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Neal L. Asher
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Prador Moon: A Novel of the Polity Kindle Edition

by Neal Asher (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 1,882 ratings
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Neal Asher takes on first contact, Polity style. This original novel recounts the first contact between the aggressive Prador aliens, and the Polity Collective as it is forced to retool its society to a war footing. The overwhelming brute force of the Prador dreadnaughts causes several worlds and space stations to be overrun. Prador Moon follows the initial Polity defeats, to the first draws, and culminates in what might be the first Polity victory, told from the point of view of two unlikely heroes. For the first time in the US in eBook format.
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  1. Part of series
    Polity Universe: Standalone Novels
  2. Print length
    353 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Publisher
    Night Shade Books
  5. Publication date
    July 22, 2013
  6. File size
    589 KB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
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  9. Enhanced typesetting
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  10. See all details
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Polity Universe: Standalone Novels
Bundle price: Kindle price
$34.86
Bundle price: Kindle price
$64.77
Bundle price: Kindle price
$118.75
By placing your order, you're purchasing a license to the content and you agree to the Kindle Store Terms of Use.

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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Asher's enjoyable if violent SF novel pits heavily augmented posthumans and the AIs who rule them, the Polity Collective, against the Prador, vicious, bug-eyed aliens out to conquer all human space. The Polity Collective, an eminently civilized society, despite a small separatist underground that resents the AI's benign rule, stands in contrast to the crablike Prador, who rule by brute force. Since the Prador have a technological advantage in space warfare, two human beings—the super-soldier Jebel Krong and Moria Salem, a technician with an illicit brain augmentation—must combine their talents to try to destroy the impregnable Prador warship threatening humanity. The Polity novels (Gridlink, etc.) lack the intellectual complexity of the best British space opera by such writers as Iain M. Banks, Ken MacLeod and Justina Robson, but if you don't mind the gross out (the Prador eat not only their young but also their human enemies), they're invariably a good read. (July)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

The Polity, a space-faring civilization ruled mostly by AIs because only they can cope with the math for the runcible operation enabling interstellar travel, has just made first contact. No one knew quite what to expect of the crablike Prador's visit to Avalon Station, though the massacre that ensued wasn't on anybody's list. Seems the bloodthirsty Prador are bent on taking over the Polity and its runcible technology, and the Polity powers that be must scrambled to get to have any chance of defeating them. Jebel Krong, a soldier on Avalon when the aliens arrived, and runcible tech Moria Salem, recently cerebrally augmented to handle the technology, are thrown together in a classic space-opera scenario in which two wild cards are the private surgeon who installed Moria's aug--a fugitive--and the aug itself, which is more than ordinary. The Prador invasion and Polity politics are revealed as horribly intertwined, but Moria and Jebel might end the war with a particularly bold plan. A fast and furious spectacle developed with gusto. Regina Schroeder
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B01HU42772
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Night Shade Books (July 22, 2013)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ July 22, 2013
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 589 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 353 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 1,882 ratings

About the author

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Neal L. Asher

Neal L. Asher

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Neal Asher lives sometimes in England, sometimes in Crete and mostly at a keyboard. Having over twenty-five books published he has been accused of overproduction (despite spending far too much time on the social media, or kayaking and walking) but doesn’t intend to slow down just yet.

http://theskinner.blogspot.com/

https://www.nealasher.co.uk

Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
1,882 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers enjoy the book and find it enjoyable and fun to read. They praise the writing quality as clear, concise, and well-written. The story is engaging and clearly arranged. Readers describe the pacing as fast and suspenseful. The book serves as a good introduction to the Polity series and its universe. However, opinions differ on the character development, with some finding them wonderful and brilliant, while others feel they are thinly developed or disconnected.

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EnjoymentWriting qualityStory qualityPaceIntroductionCharacter development
33 customers mention "Enjoyment"24 positive9 negative

Customers enjoy the book. They find it clear, concise, and engaging. It fleshes out the backstory of the Agent Cormac series. Readers say it's a great read and well-done, setting up for the next book in the series.

"...human/AI characterization is a smidge on the weak side, the Prador POV is astounding...." Read more

"...a worthy addition to the series though and is probably best read after the Cormac series (or between [[ASIN:B008SLK7QU Brass Man (Ian Cormac, Book 3)..." Read more

"...Straight out fun, and an incredibly well-researched future world (galaxy?)..." Read more

"...The characterization wasn't the best, at least as far as me feeling any sort of affinity for them...." Read more

21 customers mention "Writing quality"16 positive5 negative

Customers find the writing engaging and well-crafted. They describe the book as an entertaining science fiction adventure with a good plot and storytelling. Readers appreciate the author's visual writing style and vivid descriptions of worlds and characters.

"Here is an entertaining sojourn into the world of Space Opera...." Read more

"...Asher's writing is very visual as usual and the battle scenes are nothing you want to read right before dinner..." Read more

"This was the first Neal Asher book I read, what a treat to read Science Fiction that doesn't bore you with preachy messages or tedious lectures...." Read more

"...Much of this writing is just plain awful. This could not have been edited. A huge disappointment. The end." Read more

18 customers mention "Story quality"15 positive3 negative

Customers enjoy the engaging story with a good introduction to the Prador Kingdom. They find the book clear and concise, with an action-packed science fiction storyline interspersed with interesting combat sequences. Overall, readers describe it as an exciting read with gruesome action scenes.

