a cutting-edge team of international researchers to the source of a magnetic instability that's destroying any electronics in the region.
-
-
Stargate with a dip of Event Horizon
- By Spartan Ghost on 09-15-23
-
Children of Time
- By: Adrian Tchaikovsky
- Narrated by: Mel Hudson
- Length: 16 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Adrian Tchaikovksy's critically acclaimed stand-alone novel Children of Time is the epic story of humanity's battle for survival on a terraformed planet. Who will inherit this new Earth? The last remnants of the human race left a dying Earth, desperate to find a new home among the stars. Following in the footsteps of their ancestors, they discover the greatest treasure of the past age - a world terraformed and prepared for human life. But all is not right in this new Eden.
-
-
A very pleasant surprise
- By Simon on 06-17-17
-
Renegade
- Spiral Wars, Book 1
- By: Joel Shepherd
- Narrated by: John Lee
- Length: 17 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
One thousand years after Earth was destroyed in an unprovoked attack, humanity has emerged victorious from a series of terrible wars to assure its place in the galaxy. But during celebrations on humanity’s new homeworld, the legendary Captain Pantillo of the battle carrier Phoenix is court-martialed then killed, and his deputy, Lieutenant Commander Erik Debogande, the heir to humanity’s most powerful industrial family, is framed for his murder.
-
-
Politics?
- By ochoavida102 on 06-18-17
By: Joel Shepherd
-
The Lost Starship
- By: Vaughn Heppner
- Narrated by: David Stifel
- Length: 13 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Ten thousand years ago, a single alien super-ship survived a desperate battle. The vessel's dying crew set the AI on automatic to defend the smashed rubble of their planet. Legend has it the faithful ship continues to patrol the empty battlefield, obeying its last order throughout the lonely centuries.In the here and now, Earth needs a miracle. Out of the Beyond invade the New Men, stronger, faster and smarter than the old. Their superior warships and advanced technology destroy every fleet sent to stop them.
-
-
A Good Concept and Decent (But Not Great) Story
- By Striker on 12-01-14
By: Vaughn Heppner
-
Fallen Dragon
- By: Peter F. Hamilton
- Narrated by: John Lee
- Length: 26 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the distant future, corporations have become sustainable communities with their own militaries, and corporate goals have essentially replaced political ideology. On a youthful, rebellious impulse, Lawrence joined the military of a corporation that he now recognizes to be ruthless and exploitative. His only hope for escape is to earn enough money to buy his place in a better corporation.
-
-
Possibly my new favorite Hamilton novel
- By Samuel on 04-08-17
-
The Three-Body Problem
- By: Cixin Liu, Ken Liu - translator
- Narrated by: Rosalind Chao
- Length: 13 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Set against the backdrop of China's Cultural Revolution, a secret military project sends signals into space to establish contact with aliens. An alien civilization on the brink of destruction captures the signal and plans to invade Earth. Meanwhile, on Earth, different camps start forming, planning to either welcome the superior beings and help them take over a world seen as corrupt, or to fight against the invasion. The result is a science fiction masterpiece of enormous scope and vision.
-
-
Why Rosalamd Chao?
- By Erin on 02-29-24
By: Cixin Liu, and others
-
Light Chaser
- By: Peter F. Hamilton, Gareth L. Powell
- Narrated by: Imogen Church
- Length: 4 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Amahle is a Light Chaser—one of a number of explorers, who travel the universe alone (except for their onboard AI), trading trinkets for life stories. But when she listens to the stories sent down through the ages, she hears the same voice talking directly to her from different times and on different worlds. She comes to understand that something terrible is happening, and only she is in a position to do anything about it. And it will cost everything to put it right.
-
-
Life is lonely with only Instagram collars
- By Michael G Kurilla on 07-10-22
By: Peter F. Hamilton, and others
-
Grimm's War: Books 1-3
- By: Jeffery H. Haskell
- Narrated by: Peter Berkrot
- Length: 36 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Idealistic Navy Lieutenant Jacob Grimm just wanted to honor his mother’s sacrifice in the last great war. When he’s forced to return fire and destroy a squadron of ships to save his own, he thinks he’s the hero...until they discover the ships are full of children. Disgraced and denied promotion, Jacob’s career is over. That is until the head of ONI needs a disposable officer to command a battered destroyer on the rim.
-
-
I love it!
