The Departure - Book Review

The Departure, by Neal Asher , is the first on The Owner trilogy, and not part of the Polity series (I don't think so anyway, although it does share some tech elements).

The book takes place a few decades from now, when the whole world has been consumed by The Committee (not in a literal sense, which could very well be the case on a Neal Asher book). Surveillance is absolute, and you can be killed for any display of discontentment and thought crimes.  Population is over 18 billion, and both large numbers and mismanagement from the Committee means that most of these people go hungry all the time.

It is in this world that Alan Saul is awaken in a crate by an AI. Neither remember who they are, and the crate is about to be incinerated. Saul escapes, of course, and now is going to take on the Committee to find out who he is and exact revenge for what they done to him...

The Departure has some very bad reviews. Some think that is because of the right-wing lean of the book (the Committee look very much like a statement of what happens with socialism plus the tech for near total control).

I don't know if it is because I agree that this is a very real possibility, but I really liked the book anyway. There are some points in (slight spoiler alert) the station that seem a little too verbose and stop the action, but otherwise it is very good. Maybe it is a bit repetitive of other Asher books (boy meets implant, boy gets superhuman powers and take on enormous forces), but I like the theme anyway. And the tech is much more grounded than most Polity books (where there usually is some hand-waving about near-magic alien tech).

(more spoilers) I do feel it is a bit of a shame that the AI doesn't stay on for more of the story. But then I do really like AI stories. :-)

Overall, pretty good. Recommended.

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