The Technician

"The Theocracy has been dead for twenty years, and the Polity rules on Masada. But the Tidy Squad consists of rebels who cannot accept the new order. Their hate for surviving theocrats is undiminished, and the iconic Jeremiah Tombs is at the top of their hitlist. Escaping his sanatorium Tombs is pushed into painful confrontation with reality he has avoided since the rebellion. His insanity must cured, because the near mythical hooder called the Technician that attacked him all those years ago, did something to his mind even the AIs fail to understand. Tombs might possess information about the suicide of an entire alien race. The war drone Amistad, whose job it is to bring this information to light, recruits Lief Grant, an ex-rebel Commander, to protect Tombs, along with the black AI Penny Royal, who everyone thought was dead. The amphidapt Chanter, who has studied the bone sculptures the Technician makes with the remains of its prey, might be useful too. Meanwhile, in deep space, the mechanism the Atheter used to reduce themselves to animals, stirs from slumber and begins to power-up its weapons."--Fantastic Fiction website In Neal Asher's The Technician , the Theocracy has been dead for twenty years, and the Polity rules on Masada – but it is an order that the rebels of the Tidy Squad cannot accept, and the iconic Jeremiah Tombs is top of their hitlist. Its secrets could mean our survival . . . On the savage planet of Masada, one of the native aliens is spreading terror through the human population. It creates sculptures from its victims' remains, earning it its nickname: the Technician. And only Jeremiah Tombs has survived an encounter. This sent him mad, but he may have learned something key to humanity's survival – if he lives to remember it. Jeremiah was a member of a brutal regime, now deposed, and a radical sect still wants its revenge. The Technician buried something in Jeremiah's mind about the alien Atheter, an entire race that committed suicide. However, in seeking to understand their disappearance, we may somehow be attracting the same fate. And to unlock Jeremiah's secrets, Polity operatives must keep him alive. In Neal Asher's The Technician, The Theocracy Has Been Dead For Twenty Years, And The Polity Rules On Masada – But It Is An Order That The Rebels Of The Tidy Squad Cannot Accept, And The Iconic Jeremiah Tombs Is Top Of Their Hitlist. Tombs, Meanwhile, Has Escaped His Sanatorium. His Insanity Must Be Cured, Because The Near-mythical Hooder, Called ‘the Technician’, That Attacked Him All Those Years Ago, Did Something To His Mind Even The Ais Fail To Understand. Tombs Might Possess Information About The Suicide Of An Entire Alien Race. It’s Up To The War Drone Amistad To Discover This Information, With The Help Of An Ex-rebel Commander, The Black Ai Penny Royal And The Amphidapt Chanter. Meanwhile, In Deep Space, The Mechanism The Atheter Used To Reduce Themselves To Animals Stirs From Slumber And Begins To Power-up Its Weapons . . . A high-octane space opera from a master of the genre. We’ll learn of a long-buried alien secret, which could hold the key to humanity’s survival. But only one man knows the truth – and some want him dead. The new standalone novel by Neal Asher featuring two of his favourite polity creations - the hooder and the gabbleduck...