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For some years now, Neal Asher has been a writer who has
shown real promise. He's attracted notice via his very good stories
published in the small press, and by his published books, especially 'The Engineer'. Now a
big publisher has had the guts to sign him up and promote him. And it
seems to be working. It helps a great deal that Neal Asher is an
exceptional writer. Since he's so renowned for his short stories, the
first surprise about Gridlinked is that it's so big.
At first, it may seem that the pace is maybe a
little too quick, and that Asher has so much story that he has to squeeze it
in. But that's probably just me - it does take me a little while to get
to grips with a new book, even if it does feature a universe with which I'm
quite familiar. Angelina Pelter may be swiftly dispatched by the fast
moving Ian Cormac at the very beginning of this novel, but Cormac's master does
allow us to catch up by ordering the removal of his gridlink. Cormac is
warned that staying gridlinked for so long may well have dehumanised him.
Horace Blegg, Cormac's legendary boss, decides to interrupt Cormac's current
mission involving the Separatists on Cheyne III to dispatch him to Samarkand,
which has unfortunately been devastated by the destruction of a runcible
gate. Thus Asher cleverly gets us to identify with Cormac, since the
secret agent seeks to regain his own identity. There's a quote in the
novel which says that Neal Asher is just as good as John Meaney. However,
where Asher supercedes John Meaney is in the strength of his characterisation
(to such an extent that Cormac's strong line on crime and punishment could be
jeopardized).
Neal Asher's science is also good. The
Runcible mode of transport seems much in line with the recent discovery of
black holes at the centre of galaxies (and Asher has been writing about
Runcible technology for quite a while). Where Neal Asher has always
seemed strongest is in his creation of biological entities - mycelium and
pseudopods are real science. However, Gridlinked has also finally
revealed that Asher does have quite a whimsical tone. It's a delight to
finally discover that the Polity's mode of transport was named after the
runcible spoon in Edward Lear's nonsense rhyme 'The Owl and the
Pussycat'. Some readers may think that the Polity is a bit like Iain M.
Banks' Culture. However, Neal Asher is a bit of an expert in the martial
arts, so he's far more knowledgeable about flying shuriken than other writers
in this field. Besides, Banks didn't invent AI, as Asher reminds us by
nicknaming Earth Central 'Hal'. There's a bit of Arthur C. Clarke
in other ways - Dragon is a mysterious godlike being. But Asher also
seems to have gone to the very depths of Science Fiction, by utilizing
Prometheus in a way that Mary Shelley would have approved of (Dragon turns up
in Frankenstein Monster mode, with exceedingly uncharitable
thoughts towards its creator). The fantastic Golem android Mr
Crane also gets to do his Bela Lugosi impersonation. Asher might
have also been reading some literary studies on science fiction – note the term
he uses when Dragon produces the first Dracoman on Aster Colora. Although Dragon doesn’t have teeth like
Spielberg’s Jaws, he still has a considerable bite with the help of his
pseudopods.
The mention of a creature called 'Dragon' jars at
first. But Asher has given his leviathan a character which can be greatly
appreciated. Certainly, this seems to be the closest that Asher has ever
come to replicating the fantasy narrative that he employed in his first
(unpublished) novel. The wolverine substance of adamantium seems to be a
marvel too, but Asher's use comes from the fall of Mordor in The Lord of the
Rings. Like the great Victorian Gothic novels, today's 'Western'
fiction still seems alternatively fascinated and appalled by the East.
Although the concept of the 'dinosauroid' may have entered the realm of the
players of fantasy games, it does have an actual basis in fact: Dr. Dale
Russell is a real paleontologist. I was also delighted to see that Asher
named Samarkand after the city on the Great Silk Road. Movie makers
looking for the next 'Matrix' or 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon' would do well
to come knocking on Neal Asher's door.
