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Weaponized is a thrilling far-future space opera by acclaimed science fiction author Neal Asher, a standalone adventure set in the expansive Polity universe.A bright new future for humanity – or a dark and inescapable past.Ursula has lived twice the normal human lifespan, courtesy of the latest technology. But now she’s struggling to find excitement and purpose, so signs up to the Polity’s military. She excels in weapons development, and progresses rapidly up the ranks. But after botching a powerful new ammunition test, she’s dismissed from service.Hunting for a simpler, more meaningful existence, the ex-soldier heads for the stars. And after founding a colony on the hostile planet of Threpsis, Ursula finally feels alive. Then deadly raptors attack and the colonists are forced to adapt in unprecedented ways. The raptors also raise a deeply troubling question: how could the Polity have missed these apex predators? And alien ruins? Meanwhile, biophysicist Oren has formed his own survival plan – one he’ll pursue at any cost.As a desperate battle erupts to consume the planet, Ursula finds she must dig deep into her past to ensure humanity’s future.

Rebellion could be their salvation – or their doom. War Bodies by Neal Asher is a gripping, high-octane standalone set in his expansive Polity universe.Long ago, the Cyberat left Earth to co-evolve with machines. Now, led by the powerful dictator Castron, their Old Guard believe that machines should replace the physical body. But these beliefs are upended with the arrival of the human Polity – and their presence ignites rebellion.Piper was raised as a weapon against the Cyberat, implanted with secretive hardware. When his parents are captured by the Old Guard, the Polity offer him unexpected aid. Piper knows the Polity want more from him, but at what cost? The rebellion also attracts the deadly prador, placing an entire world in peril.As war rages across the planet, Piper must battle with the unknown technology implanted in his bones. It may be the Polity’s answer to their relentless fight against the prador. It could also be civilization-ending Jain tech – or something far more extraordinary.

Implanted with secret technology, Piper was raised to be a weapon against the dictatorial Old Guard. When rebellion strikes, he must decide where his loyalties lie - with the Cyberat who made him, the Polity who want him . . . or the planet that needs him.

Rebellion could be their salvation – or their doom.War Bodies by Neal Asher is a gripping, high-octane standalone adventure set in his expansive Polity universe – a far-future society run by artificial intelligences.Long ago, the Cyberat left Earth to co-evolve with machines. Now, led by the powerful dictator Castron, their Old Guard believe that machines should replace the physical body. But these beliefs are upended with the arrival of the human Polity – and their presence ignites rebellion.Piper was raised as a weapon against the Cyberat, implanted with secretive hardware. When his parents are captured by the Old Guard, the Polity offer him unexpected aid. Piper knows the Polity want more from him, but at what cost? The rebellion also attracts the deadly prador, placing an entire world in peril.As war rages across the planet, Piper must battle with the unknown technology implanted in his bones. It may be the Polity’s answer to their relentless fight against the prador. It could also be civilization-ending Jain tech – or something far more extraordinary . . .Praise for Neal Asher:'Neal Asher’s books are like an adrenaline shot targeted directly for the brain' – John Scalzi'Gleeful but superbly controlled action-adventure' – The Times'Asher turns it up to eleven' – Peter F. Hamilton, author of Exodus: The Archimedes Engine

A berserk AI runs rampant across galaxies in this explosive, fast-paced follow-up to Dark Intelligence, continuing the new Polity series Transformation from UK space opera master Neal Asher. Thorvald Spear, resurrected from his death over a hundred years earlier, continues to hunt Penny Royal, the rogue AI and dangerous war criminal on the run from Polity forces. Beyond the Graveyard, a lawless and deadly area in deep space, Spear follows the trail of several enemy Prador, the crab-like alien species with a violent history of conflict with humanity. Sverl, a Prador genetically modified by Penny Royal and slowly becoming human, pursues a fellow Prador harboring deep hatred for the Polity and looking to reignite the dormant war with mankind. Blite, captain of a bounty-hunting ship, hands over two prisoners and valuable memplants from Penny Royal to the Brockle, a dangerous forensics entity with a keen interest in the corrupted AI and its unclear motives. Penny Royal meanwhile seeks Factory Station Room 101, a wartime manufacturing space station thought to be destroyed. What does it want with the factory? And will Spear find the rogue AI before it gets there? War Factory, the second book in the Transformation trilogy, is signature space opera from Neal Asher: breakneck pacing, high-tech science, bizarre alien creatures, and gritty, dangerous far-future worlds. 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.

