Anachronist: A Time Travel Adventure (The Infinity Engines Book 1)

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I thought it very well done that in this final epic, Penny Royal (the erstwhile antagonist and protagonist) of the previous books is almost a minor character? Well, as "minor" as she could be? At least until the very satisfying conclusion. I also was pleased that in a space and time where AI's and aliens, and all manner of things can be done, it was a (not so) simple human that had to make a choice. And what a choice he made!

Events also escalate aboard the war factory. Here Thorvald Spear, alien prador, and an assassin drone struggle to stay alive, battling insane AIs and technology gone wild. Then the Weaver arrives - last remnant of a race that died out two million years ago. But what could it contribute to Penny Royal's tortuous plans? But then there are the Watchmen. These lone field officers patrol the paths of the past, using the timelines of objects to navigate their way through history. Powerful agents of change, they are responsible for applying the course corrections. And they live hidden among us today. I've been steadily raving about Asher's novels more and more because they just keep getting BETTER and BETTER. This Transformation trilogy has got to be my absolute favorite.

Infinity Engine is the third and final audiobook in the Transformation series, by best-selling science fiction author Neal Asher, following Dark Intelligence and War Factory.

ZOMG! Neal Asher takes us to the very edge of space and time in the conclusion to his Transformation series. Let me tell you what, I think I need a cardiologist after reading this book! It was nonstop, pulled no punches, took no quarter, and held no prisoners!It's great that this novel has a well-made list of characters and a glossary, because it helps readers - especially newcomers to the Polity universe - to understand certain things better. I found these appendixes useful and informative, because I didn't know much about the Polity universe.

There's a Cast of Characters at the front. It lists maybe a quarter of the characters. There are umpteen settings, and umpty-three converging plotlines. Yet to his credit, Asher pulls it off; they DO converge, and very tidily. Trent Sorbel, erstwhile soulless tyro and basic sadistic criminal thug, has like the Tin Man, been in need of a heart. In the end he has grown one through his shepherding of the shell people and his love for three particular shell people. He has redeemed himself, Penny Royal just provided the setting. Long Story Short = It seems the Colonel is a high ranking member of a major time travelling network that keeps moving around in time hoping to rectify things. He has no future, or so he believes… Caitlin is a beautiful nineteen-year-old librarian who lost her parents in a temporal breach ten years ago. Meanwhile, over the years, it became apparent that Sverl was changing in some strange way.Sverl started as a contradiction- a Polity-hating, human-loathing Prador possessed of an overweening curiosity. (You! You readers of War Factory. You didn't really think Penny Royal was finished with Sverl, did you?) He ends as a much happier and better suited/fitted individual than he started. And he is something of a trailblazer for the Prador. I suspect more will follow in his foot prints, or rather, claw marks. (Sfolk is also happy with his new position.)

Can Sabien decipher the cryptic evidence that links the victims? Will Caitlin discover the truth about what happened on that fateful night and the terrible decision that her parents had to make? The technology as well is fantastic. It gets technical, yes, but it never becomes too much so you become bored and start skim reading. The parts where there is some explanation to science things, sounds like it could be true. Asher has done research and sounds plausible. When he goes into far off technology it gets really interesting and mind bendingly good.

But Josh can’t escape his old life, and when a mission goes horribly wrong, he is forced to face the secrets of his broken past… and the overwhelming temptation to make a forbidden adjustment. Caught between a magical world of infinite possibilities and a life of crime, will he use his new-found powers to alter his own timeline? What makes this novel stand out in the field of science fiction is the author's fluent way of writing about technology and everything related to it. He's one of the few authors who excel in it. Despite the fact that almost everything about the story and technical information is fully fictional, details concerning technology feel suprisingly plausible. That is not to say that there isn't anything awesome in this book. The action is intense and well described. The space battles are very good, some of the best in literature today. Asher doesn't focus too much on how things relate to other things in space, but he just gets into the action with missiles, massive beam weapons, with explosions and such like. It is thrilling stuff and one reason why he is my favourite author.

I was very torn on the rating. On the one hand, the story is inventive and new. The plot and main character history is inventive and somewhat complex. Then we have the slightly unrefined writing style and grammar errors. I had thought perhaps the author was young, but realize now he probably just needs a better editor if indeed one was used at all. Inspector Sabien, an officer of the Temporal Protectorate, is assigned to the case. A time-cop with disturbing secrets of his own, Sabien takes on the search for the truth behind the seemingly motiveless murders. After many adventures in many times and places Josh finds himself a major role in this very complex organization which is divided into groups who call themselves the Draconians, Antiquarians, Fatalists, Copernicans, Determinists, Reavers, and Scriptorians. This book caps the Transformation series, but also rewards readers of ALL the other books. It's even got Old Captains and an Atheter, and passing references to things we first read decades ago. The strong side of the trilogy is interesting world-building, somewhat unconventional set-up, some suspense and mystery. Unfortunately, by the time I was reading the third book, some things irked me more and more, and I couldn't enjoy it: