Book Impressions - Jupiter War by Neal Asher

I've been a fan of Neal Asher's writing for a while now, the Polity novels were all excellent reads. This latest Owner series took a little while for me to get into as they had a different feel to them, less immediate and visceral than his earlier novels. Once I got into them though I was hooked and that remains the case with this latest and final book in the trilogy - although the ending leaves the storyline open for more books and I hope that will be the case.

For me the great thing about science-fiction is when it tackles big question, at the core of Jupiter War (and the preceeding novels) is trans-humanism, or more specifically the consequences of melding humans with technology. Alan Saul is an interesting character as he balances his once human self with the practicalities of being an AI and integrated not only with his ship but the robots within. We also see the beginnings of others taking similar steps, although I would have liked to have seen a bit more done with these characters, especially the comlife operatives.

This is all set against a dystopian background where the leader of Earth considers humanity a pestilence upon the Earth and uses extreme measures to restore nature to a dying Earth. Despite the advanced technology life for most is a dismal affair and this contrasts with the microcosm of humanity on Saul's ship.

Space battles are also a fun part of many science fiction tales and here we have not only an entertaining battle, but also a well thought out one. The considerations in the engagement provided a few interesting insights, not only for the technology involved but the tactics needed to utilise them.

What we have here is a damn fine science fiction read, it's fast paced and provides a satisfactory conclusion to the trilogy. Although as I said at the beginning the ending did leave me wanting more and I hope that will be the case.



Click on image to purchase from Amazon

The third book of the Owner trilogy delivers an explosive conclusion to Neal Asher’s action-packed series chronicling the struggles for political dominance in a resource-scarce future. Power vacuums and new despots spring up across the solar system, in the wake of the events of The Departure and Zero Point. Alan Saul continues to be in the middle of the chaos and destruction that make up Jupiter War.


Click here to purchase Jupiter War from Amazon (it's an excellent sci-fi read)