The Gabble And Other Stories

By Neal Asher

It’s been eight years since ‘Gridlinked’, Neal Asher’s first novel, was published and since then he has gone from strength to strength, firmly establishing himself at the top end of British science-fiction. Most well known for the books of his ‘Polity’ universe where humans thrive, scattered across galaxies and everything is controlled by AI’s, he produces fast-paced, gripping action-thrillers, packed with hard technology, furious violence, mysterious aliens and just about the best monsters anywhere.

This collection of 13 short stories takes the reader a little deeper into the Polity universe, and the Spatterjay stories, by re-visiting characters, worlds and creatures we’ve met before, such as Hooders, Putrefactors, The Sea of Death and, of course, no less than three stories featuring the Gabbleduck, a creature which for years has baffled scientists across the galaxies by speaking in a language of utter nonsense that defies any attempt at interpretation and will devour anything in its path given half a chance.

If you’re a fan of Neal Asher – and I am – you won’t be disappointed. The worlds get better with each read and the aliens present no less a threat than we’ve come to expect leading to the same easy violence that speckles all of Asher’s books. There isn’t really a weak one here and Asher’s stuff is punchy enough to work as well in short form as it does in his novels. If I had any quibble it’s that the characterisation is weak in places but I’ll forgive that because these are short stories which by their nature offer a set-up and a punch line – if you want more, buy the books.

For the established fan this collection makes a great addition and fills out some the Polity universe you’ve come to know and love. For the newcomer to Neal Asher, you’ve a treat in store as this will serve as a nice introduction to his work and a neat signpost as to what part of Asher’s universe to read next.

The Gabble And Other Stories is published by Tor through Pan MacMillan and is available from Amazon, Blackwell and all good book stores.

Neal Asher maintains a blog. You’ll find it here.