Synopsis
She wants a new future. But her past comes along for the ride.
Ursula has lived two human lifespans, courtesy of the latest technology. Now she’s struggling to find excitement and purpose. And after a failed stint in the Polity’s military, the ex-soldier heads for the stars — hunting for a simpler, more meaningful existence.
After founding a colony on the hostile planet of Threpsis, Ursula finally feels alive. But when deadly raptors attack, her colonists are forced to adapt in unprecedented ways. Yet how could the Polity have missed these apex predators? Biophysicist Oren forms his own survival plan, driven by the mounting dangers — and he’ll pursue it at any cost. Then, a desperate battle erupts, which consumes the entire planet. Ursula finds she must dig deep into her past to ensure humanity’s future.
Review
Weaponized is a razor-sharp slice of military sci-fi. It starts at 100mph and keeps its foot on the gas. The story doesn’t gently probe the question of what makes us human, but it puts all of its hefty speculation in a boxing ring and tackles it one punch at a time.
The lure of the book is a jaded colonist (Ursula Treloon) going toe to toe with alien raptors on a desolate world. Ursula’s got shades of Ripley from Alien, and the raptors are as freakily unsettling as you’d hope them to be — think Jurassic Park crossed with The Thing. The book also has a Frankensteinish quality in the shape of a scientist by the name of Oren, whose agenda on the colony is suspicious and clouded in mystery.
Evolution is the name of the game. The raptors which the colonists face seem to evolve into ever more brutal foes. Can the humans adapt to survive? In order to survive, will the colonists be forced to sacrifice their humanity? Is survival really a human instinct? All this speculation is satisfying, and the questions posed as the story unfolds kept me turning the pages.
The strongest element of the book is the structure. Every chapter begins with events set in the present. But each chapter is also segmented with accounts from the recent past or the distant past. It’s this non-linear approach to each chapter that really hooked me. I love a story that plays around with the chronology of how it’s told, and I really enjoyed seeing the themes deepen across the whole timespan of these characters’ lives. Sometimes, flashbacks were telegraphed directly. At other times, it was left up to the reader to surmise the connection to the present.
And what a present it is! It’s effectively one gigantic chase across an alien planet, Mad Max: Fury Road style. Along with monster stand-offs and plenty of twists along the way, it’s a brilliant set piece that’s cleverly drawn out across the entire novel.
Another of the book’s strengths was the way that AI was depicted across the Polity in the different derivations of the past. The glimpses into the universe at large beyond the colony of Threpsis were really engaging. Granted, this is my first Polity novel, but it made me intrigued as to what else there is to discover in this vast universe that Neal Asher has created. If you’re a first-timer to the Polity, then you’ll be left wanting more, and if you’re a die-hard Polity fan, then I imagine you’ll find plenty to enjoy with this offering.
Weaponized is high-octane, gripping military sci-fi. But it’s also a heady speculation into how far evolution could push humanity until it no longer recognises itself. The tightrope between thoughtful exploration and adrenaline-pumping action is carefully walked. If you like your sci-fi raw, pulse-pounding, and with plenty to leave you thinking about, then this should be your weapon of choice.
Released today (February 23, 2023)
Published by Tor.
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