- By Brothanoomsy on 02-14-23
-
Seveneves
- A Novel
- By: Neal Stephenson
- Narrated by: Mary Robinette Kowal, Will Damron
- Length: 31 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A catastrophic event renders the earth a ticking time bomb. In a feverish race against the inevitable, nations around the globe band together to devise an ambitious plan to ensure the survival of humanity far beyond our atmosphere, in outer space.
-
-
Odd narrator choice
- By Josh Mitchell on 05-30-15
By: Neal Stephenson
-
Tin Man: A Galaxy's Edge Prequel
- By: Jason Anspach, Nick Cole
- Narrated by: R.C. Bray
- Length: 52 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the wilds of a jungle planet, the Legion fights in brutal combat as Republic marines fly their SLICS from one tragedy to the next. H292, a repurposed warbot, shows the heart of a hero as he wades into the battle not to destroy - but to save.
-
-
So cool
- By Chris on 02-01-20
By: Jason Anspach, and others
Related to this topic
-
Intrinsic
- By: Philip C. Quaintrell
- Narrated by: George Newbern
- Length: 15 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Kalian Gaines has a secret; he just doesn't know it yet. He looks like us, he lives like us...but he is not one of us. Kalian knows nothing outside of his mundane life teaching history on 30th-century Earth, until a day like any other triggers a series of events that will tie his fate to that of humanity. A human handprint, embedded into a rock with alien script, is discovered on a moon that mankind has never set foot on. This discovery holds a secret, which will sweep Kalian into the heart of a conspiracy that has corrupted the galaxy for 200,000 years.
-
-
Unexpectedly Brilliant
- By Fraser on 04-22-18
-
Predator - Incursion
- The Rage War, Book 1
- By: Tim Lebbon
- Narrated by: John Chancer
- Length: 11 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Predator ships stream into human space in unprecedented numbers. The Colonial Marines, controlled by Weyland-Yutani, respond to the incursion, thus entering the Rage War. This terrifying assault by the Yautja cannot go unchallenged, yet the cost of combat is high. Predators are master combatants, and each encounter yields a high body count. Then, when Lt. Johnny Mains and his marines - the VoidLarks - enter the fray, they discover an enemy deadlier than any could imagine.
-
-
I was really wanted to like this book!!
- By jeremy lamarch on 05-15-16
By: Tim Lebbon
-
Mech Zero: The Dominant
- By: B. V. Larson
- Narrated by: Mirron Willis
- Length: 1 hr and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Death awaits the curious! Out along the rim of the galaxy hangs a loose configuration of some 60 stars known as the Faustian Chain. This whorl of sparkling suns is rich in planets and occupies an irregular volume of space some 20 light years in diameter. From an external viewpoint, the Chain presents a colorful display of plasma-streams, luminous nebulae and sparkling pinpoints of light.
-
-
No hero's here
- By SteveM on 07-17-16
By: B. V. Larson
-
Star Warrior
- By: Isaac Hooke
- Narrated by: Todd McLaren
- Length: 18 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In a galaxy where the fabric of reality can be bent and shaped by a privileged few, and almost any skill desired is a mere injection away, one young man is thrust into the fight of his life. Tane, a hydroponics farmer with some mad cereal crop gene-splicing skills, decides to get chipped. The operation gives him full control over his autonomic nervous and endocrine systems, plus the ability to install custom memories. All seems well until a couple of days later aliens come knocking at his door. And they aren't the friendly type.
-
-
wheel of time
- By Amazon Customer on 05-02-18
By: Isaac Hooke
-
The Atlantis Ship
- By: A. C. Hadfield
- Narrated by: Alexander Cendese
- Length: 7 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Carson Mach, a former war hero turned freelancer, seeks the biggest payday of his life when he's tasked to hunt down a ghost ship that has echoed through the centuries. The legendary Atlantis ship has become a reality, appearing at the Commonwealth frontier and obliterating an orbital station.
-
-
Very Good Story, Looking Forward to the Next Book
- By Striker on 09-13-15
By: A. C. Hadfield
-
Tantalus Depths
- By: Evan Graham
- Narrated by: Andi Arndt
- Length: 10 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Tantalus 13 survey expedition went off the rails as soon as Mary Ketch and the crew of the Diamelen learned that the thing beneath their feet wasn’t a planet. An impossibly vast and ancient artificial structure lies below, hidden from the universe under a façade of cratered stone. SCARAB arrived on Tantalus 13 two years ago. An artificially intelligent, self-constructing factory, it was supposed to aid the crew in their mission, to meet their every need.
-
-
Good primer for Young Adults new to sci-fi!
