View source for Neal Asher

{{short description|British science fiction writer}}
{{Lead too short|date=June 2019}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Use British English|date=January 2013}}
{{Infobox writer <!-- for more information see [[:Template:Infobox writer/doc]] -->
 | name = Neal Asher
 | image = Neal Asher signing copies of his books.jpg
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 | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1961|2|4|df=y}}
 | birth_place = [[Billericay]], [[Essex, England]]
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 | occupation = [[Novelist]]
 | nationality = British
 | period = 2000–present
 | genre = [[Science fiction]]
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 | website = {{URL|http://www.nealasher.co.uk}}
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}}

'''Neal Asher''' (born 4 February 1961) is an English [[science fiction]] writer. He lives near [[Chelmsford]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://us.macmillan.com/author/nealasher|title=Neal Asher|publisher=Macmillan Publishers|access-date=12 May 2015}}</ref>

==Career==
Both of Asher's parents are educators and science fiction fans.<ref name=FBR/> Although he began writing speculative fiction in secondary school, he did not turn seriously to writing until he was 25. He worked as a machinist and machine programmer and as a gardener from 1979 to 1987. Asher identifies ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'', ''[[The Hobbit]]'' and other fantasy work including [[Roger Zelazny]]'s ''[[The Chronicles of Amber]]'' series as important early creative influences.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.welovethisbook.com/features/qa-neal-asher|title=Q&A with Neal Asher|author=Natasha Lavender|date=2 August 2012|access-date=12 May 2015|publisher=[[The Bookseller]]}}</ref>

Asher published his first short story in 1989. In 2000 he was offered a three-book contract by [[Pan Macmillan]],<ref name=FBR>{{cite web|url=http://www.fantasybookreview.co.uk/Neal-Asher/biography.html|title=Neal Asher biography|publisher=Fantasy Book Review|access-date=12 May 2015}}</ref> and his first full-length novel ''[[Gridlinked]]'' was published in 2001. This was the first in a series of novels made up of ''Gridlinked'', ''[[The Line of Polity]]'', ''[[Brass Man]]'', ''[[Polity Agent]]'', and ''[[Line War]]''.

Asher is published by Tor, an imprint of Pan Macmillan, in the UK, and by [[Tor Books]] in the United States.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://us.macmillan.com/theskinner/NealAsher|title=The Skinner, Neal Asher|publisher=Macmillan|access-date=2012-10-22|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140518210344/http://us.macmillan.com/theskinner/NealAsher|archive-date=18 May 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref>

The majority of Asher's work is set in one future history, the "Polity" universe. It encompasses many classic science fiction tropes including world-ruling [[artificial intelligence]]s, [[Android (robot)|android]]s, [[Group mind (science fiction)|hive minds]] and [[Extraterrestrial life in popular culture|aliens]]. His novels are characterized by fast-paced action and violent encounters. While his work is frequently epic in scope and thus nominally [[space opera]], its graphic and aggressive tone is more akin to [[cyberpunk]]. When combined with the way that Asher's main characters are usually acting to preserve social order or improve their society (rather than disrupt a society they are estranged from), these influences could place his work in the subgenre known as [[Cyberpunk derivatives#Postcyberpunk|post-cyberpunk]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.dreadcentral.com/news/89868/author-neal-asher-talks-dark-intelligence-transformations-dark-side/|title=Author Neal Asher Talks Dark Intelligence: Transformation's Dark Side|first=Debi|last=Moore|date=17 February 2015|website=Dread Central}}</ref>

==Awards==
* British Fantasy Society Award nomination, 1999, for stories "Sucker" and "Mason's Rats III"
* SF Review Best Book designation, 2002, for ''The Skinner''

==Bibliography==
{{Incomplete list|date=May 2017}}

===Polity universe===
{{Col-begin}}
{{Col-2}}
'''In order of publication'''

