This is an entertaining science fiction novel about man’s first encounter with an intelligent alien life form. But this is not ET or Close Encounters of the Third Kind; the aliens are ugly, brutal, carnivorous and warlike.
John’s Summary: The story is set in the distant future, where human civilization has evolved to the point where man lives under the benevolent rule of Artificial Intelligences in a political dominion known as the Polity. Together they have explored and inhabited many worlds. Most people are happy with this arrangement, but some are not. Enter the Prador, huge and intelligent crablike beings which are determined to devour and wipe out humans. The story then revolves around two disparate characters who become instrumental in trying to repel the alien invasion. One is a legendary soldier and the other a brilliant scientist whose augmented intelligence seems to put her on a par with the guardian Artificial Intelligences.
His Thoughts: On one level this is a typical “shoot ‘em up” adventure story which just happens to be set in a future with space travel and aliens. But the future created by Asher is an interesting one; I like the way he sets up the relationship between humans and artificial intelligence, some of his technology concepts are neat, and the grisly aliens are so bad that they’re kind of good.
This was an easy read and I blew through it in no time. It’s not the most deep and meaningful book that has ever been written, but it’s a fun read. I’d rate it 3 stars and recommend it to anyone who enjoys action stories and science fiction.
Asher has written several “Polity” novels, so for those who enjoy this book, there are more to investigate. Note – while it’s part of a series of novels, this is a self-contained story with a logical start and a proper ending. So if (like me) you are somewhat put off by the prospect of reading something that may not have a concrete ending, there is no need to fear with Prador Moon.
US Publishing Data:
- Mass Market Paperback: 320 pages
- Publisher: Nightshade Book (December 1, 2008)
Amazon purchasing links for US/UK/Canada.
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2 comments:
This book sounds interesting. Great review!
Hi Cheryl - thanks for the response and the kind words. If you get around to reading it, I'd be interested to hear what you think about the book.
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