Hilldiggers (Novel of the Polity) [Hardcover]

Asher has an axe to grind, but what a shiny, well-honed and beautifully weighted axe it is... He's on top of his game with this one and his confidence entwines a fibrous thread throughout the plot. Multiple narratives occurring in different timeframes, shifts between first-and third-person perspectives, a detailed and convincing description of planetary ecosystems...In lesser hands, a rambling wayward text could well result. What we have instead is a wonderfully rich and complex tale that happily flips between giving the mind something weighty to mull over and pleasing its baser, thrill-seeking desires... Asher's skill is making it all seem wild, wonderful, politically provoking and fresh. --.

The world of the AI-run Polity civilisation has been building to a ferocious level of complexity over Asher's past seven books, but Hilldiggers is an ideal jumping-on point, being relatively sefl-containted, packed full of intrugue, and - most importantly - one of his most ambitious and gripping novels yet...Hilldiggers is both inventive and expertly paced, navigating an incredibly complex story without losing any of the clarity or momentum...if there's a more enjoyable and provocative sci-fi action saga this year, we'll be seriously surprised. --.

One of his most enjoyable novels yet --Starburst

'An excellent tale to Asher's usual exhilarating action standards...' --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

A massive SF drama from one of Britain’s most popular new talents

During a war between two planets in the same solar system – each occupied by adapted humans – what is thought to be a cosmic superstring is discovered. After being cut, this object collapses into four cylindrical pieces, each about the size of a tube train. Each is densely packed with either alien technology or some kind of life. They are placed for safety in three ozark cylinders of a massively secure space station. There a female research scientist subsequently falls pregnant, and gives birth to quads. Then she commits suicide – but why? By the end of the war one of the contesting planets has been devastated by the hilldiggers – giant space dreadnoughts employing weapons capable of creating mountain ranges. The quads have meanwhile grown up and are assuming positions of power in the post-war society. One of them will eventually gain control of the awesome hilldiggers . . .

A terrible war once raged between the two rival planets within
a distant solar system. Over the centuries their human inhabitants had
`adapted' themselves to the extremely different conditions of their new
homes, far outside Polity influence.

In the midst of this merciless conflict, one side encountered a bizarre
object suspected of being a cosmic superstring employed as a new weapon by
the rival side. Their attack on it caused the object to collapse into four
parts, each found to be packed either with alien technology or some unknown
form of life. Pending further study, these were quickly encased inside four
separate Ozark cylinders and stored in a massively secure space station in
orbit.

Sometime later, while conducting research on this alien entity, which they
now call `the Worm', a female scientist falls pregnant and subsequently
gives birth to quads. She then inexplicably commits suicide by walking
directly out into space . . .

The war was finally brought to an end by the use of new weapons arising as
a result of research on the Worm. These weapons were deployed by giant
space dreadnoughts nicknamed `hilldiggers' - and their destructive power
was sufficient to create entire new mountain ranges out of the vanquished
planet's ravaged terrain. Twenty years after the dust has settled, those
four exceptionally talented orphans have grown up to assume varying degrees
of power and influence within a post-war society.

And one of this exceptional breed now seems determined to gain total
control over the deadly hilldiggers. But why?

Reviews for Neal Asher's recent novels

THE LINE OF POLITY

`A complex, multilayered story of rebels in a slave world trying to qualify
for humanitarian aid' Guardian

COWL

`A beautifully evocative tour of the various phases of prehistoric Earth .
. . a tale of the sheer, unimaginable scale of history, and humanity's own
place within it' SFX

BRASS MAN

`Trademark Asher . . . leaves one wanting much, much more' Starburst

THE VOYAGE OF THE SABLE KEECH

`As always, Asher is unparalleled at creating this unique and dangerous
environment . . . as exhilarating as his previous books' Good Book Guide

`Close to the violence of splatterpunk, and ideas, jokes and puns splatter
his pages' Guardian

Neal Asher was born and bred and on the Essex coast, and still lives there. His most recent novels include Brass Man, The Voyage of the Sable Keech and Polity Agent.