Finally I’ve come to the last Agent Cormac book, Line War, and up to now it’s been a ride of ups and downs. The first two books, Gridlinked (review) and The Line of Polity (review), were rather enjoyable, but they did have their issues. After that came Brass Man (review) and Polity Agent (review), both of which upped the stakes and delivered some really great sci-fi. Line War brings the story to a conclusion, and while it ends the series as a whole I always had that niggle of a doubt – both on my initial read and on this re-read – that it might not be as spectacular as I hoped. All totally unfounded of course, as Line War not only closes the series in style, it’s one of Asher’s best book.
From the publisher:
The Polity is under attack from a ‘melded’ AI entity with control of the lethal Jain technology, yet the attack seems to have no coherence. When one of Erebus’s wormships kills millions on the world of Klurhammon, a high-tech agricultural world of no real tactical significance, agent Ian Cormac is sent to investigate, though he is secretly struggling to control a new ability no human being should possess . . . and beginning to question the motives of his AI masters.
Further attacks and seemingly indiscriminate slaughter ensue, but only serve to bring some of the most dangerous individuals in the Polity into the war. Mr Crane, the indefatigable brass killing machine sets out for vengeance, while Orlandine, a vastly-augmented haiman who herself controls Jain technology, seeks a weapon of appalling power and finds allies from an ancient war.
Meanwhile Mika, scientist and Dragon expert, is again kidnapped by that unfathomable alien entity and dragged into the heart of things: to wake the makers of Jain technology from their five-million-year slumber.
But Erebus’s attacks are not so indiscriminate, after all, and could very well herald the end of the Polity itself . . .
Line War picks up where Polity Agent left us, with Erebus, the rogue melded AI with Jain tech at its disposal, a serious threat to the Polity and starting to make attacks on certain Polity systems on the Line. Orlandine, a haiman (a buffered AI-Human meld), is still hiding from the ruling Polity AI’s with her Jain tech research, but soon is enlisted by Fiddler Randal (a ghost in Erebus’ machine) in a plot to destroy Erebus once and for all. Fiddler Randal doesn’t stop there and also recruits Mr Crane, the deadly and legendary brass Golem, along with Vulture, a former warship AI, into his plot. Dragon is back and on its own quest to stop the Jain tech from spreading through and destroying the Polity with the help of Mika. And then we have Ian Cormac, agent of Earth Central Security, whose developing underspace sense is helping him in many surprising ways.
First things first: Line War is the fifth and final Ian Cormac novel, so in all honesty there is really no point reading this novel if you’ve not read the previous ones. It’s also a direct sequel to Polity Agent, feeling very much like the second half of one big novel, so again rules out anyone reading and understanding what’s going on here if you’ve not read that one. If you’re a fan of Neal Asher’s work and have been following the Ian Cormac series since its beginnings then you are going to very much enjoy what is on offer here!
Polity Agent left us with many unanswered questions about Erebus, Jain tech, Orlandine, Dragon, and Cormac, so one of the things I was really hoping to see here was answers to these plot threads. What I got was all of this, and more, but delivered in such a fashion that made it all very satisfying.
All the main characters in Line War are back from previous instalments in the series – Cormac, Mika, Dragon, the AI Jerusalem, Orlandine, and my particular favourite, Mr Crane. The focus of the novel is not so much on one character, but on many of them and showing events across the Polity. Line War is a big book, but it’s the characters that take us through all that happens, each with their own personality and goals, but they fit together well and each and every one of them is a joy to read. Erebus and Fiddler Randal are the two new main characters, and while each of these is intertwined with the other, they provide a viewpoint that is vital to the story. Erebus is single minded in its quest to destroy the Polity, while the ghost in the machine Randall counteracts it in various ways throughout. The interactions between these two were spot on, showing just what was needed in such a way that worked extremely well.
Cormac’s quest was also good, but in the grand scheme of the story it wasn’t as front-line as I expected. Don’t get me wrong, what we see through his actions is great, but it was the other characters that I came to enjoy so much more while reading Line War. Dragon’s tale takes you to the places you want to see, Orlandine shows us that just because you’re wanted by the Polity it doesn’t mean you don’t want to help, and Mr Crane demonstrates silent destruction in everything he does, but this time with added sanity. It’s all great, and as a culmination of the whole series it delivers everything you could possibly ask for.
With any series the question is always present on how it will all finish. Will it be its crowning glory, or the one thing that can ruin such a huge story? When asked about ending the series Neal had this to say:
Main aim with Line War was a twist and no deus ex machina … and lots of explosions.
I won’t be giving anything away by saying I came away from Line War, and the series as a whole, completely, thoroughly, and immensely pleased. I saw everything I wanted to see and had answers to questions I wanted answering. While not all stones were left unturned, the ones that mattered specifically to this series were addressed, and done so with flair.
Is this the end for the Polity novels? Certainly not – the currently published Spatterjay series takes place 600 years after Line War, while Hilldiggers another 200 years after that. There is also The Technician, a stand-alone novel that has close ties to The Line of Polity in its setting, and then the most recent Transformations trilogy set some time after the Cormac series. In between all this there is plenty yet to explore, and only Neal’s imagination and willingness will decide what, if anything, we see next time – keep an eye out for the start of a new series in 2018…
On a final note, the Cormac series is perhaps one of the best overall examples of sci-fi I’ve had the pleasure to read. It’s got action, adventure, intrigue, alien menaces, and a whole host of other things that just hit the spot for me as a reader. Neal Asher: without a doubt the most entertaining science fiction author writing today. Well done, sir!
Publisher: Tor UK
Author: Neal Asher
September 2011 (re-issue), 576 Pages
Paperback, ISBN: 9780330528450
Review from purchased copy
© 2017 Mark Chitty | @chitman13