- By Philip Maddox on 10-09-22
By: Evan Graham
-
Intrinsic
- By: Philip C. Quaintrell
- Narrated by: George Newbern
- Length: 15 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Kalian Gaines has a secret; he just doesn't know it yet. He looks like us, he lives like us...but he is not one of us. Kalian knows nothing outside of his mundane life teaching history on 30th-century Earth, until a day like any other triggers a series of events that will tie his fate to that of humanity. A human handprint, embedded into a rock with alien script, is discovered on a moon that mankind has never set foot on. This discovery holds a secret, which will sweep Kalian into the heart of a conspiracy that has corrupted the galaxy for 200,000 years.
-
-
Unexpectedly Brilliant
- By Fraser on 04-22-18
-
Predator - Incursion
- The Rage War, Book 1
- By: Tim Lebbon
- Narrated by: John Chancer
- Length: 11 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Predator ships stream into human space in unprecedented numbers. The Colonial Marines, controlled by Weyland-Yutani, respond to the incursion, thus entering the Rage War. This terrifying assault by the Yautja cannot go unchallenged, yet the cost of combat is high. Predators are master combatants, and each encounter yields a high body count. Then, when Lt. Johnny Mains and his marines - the VoidLarks - enter the fray, they discover an enemy deadlier than any could imagine.
-
-
I was really wanted to like this book!!
- By jeremy lamarch on 05-15-16
By: Tim Lebbon
-
Mech Zero: The Dominant
- By: B. V. Larson
- Narrated by: Mirron Willis
- Length: 1 hr and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Death awaits the curious! Out along the rim of the galaxy hangs a loose configuration of some 60 stars known as the Faustian Chain. This whorl of sparkling suns is rich in planets and occupies an irregular volume of space some 20 light years in diameter. From an external viewpoint, the Chain presents a colorful display of plasma-streams, luminous nebulae and sparkling pinpoints of light.
-
-
No hero's here
- By SteveM on 07-17-16
By: B. V. Larson
-
Star Warrior
- By: Isaac Hooke
- Narrated by: Todd McLaren
- Length: 18 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In a galaxy where the fabric of reality can be bent and shaped by a privileged few, and almost any skill desired is a mere injection away, one young man is thrust into the fight of his life. Tane, a hydroponics farmer with some mad cereal crop gene-splicing skills, decides to get chipped. The operation gives him full control over his autonomic nervous and endocrine systems, plus the ability to install custom memories. All seems well until a couple of days later aliens come knocking at his door. And they aren't the friendly type.
-
-
wheel of time
- By Amazon Customer on 05-02-18
By: Isaac Hooke
-
The Atlantis Ship
- By: A. C. Hadfield
- Narrated by: Alexander Cendese
- Length: 7 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Carson Mach, a former war hero turned freelancer, seeks the biggest payday of his life when he's tasked to hunt down a ghost ship that has echoed through the centuries. The legendary Atlantis ship has become a reality, appearing at the Commonwealth frontier and obliterating an orbital station.
-
-
Very Good Story, Looking Forward to the Next Book
- By Striker on 09-13-15
By: A. C. Hadfield
-
Tantalus Depths
- By: Evan Graham
- Narrated by: Andi Arndt
- Length: 10 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Tantalus 13 survey expedition went off the rails as soon as Mary Ketch and the crew of the Diamelen learned that the thing beneath their feet wasn’t a planet. An impossibly vast and ancient artificial structure lies below, hidden from the universe under a façade of cratered stone. SCARAB arrived on Tantalus 13 two years ago. An artificially intelligent, self-constructing factory, it was supposed to aid the crew in their mission, to meet their every need.
-
-
Good primer for Young Adults new to sci-fi!
- By Philip Maddox on 10-09-22
By: Evan Graham
-
Prominence
- By: A. C. Hadfield
- Narrated by: Marc Vietor
- Length: 6 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
They tried to destroy our planets. Our way of life. They tried to send us into extinction. But we, the Coalition, fought them and won. That was a decade ago. They’re known as the Host: a cabal of aliens seeking to dominate our sector of space. And they’re back - with help from a powerful new enemy. We’re outnumbered and unprepared. But there is hope. An ancient race of long-dead but technologically advanced aliens called the Navigators have a ship called the Blackstar that could potentially turn the tide. That is if I, Kai Locke, a humble ship racer, can find it and learn how to harness its power in time.
-
-
Newly found love.
