Gridlinked
by Neal L. Asher · first published 2001
82% recommend18% neutral
Why HN recommends it
Fast-paced space opera set in a far-future Polity where AIs run government, blending secret-agent style action. It serves as the starting point for Asher's series and suits fans of Banks' Culture books.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
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Mentions per year
What Hacker News says
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…re-hashing of historical and current events that many fiction books set in the present do. With that in mind a list of great books to read: The Diamond Age - Neal Stephenson Snow Crash - Neal Stephenson Gridlinked - Neal Asher Neuromancer - William Gibson The Reality Dysfunction - Peter F. Hamilton The Dreaming Void - Peter F. Hamilton Fallen Dragon - Peter F. Hamilton Altered Carbon - Richard Morgan…
on “Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?” ↗Space Operas: - The Reality Dysfunction (Peter Hamilton) - Gridlinked (Neal Asher) - Hidden Empire (Kevin J Anderson)
on “Ask HN: Sci-Fi Books for Hackers?” ↗The entire Gridlinked series by Neal Asher is set in a universe where AIs run government and are generally interacting with humans in a space opera / secret agent series of books, quite good IMO
on “Ask HN: Best hard scifi AI novels?” ↗From Neal Asher's Wikipedia page [0], you may consider starting with "Gridlinked" (2001). I've read 3/5 of the Agent Cormac series set in the Polity setting, starting with that book, and thoroughly enjoyed it. (Now I need to go read all the rest, apparently...) The AI-ruling-humanity…
on “Atlas robot does parkour” ↗It's a little different, but I've also really enjoyed Neal Asher (start with Gridlinked) and Iain M Banks (Matter)
on “William Gibson is a literary genius” ↗…bookstore years ago by way of fascination with a book cover (The Brass Man). I have read nearly everything he has published since and have experienced few disappointments. I'd recommend starting with Gridlinked (vol. 1 of the Agent Cormac series)
on “Ask HN: Sci-Fi Book Recommendations” ↗…about The Polity: Which is similar in concept to Ian M Banks The Culture series. (which I also love). Asher tends to be darker and more violent. I dont think he is for everyone. I would start with GridLinked. His books are not a progressive timeline. Some take place in earlier times, some farther into the future of the Polity. I dont think it is intended så read them based on the timeline though. (Cut and…
on “Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?” ↗…Algebraist, Use of Weapons, Look to Windward, Surface Detail, Matter. I don't re-read Inversions or Feersum Endjinn as I find them harder to get into (and they aren't Culture novels anyway). Neal Asher: Cowl, Gridlinked and Brass Man Michel Swanwick: Vacuum Flowers Bruce Sterling: Involution ocean George R.R. Martin: Tuf Voyaging, Nightflyers Samuel Delaney: Nova. Nightflyers and Nova are back to back in a single…
on “Ask HN: What books do you re-read every decade?” ↗Anything Neal Asher writes "Gridlinked", "The Skinner", "Line War"
on “Ask HN: Apart from Hacker News, what else you read?” ↗Asher's Gridlinked supposed a limited set of society [operatives & wealthy] who could manage this fulltime connection, and even then it was perceived as unhealthy. Wikipedia has undoubtedly changed how our generation views…
on “Frighteningly Ambitious Startup Ideas” ↗I'll 2nd Asher. Just read the prologue of Gridlinked. On par with Game of Thrones.
on “The Best Science Fiction Books (According to Reddit)” ↗