Brass Man continues my re-read of Neal Asher’s Cormac series, following on from Gridlinked (review) and The Line of Polity (review). I remember reading this initially some years back and being a touch excited given the focus the novel would have on Mr Crane, everyone’s favourite psychotic killer Golem from Gridlinked. However, this time I also knew that while Brass Man was the third in a series of five, it also ties closely to the second novel, The Line of Polity – a loose duology as part of the overall series, if you will. I was no less eager to get stuck in on the re-read, and it’s safe to say that my initial impression and memory of this novel was remarkably close to how I felt coming away after finishing it this time.
From the publisher:
Another broiling, sprawling, witty, hard-SF adventure, filled with the truly alien
On the primitive world Cull, a knight errant called Anderson hunts a dragon, not knowing that elsewhere is a resurrected brass killing machine, Mr Crane, assisting in a similar hunt. Learning that this old enemy still lives, agent Cormac pursues, while scientist Mika begins discovering the horrifying truth about an ancient alien technology.
Each day is a survival struggle for the people of Cull. Ferocious insectile monsters roam their planet, as they try to escape to their forefathers’ starship still orbiting far above them. But an entity with questionable motives, calling itself Dragon, assists them with genetic by-blows created out of humans and the hideous local monsters. And now the supposedly geologically inactive planet itself is increasingly suffering earthquakes . . .
After the events of The Line of Polity and the apparent destruction of Skellor and the deadly Jain technology he discovered and used, Masada and all those that were in contact with the technology are quarantined. Jerusalem, the vast AI starship whose sole job it is to monitor, study, and restrict Jain technology, is now involved in the clean-up from the fall out, but not all is back to normal. When a salvage ship discovers the bridge pod of the Occam Razor it’s clear that Skellor and the Jain tech were not destroyed, and this one find leads events to Cull, to Dragon, and the resurrection of a dangerous brass Golem known as Mr Crane.
Brass Man is very much the second half of the story started in The Line of Polity, and while this is part of a five book series, these two books feel like a self-contained duology. This is good as there were some interesting things left over from the previous book that cried out for further development. The whole idea of the Jain tech is a deep rooted part of the story, and something that is so advanced really needed more exploration on how it works, what it can do, and just how much a danger it poses. Asher does a good job of taking these details forward, looking at the possibilities of Jain technology and adding some new and dangerous aspects to it. As not too much has been discussed about the Jain tech in previous novels it works well to further explore it and show just how lethal it is, while also adding more to the worldbuilding of the Polity universe as well as its history.
The plot threads we follow range from the continuation of Cormac, Mika, and Thorn’s story from The Line of Polity, and also that of Skellor in his quest to track down Dragon. We also follow Anderson and Tergal on the planet of Cull, new characters who introduce us to the planet that houses one of the two remaining Dragon spheres. Each of the characters, both new and returning, help drive this story forward and it allows Asher to dig deeper into the various aspects he’s introduced in past novels: Dragon, Jain tech, and the way that AI rule the Polity. While we also meet Jerusalem, the huge AI ship dedicated to Jain tech study (and a really good addition to the story for all the information we learn through these threads), it was the re-introduction of Mr Crane that was my highlight.
Mr Crane is, essentially, a psychotic Golem. Destroyed at the end of Gridlinked, Skellor tracks down his remains and uses Jain tech to bring him back to life stronger than before. Asher adds further depth to this character by showing us flashbacks of how Mr Crane became what he is. He also explores this to great effect, slowly but surely bringing the character from the one-minded killing machine to something…. more.
What is most enjoyable about Brass Man is the sheer feeling of threat that faces the Polity. While we only see this through the events on and around Cull, the implications of these events have far reaching effects. The story unfolds well, not too quickly and not with too much detail at the start, but once various aspects are in place it turns into a rollicking adventure, with action and exposition equally pushing the story forward. I knew Asher could write some of the best action sequences in the genre, but the building blocks he’s put in place in previous novels are now unfolding nicely, adding to a large canvas in ways that I’m thoroughly enjoying.
Bottom line: if you’ve read anything by Asher before then you’re in for a treat with Brass Man, and if you haven’t I can’t recommend him highly enough. It’s worth pushing through the two early novels just to see the payoff that is starting to come into play. For sheer entertainment value you’d be hard pushed to find another author writing in the genre that can match Neal Asher.
Publisher: Tor UK
Author: Neal Asher
November 2010 (re-issue), 576 Pages
Paperback, ISBN: 9780330521376
Review from purchased copy
© 2017 Mark Chitty | @chitman13