- By L. Rampey on 03-22-19
By: A. C. Hadfield
-
Beyond the Aquila Rift
- By: Alastair Reynolds
- Narrated by: Tom Dheere
- Length: 1 hr and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Beyond the Aquila Rift: It's shorthand for the trip no one ever hopes to make by accident. The one that will screw up the rest of your life, the one that creates the ghosts you see haunting the shadows of company bars across the whole Bubble. Men and women ripped out of time, cut adrift from families and lovers by an accident of an alien technology we use but rarely comprehend.
-
-
Great story, mediocre audio book.
- By Amazon Customer on 04-17-12
-
The Last Exodus
- By: Paul Tassi
- Narrated by: Victor Bevine
- Length: 10 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Earth lies in ruins in the aftermath of an extraterrestrial invasion, the land devastated by a desperate war with no winners between mankind and a race of vicious, intelligent creatures. The seas are drying up while the atmosphere corrodes and slowly cooks any life remaining on the now desolate rock. Food is scarce, trust even more so, and the only people left alive all have done horrific things to stay that way.
-
-
Paint by numbers
- By sonofapharmacist on 08-19-19
By: Paul Tassi
-
The Wrong Stars
- By: Tim Pratt
- Narrated by: John Glouchevitch
- Length: 10 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The shady crew of the White Raven run freight and salvage at the fringes of our solar system. They discover the wreck of a centuries-old exploration vessel floating light years away from its intended destination and revive its sole occupant, who wakes with news of First Alien Contact. When the crew break it to her that humanity has alien allies already, she reveals that these are very different extra-terrestrials and the gifts they bestowed on her could kill all humanity, or take it out to the most distant stars.
-
-
Save yourself a credit, read something else
- By Ian Thomas Healy on 09-19-18
By: Tim Pratt
-
Fleet of Worlds
- 200 Years Before the Discovery of the Ringworld
- By: Larry Niven, Edward M. Lerner
- Narrated by: Tom Weiner
- Length: 9 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Fleet of Worlds takes a closer look at Human-Puppeteer (Citizen) relations and the events leading up to Niven's first Ringworld novel. Kirsten Quinn-Kovacks is among the best and brightest of her people. She gratefully serves the gentle race that rescued her ancestors from a dying starship, gave them a world, and nurtures them still. If only the Citizens knew where Kirsten's people came from.
-
-
Hurrah!
- By Bruce on 01-25-08
By: Larry Niven, and others
-
The Reality Dysfunction
- Night's Dawn Trilogy, Book 1
- By: Peter F. Hamilton
- Narrated by: John Lee
- Length: 41 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In AD 2600, the human race is finally beginning to realize its full potential. Hundreds of colonized planets scattered across the galaxy host a multitude of prosperous and wildly diverse cultures. Genetic engineering has pushed evolution far beyond nature's boundaries, defeating disease and producing extraordinary spaceborn creatures. Huge fleets of sentient trader starships thrive on the wealth created by the industrialization of entire star systems, and throughout inhabited space the Confederation Navy keeps the peace.
-
-
Finally on Audible!! My favorite Hamilton series!
- By Patrick on 04-05-16
-
The Tar-Aiym Krang
- A Pip & Flinx Adventure
- By: Alan Dean Foster
- Narrated by: Stefan Rudnicki
- Length: 7 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Moth was a beautiful planet, the only one with wings - two great golden clouds suspended in space around it. Here was a wide-open world for any venture a man might scheme. The planet attracted unwary travelers, hardened space-sailors, and merchant buccaneers - a teeming, constantly shifting horde that provided a comfortable income for certain quick-witted fellows like Flinx and his pet flying snake Pip.
-
-
The First of the Flinx and Pip Novels AT LAST!
- By Chris on 01-20-09
By: Alan Dean Foster
-
Legion of the Damned
- Legion of the Damned, Book 1
- By: William C. Dietz
- Narrated by: Donald Corren
- Length: 13 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the future, the terminally ill can prolong life by surrendering their consciousness to a cybernetic life form that is then recruited into the notorious Legion of the Damned, an elite fighting unit charged with protecting humanity.
-
-
Pretty poor
- By Taliesin on 05-09-10
By: William C. Dietz
-
Battle Cruiser
- Lost Colonies, Book 1
- By: B. V. Larson
- Narrated by: Edoardo Ballerini
- Length: 13 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
One starship will either save Earth or destroy her. A century ago our star erupted, destroying Earth's wormhole network and closing off trade with her colonized planets. After being out of contact with the younger worlds for so many years, humanity is shocked when a huge ship appears at the edge of the solar system. Our outdated navy investigates, both curious and fearful. What they learn from the massive vessel shocks the planet.
