Dark Agent

Name: Dark Agent
Price: 36.99 AUD
Availability: PreOrder
ISBN: 9781035037896

Neal Asher

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Paperback

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English

St Martins/Tor
12 May 2026

War & combat fiction; Space opera; Science Fiction

Series: Times Shadow

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'Balls-to-the-walls levels of exuberance and inventiveness' Locus Magazine on Dark Diamond

FORGE A NEW FUTURE. OR BE CONSUMED BY THE PAST.

Captain Blite and Agent Cormac thought they had defeated the malevolent AI Straeger. But Straeger's mission to plunge the galaxy into a devastating war is far from over. With a twisted p-prador army bred from the Spatterjay virus, Straeger sets his plans in motion.

Meanwhile, on the war-struck world of Yossander's Hold, Blite and Cormac are trapped in a maelstrom of betrayal and violence. They must fight their way through the chaos as they seek to repair Blite's damaged ship. But their escape requires resources from the Bracken, and aboard that ship, a terrifying transformation is underway . . .

Recognizing the threat posed by the p-prador, the Prador Kingdom and the human Polity's ruling AI form an uneasy alliance. But with Straeger's plans unfolding and reality itself under threat, the galaxy is poised on the brink of destruction. Can Blite and Cormac survive the escalating war and the collapse of time itself?

From Neal Asher, Dark Agent is the second entry in the Time's Shadow trilogy, following Dark Diamond. Set in Asher's expansive Polity universe, this is unmissable military space opera from a master of the genre.
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Praise for the series

'The stakes are high, the pacing relentless, and the scale immense . . . Asher delivers again' - 5
* Goodreads Review

'Filled with action, suspense, and mind-wrenching twists. You'll love it!' - 5
* Goodreads Review

'What the cosmos really needs is more megalomaniac artificial intelligences, belligerent alien crustaceans, and protagonists who treat death like a minor inconvenience' - 5
* Goodreads Review

By: Neal Asher
Imprint: St Martins/Tor
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 234mm, Width: 153mm,
ISBN: 9781035037896
ISBN 10: 1035037890
Series: Times Shadow
Pages: 640
Publication Date: 12 May 2026
Recommended Age: From 18 years
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming

Neal Asher divides his time between Essex and Crete, mostly at a keyboard and mentally light years away. His full-length novels are as follows. First is the Agent Cormac series: Gridlinked, The Line of Polity, Brass Man, Polity Agent and Line War. Next comes the Spatterjay series: The Skinner, The Voyage of the Sable Keech and Orbus. Also set in the same world of the Polity are these standalone novels: Prador Moon, Hilldiggers, Shadow of the Scorpion, The Technician, Jack Four, Weaponized, and War Bodies. His Transformation trilogy comprises Dark Intelligence, War Factory and Infinity Engine. The Departure, Zero Point and Jupiter War are set in a dystopian future and connect to the World Walkers standalone, while Cowl transports us across time. The Rise of the Jain trilogy is made up of The Soldier, The Warship and The Human. Dark Agent is the second novel in the Time's Shadow trilogy, also part of the Polity universe.

Reviews for Dark Agent

Magnificently awesome . . . Asher turns it up to eleven -- Peter F. Hamilton on The Soldier Asher rocks with XXX adrenaline while delivering a vivid future -- David Brin on Dark Intelligence Nonstop action, and unimaginable stakes -- Yoon Ha Lee on The Soldier Gleeful but superbly controlled action-adventure -- The Times on Weaponized A powerhouse cocktail of lurid violence, evocative world-building and typically grotesque monsters -- SFX on Orbus Without a doubt the most entertaining science fiction author writing today -- SFF World on Line War Asher’s work continues to combine the best of advanced cybertech and military SF * Publishers Weekly * Asher is a modern master of sci-fi -- Starburst Magazine on Dark Intelligence