''Agent Cormac series''
# {{cite book|title=Gridlinked|title-link=Gridlinked|location=London|publisher=Macmillan|year=2001|isbn=0-333-90363-3}}
# ''[[The Line of Polity]]'' (2003) {{isbn|0-333-90365-X}}
# ''[[Brass Man]]'' (2005) {{isbn|9781597809801}}
# ''[[Polity Agent]]'' (2006) {{isbn|9781597809818}}
# ''[[Line War]]'' (2008) {{isbn|9781597805285}}

''Spatterjay series''
# ''[[The Skinner]]'' (2002) {{isbn|9781597809870}}
# ''[[The Voyage of the Sable Keech]]'' (2006) {{isbn|9781509868445}}
# ''[[Orbus (novel)|Orbus]]'' (2009) {{isbn|9780000074782}}

''Transformation series''
# ''[[Dark Intelligence]]'' (2015)<ref>{{cite web|publisher=[[Pan Macmillan]]|title=Dark Intelligence|url=http://www.panmacmillan.com/book/nealasher/darkintelligence|access-date=30 January 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150504113811/http://www.panmacmillan.com/book/nealasher/darkintelligence|archive-date=4 May 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref> {{isbn|9780330524551}}
# ''[[War Factory]]'' (2016) {{isbn|9780330524612}}
# ''[[Infinity Engine (book)|Infinity Engine]]'' (2017) {{isbn|9780330524636}}

''Rise of the Jain''
# ''[[The Soldier (book)|The Soldier]]'' (May 2018) {{isbn|9781509862412}}
# ''[[The Warship (book)|The Warship]]'' (May 2019) {{isbn|9781509862511}}
# ''[[The Human (book)|The Human]]'' (April 2020) {{isbn|9781509862467}}

''Time's Shadow''
# ''[[Dark Diamond (book)|Dark Diamond]]'' (2025) {{isbn|9781035037964}}

Standalone novels
* ''[[Prador Moon]]'' (2006) {{isbn|9781509868469}}
* ''[[Hilldiggers]]'' (2007) {{isbn|9780330441537}}
* ''[[Shadow of the Scorpion]]'' (Prequel to ''Gridlinked'', 2008) {{isbn|9781509868483}}
* ''[[The Technician (book)|The Technician]]'' (2010) {{isbn|9781509868490}}
* ''Jack Four'' (2021) {{isbn|9781529049985}}
* ''Weaponized'' (2022) {{isbn|9781529050035}}
* ''War Bodies'' (2023) {{isbn|9781529050103}}<ref>{{cite web |title=War Bodies: Cover and chapter one of Neal Asher’s sci-fi revealed |url=https://www.scifinow.co.uk/books/war-bodies-cover-and-chapter-one-of-neal-ashers-sci-fi-revealed/ |website=SciFiNow |access-date=8 July 2023 |date=23 January 2023}}</ref>
{{Col-2}}

'''In internal chronological order'''<ref>{{cite web|url=https://theskinner.blogspot.com/2009/03/polity-books.html|title=The Polity Books|last=Asher|first=Neal|work=The Skinner|access-date=2009-03-22}}</ref>
#''Weaponized'' (2300 CE)
#''Prador Moon'' (2310 CE)
#''Shadow of the Scorpion'' (2339 CE)
#''Gridlinked'' (2434 CE)
#''The Line of Polity'' (2437 CE)
#''Brass Man'' (2441 CE)
#''Polity Agent'' (2443 CE)
#''Line War'' (2444 CE)
#''The Technician'' (2457 CE)
#''Dark Intelligence'' (circa 2500 CE)<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nealasher.co.uk/polity-timeline/|title=Polity Timeline – Neal Asher}}</ref>
#''War Factory'' (circa 2500 CE)
#''Infinity Engine'' (circa 2500 CE)
#''The Soldier'' (circa 2750 CE)<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.reddit.com/r/sciencefiction/comments/8jn3kw/im_neal_asher_science_fiction_writer_ama/dz0wqy5|title=r/sciencefiction – I'm Neal Asher Science Fiction Writer AMA!|website=reddit}}</ref>
#''The Warship'' (circa 2750 CE)
#''The Human'' (circa 2750 CE)
#''The Skinner'' (3056 CE)
#''The Voyage of the Sable Keech'' (3078 CE)
#''Orbus'' (3079 CE)
#''Jack Four'' 
#''Hilldiggers'' (3230 CE)
{{Col-end}}