-
-
Disappointing, Juvenile
- By Russ on 12-27-15
By: B. V. Larson
-
Assault Troopers
- Extinction Wars, Book 1
- By: Vaughn Heppner
- Narrated by: Christian Rummel
- Length: 12 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Earth died when aliens rained thermonuclear warheads on her cities and sprayed the surface with a bio-terminator. A deadly poison drifted to every corner of the planet, threatening the last survivors with annihilation. For a soldier like Creed, there is only one way to keep breathing untainted air. He must bury his hatred of the extraterrestrials and join the Jelk Corporation as an assault trooper, leaving the planet for outer space. In return for his and other people's services, the corporation will house the last humans for as long as the assault troopers keep winning.
-
-
Angry, Poor action, No reality, A lot of Yelling
- By Edward on 10-26-13
By: Vaughn Heppner
-
Expendable
- League of Peoples, Book 1
- By: James Alan Gardner
- Narrated by: Christine Marshall
- Length: 10 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Under the benevolent leadership of the League of Peoples, there is no war, little crime, and life is sacred...unless you're an Explorer. The ugly, the flawed, the misfit, the deformed, they are the unwanted, flung to the farthest corners of the galaxy to investigate hostile planets and strange, vicious creatures. Out there, there are a thousand different - and terrible - ways to die.
-
-
FU@@ING EXPLORERS
- By Jim "The Impatient" on 03-06-15
-
Bypass Gemini
- Big Sigma Series, Book 1
- By: Joseph R Lallo
- Narrated by: John Forbes
- Length: 10 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In a distant future, Trevor "Lex" Alexander was shaping up to be the next great race pilot until a fixed race got him banned from the sport. Reduced to making freelance deliveries, he thinks his life can't get any worse. That's when a package manages to get him mixed up with mobsters, a megacorp, and a mad scientist. Now his life depends on learning what their plans are, and how he can stop them.
-
-
I'm torn over this review.
- By Jim Stark on 05-27-17
By: Joseph R Lallo
People who viewed this also viewed...
-
The Soldier
- Rise of the Jain, Book 1
- By: Neal Asher
- Narrated by: David Marantz
- Length: 15 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In a far corner of space, on the very borders between humanity’s Polity worlds and the kingdom of the vicious crab-like prador, is an immediate threat to all sentient life: an accretion disc, a solar system designed by the long-dead Jain race and swarming with living technology powerful enough to destroy entire civilizations. Neither the Polity or the prador want the other in full control of the disc, so they’ve placed an impartial third party in charge of the weapons platform guarding the technology from escaping into the galaxy: Orlandine, a part-human, part-AI haiman.
-
-
disappointing.
- By golly folye on 01-16-19
By: Neal Asher
-
The Engineer ReConditioned
- By: Neal Asher
- Narrated by: Todd McLaren
- Length: 10 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Mysterious aliens...ruthless terrorists...androids with attitude...genetic manipulation...punch-ups with lasers...giant spaceships...what more do you want? A collection by the author of Gridlinked, The Skinner, In the Line of Polity, Cowl, Brass Man, and The Voyage of the Sable Keech.
-
-
Great into to Asher
- By SciFi Kindle on 06-26-13
By: Neal Asher
-
Slow Bullets
- By: Alastair Reynolds
- Narrated by: Susan Duerden
- Length: 4 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A vast conflict, one that has encompassed hundreds of worlds and solar systems, appears to be finally at an end. A conscripted soldier is beginning to consider her life after the war and the family she has left behind. But for Scur - and for humanity - peace is not to be.
-
-
A great story ruined by narration.
- By Andrew Linke on 06-11-15
-
Anachronist: A Time Travel Adventure
- The Infinity Engines, Book 1
- By: Andrew Hastie
- Narrated by: Rupert Degas
- Length: 11 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Weaving back through time, the secret society of eccentric anachronists ensures the best possible future for humanity, making subtle adjustments to the past—saving us from oblivion. Every alteration is carefully calculated, and nothing is left to chance. Until the day Joshua Jones, a teenage thief, breaks into one of their station houses and finds himself transported back to 1944—where he accidentally changes the outcome of WW2.
