Shadow of the Scorpion: A Novel of the Polity
by Neal Asher
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Book Summary Information
Author: Neal AsherEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2008-11-04
ISBN: 1597801399
Number of pages: 242
Publisher: Night Shade Books
Book Reviews of Shadow of the Scorpion: A Novel of the Polity
Book Review: Asher delivers another great read.
Summary: 5 Stars
In Shadow of the Scorpion, we get a look back at the childhood and early adult years of our good friend Ian Cormac. Every chapter starts with a few pages of young Ian's life with his mother and brother, then skips to the events that led to Cormac becoming an ECS agent. As always, Asher gives us further depth and detail in describing his Polity universe, and provides not only a well-paced, rousing story but a number of interesting characters and a good bit of insight into Cormac's character itself, during its formative years. The book also fills in some background about Ian Cormac, and answers some questions about how things came to be.
A danger/pitfall in writing prequels is the fact that we have read stories that take place after the events in the prequel, possibly taking away the suspense and fear we might have for the primary character. There is none of this in Shadow of the Scorpion - it's certainly a page turner and a wild ride. My only criticism lies in the obviousness of one of the plot points - something revealed in the last few pages was obvious about a third of the way through the book.
I highly recommend it for any Asher/Ian Cormac fan. I woudn't read it out of sequence - if you're new to the Cormac novels, by all means read them in order of publication.
Summary of Shadow of the Scorpion: A Novel of the Polity
Raised to adulthood during the end of the war between the human Polity and a vicious alien race, the Prador, Ian Cormac is haunted by childhood memories of a sinister scorpion-shaped war drone and the burden of losses he doesn't remember. Cormac signs up with Earth Central Security and is sent out to help restore and maintain order on worlds devastated by the war. There he discovers that though the Prador remain as murderous as ever, they are not anywhere near as treacherous or dangerous as some of his fellow humans, some closer to him than he would like. Amidst the ruins left by wartime genocides, Cormac will discover in himself a cold capacity for violence and learn some horrible truths about his own past while trying to stay alive on his course of vengeance.Literature & Fiction Books
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