Where's the best place to start

Rodders

Rodders

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I've just got two more Star Wars books to read and then i want to get a bit of a book haul in the new year.

I've been eying up some of Asher's books over the last few months and just wondered where you thought the best book to start was?
 
Gridlinked starts a five-book series (but can be read alone), The Skinner has two sequels but can be read by itself. Cowl, Hilldiggers, Prador Moon & Shadow of the Scorpion all stand alone. You should read the cover blurbs and make a decision based on them.

I sometimes find it difficult to recommend because I get such varying opinions from people on the books. Perhaps others here can give you recommendations?
 
I think Gridlinked is a good place to start. Having said that, I accidentally started in the middle of the Agent Cormac series with Polity Agent and I didn't find that it spoiled my enjoyment at all. If, like me, you're into the 'everything explodes' school of SF, you can't really go wrong with anything by Neal Asher though, it's all well written and very entertaining.
 
It obviously depends what your preferences are, but I started with Prador Moon, and found it a very useful introduction to Neal's work - not only because it's short, but because it predates the events of several of the books written earlier, and so provides a useful introduction to the universe that many of Neal's other novels are set in.
 
Patrick Mahon said:
It obviously depends what your preferences are, but I started with Prador Moon, and found it a very useful introduction to Neal's work - not only because it's short, but because it predates the events of several of the books written earlier, and so provides a useful introduction to the universe that many of Neal's other novels are set in.
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That's good advice as well - and it's a solid book with proper space-aliens and exploding stuff too.
 
Maybe this'll help:
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tbatst said:
I think Gridlinked is a good place to start. Having said that, I accidentally started in the middle of the Agent Cormac series with Polity Agent and I didn't find that it spoiled my enjoyment at all. If, like me, you're into the 'everything explodes' school of SF, you can't really go wrong with anything by Neal Asher though, it's all well written and very entertaining.
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Thank you so much, tbatst! :D

What a coincidence! I just bought a Neal Asher's Polity Agent this month, from a sale (70% discount). I never read a Neal Asher before, and I admit that I was very reluctant bought this book, on the cover book written that it is not a first book of the series.
 
Well I have just finished what I thought was my first Asher book Gridlinked and have to say I thoroughly enjoyed it and will be going on to read the rest...

I say "what I thought was my first Asher book" because I now realise that I did read The Voyage of the Sable Keech some time ago. I sort of remember enjoying it but being a little confused; I didn't realise at the time that I had dived into the middle of things(it was sadly the one and only Asher that popped up in my local library). I will now probably go back to reading it again but this time in it's proper place :)

I would say that Mr Asher now ranks alongside Alastair Reynolds as the two authors most likely to have me reaching for a dictionary time and again whilst reading. Probably a good thing.....I think ;-)
 
Well, Vertigo, that makes two of us who've finished Gridlinked. I really liked it and have ordered the next two books, The Line of Polity and Brass Man. The Line of Polity is oop here, so I had to find it on eBay.

The picture of the timeline that Neal posted will be a great help in future purchases. In fact, off to find Prador Moon and Shadow of the Scorpion.
 
I've been reading some fantasy for the last little while (Hobbs and Fitzpatrick) but planning to go back to some more SF next and will probably read some more Reynolds Revelation Space and some more Asher possibly Prador Moon - haven't quite decided whether to follow the timeline or the series :confused:
 
Well I have now read Prador Moon and Shadow of the Scorpion (having originally started with Gridlinked). Both excellent books. However my point here is that having decided to follow Neal Asher's timeline given earlier in this thread, I now feel that was a good decision and would stongly recommend anyone just getting into the Polity books to do the same. Shadow of the Scorpion covers the start of Cormac's career and I think would have been better read before Gridlinked. Not that I'm complaining; I thoroughly enjoyed Gridlinked, I just now feel Gridlinked would have been better read after SofS.

I shall continue following the timeline and so my next Asher will be The Line of Polity, though I have a few other things in the pile first ;)
 
Just bought Gridlinked a while ago, there was SofS on sale too, but I was uninformed of the timeline so I bought Gridlinked knowing that it was the first book out of five... :)
 
I shouldn't worry too much about it BS. As I said I started with Gridlinked and I certainly didn't have a problem with it. Then when reading SotS I knew where Cormac would eventually end up but it did't spoil the book in any way. It was written after Gridlinked anyway so is a genuine prequel (ugh horrible word). However I would say that, again though not essential, I would recommend reading Prador Moon before SotS.
 
Vertigo said:
I shouldn't worry too much about it BS. As I said I started with Gridlinked and I certainly didn't have a problem with it. Then when reading SotS I knew where Cormac would eventually end up but it did't spoil the book in any way. It was written after Gridlinked anyway so is a genuine prequel (ugh horrible word). However I would say that, again though not essential, I would recommend reading Prador Moon before SotS.
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Yes, I would definitely buy Prador Moon and SofS before continuing with the Agent Cormac Series. and Gridlink is great so far... there's a lot of questions regarding Human Adaptations and Ian's background but that's of little concern since I'll be knowing about them in the near future. :)
 
Bought Prador Moon and SofS a week ago, and I've just finished reading GRIDLINKED, it was a great read, but I have a lot of unanswered questions though, I really hope that it would be answered after I've read Prador Moon and SofS.
 
If you post your questions I can probably let you know if they will be answered (having read both of them fairly recently).
 
Well, I would have been as judicious as possible :D. However go for it and then see what questions you still have. I certainly am now pretty comfortable with the whole Polity world after reading both of them.
 
Just finished reading PRADOR MOON, and as I thought it was a gripping story, I also understand now how U-Drive / U-Space basically work... :) now on to SofS.
 
Yes I did find I was left scratching my head a little on that topic after Gridlinked and it was much clearer after Prador Moon.
 
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