The Skinner by Neal Asher - A Book Review

Matt, I bet you've been waiting to see when this book would rear its not-too-pretty cover from the depths and stare hungrily at my keyboard with its 'i's and 'e's. Because let's face it, this is one of the greatest science fiction writers ever that we're talking about here, and his book has a suitably impressive cover. Although it is minorly disturbing.


Look into those big, pretty... ears?

Welcome to Spatterjay, where the marine life tries to eat you and the leeches attempt to infect you. For the inhabitants of Spatterjay are all infected with the Spatterjay virus - the key to indestructibility, and eventually, immortality.
   Three travellers come to Spatterjay, each with their own intents and purposes. Erlin seeks the Old Captain Ambel, who can teach her how to live with immortality. Janer is here on business - what does an ancient hive mind and its hornets want with Spatterjay's most precious commodity? And then there is Sable Keech, the 700-year dead ECS Monitor, come to exact vengeance on his killers and finish a very, very old job...
   Meanwhile, the Prador Ebulan advances on Spatterjay, intent on obliterating those eyewitnesses to his war crimes in the Prador War. And he doesn't intend on doing it quietly...

As a stand-alone novel, this is probably the most fantastic piece of science fiction that I've ever read. Filled with exotic technologies, aliens, action and fantastically created characters, this impressive book is never boring, always finding a way in which to add an extra explosion or two. The amount of detail divulged by the author is incredible, especially when it comes to the ecology of Spatterjay. Rhinoworms, Land Leeches, Heirodonts - the list goes on and on. And the fact that there's a sort of mini-story at the beginning of each chapter really expands upon the whole voracious-flesh-eating-foodchain-of-hellish-creatures thing.

As stated, the environment formed is amazing. But what of the characters who inhabit this strange new world? In short, they too are brilliant. The Old Captains - survivors of a long-ago war, near immortal and stronger than any humanoid has any right to be, are older than most rocks and more difficult to destroy than most of them, too. Captain Ambel, Ron and Sprage are all fantastic. Wise beyond reckoning and genuinely unfathomable, Asher could do much with these guys. Of course, they are only a part of the culture of Spatterjay.
   Janer Cord Anders, Erlin Taser Three Indomial and Sable Keech really don't have much linking them to Spatterjay, so no-one could say that they're part of the culture like the Old Captains are. Janer is interesting. Hired by a hornet hive mind, he travels around, acting as the mind's eyes and ears. The hive mind itself is an interesting idea. However, I shall avoid going into detail here. Erlin is great - strong-willed and determined, she likes to be atop the situation. But neither of these two characters are as good as Sable Keech. Dead for 700 years, he's eternally seeking the remaining members of 'the Eight', a group of pirates led by Jay Hoop (after whom the planet is named) who crashed on Spatterjay and set up a trade in humans, selling them on to the insectile Prador. (More on them soon enough.) He's sort of got an obsession with finding and killing them. Maybe that's because they killed him. Still, he's just generally kickass. Not afraid to get rid of anyone in his way, he's the greatest dead guy ever to (excuse the pun) have lived.
   Of course, there are enemies. The Prador Ebulan is the best part of a thousand years old, and used to buy human 'blanks' from the Eight. Now, the Prador are an insectile race of aliens with a violent and bloody past of killing their parents, siblings and own children for the hell of it at times. The Prador are masterpieces. Not exactly scary, but certainly admirable in their brutality and lack of care for life in general. And boy, can they fight. Prador have to be my favourite alien creatures of all time. Thanks, Neal Asher.

So, to the plot. Using such great characters in a beautifully brutal environment, you would expect things to go very well indeed. You would be wrong. It does, in fact, work incredibly well. I can't say I blame it.
   Packed with enough action to last a saga and violence aplenty for those with a taste for it, it contains feats of action-adventure worthy of The Matrix films. Coming from me, that's something. There are also a number of plot twists to keep people satisfied, and suspense enough to keep you on your toes. And don't get me started on the description. There's just enough to paint the perfect picture without it being over-the-top and boring, as with parts of 'Lord of the Rings'.
   In conclusion, the plot's just downright ace. End of. That is all there is to say on this topic.

Now, of course, I must provide you all with my final review for this. I suppose you all know what to expect.
   I'm granting this masterpiece the ultimate honour - a ten out of ten (10/10). Packed with description, action, twists, great characters, fantastic villains and technology beyond reckoning, this book finds a place on my bookshelves reserved for my all-time favourites. And this is definitely that.