Customer Reviews

Orbus (Spatterjay)

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

First things first...I am a huge Asher fan. I have read everything he has offered and eagerly await each new volume and when I heard this was a "Spatterjay" novel I could hardly contain my enthusiasm. Asher has consistently delivered breathless action, gory violence, interesting characters, laugh out loud humor, and sumptuous galactic eon spanning stories all set in his rich "Polity" universe.

Second things second...To truly appreciate the characters, personalities, and Polity infrastructure of Orbus I highly recommend you at least read the two previous Spatterjay novels..."The Skinner" and "The Voyage of the Sable Keach" prior to reading "Orbus". Although the cover jacket for Orbus states this is a Spatterjay novel, it seemed more like a self-contained stand alone novel populated with Spatterjay characters persuing the type of political interests and intrigues usually found in his Ian Cormac ECS Polity Agent storylines.

I am going to quote Budd from Kill Bill to help set the parameters for this review...
"If you're gonna compare a Hanzo sword, you compare it to every other sword ever made...that wasn't made by Hattori Hanzo."

Likewise...this Neal Asher story compared to any other sci-fi space opera novel that wasn't written by Neal Asher would garnish an enthusiastic 5 star rating, but compared to his earlier work it seems to fall just a little short.

What's great about Orbus...

Orbus-an Old Captain...to steal and paraphrase from Jerry Maguire..."You had me at Old Captain", I love these ancient, intelligent, belligerent, interesting, and immensely powerful characters.

Sniper-War Drone...a mechanical version of an Old Captain. Old, menacing, intelligent, dangerous, unruly, and also the funniest character in the Asher cannon.

The Prador-old alien war adversaries are back with Vrell, King Oberon, and The Golgoloth. Each are cunning, powerful and treacherous as they pursue there own conflicting interests and fight old prejudices before unleashing and encountering a much more dangerous common enemy.

The return of an ancient deadly race (NO SPOILERS)..."and something that has been dead for four million years starts to open its eyes".

What's not so great about Orbus...Bollocks!

-It's frustrating reading when characters as familiar as old friends react in "un-characteristic" ways.
-Placing these same characters in situations where they can not play to their strengths and in the case of one central character actually taking away a portion of their key essence, knowledge, and personality...permanently? I don't know how or if Asher can fix this and keep this character as significant and interesting in future novels.
-It all seems a bit formulaic as if Asher painted this by numbers.

With all that being said, Orbus is still a great read and is the case with all Asher's work...Huge Fun!
Hopefully the "taking an Old Captain into space" story framework might be expanded in future Polity/Spatterjay novels.

Again...I can hardly wait!

The most remarkable thing about this book is that Asher seems to be writing in the present tense... I don't remember him doing that before but it is a bit refreshing.

As for the rest, it is a rehashing and recycling of plots he has already used. Asher has got to slow down on the production as he seems to have run out of ideas. The Cormack novels started with fireworks and ended with page flipping wanting to get it over with.

There is I think a finite limit to the number of times I want to read the word "virus" and "mycelium" in my life. So once again we have a misfit band of brothers going up to battle against opponents with godlike powers that border on magic.

I wonder how it's all going to turn out *this* time.

Asher created a very rich world, he owes it to himself to slow down the production and give us something a bit more interesting than this recycled stuff. It's not a bad book, die hard fans will eat it up I'm sure, but it's definitely not as good as what comes before it because it's recycled the structure and plot.

In Latin, "Orbus" means something along the lines of an `orphan, deprived, destitute'. And given how formulistic Asher's most recent Polity-placed novels have been, I have to wonder whether it might also reflect an author who has mined a seam of ideas dry.

Not that there is anything wrong with the novel per se, but Asher's earlier work was richer and more sophisticated, with a level of introspection and emotional tension that "Orbus" fails to provide. Basically, Asher's Spatterjay cast have become so indestructible that there is little worry as a reader that something untoward might actually happen to them.

In "Orbus", this ability to absorb punishment extends from the familiar humans of novels such as "The Skinner" and "The Voyage of the Sable Keech" to the apparent arch enemy, the Prador. Fair enough, for the Spatterjay virus is known to be virulent and indiscriminate. But eventually these interchangeable "can't be killed" characters make for trivial reading. They don't really suffer much - the Prador protagonist has various arms, eyes and legs pulled off but give him a chapter...or a few pages...and they've grown back again, better than before. Even our eponymous Orbus endures steadily mounting damage with little more than a headache and a massive appetite.

But enough of that. What's "Orbus" all about, anyway?

The basic scenario is pretty simple. Orbus is leaving the planet Spatterjay in order to find himself - bad things have been done to him, and he's done bad things himself, so redemption and personal exploration seem to be at the heart of his motivation. His long-standing sidekick, Iannus Drooble, comes along for the ride because he's Orbus' side-kick and that's what a side-kick does, apparently. And in a coincidental turn of events, the old war drone, then Warden AI, now war drone again, Sniper and his side-kick happen to be along for the ride as well. They're all passing acquaintances from a previous fire fight, though there is no love lost amongst them, at least not at first.

