Piper's Ash £4.00

The cover of this collection of five short stories by Neal Asher are somewhat lack-luster in comparisons to the gems inside. A twig of leaves is somehow meant to represent a universe which can transport through space by means of ‘Runcible spoons’. But don’t let the cover put you off, the stories are wonderful science fiction. They are layered with plot, imagination and wit.

Many of the stories concern a war with an alien force which uses big spaceships to get around. This obviously gives them a military presence in parts of the Earth empire which has transported their people naked and individually. The different philosophies almost reflect the different periods of SF, comparing the currently abounding instantaneous transportation with the space opera style prevalent in the golden age.

Each story is also completely different in tone and style, although set in the same universe. If you can’t get hold of this book it might be worth finding the stories in their original forms in The Zone, Premonitions, Works and Focus. However, as Neal Asher has just signed a three book deal with Pan MacMillan, I’m sure the stories will surface again in a bigger collection.

Pipers’ Ash Webster is at:

www.supamasu.demon.co.uk

It would be well worth ordering a copy.

Graeme Hurry

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