Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2358 in Books
• Published on: 2006-02-17
• Binding: Paperback
• 568 pages

Synopsis
On the primitive world of Cull, a knight errant called Anderson is hunting a dragon, little knowing that far away someone else (now more technology than human flesh) has resurrected a brass killing machine called 'Mr Crane' to assist in a similar hunt encompassing star systems. When agent Cormac learns that this old enemy still lives, he sets out in pursuit aboard the attack ship Jack Ketch ...whilst scientist Mika begins discovering the horrifying truth about that ancient technology ostensibly produced by the alien Jain. Meanwhile, for the people of Cull, each day proves a struggle to survive on a planet roamed by ferocious insectile monsters, while they slowly construct the industrial base that may enable them to escape to their forefathers' starship - still orbiting far above them. But an entity with questionable motives, calling itself Dragon, assists them with genetic by-blows created out of humans and the hideous local monsters. And now the planet itself, for millennia geologically inactive, is increasingly suffering earthquakes ...'Compelling reading ...Asher has become a resounding and distinctive voice in British SF' - "SFRevu".

Customer Reviews

Fun - but a little fragmented - read if you've come across the characters before
A little fragmented. Read 'Africa Zero', which I think is easily the best of Asher's and written in a much more economic style than he usually carries off - as with Prador War. However this novel relies too heavily on plot lines from the Cormac novels and the Prador novels. Not to be recommended for someone who hasn't read either but ok if you've read the prequels.

Off we go again
Just when I wanted a bit more of the craxzed Brass Android he is delievered. This time with some serious development of the JAIN technology which opens another astounding level of story telling. How does he think these things up? Really good read, just as good as the first two. I you enjoy Peter HAMILTON and the like - go for it

Brass Man
Brilliant! The fantastic murderous android from "Gridlinked" returns amidst shadows of mystery and splashes of blood. Asher is as on form as ever with his to-the-point, indomitable style as he resurrects the fan favourite.

Thankfully this isn't just a piece of mindless action for the fans, like many cash-in sequels. It is a well thought out thriller constructed around the resurgence of an ancient technology, a feature of Asher's Polity world that has been hinted at earlier in the series. Here we see a step away from technological threats toward organic threats, and interesting change in direction for the series that keeps things fresh. The characters have yet to become stale after three novels, particularly the dracomen and the massive, Delphic entity Dragon itself.

Frustratingly, the most mysterious character of the series remains a flat non-entity; Horace Blegg, who is deliberately kept as an enigma, features more as an annoyance now than an intriguing sub-plot. Presumably Asher caught on to this as the fourth book "Polity Agent" finally provides us with some answers to this flagging mystery. Similarly there are problems with additional characters added to the mix, such as the "knight" who is searching for his figurative dragon, who ultimately has little impact on the story. No doubt Asher will tie up this loose end in later novels, but it remains neglected entirely from the fourth book and the character seemed to have little, if nothing at all to do with the overall storyline.

These are small issues though, and the overall enjoyment of the book is left mostly unspoiled. Overall it's another wonderful and entertaining deep-space yarn that had me at least ordering the sequel before I'd even finished it ... 3.5 stars, but since I'm not allowed half measures I'll bump it up to a respectible 4!