Brass Man (Agent Cormac) Paperback – 5 Nov. 2010

Basically a kind of James Bond in space but with loads of extraneous science to fill the pages and an author who loves his thesaurus.There is a trend you’ll notice in all the Cormac books for the bad-guy to be almost god-like in his powers until it’s time for Cormac to kill him.The science is almost magical as well in that one person, using tech, seems to be able to build just about anything.The books are interesting enough and there’s a nice arc which develops..characterisation is slim but there are enough characters to relieve the tedium of Cormac himself.

This book is No3 in a 5 book series. I really enjoy Asher's work and this book was no exception. His characters are always very complicated and so are the storylines but he never overwrites anything and keeps his work "tight" so it flows well. I have read almost all of his books and have never been disappointed by any of them. If you like SF, you will love his work.

Before I go into the review of this book something has to be said: when choosing a book to read, only an idiot would pick up a later book in a series without having read the earlier ones first. Guess what that makes me?Keeping the above in mind I think one of the problems that I had with the early part of this novel is the torrent of information I had to absorb. Saying that Asher’s universe is big, does not do it justice it is a masterwork of the imagination - but having to try and come to terms of it was hard going.This is where not starting at the beginning has an effect. Had I read the first book I am sure everything there would have been a competent lead in to a very well thought out and advanced universe and I would have been able to sail through the books easily. Instead I was thrown in the deep world and had to doggy-paddle as I tried to catch up. Once I had done so though I found myself enjoying the book immensely. Asher has created a universe that is rich in detail and technology that twists the mind with it’s concepts and pure invention. A society ruled my Artificial Intelligences that have as much personality as the humans around them. Humans, if they can be called that, who have the chance to live forever, able to move between bodies, cloned or artificially created things called Golems.The novel is the home of many characters, but at it’s core there are two characters, Ian Cormac and the titular Brass Man, Mr. Crane. Of course there are others, from some of the incredible AI controlled space ships, characters in their own right Jack Ketch and Jerusalem being two that spring to mind, various living or formally living or artificially living members of the Polity; and I suppose the true villain of the piece Skellor a human now enmeshed with an ancient alien technology.Crane is fascinating a near unstoppable killing machine apparently made of brass (it’s just his skin really), and unique agent Cormac, someone who appears to be growing into something a lot more than a simple human. The metallic Golem is something that has had his mind broken, turning him into a near unstoppable killing machine. But there is a slim chance that he may be made whole. Again most of the characters have come from earlier books, and perhaps joining the story here diminishes the whole experience.As a whole the book is a magnificent read, I just wish I had started at the beginning of the series....

I was interested to note in the preface that Neal was inspired to write this book because of people writing asking to know more about Mr Crane. I enjoyed it very much, particularly the development of Ian Cormac's abilities and what is happening with Dragon. I was, however, a bit confused about exactly how Mr Crane's collecting of odd mementoes helped him towards sanity.The only downside for me, which tended to interfere with my suspension of disbelief, is Neal's compulsion to populate all alien planets with horrific fauna and flora making life a real grind for the struggling human population. As far as I can tell, the only planet is his universe where one can live without being ripped apart by some ghastly alien lifeform is Earth itself.Nevertheless, I am keen to follow the future developments in Cormac and Dragon's story but would relish a novel set on a more likely planet!

Another great read from Neal Asher. Consistent characters and an independent story line. On to the next book and let's see where we go.

Another great Polity Saga by Neal Asher, the eponymous main character is a tragi-comic character who I cam best describe as a heavily armed Marvin the Paranoid Android from Hitch Hikers Guide to the Galaxy with serious attitude.

It's quite a difficult read, with many flashbacks, I'm sure that if my brain was in better order, with greater powers of concentration I may have found it easier. It usefully fills in a few gaps in the saga of Ian Cormac, Mr Crane, Vulture and the Jack Ketch. I have not always been able to read the stories in timeline order, and I'm still not certain that I've read everything, especially now that my paper library is mostly packed prior to moving.

Its Neil Asher full of well-written violence and Imagination whats not to like

AI , golems , aug's , this book brings together everything I love. It took me a few pages to get into it, as there are several threads, all happening at the same time. When they joined though , it was insane. I tend to like a specific character more too, so I get impatient ... Great work Neil, I've just purchased the next in the series and can't wait!

Another one I couldn't put down. Going to be a sad day when I've read the books from this Author.

Great book. Third in the series holds up expectations.

Das Buch ist kurzweilig und fesselnd geschrieben. Die Person Mister Crane ist faszinierend. Er ist ein tragischer Held der Geschichte.

Couldn't get enough