On the side of the notional bad guys, we have Prador Vrell, nominated as Orbus' "old enemy" on the dust jacket of my book. For sure he is, but it's more than a decade after they last crossed high-tech blunderbusses, so I guess we're talking one degree of separation here, not the usual six. Ah well, you can suspend disbelief for them meeting again like that, surely?

Also weighing in for the bad guys is an ancient Prador mutant called the Golgoloth - seriously - and of course, the numero uno of the Prador kingdom, King Oberon.

That's pretty much the main cast of characters, apart from some incidental AIs and the odd Imperial Guard or human geneticist here and there.

Suffice to say, in the course of them trying to kill each other, they unleash something much bigger, nastier and more wonderfully evil than all of them put together, and after a brief interval of "are you with me or against me" thinking, Human's and Prador alike align to defeat the really bad guys.

And that's where "Orbus" started to unravel for me. I can't give too much away because it's a spoiler, but the premise underlying Spatterjay and the virus seemed flimsy, especially if you've read the Ian Cormac novels where a succession of wars were fought over snippets of alien technology supposedly long dead. Here, information about those long dead aliens is revealed and the actions and restraint of the AIs (in particular) are at odds with the whole basis for "Brass Man", "Polity Agent" et al.

Indeed, "Orbus" reveals that the response we saw in those previous books was justified. Really scary monsters are dredged up...and yet, after a bit of rough of tumble, Orbus and crew show them who's boss. This is despite fighting demons who can twist U-space in ways not even Polity AIs knew could be done. What the...?

Being somewhat more picky, the opening interludes 'From How It Is' by Gordon, lecture notes from the E.B.S. Heinlein and the 'Quince Guide' are not written in a sufficiently different tone to the main narrator to make me feel that they actually are separate and distinct from the main story. Having just re-read L.E. Modesitt Jr's richly rewarding "The Eternity Artefact", with its compellingly truthful diverse character voices in each chapter, I just didn't think that Asher was trying hard enough.

So, the summary. "Orbus" was like one of those Hollywood blockbuster movies - and the recent `Wolverine' springs to mind as a perfect example - where style and sparkle triumph over strong characters and a plot that makes sense. Asher could have easily led us to a cliff hanger ending,with "Orbus" being the start of a galaxy pot-boiler that spanned a few novels. Sadly not. We get "Orbus", a novel painted by numbers, and I really hope that the underlying meaning of 'destitute' does not apply and that Asher gets his mojo back.

I read about all of Neal Asher's books. All are good though some of course are better than others. This is good Asher, and might be a turning point in Asher's Polity series. His more recent books dealt with the deadly Jain technology. Then he turned to humanity's main rival species, the Prador. This book resolves the Prador conflict in a complete and satisfying, though intriguing way. I wouldn't be surprised if his next book took up an entirely unexpected focus.

My favorite Asher Novel is The Skinner. I would read any book he published although a few, such as Cowl, can be slow going. For those who might like to read Asher for the first time, The Skinner would be a fine rousing start.

Gridlinked would be another good start, though it's early and from the time before he achieved his stride with the Polity series. Gridlinked may have been the first of his novels to be published, though not the first written(?)

Set some 700 years after the start of the Polity/Prador war, this book builds on the earlier Spatterjay novels, but can be enjoyed without that prior knowledge thanks to the author's always entertaining and informative chapter introductions. However I'd recommend you read the books in order to maximise your reading pleasure.

Sniper, a favourite war drone character, plays a prominent role in this book, but the real stars are the Prador characters, in particular Prador Vrell, with the Spatterjay virus as ever delivering the unexpected. We get many chilling insights into Prador society, with the villains (or are they?) winning character development at the expense of the non Prador characters. I found this somewhat detracted from the story, particularly given the often dropped hints into the complex relationship between Orbus and his old crewmate, which frustratingly go no further. Still, all of the aforementioned is only there to provide a foundation for the exciting and inventive action sequences and there are plenty of those in this book to entertain you.

Neal Asher is one of those science fiction authors from the UK whose name almost automatically implies a well written and entertaining read. Orbus is no exception.

I was pleasantly surprised to see Orbus available at a Singaporean bookstore last month, and in paperback, not the more expensive hardcover. Needless to say, I grabbed a copy and held it close to my chest as if it were a bar of gold as I queued up to pay. I left the store with a big smile of triumph on my face and garnered not a few curious glances in my direction as I walked away.



Orbus is one of the Old Captains of Spatterjay. Infected with the Spatterjay virus, he is hundreds of years old and extremely strong and difficult to kill. As long as he eats normal food, he is, for all intents and purposes, immortal. Previously, he'd been a sadistic Captain with a masochistic crew, but after being captured by the Prador Vrell, and subsequently rescued by the war drone Sniper, he and his crew have undergone a change and he is no longer sadistic. He's now Captain of a space cargo ship Gurnard, where he hoping to escape his past. Unbeknown to him, he has two stowaways, the drones Sniper and Thirteen.