I suppose I was a bit concerned that
Anti-Grav Cars modeled on the Ford Cortina might date this novel, along with
the pop tune (more Culture Club than Culture is 'Melting Pot'), but the
longevity of Edward Lear's nonsense rhyme can be a powerful excuse - we just
don't know what part of popular culture will survive in the years to
come. Gridlinked deserves to live on, and there is much left in the
Asher universe to explore (I was very happy to see mention of the gruesome
leeches from 'Spatterjay' again). It turns out the the retro Anti-Grav
cars are also staple of the Asher universe - they were first mentioned in the
Runcible Tale
Blue Holes and Bloody Waters. Oh, and did I mention that Neal Asher also
has great wit? The novel explicitly compares Cormac with James Bond - the
book Bond, rather than the movie Bond, I'd say - Cormac is hard, but
fair. The baddies may die in gruesome ways, but Cormac doesn't stand round
trying to think of dismissive quips or pointless eulogies. Much of the
humour comes from the excellent intros to each chapter (it's the best guide
I've read to Asher's Universe). Gridlinked is a fast-paced action
cyber-thriller which could beat the sushi out of The Matrix on any
day of the week.
authortrek rating:10/10
Below are some links that provide context for the novel:
Bedtime Story
Classic: The Owl and the Pusycat - Edward Lear's nonsense rhyme
provides the names for Skaidon's technology. I believe that Asher also
took inspiration from the shape of a runcible spoon (or 'Spork' as the Yanks
would have it), in describing the Runcible gates
Food Tale:
Quince - it's not only Joanne Harris who includes obscure food in her
fiction, y'know
Ancient History
Sourcebook: Xenophon: The Polity of the Spartans - the Sparkind don't
live like the Spartans. However, Asher has named his Terran government
'The Polity', a use of the word which probably derived from Xenophon.
Alan Turing Scrapbook
- Turing Test
The
Turing Test page - AI (Artificial Intelligence) is a very important
part of Neal Asher's universe and current British SF
The Birth of
HAL - Arthur C. Clarke writes on Alan Turing and artificial intelligence
(and his own '2001'). Horace Blegg calls Earth Central 'Hal' in
Gridlinked. Alan Turing's genius resounds in Science Fiction and Science Reality.
Use authortrek's search engine to find out more about Turing and to get an
inkling of how many times he's mentioned in modern fiction!
The
Turing Test is not a Trick - the ongoing debate concerning the Turing
Test
Characters in
Arthur C. Clarke's City and the Stars - Asher uses the name Eriston,
as does Clarke. It's probably just a coincidence. However, Clarke's
novel would seem to share some common themes with Asher. Ian M. Banks
didn't invent AI, y'know
'Melting Pot' is the song mentioned in
“Gridlinked”. So, does this make the novel more Culture Club than
Culture?
Samarkand – the
Wikipedia entry on the historical city
Dale
Russell interview - the inventor of the Dinosauroid actually exists
Dale
Russell and the Dinosauroid - includes an artist's impression of the
'wise' dinosaur
Pseudopod -
a definition. Asher uses his scientific terms very precisely
Autochthonous:
Greek mythology - another fascinating word Asher uses. Note
mention of Mount Prometheus in Gridlinked. There's a human creation myth
involving Prometheus, which Mary Shelly utilized as an inspiration for
Frankenstein. Dragon could be a Frankenstein monster, seeking to destroy
its creator, The Maker. Dragon obliterates Mount Prometheus
Joyce in
Philip K. Dick - I found the following link which also mentions an
'autochthon' and was hooked from thereon in. Probably a complete
coincidence, but the hero of Dick's 'The Divine Invasion' is called Herb
Asher. Maybe the stream of consciousness emitted from the original
Samarkand AI was influenced by Finnegans Wake? Whatever. From this
extract alone, it would seem that it would be an excellent idea to read more
Philip K. Dick
Mycelium -
there's a real biological basis for the fungus utilized by the dragon
Mycelium -
a further definition
|
Visit our Neal Asher page,
for a Neal Asher biography, Neal Asher bibliography, Neal Asher short
stories, and interviews |
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