===Owner universe===
* ''The Departure'' (2011) {{isbn|9780330457613}}
* ''Zero Point'' (2012) {{isbn|9780330524520}}
* ''Jupiter War'' (2013)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://upcoming4.me/news/book-news/neal-asher-jupiter-war-cover-art-and-synopsis-reveal|title=Neal Asher – Jupiter War cover art and synopsis reveal|publisher=Upcoming4.me|accessdate=2013-05-28|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130623023231/http://upcoming4.me/news/book-news/neal-asher-jupiter-war-cover-art-and-synopsis-reveal|archive-date=23 June 2013}}</ref> {{isbn|9781509868568}}
* ''World Walkers'' (2024)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.panmacmillan.com/authors/neal-asher/world-walkers/9781035037988|title=World Walkers by Neal Asher|publisher=[[Pan MacMillan]]|accessdate=2024-11-14}}</ref> {{isbn|9781035037988}}

===Other novels===
* ''Mindgames: Fool's Mate'' (1992)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nealasher.co.uk/book/mindgames-fools-mate/ |title=Mindgames: Fool's Mate |author=Neal Asher }}</ref> {{isbn|1-983095-17-6}}
* ''The Parasite'' (1996)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nealasher.co.uk/book/the-parasite/ |title=The Parasite |author=Neal Asher  |publisher=Tanjen }}</ref> {{isbn|1-983095-02-8}}
* ''[[Cowl (novel)|Cowl]]'' (2004), [[Philip K. Dick Award]] nominee {{isbn|9781529002287}}

===Short fiction===
====Collections====
* ''The Engineer'' (1998) – Contains the novella of the same name and six stories. {{isbn|9781901530087}}
** ''The Engineer''
** "Snairls"
** "Spatterjay"
** "Jable Sharks"
** "The Thrake"
** "Proctors"
** "The Owner"
* ''Runcible Tales'' (1999) {{isbn|9781902628240}}
** "Always with You" (Polity Universe) (1996)
** "Blue Holes" (Polity Universe)
** "Dragon in the Flower" (Polity Universe) (1994)
** "The Gire & the Bibrat" (Polity Universe)
** "Walking John & Bird" (Polity Universe)
* ''The Engineer ReConditioned'' (2006) – Reprint of ''The Engineer'' with three additional stories. {{isbn|9780809556144}}
** ''The Engineer''
** "Snairls"
** "Spatterjay"
** "Jable Sharks"
** "The Thrake"
** "Proctors"
** "The Owner"
** "The Tor-Beast's Prison"
** "Tiger Tiger"
** "The Gurnard"
* ''The Gabble: And Other Stories'' (2008) {{isbn|9781509868506}}
** "Softly Spoke the Gabbleduck" (Cormac/Gabbleduck)
** "Putrefactors" (Spatterjay)
** "Garp and Geronamid" (Spatterjay)
** "The Sea of Death" (n/a)
** "Alien Archaeology" (Cormac/Gabbleduck)
** "Acephalous Dreams" (Polity)
** "Snow in the Desert" (n/a)
** "Choudapt" (n/a)
** "Adaptogenic" (Spatterjay)
** "The Gabble" (Cormac/Gabbleduck)
* ''Africa Zero'' (2005)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nealasher.co.uk/book/africa-zero/ |title=Africa Zero |author=Neal Asher  |publisher=Wildside Press }}</ref> – Contains three novellas. {{isbn|9780809556649}}
** ''Africa Zero''
** ''The Army of God''
** ''The Sauraman''
* ''Owning the Future: Short Stories'' (2018)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nealasher.co.uk/owning-the-future/ |title=Owning the Future |author=Neal Asher }}</ref> {{isbn|978-1983094934}}
** "Memories of Earth" (from ''[[Asimov's Science Fiction]]'' October/November 2013)
** "Shell Game" (from ''[[The New Space Opera 2]]'' 2009)
** "The Rhine's World Incident" (from ''Subterfuge'' 2008 and ''In Space No One Can Hear You Scream'' 2013)
** "Owner Space" (from [[Galactic Empires (anthology)|''Galactic Empires'' anthology]] 2008)
** "Strood" (from ''Asimov's Science Fiction'' December 2004 and [[Year's Best SF 10]] 2005)
** "The Other Gun" (from ''Asimov's Science Fiction'' April/May 2013)
** "Bioship" (from ''Solaris Book of New Science Fiction'' 2007)
** "Scar Tissue"
** "The Veteran"

