Neal Asher is a British science fiction writer, best known for his Polity Universe series. While many of the books can be enjoyed as standalones or mini-series, there is an overarching journey that ties them together, so I’m reading them in order.
In Brass Man, Ian Cormac—a legendary Earth Central Security agent and the James Bond of a wealthy, futuristic society—is on the hunt for an interstellar dragon. Unbeknownst to him, his competition has resurrected an insane, indestructible killing machine called Mr Crane, now in a new metal body. Crane is on his own path, haunted by a bloody past he can neither forget nor fully remember, and inevitably colliding with Ian Cormac.
I’ve been working through the Polity books and loving the series so far. Brass Man was the latest I’ve read, and it’s a brilliant continuation of the storylines introduced in Gridlinked and The Line of Polity. Mr Crane, who first appeared in Gridlinked, remains one of my favourite characters. Neal Asher has developed him brilliantly—he’s a mystery to be unravelled. In Brass Man, we get glimpses into his past, offering more insight into how he became the way he is. This added depth made him even more compelling.
The story opens with the Occam Razor bridge pod being found, suggesting that Skellor may not have been defeated after all. While many of Neal’s books can stand alone, this one is very much a follow-up to The Line of Polity. Together, they form part of a five-book mini-series, closely tied together with recurring themes and ongoing mysteries.
One of the major threads running through these books is the enigmatic Jain technology—its origins and its terrifying potential. Brass Man delves deeper into this ancient tech, raising the stakes and leaving me eager to see where the story goes next. Another fascinating presence in the book is Dragon, a biological lifeform that has appeared in previous Polity novels. With each book, we learn more about this mysterious being and its grand designs.
In Brass Man, Ian Cormac, Mika, and Thorn are sent to the planet Cull to investigate. The narrative alternates between their mission, Skellor’s activities, and the lives of Cull’s natives, Anderson and Tergal, who are following their own legends and rumours. Their mission to slay a dragon takes an unexpected turn when they realise which Dragon they’re actually hunting—a moment that had me smiling.
If you’ve read my other reviews of Neal Asher’s books, you’ll know I’m a huge fan of this series. Once I start one, I can’t put it down. If you’re a fan of sci-fi with complex characters, intriguing mysteries, and thrilling action, I highly recommend the Polity universe. I hope you pick them up and enjoy them as much as I am!
You can purchase Brass Man from your local Bookshop supporting indie bookshops is important and something I am very in favor of. I like nothing more than to browse physical books. Or if you want you can shop at your local Waterstones, or online at Amazon