-
-
If you like
- By HJ on 03-09-24
By: Andrew Hastie
-
Exodus: The Archimedes Engine
- Exodus: The Archimedes Engine, Book 1
- By: Peter F. Hamilton
- Narrated by: John Lee
- Length: 30 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Forty thousand years ago, humanity fled a dying Earth. Traveling in massive arkships, these brave pioneers spread out across the galaxy to find a new home. After traveling thousands of light-years, one fleet of arkships arrived at Centauri, a dense cluster of stars with a vast array of potentially habitable planets. The survivors of Earth signaled to the remaining arkships that humanity had finally found its new home among the stars.
-
-
The 2024 Six Star Winner !
- By C. Hartmann on 09-22-24
-
Good Boys: The Lost Tribe
- Good Boys, Book 1
- By: Jeremy Robinson
- Narrated by: Tom Taylorson
- Length: 11 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the serene backdrop of New Hampshire's Franconia Notch, Micah Taylor, an ex-Army Ranger, finds solace with his loyal golden retriever, Grover. Their peaceful existence is suddenly shattered when a first date with his old friend, Jess Bender, takes an unexpected turn. Bright lights descend from the sky, leading them into the dark woods and a shocking discovery: the Kylonari, an advanced alien species with a special connection to Micah, here on a quest to find "The Lost Tribe"—a colony that vanished millennia ago.
-
-
What a Fun Ride!
- By CarterFSU on 08-22-24
By: Jeremy Robinson
-
The Soldier
- Rise of the Jain, Book 1
- By: Neal Asher
- Narrated by: David Marantz
- Length: 15 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In a far corner of space, on the very borders between humanity’s Polity worlds and the kingdom of the vicious crab-like prador, is an immediate threat to all sentient life: an accretion disc, a solar system designed by the long-dead Jain race and swarming with living technology powerful enough to destroy entire civilizations. Neither the Polity or the prador want the other in full control of the disc, so they’ve placed an impartial third party in charge of the weapons platform guarding the technology from escaping into the galaxy: Orlandine, a part-human, part-AI haiman.
-
-
disappointing.
- By golly folye on 01-16-19
By: Neal Asher
-
The Engineer ReConditioned
- By: Neal Asher
- Narrated by: Todd McLaren
- Length: 10 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Mysterious aliens...ruthless terrorists...androids with attitude...genetic manipulation...punch-ups with lasers...giant spaceships...what more do you want? A collection by the author of Gridlinked, The Skinner, In the Line of Polity, Cowl, Brass Man, and The Voyage of the Sable Keech.
-
-
Great into to Asher
- By SciFi Kindle on 06-26-13
By: Neal Asher
-
Slow Bullets
- By: Alastair Reynolds
- Narrated by: Susan Duerden
- Length: 4 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A vast conflict, one that has encompassed hundreds of worlds and solar systems, appears to be finally at an end. A conscripted soldier is beginning to consider her life after the war and the family she has left behind. But for Scur - and for humanity - peace is not to be.
-
-
A great story ruined by narration.
- By Andrew Linke on 06-11-15
-
Anachronist: A Time Travel Adventure
- The Infinity Engines, Book 1
- By: Andrew Hastie
- Narrated by: Rupert Degas
- Length: 11 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Weaving back through time, the secret society of eccentric anachronists ensures the best possible future for humanity, making subtle adjustments to the past—saving us from oblivion. Every alteration is carefully calculated, and nothing is left to chance. Until the day Joshua Jones, a teenage thief, breaks into one of their station houses and finds himself transported back to 1944—where he accidentally changes the outcome of WW2.
-
-
If you like
- By HJ on 03-09-24
By: Andrew Hastie
-
Exodus: The Archimedes Engine
- Exodus: The Archimedes Engine, Book 1
- By: Peter F. Hamilton
- Narrated by: John Lee
- Length: 30 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Forty thousand years ago, humanity fled a dying Earth. Traveling in massive arkships, these brave pioneers spread out across the galaxy to find a new home. After traveling thousands of light-years, one fleet of arkships arrived at Centauri, a dense cluster of stars with a vast array of potentially habitable planets. The survivors of Earth signaled to the remaining arkships that humanity had finally found its new home among the stars.
-
-
The 2024 Six Star Winner !
- By C. Hartmann on 09-22-24
-
Good Boys: The Lost Tribe
- Good Boys, Book 1
- By: Jeremy Robinson
- Narrated by: Tom Taylorson
- Length: 11 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the serene backdrop of New Hampshire's Franconia Notch, Micah Taylor, an ex-Army Ranger, finds solace with his loyal golden retriever, Grover. Their peaceful existence is suddenly shattered when a first date with his old friend, Jess Bender, takes an unexpected turn. Bright lights descend from the sky, leading them into the dark woods and a shocking discovery: the Kylonari, an advanced alien species with a special connection to Micah, here on a quest to find "The Lost Tribe"—a colony that vanished millennia ago.
