14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent book - shame about the ending., 10 Nov 2003
My first Neal Asher novel (and his too, I subsequently found). It was a good read - full of nice ideas, good tech, good settings and nice plot twists (though I did guess some bits in advance of reading them). It got me involved in the characters to the extent that I cared if they lived or died, even causing a stir of emotion when one or the other occured. It even made my me laugh out loud a couple of times (at genuine humour, rather than in ridicule)
I liked the settings of the novel, and the future that Asher describes; I like the hero, Cormac, and his companions the Sparkind soldiers, the golem androids, and his shuriken; I liked the lead villain Pelter and HIS companions, Mr Crane, Stanton and the mercenaries; Hell, I even liked the runcible AI's.
But did I like Dragon or The Maker? No way - I found them a bit "unbelieveable", even in this future context, and a bit too "comic book". And did I like the ending of the book? Even more "no way". In fact, did I even understand the ending of the book?
I read the last few pages again and again to try to figure it out. When I started reading the sequel "The Line Of Polity" I had to read the end of "Gridlinked" yet again, because I still didn't get what happened with the Dracomen! And I'm happy (I guess) to read other reviewers here who were equally confused.
Well, I think it's with some dismay that I find Dragon and a Dracoman in "The Line Of Polity", but hey, onwards and upwards and lets see how the plot develops.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Fast paced page turner, 25 Sep 2006
I really enjoyed this book from the start even though I thought the ending was a little too obvious. I'm looking forward to the next in the series (on order) and will "make do" with another of his books - "The Skinner" which I have only just started.
Some of the other reviewers have said that Asher's writing falls short of the mark, but I found the book fine and it stands on my shelf next to Iain M Banks and Peter F Hamilton, and just one shelf up from Elizabeth Moon.
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20 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great story (but how does it end?), 12 Jun 2001
This book I just grabbed at a bookstore, while I was in Copenhagen. Didn't know what to expect. The result however was quite convincing. Great scope, thrilling storyline and a nice crop of characters. And it all flows through at a breathtaking pace. I allmost thought of Banks ... So why not 5 stars: Well, would someone please explain to me, how it all ads up. Asher either ran out of battery on his laptop or just decided, that two and a half page would be quite enough to explain 400 pages of complicated and intruiging storytelling. I read the ending again - and again. And I still don't quite get it (very annoying). But other than that I'll have to say: what a ride!
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