The Line of Polity (Neal Asher)

A good plot but the characters are weak. There are some great ideas especially about genes. I had not realised it was a sequel - this one stand on its own although it took a while to get to grips with what had gone on before.

A flawed, yet enjoyable book. Could probably have done with some slightly tighter editing to remove some of the confusion. Also, the main characters are mainly plot devices with a few notable exceptions.

I agree with Marc that Mr Asher must have read a lot of Iain M. Banks before starting out on his writing career. Banks' culture is obviously an influence, as is his humour.

A ripping yarn, in a far future heavily influenced by Iain Bank's "The Culture"
I love Neal Asher's writing style, and grab any books of his I see. Although not the most fleshed out characters, they interact on a planet envisioned in such intricate detail, it almost counts as a character itself. Neal's fascination with biotech is an interesting twist on a far future of starships and laserguns.