This is sort of a prequel – we follow Ian Cormac, ECS special agent from his young days to his enlistment with military and later to the special operations unit called Sparkind. Parallel to this, another storyline unfolds – story holding the key to the very disturbing event that took place when Ian was young, event that may even explain why he is followed by a military grade autonomous scorpion-like drone unit.

Fast paced, very interesting – bears great resemblance to Iain M Banks Culture series but is much more action oriented (maybe closest series to this one are Takeshi Kovacs novels).

Got me hooked up and looking for more books with the same main character.

Recommended. ( )

If you've read any of Neal Asher's fiction to date you know what you're going to find here; grim, violent action in a space-opera environment that is thematically post-human. Over and above that you get Asher's take on what the psychological impact of a long and desperate war with a non-human foe might be like, via the family experiences of his perennial character Ian Cormac. There is the additional virtue that this book makes a good introduction to Asher's universe. ( )

Early Cormac.

This alternates between small parts of Cormac's life as a young boy with his mother - his father being involved in the war against the Prador - and as an early ECS recruit. The latter situation finds him having more trouble with the Polity than with alien crabpeople, however, and he gains rapid experience, showing promise.

He also finds out he is missing memories from his childhood, and an enigmatic Scorpion shaped war drone (hence the title) is involved in the situation.

Apart from Cormac, you learn a little more about Spatterjay as part of the background, along with his family.

http://superprose.blogspot.com/2008/1... ( )