====List of short stories/novellas====
{|class='wikitable sortable' width='90%'
|-
!width=25%|Title
!|Year
!|First published
!|Reprinted/collected
!|Notes
|-
|"Adaptogenic"
|1992
|''Threads'' 2
|''The Gabble and Other Stories'' (Tor, 2008)
|
|-
|''Mindgames: Fool's Mate''
|1992
|
|
|Novella
|-
|''The Parasite''
|1996
|
|
|Novella
|-
|''Mason's Rats''
|1999
|
|
|Novella
|-
|''Africa Zero''
|2001
|
|
|Originally published as two novellas, ''Africa Zero'' and ''Africa Plus One''
|-
|"Snow in the Desert"
|2002
|''Spectrum SF'' 8 
|''[[Year's Best SF 8]]'' (2003)<br />
''The Gabble and Other Stories'' (Tor, 2008)
|
|-
|"Watch Crab"
|2003
|Rick Kleffel's ''The Agony Column''
|
|
|-
|''The Other Gun''
|2013
|{{cite journal |author=Asher, Neal |date=Apr–May 2013 |title=The other gun |journal=Asimov's Science Fiction |volume=37 |issue=4&5 |pages=14–45}}
|
|Novella
|-
|"Memories of Earth"
|2013
|{{cite journal |author=Asher, Neal |date=Oct-Nov 2013 |title=Memories of Earth |journal=Asimov's Science Fiction |volume=37 |issue=10–11 |pages=36–41}}
|
|An Owner story
|}

==Footnotes==
{{reflist}}

==References==
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20110514152133/http://www.authortrek.com/nealasherpage.html#biography Neal Asher page at Authortrek]. Online 25 March 2008.
*''Contemporary Authors Online'', Gale, 2008. [http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/BioRC Reproduced in Biography Resource Center. Farmington Hills, Mich.: Gale, 2008.] Document Number: H1000162683. Online. 25 March 2008.

== External links ==
*{{official|http://www.nealasher.co.uk/}}
*[https://theskinner.blogspot.com/ Neal Asher's blog]
*{{isfdb name|id=Neal_Asher|name=Neal Asher}}
*[https://www.freesfonline.net/authors/Neal_Asher.html Neal Asher's online fiction] at ''Free Speculative Fiction Online''
*[http://www.infinityplus.co.uk/misc/na.htm Infinity Plus profile (2004)]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20090628144502/http://www.zone-sf.com/nealasher2.html The ZONE interview (2003)]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20130623082242/http://upcoming4.me/news/book-news/story-behind-zero-point-by-neal-asher Story behind Zero Point – essay by Neal Asher]

{{Neal Asher}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Asher, Neal}}
[[Category:1961 births]]
[[Category:English science fiction writers]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:People from Billericay]]
[[Category:Asimov's Science Fiction people]]
[[Category:English male novelists]]