The rogue AI Penny Royal makes a final stand in the explosive conclusion to Neal Asher's hard-hitting and high-tech Polity space opera trilogy. In the outskirts of space, and the far corners of the Polity, complex dealings are in play. Several forces continue to pursue the deadly and enigmatic Penny Royal, none more dangerous than the Brockle, a psychopathic forensics AI and criminal who has escaped the Polity's confinements and is upgrading itself in anticipation of a deadly showdown, becoming ever more powerful and intelligent. Aboard Factory Station Room 101, the behemoth war factory that birthed Penny Royal, groups of humans, alien prador, and AI war drones grapple for control. The stability of the ship is complicated by the arrival of a gabbleduck known as the Weaver, the last living member of the ancient and powerful Atheter alien race. What would an Atheter want with the complicated dealings of Penny Royal? Are the Polity and prador forces playing right into the dark AI's hand, or is it the other way around? Set pieces align in the final book of Neal Asher's action-packed Transformation trilogy, pointing to a showdown on the cusp of the Layden's Sink black hole, inside of which lies a powerful secret, one that could destroy the entire Polity.

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. She’s assisted by Dragon, a mysterious, spaceship-sized alien entity who has long been suspicious of Jain technology and who suspects the disc is a trap lying-in-wait. Meanwhile, the android Angel is planning an attack on the Polity, and is searching for a terrible weapon to carry out his plans—a Jain super-soldier. But what exactly the super-soldier is, and what it could be used for if it fell into the wrong hands, will bring Angel and Orlandine’s missions to a head in a way that could forever change the balance of power in the Polity universe. In The Soldier, British science fiction writer Neal Asher kicks off another Polity-based trilogy in signature fashion, concocting a mind-melting plot filled with far-future technology, lethal weaponry, and bizarre alien creations.

"Neal Asher's books are like an adrenaline shot targeted directly for the brain."--New York Times bestselling author John Scalzi Humanity, artificial intelligences, and monstrous aliens clash over control of deadly technology in this explosive beginning to Neal Asher's newest Polity series. 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. She's assisted by Dragon, a mysterious, spaceship-sized alien entity who has long been suspicious of Jain technology and who suspects the disc is a trap lying-in-wait. Meanwhile, the android Angel is planning an attack on the Polity, and is searching for a terrible weapon to carry out his plans--a Jain super-soldier. But what exactly the super-soldier is, and what it could be used for if it fell into the wrong hands, will bring Angel and Orlandine's missions to a head in a way that could forever change the balance of power in the Polity universe. In The Soldier, British science fiction writer Neal Asher kicks off another Polity-based trilogy in signature fashion, concocting a mind-melting plot filled with far-future technology, lethal weaponry, and bizarre alien creations.

Here is the first-ever Polity novel, which kicks off the fast-paced science fiction adventures of far-future James Bond-esque Agent Ian Cormac--from Neal Asher, author of more than 20 books and nominee for both the Philip K. Dick and the British Fantasy Society awards.. Ian Cormac is a legendary Earth Central Security agent, the James Bond of a wealthy future where "runcibles" allow interstellar travel in an eye blink throughout the settled worlds of the Polity. Unfortunately, Cormac is nearly burnt out, "gridlinked" to the AI net so long that his humanity has begun to drain away. He has to take the cold-turkey cure and shake his addiction to having his brain on the net. Now, he must learn to do without, just as he's sent to investigate a unique runcible disaster that's wiped out the entire human colony on planet Samarkand in a thirty-megaton explosion. Unfortunately, Cormac has also incurred the wrath of a vicious psychopath called Arian Pelter, who now follows him across the galaxy with a terrifying psychotic killer android in tow. And all the while, deep beneath Samarkand's surface lurk buried mysteries, fiercely guarded. . . . Night Shade Books is proud to reissue Neal Asher's Agent Cormac series, a fast-moving, edge-of-your-seat science fiction adventure from one of today's most exciting SF talents.