"...Scientifically sound storyline interjected with gruesome action sequences, this is a terrific introduction to Asher's work--engaging & satisfying." Read more

"...This is a short book and a fairly clearly arranged story without many surprises...." Read more

"...It's a well-written, action-packed, science fiction book with an excellent universe and decent characterizations...." Read more

"...Great intro story on how the Polity enters into war with the Prador Kingdom. The Prador are ruthless!" Read more

11 customers mention "Pace"11 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the book's fast pace and engaging plot. They describe it as an entertaining, fast-paced action adventure with suspense and intrigue. Readers find it a worthwhile read with a clear storyline and good plot.

"...This is a short book and a fairly clearly arranged story without many surprises...." Read more

"...As I mentioned, although sometimes confusing, the story was pretty elemental...." Read more

"...polish of his latest works, but it's still a well told and fast paced action adventure, with the grit and hard science that only the likes of Asher..." Read more

"...Reads a bit like an action movie. Needs a strong stomach to read, but believable future tech." Read more

9 customers mention "Introduction"9 positive0 negative

Customers find the book an engaging introduction to Asher's work. They describe it as a good starting point for the Polity series. The universe is well-researched and enjoyable.

"...with gruesome action sequences, this is a terrific introduction to Asher's work--engaging & satisfying." Read more

"...Straight out fun, and an incredibly well-researched future world (galaxy?)..." Read more

"...Not Asher's best novel by far, but a fair introduction into a universe that only becomes more complex and intricate as it advances." Read more

"...It wasn't. That being said, I love the universe in the polity and if you do as well, you should read it." Read more

9 customers mention "Character development"3 positive6 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the character development in the book. Some find the characters wonderful and brilliant, while others feel disconnected from them. There are also complaints that the characters lack depth and explanations, making it hard to engage with them.

"...The cast of characters is not too large, but some of them grow a lot in the context of their later appearances..." Read more

"...The books are all uniformly well written and the characters are believable and engaging...." Read more

"...There were also so many characters in play that I occasionally felt disconnected from who was who...." Read more

"...The characters are very thinly developed. The plot is OK, but the surprise ending is 1) not at all a surprise, and 2) not at all original...." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • L. A. Veronie II
    5.0 out of 5 stars Where's the butter?
    Reviewed in the United States on November 14, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    Here is an entertaining sojourn into the world of Space Opera. Neil Asher has envisioned a humanity intertwined with AI known as the "Polity," and their nightmarish first contact with the species known as the Prador (sentient giant crabs)--who truly fit the bill as terrifying. While human/AI characterization is a smidge on the weak side, the Prador POV is astounding. Scientifically sound storyline interjected with gruesome action sequences, this is a terrific introduction to Asher's work--engaging & satisfying.
    3 people found this helpful
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  • Oleg
    4.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining and quick add-on to the Polity universe
    Reviewed in the United States on October 2, 2012
    Verified Purchase
    "Prador Moon" is a prequel to the Polity series and, although it can be read alone, it is more enjoyable in combination with the other books. The Prador are the first extraterrestrial race encountered by Humans, and they are not nice. Some sort of amphibious crab-like omnivores with an extremely dictatorial and brutal society, they happen to develop a taste for humans (in the literal sense). Asher's writing is very visual as usual and the battle scenes are nothing you want to read right before dinner (and there is no long foreplay either).

    This is a short book and a fairly clearly arranged story without many surprises. In combination with the rest of the series, its scope is largely increased though. The cast of characters is not too large, but some of them grow a lot in the context of their later appearances (for example the dreadnought AI Occam Razor). Even more interesting to follow is the development of character types, in terms of humans and artificial intelligence which in the later story lines are very intertwined and one of the things where Asher's writing really shines. I personally could have passed on the scenes described from a Prador perspective (similar to those in Gridlinked (Ian Cormac, Book 1)), but they do actually add some interesting background information that would be hard to explore otherwise.

    If it weren't for the overall picture of the Polity, this novel does not stand out much from other military science fiction. It is a worthy addition to the series though and is probably best read after the Cormac series (or between Brass Man (Ian Cormac, Book 3) and Polity Agent (Agent Cormac 4)).
    One person found this helpful
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  • A Forest Fan
    5.0 out of 5 stars Best Science Fiction Writer in the World Today
    Reviewed in the United States on March 29, 2011
    Verified Purchase
    This was the first Neal Asher book I read, what a treat to read Science Fiction that doesn't bore you with preachy messages or tedious lectures. Straight out fun, and an incredibly well-researched future world (galaxy?) with believable sentient AIs, deadly alien menaces, and ever-so-crafty humans who DON'T evolve into something better as Gene Roddenberry hoped. Also no steampunk, vampires, lycanthropes, or faery queens. Deadly serious fiction, with some smiles along the way. A great starter on Asher's universe of the future. Bring your thin gun!
    2 people found this helpful
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  • James Pyles
    4.0 out of 5 stars Not Asher's Best But Still Good
    Reviewed in the United States on February 9, 2021
    Verified Purchase
    I've previously read Neal Asher's "Polity series" novels "Dark Intelligence" and "War Factory," both part of the "Transformation" trilogy.