-
-
What a Fun Ride!
- By CarterFSU on 08-22-24
By: Jeremy Robinson
What listeners say about Dark Intelligence
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Ram
- 02-23-15
A good book!
I do not have much experience with hard science-fiction, certainly not much dealing with AI technology, but I really enjoyed listening to ‘Dark Intelligence’. It was at times challenging but overall, a rewarding experience.
The only issue, which was mainly just a personal one and not one I think would always matter to others, is the technical jargon. I have read a few hard science-fiction novels here and there and more often than not, I am capable of keeping up with the “fictional science” that the author is building and writing about. In this one, it was mostly just the very common, technical things that baffled me at times. Some of these sections were also closely lumped together so I did end up losing track here and there of the explanations.
I also have to show some appreciation for the author’s style of writing. Despite not being able to comprehend all the technical lingo, the writing of this novel still maintained its focus on what the story is about more so than the specifics. I don’t often remark on the writing of a science-fiction/fantasy author, mostly because that doesn’t seem of much importance really, but I couldn’t help but notice that despite having trouble understanding some bits of the science, I was still able to understand everything that was going on, as well as be interested enough to continue listening to the book.
To reiterate the writing skills which this author displays, I also loved how the book starts off at a slow, steady pace and matures into something more complex and more exciting. Seeing as how this is a completely different world from ours, the author does an excellent job of building up everything step-by-step to keep the story, along with the characters and the world building, from overwhelming me.
All in all, if you are a hard science-fiction fan, this book won’t disappoint. If you are not, I think this is still a good, enjoyable read. You may or not have trouble with the specifics but I think you’ll still easily be able to enjoy the story for what it’s worth.
[Disclaimer: I received a copy of this audiobook from Audible in exchange for a review. All opinions expressed are my own.]
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Kevin
- 09-15-16
Great Start - soft landing
This was a pretty good first book. The first part of the book (in fact most of it) is pretty interesting. Good Character development and alot of action. This all kinds of gets soft at the end when the main bad character makes nice nice with all its victims. Seemed very weak in the end.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Test
- 11-09-15
Asher's best yet
Would you listen to Dark Intelligence again? Why?
I actually would. I usually re-read Asher's books more than once and Yen's reading of this book was so great I think I actually will re-listen to this.
What did you like best about this story?
All of Asher's trademark things that make him one of the best sci fi writers around are here - bizarre alien ecosystems and life forms, hilarious and wise-cracking AI's & drones, intriguing characters, and an exploration of a very interesting unifying theme - transformation. Not to mention Asher's return to a theme he has explored before that I find very interesting - which is insane/fragmented machine consciousnesses.
Have you listened to any of Jonathan Yen’s other performances before? How does this one compare?
I haven't listened to any of his other performances but I have to say he knocked it out of the park with this reading. I usually love Asher's books (I pre-order them and sometimes even order them from the UK since they come out sooner over there) but I'm considering waiting until Yen does a performance of the next Asher book on Audible because I liked his reading so much.
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
Sure....if I had 20 hours straight to sit in one place LOL.
Any additional comments?
Awesome book with terrific performance by Yen. If you haven't ever read (or listened to) any of Asher's other books, you REALLY shouldn't start here though because there are a lot of other books in this universe before this one and you should enjoy those first. Start with Gridlinked.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
3 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Steven T. Voboril
- 05-08-17
that's a long way around
i have to be a bit more critical. I give out too many 4 and 5 stars. lots of cool stuff in this book, fun listen but at best a 7/10. but in reality 6/10. I need to think of this as a 10 point scale and round down not up.
Overall it is slightly confusing to listen to but I could follow. I found out I could fall asleep and not miss much. go back listen and find out that I didn't miss anything important. extensive world and characters. if you like tech ideas it is plenty fun.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Sherry
- 09-16-21
Much to Do About Nothing?
It feels disjointed through the whole novel. Back and forth from different characters being manipulated by the same Dark AI. Feels like nothing that really matters is happening even though really cool ideas are everywhere in the novel. It's not bad, but I won't be listening to anymore of it.
