The Line of Polity

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.

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.

Praise for The Line of Polity

“The Line of Polity has it all—high tech weapons, AI and golems, terrifying monsters, brutal battles and huge spaceships. . . . If you enjoy fast paced, action-packed sci-fi then this is definitely a must!”—Worlds In Ink

“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

“Space opera that is entertaining, slick, sometimes even jaw-dropping . . . The Line of Polity is pretty hard to beat.”— Infinity Plus

“Even better than [Gridlinked].”— Star Glider

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