One of the more important books in Asher's Polity milieu . . . a solid entry in the series and a damn good SF novel."-- SFF World On a remote planet, with mysterious forces swirling around him, Agent Ian Cormac returns to face a threat that could endanger the entirety of the Polity. The outlink station of Miranda has been destroyed. Nobody knows why, but all the signs point to Dragon, a gigantic bioconstructed entity. Agent Cormac is sent to investigate. In his quest for the truth, Cormac navigates through the deadly world of Masada--a planet with no breathable air and full of monstrous predatory creatures, including the weird and terrible gabbleducks. All the while, on that dangerous world, a long-term rebellion from its slave population bubbles, nearly ready to boil over, kept in check only by an arsenal of powerful laser arrays controlled by an elite group called the Theocracy. And roaming the planet at the same time is the mysterious rogue biophysicist Skellor, who possesses something so powerful that Polity AIs will stop at nothing to acquire it. But just how powerful is it? And how does everything connect? Only Agent Cormac can find out . . . Night Shade Books is proud to reissue Neal Asher's Agent Cormac series, a fast-moving, edge-of-your-seat science fiction adventure from one of today's most exciting SF talents.

"A powerhouse cocktail of lurid violence, evocative world-building and typically grotesque monsters."--SFX The fast-paced adventures on the remote planet Spatterjay, a dangerous waterworld filled with lethal biology, continue in the sequel to The Skinner. Sable Keech, a reification previously deceased for more than seven hundred years, is now a walking dead man, resurrected under mysterious circumstances that may have a lot to do with the virus native to the exotic but deadly remote ocean world Spatterjay. As word of his adventures (The Skinner) continue to spread, the planet has become a pilgrimage site for other reifs hoping to meet similar fates. The allure of the virus--which promises something close to immortality, even if it comes at terrible biological cost--has brought other beings to the off-Polity world as well. An ancient hive mind may be after the poison "sprine" crucial to the virus's immortality. Deep in the ocean, a vicious alien prador has awakened from a long, virus-induced coma. And Sniper, an AI assigned as the planet's warden, finally receives his new drone shell. It's better than his old one, with powerful engines, more lethal weapons, and thicker armour. He's going to need them.

One of The Verge's 10 New Science Fiction and Fantasy Books to Check Out The dangers of ancient technology loom over the Polity in the sequel to The Soldier, Neal Asher's latest action-packed space opera series. The haiman Orlandine, charged with safeguarding lethal Jain tech swirling inside an accretion disc located in the distant reaches of space, has weaponized a black hole to eliminate the threat. But others are suspicious of her motives, and both the Polity AIs and the leaders of the alien prador kingdom dispatch fleets of warships in anticipation of conflict. As the black hole continues to eat its way through the planets in the accretion disc, making its way towards a dead sun, it becomes clear the disc has been hiding a larger secret. Nefarious forces with ulterior motives have manipulated Orlandine into deploying the black hole, triggering a series of larger events that will uncover a danger far older than even the Polity itself. From British science fiction writer Neal Asher, The War Ship picks up right where its predecessor, The Soldier, left off, showcasing Asher's unique take on cutting-edge and fast-paced science fiction.

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. The Polity itself may be at risk in this final novel of Neal Asher's classic Spatterjay trilogy, following The Skinner and The Voyage of the Sable Keech, now reissued in mass market. Orbus--an Old Captain hooper and one of the oldest inhabitants of the deadly and remote waterworld Spatterjay--is traveling to the Graveyard, a planetary wasteland in the vast no-man's-land between the Polity and the Prador Kingdom. Heading in the same direction is the prador Vrell. Mutated by the Spatterjay virus into something powerful and dangerous, Vrell has seized control of a massive dreadnought ship, intent on exacting vengeance on those who tried to have him killed. Meeting him there will be the King of the Prador, looking to finish the job. Everything points to a climatic confrontation in the Graveyard, as deeper truths about the Spatterjay virus will be revealed, and an ancient menace to civilization itself will reappear . . .