Maybe the problem is that the characters, while well written, leave you with noone to root for. There isn't really a character to get behind. Starts of feeling like we should get behind the war veterans who is brought back to life. Then it's like the Dark AI Penny is the one to get behind. At times feels like we should be on the side of the crab aliens.
Don't really know. This is the problem. Feels like treading water and not going anywhere with any part of this. Kinda a horror feel with all the genome manipulations.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Kindle Customer
- 10-27-16
Overall good
The story dragged on at points with some details it's still like why do I care. Or all of this for what reason.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Matt Quan
- 09-01-16
Wow. Amazing!!
I've read his other series. This book was hard to put down. Everything came together. The action is fast paced without unnecessary words. It is brutal, graphic and raw. I can't wait till the next book
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- David
- 02-09-16
Lots of space battles, violent aliens, bloody AIs
Neal Asher and his Polity series has been floating around for a while, but I had read mixed reviews and was never overly interested. However, the first book in his latest series was another Audible sale, so generally willing to give a new space opera a chance, I went ahead and downloaded it.
Dark Intelligence is a rather grimdark space opera full of big ideas: deadly AIs, planet-busting spaceships, ancient alien civilizations, destructive weapons, obsessive protagonists and antagonists, and massive amounts of grotesque violence. It's a bit like the Expanse series with more gore (and the Expanse series is not exactly light on gore), or something by Peter F. Hamilton or Alastair Reynolds but bloodier and darker. (Neal Asher, it turns out, is also a British SF author. They do seem to be fonder of modern-day retellings of Lensmen-level space epics that have kind of gone out of style in the US.)
Thorvald Spear wakes up after being "dead" for a hundred years. His last memory was of being a soldier who'd been captured by a nasty alien race called the Prador, who were at war with the human Polity. Asher's previous books in the Polity series covered the war against the Prador, and there are many references to events and characters that evidently appeared there first. I didn't find it too hard to figure out what's going on, since the Prador are standard-issue genocidal Bug-Eyed Monsters who torture and eat their enemies. In the tradition of such alien enemies from the Kzinti to the Gorn, they got their asses kicked by mankind and thereby became slightly more civilized.
Thorvald's grievance is not against his old enemy the Prador - it's against a "black AI" that controlled a Polity destroyer that turned on his side on the planet where he was fighting the Prador. When he wakes up, he learns that the AI, Penny Royal, is still around, still a fugitive from Polity justice, and causing trouble all over the galaxy. So he goes after it.
Spear isn't the only one after Penny Royal. There's also a psychopathic crime boss named Isobel Satomi, who was granted "upgrades" from Penny Royal and learned that the AI is rather like a traditional djinn in that it might grant your wish, but you usually won't like the results. There is also a Prador leader, similarly modified by Penny Royal, who wants to track it down to get some questions answered.
They all end up meeting along with several other secondary characters at a planet called Masada, in a big bloody showdown that sets Penny Royal up to be an enigmatic recurring character in what I'm sure will be more books in this series.
The mystery for much of the book was what Penny Royal was up to. Is it evil, insane, or playing some long game?
Along the way, though, there is lots and lots of evisceration, dismemberment, heads blown off, people being eaten, people being transformed into monstrous H.R. Giger-like things, and AIs threatening and trash-talking each other and every life form they meet.
This all sounds very exciting, and I was reasonably entertained, but there's one problem: when it was over, I had trouble recalling all the twists and turns and big reveals, and moreover, I didn't much care. All the characters, from Thorvald Spear to Isobel Satomi to Penny Royal, were flat, with a very limited personality range. I was most interested in the alien and AI characters, just because they were different, but really, while I appreciated the big ideas and the epic scope of the story, it was epic in a scene-by-scene kind of way ("Oh wow, she just fell to the surface of a planet from orbit and got up to keep fighting...") but without really getting me interested in the universe, which as I said, is not unlike similar ones written by Hamilton, Reynolds, or Iain Banks. And I had the same reaction I've had to those other British SF authors - interesting, creative universes with lots of scope for adventure and intrigue, but nothing that quite hooks me enough to care a lot what happens next. So I might read something else by Neal Asher, but I'm rather indifferent as far as reading the next book in this series goes.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
15 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Calvin
- 03-10-17
Amazing, dark, humorous, over the top!
I never really understood what was going on in this book, but I think it's becuase every main charecter was completely bonkers. Amazing ride, loved it. Snickety snick!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Crystaline Entity
- 03-18-16
well done
actually very good. the plot moves fast. has an ending that keeps you guessing right up to the end.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful