One man will transcend death to seek vengeance. One woman will transform herself to gain power. And no one will emerge unscathed.
Thorvald Spear has been brought back from the dead. Killed a century earlier by Penny Royal, an unstable AI who turned rogue in the middle of a human versus alien war, the resurrected Spear has one thing on his mind: revenge.
Crime lord Isobel Satomi got more than she bargained for when she struck a deal with Penny Royal. Turning part-AI herself gave her frightening power, but the upgrade came with horrifying repercussions and it's turning Isobel into something far from human.
Spear hires Isobel to track down Penny Royal, but as she continues her metamorphosis, it's clear that Isobel's monstrous transformations will eventually become uncontrollable. Will Spear finish his hunt before becoming the hunted?
Skyhorse Publishing, under our Night Shade and Talos imprints, is proud to publish a broad range of titles for readers interested in science fiction (space opera, time travel, hard SF, alien invasion, near-future dystopia), fantasy (grimdark, sword and sorcery, contemporary urban fantasy, steampunk, alternative history), and horror (zombies, vampires, and the occult and supernatural), and much more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller, a national bestseller, or a Hugo or Nebula award-winner, we are committed to publishing quality books from a diverse group of authors.
Industry Reviews
Praise for Dark Intelligence
"Beautifully paced ... does just as well as at slam-bang action scenes as at painting frightening pictures ... This is space opera at a high peak of craftsmanship."
--Publishers Weekly, starred review "What Asher delivers here is state-of-the-art SF on so many levels ... a compelling, smart read."
--Paul Di Filippo, Locus
"Blends large portions of horror and mystery into an SF tale of revenge and redemption ... a complex and satisfying work."
--Library Journal, starred review
"An exciting, intricate, and unabashedly futuristic story rife with twists and turns ... Asher returns to his popular far-future series, Polity Universe, with another fast-paced space opera filled with his trademark technological marvels and elaborate world building."
--Booklist
"Explosive sci-fi action of the best kind that will leave you anxiously awaiting the sequel."
--Buzzfeed, "Best Science Fiction Books of 2015"
"Dark Intelligence is a revenge story with plenty of meat on its bones. . .the multifaceted, complex storytelling rewards a dedicated reader with serious tension and mindblowing sci-fi thrills."
--Manhattan Book Review
"Hardboiled, fast-paced space opera epic ... Asher's books are similar to the world of Iain M. Banks' Culture universe, but the Polity is arguably a much darker and more vicious environment--and all the better for it."
--The Register
"Perpetually on the knife's edge, and this constant tension works wonders for creating a page-turning atmosphere. It's a damningly gripping and infecting book."
--Upcoming4.me
"A superb novel and Asher has an amazing talent for world-building, for writing larger-than-life characters, for weaving gripping plots and for imagining exotic alien races and wonderful technologies. Huge ships! Big weapons! Space battles! Ground battles! Treason! Revenge! This is New Space Opera at its best."
--Sense of Wonder
"One of his best works so far ... Asher is a modern master of sci-fi."
--Starburst magazine
"[The Polity books] are SF novels that mix early cyberpunk's insouciance with the widescreen baroque spectacle of space opera and the pacing of an airport action-thriller. But even by Neal Asher's standards, there's something particularly grisly about Dark Intelligence."
--SFX
Praise for Neal Asher
"Asher rocks with XXX adrenaline while delivering a vivid future."
--David Brin, New York Times-bestselling author of Kiln People
"What has six arms, a large beak, looks like a pyramid, has more eyes than you'd expect, and talks nonsense? If you don't know the answer to that, then 1) you should and 2) you haven't been reading Neal Asher (see point 1)."
--Jon Courtenay Grimwood
"Projects the terror-haunted sensibility of our time into a future of limitless brutality . . . Asher displays great virtuosity."
--The New York Times
"Asher has lit up the sky of science fiction like a new sun."
--Tanith Lee Praise for "Dark Intelligence"
Beautifully paced ... does just as well as at slam-bang action scenes as at painting frightening pictures ... This is space opera at a high peak of craftsmanship.
"Publishers Weekly," starred review
What Asher delivers here is state-of-the-art SF on so many levels a compelling, smart read.
Paul Di Filippo, "Locus"
Blends large portions of horror and mystery into an SF tale of revenge and redemption ... a complex and satisfying work.
"Library Journal," starred review
An exciting, intricate, and unabashedly futuristic story rife with twists and turns ... Asher returns to his popular far-future series, Polity Universe, with another fast-paced space opera filled with his trademark technological marvels and elaborate world building.
"Booklist"
Explosive sci-fi action of the best kind that will leave you anxiously awaiting the sequel.
Buzzfeed, Best Science Fiction Books of 2015
"Dark Intelligence" is a revenge story with plenty of meat on its bones. . .the multifaceted, complex storytelling rewards a dedicated reader with serious tension and mindblowing sci-fi thrills.
"Manhattan Book Review"
Hardboiled, fast-paced space opera epic ... Asher s books are similar to the world of Iain M. Banks Culture universe, but the Polity is arguably a much darker and more vicious environmentand all the better for it.
"The Register"
Perpetually on the knife's edge, and this constant tension works wonders for creating a page-turning atmosphere. It's a damningly gripping and infecting book.
"Upcoming4.me"
A superb novel and Asher has an amazing talent for world-building, for writing larger-than-life characters, for weaving gripping plots and for imagining exotic alien races and wonderful technologies. Huge ships! Big weapons! Space battles! Ground battles! Treason! Revenge! This is New Space Opera at its best.
"Sense of Wonder"
One of his best works so far ... Asher is a modern master of sci-fi.
"Starburst" magazine
[The Polity books] are SF novels that mix early cyberpunk s insouciance with the widescreen baroque spectacle of space opera and the pacing of an airport action-thriller. But even by Neal Asher s standards, there s something particularly grisly about "Dark Intelligence."
"SFX"
Praise for Neal Asher
Asher rocks with XXX adrenaline while delivering a vivid future.
David Brin, "New York Times"-bestselling author of "Kiln People"
What has six arms, a large beak, looks like a pyramid, has more eyes than you d expect, and talks nonsense? If you don t know the answer to that, then 1) you should and 2) you haven t been reading Neal Asher (see point 1).
Jon Courtenay Grimwood
Projects the terror-haunted sensibility of our time into a future of limitless brutality . . . Asher displays great virtuosity.
"The New York Times"
Asher has lit up the sky of science fiction like a new sun.
Tanith Lee
" Praise for "Dark Intelligence"
"Beautifully paced ... does just as well as at slam-bang action scenes as at painting frightening pictures ... This is space opera at a high peak of craftsmanship."
--"Publishers Weekly," starred review
"What Asher delivers here is state-of-the-art SF on so many levels ... a compelling, smart read."
--Paul Di Filippo, "Locus"
"Blends large portions of horror and mystery into an SF tale of revenge and redemption ... a complex and satisfying work."
--"Library Journal," starred review
"An exciting, intricate, and unabashedly futuristic story rife with twists and turns ... Asher returns to his popular far-future series, Polity Universe, with another fast-paced space opera filled with his trademark technological marvels and elaborate world building."
--"Booklist"
"Hardboiled, fast-paced space opera epic ... Asher's books are similar to the world of Iain M. Banks' Culture universe, but the Polity is arguably a much darker and more vicious environment--and all the better for it."
--"The Register"
"Perpetually on the knife's edge, and this constant tension works wonders for creating a page-turning atmosphere. It's a damningly gripping and infecting book."
--"Upcoming4.me"
"A superb novel and Asher has an amazing talent for world-building, for writing larger-than-life characters, for weaving gripping plots and for imagining exotic alien races and wonderful technologies. Huge ships! Big weapons! Space battles! Ground battles! Treason! Revenge! This is New Space Opera at its best."
--"Sense of Wonder"
"One of his best works so far ... Asher is a modern master of sci-fi."
--"Starburst" magazine
""[The Polity books] are SF novels that mix early cyberpunk's insouciance with the widescreen baroque spectacle of space opera and the pacing of an airport action-thriller. But even by Neal Asher's standards, there's something particularly grisly about "Dark Intelligence.""
--"SFX"
Praise for Neal Asher
"Asher rocks with XXX adrenaline while delivering a vivid future."
--David Brin, "New York Times"-bestselling author of "Kiln People"
"What has six arms, a large beak, looks like a pyramid, has more eyes than you'd expect, and talks nonsense? If you don't know the answer to that, then 1) you should and 2) you haven't been reading Neal Asher (see point 1)."
--Jon Courtenay Grimwood
"Projects the terror-haunted sensibility of our time into a future of limitless brutality . . . Asher displays great virtuosity."
--"The New York Times"
"Asher has lit up the sky of science fiction like a new sun."
--Tanith Lee