Initially, Orbus and the Gurnard are hired by the AI's that control human space to check up on a delayed delievery of a Prador suit of armour. In a parallel story arc, Vrell is fighting for his life in a vessel sent by the Prador King controlled by a Fisrt child Vrost. Vrell has been infected by the Spatterjay virus too, and the changes it causes in him give him the edgfe he needs to successfully prevail over the vast numbers against him. He takes over the ship and heads to the equivalent of Star Trek's "Neutral Zone" between Prador and Polity space, which coinicidentally, is also where the Gurnard are heading as well.

In the "Neutral Zone" lies a figure of legend in Prador lore- the Golgoloth. A Prador of immense intelligence and cunning, it is long lived and is contacted by the King to destroy Vrell. However, things become very complicated when Golgoloth decides to only cripple Vrell's ship, not destroy it, as he wants to see why the King wants him killed so badly. Turns out this is a bad decision as the Spatterjay virus has spread from Vrell to many of the second and thrid Prador children and caused a very surprising turn of events which eventually lead to the death of the the Prador King and the installation of a new king.

Orbus is smoothly written, has several unexpected twists, and has an ending I liked, as it showed that war and the enemy are not always black and white, that enemies can become friends, and old wounds can heal, albeit slowly.

I really enjoy the Spatterjay series of books, even more than the Ian Cormac/ Polity ones, and although this one isnt set on Spattejay itself, the influence of the virus and the presence of a single Old Captain is enough to make it "Spatterjayish" enough for me.

Another Neal Asher book worth reading, adn I cant wait for the next one!

Hope you enjoy it as much as I.

If you've read The Skinner, you know what the Spatterjay series is about. If you loved it like most people did, then you picked up The Voyage of Sable Keech expecting the same sort of razzle-dazzle and wonderment... and not being disappointed with it! Now we have Book #3 in the Spatterjay series and, as with Books #1 and 2, the same recipe is followed resulting in the same sense of what can be generically called, "awesomeness." I honestly have very little to add to this.

Having said that, Asher has hit on a niche market with Spatterjay. Yes, it's all very much like an action movie but all the elements which are incorporated into the series are full of vitality. It's action sci-fi which is unlike any other action sci-fi out there- Spatterjay is humorous, wry, conniving, and epic. If you're looking for lush prose, insight into human nature, the alien condition, an expose on pragmatic education... then you're barking up the wrong tree, my friend. Come for the destruction, stay for the explosions.

"Awesomeness" is probably the best word to describe the Spatterjay series, especially now with Orbus. The plot is no longer chained to planet of Spatterjay; it now takes on a galactic, space-faring element. Of course, there are the original elements of Old Captains, thralls, the eccentric drone Sniper and it wouldn't be complete with its contingent of particle beams, CTDs, lasers, masers and other dastardly weapons of sweet, sweet destruction. Like the additional space-faring element, Orbus also includes a fuller sociological and anatomical review of the Prador, what they are, who the were and what the will become.

Asher continues to impress. The Spatterjay and full array of Polity novels are tied together, unlike Banks' Culture Novels, and do build on the previous experiences and reveals of the central characters. In fact, this novel makes some very important and integral connections between the Polity's incessent search for Jain Nodes and the seemingly disparate events on Spatterjay. A must read for all Asher fans!! Death defying action - 'behind the curtain' Prador reveals - insight on Earth Central's motivations - war drone limits - exotic organic / cyber war fronts... the list goes on.

If you are new to Neal Asher's work, be aware that this is book 3 of the SpatterJay series.
You will want to read "The Skinner" and "The Voyage of the Sable Keech" before reading this book.

Now...onto the review!

If you're here then we can assume you have read at least the previous 2 books in this series and perhaps some of his other books set in the same universe. So what you really want to know is...Is the book any good?

This book was surprisingly good!

I say surprisingly because the title character (Orbus) is not a terribly likable fellow in the previous books--being a sadist operating a sailing ship crewed by masochists--and I was not expecting Asher to give him his own story, and in fact...I was rather wondering if I would even *like* a book based on such a character.

It turns out that--although the title character features prominently throughout--there are so many supporting character brought rapidly into play that the story is nonstop action from start to finish.
We've got tons of fan favorites showing up here like...the War drone Sniper...Sub Mind 13...the Prador Vrell...the Jain...the SpatterJay virus itself...the Prador King. Questions are raised. Questions are answered. Battles are fought, things are blown up and when all was said and done I sat back and said...Wow! That was fun!

What more can you ask for?

Asher in the past has had violent combat, lots of it, in his books, but it was linked to something happening. This time, not so much. If you like combat fiction, the fact its robots and aliens, also, not so hot. If you like the Polity novels, this also lacks punch. The Spatterjay novels, okay, now we find out that virus is actually Jain in origin...so nothing much either. On the whole its a novella at best, and blown up to fill maybe a hundred extra pages with material that should have been cut. Like Editors? Here, not so much either. The biggest issue with this book is the deus ex machina aspect of things -- people, and things, are constantly getting destroy4ed, killed, beat to hell -- only to return (well exactly one character gets offed, and its sort of an, oops, moment). And structurally, you have two and a half narrators, so no real interest in any of them (especially not in a droid, or psycho-killer crustacean). So on the whole, save it for a used paperback and pray for a better one next time.