War Factory

By: Neal Asher

Narrated by: Jonathan Yen

Length: 21 hrs and 4 mins

Publisher's summary

Thorvald Spear, resurrected from his death over 100 years earlier, continues to hunt Penny Royal, the rogue AI and dangerous war criminal on the run from Polity forces. Beyond the Graveyard, a lawless and deadly area in deep space, Spear follows the trail of several enemy Prador, the crab-like alien species with a violent history of conflict with humanity.

Sverl, a Prador genetically modified by Penny Royal and slowly becoming human, pursues Cvorn, a Prador harboring deep hatred for the Polity looking to use him and other hybrids to reignite the dormant war with mankind.

Blite, captain of a bounty hunting ship, hands over two prisoners and valuable memplants from Penny Royal to the Brockle, a dangerous forensics entity under strict confinement on a Polity spaceship that quickly takes a keen interest in the corrupted AI and its unclear motives.

Penny Royal meanwhile continues to pull all the strings in the background, keeping the Polity at bay and seizing control of an attack ship. It seeks Factory Station Room 101, a wartime manufacturing space station believed to be destroyed. What does it want with the factory? And will Spear find the rogue AI before it gets there?

War Factory, the second book in the Transformation trilogy, is signature space opera from Neal Asher: breakneck pacing, high-tech science, bizarre alien creatures, and gritty, dangerous far-future worlds.

©2016 Neal Asher (P)2016 Audible, Inc.

Love the story, but British authors style of writing NEEDS British narration.

I love the writing style of Neal Asher. I'm a huge fan of British sci-fi overall. The story is great. However, the American narration misses the mark. I'm American and not against hearing a book without the British accent, but many times American narrators miss humor or feeling that is clearly there on the written page.

Great Book 2

I really liked War Factory. I found the characters more interesting and compelling than in Dark Intelligence. The mysteries of Penny Royal’s plans were intriguing, and just like the characters, I wanted to know. The explanation of Room 101’s madness was impressive and satisfying, and created an excellent setting and backdrop. I’m frustrated that Book 3 says “not available at your location” (I’m in the USA), so I had to buy it from Apple. I will definitely be finishing the series.

Great book, why can't we get all of them?

I've been tearing through all of Neal Asher's books on Audible. I love them all. It's disappointing how many aren't available, though. It leaves big gaps in several of his series. Specifically, the 3rd Transformation book, and several from the Agent Cormac series.

The transformation theme continues to evolve

War Factory is the 2nd book of Neal Asher's Transformation series, picking up where book 1, Dark Intelligence ended. Penny Royal continues to manipulate and orchestrate people and events such that the Polity gives him a wide berth, while certain Prador elements are more concerned with reigniting war with the Polity. The title refers to a particular "war factory" that cranked out weapons and AI drones for during the Prador war and is the birth place of Penny Royal. Along the way, the various entities that Penny Royal has targeted have backstories revealed and are gradually coming to see Penny Royal in a different light.

The sci-fi elements continue the general themes from Book 1, but Asher adds time travel with an interesting twist to deal with some unusual, embedded problems. Asher also adds a new AI, a forensic investigator known as the "Brockle" who seems far more insane and dangerous than Penny Royal, but has proven useful to the Polity. In Book 1, Asher presented Penny Royal as a sort of chess grandmaster and puppeteer, pulling everyone's strings in a complex web of interactions that on the surface appeared to be directed at redressing past wrongs, but hinting at something far more devious. In Book 2, Asher adds god-like powers in Penny Royal's control of time, space, and matter. The climatic denouement when Penny Royal brings all the major players together as a definite Old Testament, burning bush feel with the ultimate purpose left for book 3.

The narration is well done with an excellent range of voices, including the Prador aliens, as well as the snake-like assassin drone and its sssssinister patois. Pacing is well executed as in typical Asher fashion, the plot is technically dense and requires close attention, but well worth the effort.

great story and arc

love the story waiting on audible to get the 3rd book on but I have the physical copy so I'm not waiting lol alot of series to read can't wait

Enjoyable despite its flaws

A fun story with a couple of flaws

Too much repetitive and clumsy exposition
Reader cannot pronounce "coordinates". Says "coordinantes"

Great Book, Great Actor, Narrator is Ruining It!

One of my very favorite authors. Top Sci Fi. The Polity Universe is a fascinating place where nothing would ever be performed like this. Whiney voice mispronouncing words. Okay, a Polity Term such as Ceramel can be interpreted, sure, but niche doesn't rhyme with pitch...and if this is the very first time the Reader has come across a word such as 'discomfit", perhaps he should sound it out at home before flubbing through it on a take.

Sadly, Neal Asher has jumped the shark

The people in Asher's book used to have some ability to influence the events around them. I'm not entirely sure when that changed, but at this point anyone who isn't an out of control super AI with nearly unlimited powers is essentially baggage. I wish I could have liked this because I have been a big fan of the Polity books.

beautifully written and elegantly woven complexity

The series began slow, laying the groundwork for a fascinating web of connected events and tigers and turns. the author's skillful switching between story threads, without losing sight of (or the readers interest in) the progress of the whole it's amazing

Excellent!

What an awesome read! Neal Asher is quickly becoming an all time favorite of mine