    Frankly, Asher has written so many novels, just within this one series, that I was stumbling blind when I read those two, and although I enjoyed them, I couldn't figure out how everything fit together.

    I needed some sort of context to make sense of the universe I was experiencing. Although it's not the first "Polity" book Asher (metaphorically) penned, "Prador Moon" records the first encounter between humans and AIs in the Polity and the Prador.

    It's not a complex novel, but it does introduce some of the key elements presented in all of these stories, including "Augs," "AIs," "Golems," "runcibles" (basically stargates), and of course, the utterly ruthless, crab-like Prador.

    The novel originally came out in 2008, and having read some of Asher's later work, I can see how he's grown as a writer since then.

    The basic faults I found was that scene shifting was rather abrupt. I found myself lost a few times as to who characters were and where the action was taking place.

    There were also so many characters in play that I occasionally felt disconnected from who was who.

    The characterization wasn't the best, at least as far as me feeling any sort of affinity for them. Even Jebel Krong, who had the role of main protagonist, didn't make me want to cheer for him. Of course, he had experienced terrible things in war, but even toward the end of the novel, I didn't really care if he was killed or not. Come to think of it, his death wouldn't have changed much.

    I had more of an attachment to Urbanus than Krong, and he's a Golem or an humanoid AI. If anyone, in a battle, I'd have chosen him to have my back.

    As I mentioned, although sometimes confusing, the story was pretty elemental. Humanity meets the vicious, hyper-violent Prador race and then all hell breaks loose. Although the first battle occurs on a Polity space platform and between Prador and Polity ships, some of the battles occur on planets, although there's no real explanation for why this is so.

    Besides experimenting on and eating human captives (described in brutal detail), the Prador want to capture Polity runcible technology. This is obvious to humans and the AIs they're dependent upon, but also baffles them since such tech requires AI control, and the Prador have no AIs.

    Nevertheless, the Prador attempt to capture a runcible or part of one is the crux of the novel. While the humans had a distinct technological and emotional disadvantage at the book's beginning, it was the character Moira fitted with a sort of "rogue" Aug (a device that allows a person to plug into networked information centers...kind of like hooking your brain up to the internet) by a "mad scientist" type named Sylac which allowed her to manipulate orbiting runcibles in such a way as to finally destroy the all but invulnerable (by Polity standards) Prador dreadnought, handing the enemy its first real defeat.

    This book has been compared unfavorably to Robert E. Heinlein's "Starship Troopers." It's been decades since I read that book, so I don't remember it well enough to judge. However, I can say that "Prador Moon" is an action packed, adrenaline fueled science fiction saga with liberal doses of sheer and at times disgusting horror.

    Not Asher's best novel by far, but a fair introduction into a universe that only becomes more complex and intricate as it advances.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Mack
    3.0 out of 5 stars Not the best polity novel, but still the polity I love
    Reviewed in the United States on October 30, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    3.5? I enjoyed the book, but it was a bit weaker than the other polity novels in my opinion. It skips to the future in some sections and while you won't necessarily be lost, you feel kind of cheated out of what seems to be important stuff, especially when reading later polity novels that allude to it (crazy war drones) . I Initially read polity books that occured chronologically later in the universe. I later came back to this one, expecting it to be fleshed out. It wasn't. That being said, I love the universe in the polity and if you do as well, you should read it.
    3 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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  • UG
    5.0 out of 5 stars Me encanta
    Reviewed in Spain on October 9, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    Para un no angloparlante, lenguaje algo enrevesado
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  • Amazon Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars great read could not put it down.
    Reviewed in Australia on November 19, 2022
    Verified Purchase
    looking forward to the next ones. great find of for me so used to Banks & Niven. "jdi" just do it.
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  • Tom
    5.0 out of 5 stars Another great one
    Reviewed in Canada on November 12, 2016
    Verified Purchase
    Sure not looking forward to when I run out of Neal Asher's books. Going to be a sad day. Will drag it out.
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  • Warren Stalley
    5.0 out of 5 stars Today’s Future Is Tomorrow’s Past
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 20, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    Prador Moon is a standalone novel set in the Polity universe from popular science fiction author Neal Asher. When humans meet the aggressive Prador race of crab like creatures an epic interstella war ensues. Packed with high-tech space opera action this is a fast and furious blast of pure energy. If you like the Gridlinked Agent Cormac series of books by Neal Asher then I’d recommend this as a short fix of escapism from the same author. The story is told from multiple points of view and is crammed with tech weapons, starships, weird creatures and fantastic devices. For beginners and the curious this is a great way to start getting into Asher’s Polity Universe books. To summarise this is not stuffy boring sci-fi but fast paced, space fiction from a very talented author. Enjoy.
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  • Amazon Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
    Reviewed in Canada on January 7, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    Fantastic as are all of the Neal Asher Polity novels!
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