Best-selling author Neal Asher was far from idle during the isolation of lockdown; he kept himself occupied in the best way possible: he wrote. And his imagination was clearly in overdrive. Five brand new novellas and novelettes and one novella reworked and expanded from a story first published in 2019. Together, they form Lockdown Tales, exploring the latter days of the Polity universe and beyond. What lies in wait for humanity after the Polity has gone?Six stories, 150,000 words of fiction that crackle with energy, invention and excitement. Within their pages you will encounter prador, hoopers, sassy A.I.s, resurrected Golem, a mutated giant whelk that can ravage an island, hooders, megalomaniacs, war drones, Penny Royal, an intriguing sfnal take on High Planes Drifter and another with echoes of Robinson Crusoe... In fact, everything you might expect from concentrated Neal Asher and more. Lockdown Tales: An introductionThe Relict Monitor Logan Bad Boy Plenty Dr. Whip Raising Moloch

A collection of nine novelettes and stories from best-selling SF author Neal Asher (150,000 words of fiction between them), all written during lockdown and including four that are original to this volume. Some of these thrilling and inventive narratives are set during the latter days of Neal's Polity universe, while others explore what comes next.Contents: Lockdown Tales II: An IntroductionXenovore An Alien on Crete The Translator Skin Eels The Host Antique Battlefields Moral Biology Longevity Averaging

In The Human, the final book in Neal Asher's epic Rise of the Jain trilogy, an entire galaxy hangs in the balance as the ancient and powerful Jain threat emerges anew . . . A Jain warship has risen from the depths of space, emerging with a deadly grudge and a wealth of ancient yet lethal technology. It is determined to hunt down the alien Client, and will annihilate all those who stand in its way. So Orlandine must prepare humanity's defence. Both humanity and the Prador thought their ancient foe--the Jain--had perished in a past age. And they resolve to destroy these outliers at any cost. Orlandine wants the Client's inside knowledge to act, but the Client has her own agenda. Earth Central therefore looks to the Prador for alliance, after the Jain destroy their fleet. However, not everyone is happy with this, and some will do anything to shatter this fragile coalition. As the Jain warship makes its way across the galaxy, it seems unstoppable. Human and Prador forces alike struggle to withstand its devastating weaponry. Orlandine's life work is to neutralize Jain technology, so if she can't triumph, no one can. But will she become what she's vowed to destroy?

In The Human, the final book in Neal Asher's epic Rise of the Jain trilogy, an entire galaxy hangs in the balance as the ancient and powerful Jain threat emerges anew . . . A Jain warship has risen from the depths of space, emerging with a deadly grudge and a wealth of ancient yet lethal technology. It is determined to hunt down the alien Client, and will annihilate all those who stand in its way. So Orlandine must prepare humanity's defense. Both humanity and the Prador thought their ancient foe--the Jain--had perished in a past age. And they resolve to destroy these outliers at any cost. Orlandine wants the Client's inside knowledge to act, but the Client has her own agenda. Earth Central therefore looks to the Prador for alliance, after the Jain destroy their fleet. However, not everyone is happy with this, and some will do anything to shatter this fragile coalition. As the Jain warship makes its way across the galaxy, it seems unstoppable. Human and Prador forces alike struggle to withstand its devastating weaponry. Orlandine's life work is to neutralize Jain technology, so if she can't triumph, no one can. But will she become what she's vowed to destroy?

Prador Moon is one of Neal Asher's most explosive excursions into the Polity universe - a vivid, visceral, brilliantly intense space opera that you won't soon forget. It takes one encounter to turn peace into war . . . The worlds of the Polity stretch from Earth Central into the unfathomable reaches of the galactic void. And when humanity finally encounters alien life - in the form of massive, hostile carnivores known as the Prador - there can only be one outcome. Total warfare. Chaos reigns as, caught unawares, the Polity struggles to regain control. It must try and remake itself into a military society as starships clash, planets fall and space stations are overrun. But for Jebel Krong and Moria Salem, trapped at the centre of the action, this war is far more than a clash of cultures or technology versus brute force. This war is personal.