Shadow of the Scorpion: A Novel of the Polity (Paperback)

~ Neal Asher (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

An energetic, gory prequel to Asher's Polity novels (Gridlinked, etc.), this far-future novel alternates the youthful memories of Ian Cormac, Asher's complex soldier-hero, with Cormac's brutal adult efforts to master lethal-force training as an undercover agent in Earth Central Security's conflict with the terroristic Jovian Separatists. Amistad, an anthropoid war drone Cormac had glimpsed as a boy, resurfaces periodically throughout the novel, a relic of the half-century-old war between humanity's galactic Polity and the vicious alien Prador. Gradually, Cormac's recollections merge with his ECS missions, until finally Amistad reveals what Cormac most needs and fears to know: his father's fate in an earlier battle. This blasting indictment of war forces readers to ponder whether winning can be worth the struggle if it turns the good guys into something worse than their enemies. (Oct.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Bookmarks Magazine

Critics read Shadow of the Scorpion in several different ways. The book can be read as a political commentary on the impacts of war, especially counterinsurgency campaigns, on an individual's memory and personality. Or it can be read as an action-packed, well-plotted story with larger-than-life heroes and highly sophisticated weaponry. It was the coexistence of these two levels of storytelling that impressed reviewers. Those who were fans of Asher's other books felt it lived up to his previous work, but they also recommended Shadow of the Scorpion as a novel that can be read and enjoyed on its own.
Copyright 2009 Bookmarks Publishing LLC

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 248 pages
• Publisher: Night Shade Books; 1 edition (November 5, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1597801399
• ISBN-13: 978-1597801393
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #416,108 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars superb, November 11, 2008

By	Thomas D. Gulch "tdgulch" (Pennsauken, New Jersey United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Neal Asher is becoming something of a phenomenon. The man never fails to deliver. This novel 'shadow of the scorpion' could be taken as a prequel to his entire polity universe, the description of Ian Cormac as a child,his first foray into combat with the sparkind and ECS, his first meeting with terrorists or as asher has it 'separatists' and what formed Cormac's life and morality. We meet Cormac's mother, brother and the memory of his heroic and yet tragic father. We discover that it is indeed possible for 'golem' or androids to engage in the sports of venus when it suits them. In it we meet some friends and characters both human and AI from the polity universe brought to life in all of his wonderful 'polity' novels. This being a prequel in no way diminishes any of the fun that Asher's fan's expect and that Asher does, indeed, deliver with a CTD of pure enjoyment. Good going, and I hope Asher never tires of writing these wonderful books.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good solid Asher work, March 12, 2009

By	Sci Fi Guy (Bowling Green, KY) - See all my reviews

This is another excellent book by Neal Asher (who is fast becoming my favorite author). This book is basicly a little biography of Polity Agent Ian Cormac, starting from his childhood and going thru his younger years. It provides some good background of his development into the character we recognize in Gridlinked and Brass Man, with some interesting little sidetracks into other areas of the Polity universe.

If you like other Neal Asher works this should definitely be a good purchase, used to fill in your knowledge of his Polity

5.0 out of 5 stars Asher delivers another great read., April 24, 2009

By	Peter Venetoklis (Brooklyn, NY USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Amazon Verified Purchase

In Shadow of the Scorpion, we get a look back at the childhood and early adult years of our good friend Ian Cormac. Every chapter starts with a few pages of young Ian's life with his mother and brother, then skips to the events that led to Cormac becoming an ECS agent. As always, Asher gives us further depth and detail in describing his Polity universe, and provides not only a well-paced, rousing story but a number of interesting characters and a good bit of insight into Cormac's character itself, during its formative years. The book also fills in some background about Ian Cormac, and answers some questions about how things came to be.

A danger/pitfall in writing prequels is the fact that we have read stories that take place after the events in the prequel, possibly taking away the suspense and fear we might have for the primary character. There is none of this in Shadow of the Scorpion - it's certainly a page turner and a wild ride. My only criticism lies in the obviousness of one of the plot points - something revealed in the last few pages was obvious about a third of the way through the book.

I highly recommend it for any Asher/Ian Cormac fan. I woudn't read it out of sequence - if you're new to the Cormac novels, by all means read them in order of publication.