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Neal L. Asher
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The Gabble - And Other Stories Kindle Edition

by Neal Asher (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 398 ratings
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An extraordinary collection from the architect of the Polity universe, Neal Asher's The Gabble - And Other Short Stories reveals a universe of unbridled imagination, and each one is a delight in itself.

Much of Neal Asher’s fiction is set in the galactic civilization he calls the Polity, an alliance of human-populated worlds. And in this collection of thirteen marvellously inventive and action-packed short stories, Asher is on top form.

You can expect conflicted humans, fiendishly clever plot twists, extraordinary technologies and so much more. The discerning reader can also savour tales of alien poisons, the walking dead, the Sea of Death, and the putrefactor symbiont.

No one does weird, wonderful and downright gruesome aliens better than Neal Asher, so prepare to visit his favourites. Sample the lifestyles of creatures such as the gabbleduck and the hooder, as Asher takes you on a wild ride into his vividly-imagined futures.

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  1. Print length
    388 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publisher
    Tor
  5. Publication date
    November 7, 2008
  6. Reading age
    18 years and up
  7. File size
    738 KB
  8. Page Flip
    Enabled
  9. Word Wise
    Enabled
  10. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  11. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Neal Asher is a science fiction writer whose work has been nominated for both the Philip K. Dick and the British Fantasy Society awards. He has published more than fifteen books, many set within his “Polity” universe, including Gridlinked, The Skinner, and Prador Moon.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B003GK21DK
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Tor; Reprints edition (November 7, 2008)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ November 7, 2008
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 738 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 388 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 398 ratings

About the author

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Neal L. Asher

Neal L. Asher

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Neal Asher lives sometimes in England, sometimes in Crete and mostly at a keyboard. Having over twenty-five books published he has been accused of overproduction (despite spending far too much time on the social media, or kayaking and walking) but doesn’t intend to slow down just yet.

http://theskinner.blogspot.com/

https://www.nealasher.co.uk

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 out of 5
398 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Zacchaeus
5.0 out of 5 stars If you start reading Neal Asher books...
Reviewed in the United States on June 2, 2014
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You won't stop until you have read them all. His Polity universe is one of the most well thought out settings for truly fascinating SF I have ever encountered. It is a universe filled with incredible technology, marvelous wonders, aliens of all stripes (both old and new) and truly disturbing monsters.

This particular collection is a sumptuous appetizer prelude to the full banquet that is Mr. Asher's incredible imagination.

We all know you can't please everyone all of the time, but there will be something in this collection that will delight you, scare you, or just make you think. And maybe, just maybe, you won't dream about the flora and fauna of Masada...
2 people found this helpful
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SM
4.0 out of 5 stars Great SciFi
Reviewed in the United States on October 30, 2014
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I have a few comments. Neal Asher includes much violence, sex, and great techno ideas, but the gratuitous descriptions always fit the story. These are adult stories. My only complaint is some are too short. I have not read books by the author because I am not sure I want to read entire books about people getting their heads cut off.
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Mr. F
5.0 out of 5 stars ... have read some of his books while being a great introduction if you are new to Neal's work
Reviewed in the United States on February 15, 2016
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A collection of short stories from the mind of Neal Asher that will help fill in gaps if you have read some of his books while being a great introduction if you are new to Neal's work . Filled with tales of mysterious aliens , well thought out worlds , rogue a.i.s , space battles , yeah you want this !
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Denis Denizen
4.0 out of 5 stars that old pep and zip
Reviewed in the United States on March 9, 2015
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The short story form gives Asher leave from the oh-so-frustrating detail-padding to be found in later books of his series (such as Agent Cormac). These are great concepts and trim story arcs with the right amount of tense, dramatic action, which really is Asher's forté. Almost every one achieves that lovely balance of leaving you wishing for more, but satisfied with a natural conclusion.
2 people found this helpful
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T
5.0 out of 5 stars Another winner
Reviewed in the United States on January 17, 2012
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Mr. Asher never ceases to entertain me, and this book is no different. I really never cared for short stories, but after having become so familiar and engrossed in the polity universe, it's very cool to have these collections that help flush out different species and locales from within the larger stories.

Thanks Neal, keep 'em coming.
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Harvey A. Lewis
5.0 out of 5 stars Unmistakably Asher
Reviewed in the United States on April 27, 2010
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I prefer the novels, but I will take anything I can get from Neal Asher. I had to order my copy from the UK - there seems to be some problem with Amazon in the US. The stories vary in length and location but all have sharp edges and make you wish for more. The protagonists do not always survive.
One person found this helpful
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Gashrink
4.0 out of 5 stars great background stories
Reviewed in the United States on June 12, 2013
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Read this before you read "The Technician" because the later book will spoil a lot of the suspense of these stores. They are a great set of short stories set in the Poity universe and feature some interesting characters but are mostly about Gabbleducks and Hooders
One person found this helpful
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Chris Smith
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent set of Neal Asher short stories
Reviewed in the United States on February 25, 2014
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Neal Asher is a great writer, and I am glad I finally just ordered a bunch of his books from Amazon. since they don't show up in the U.S. too often. If you like his stuff and like his Polity world this book is for you.
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Top reviews from other countries

JaytheOstrich
5.0 out of 5 stars A great Asher anthology!
Reviewed in Canada on July 26, 2019
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Neal Asher writes hard sci-fi with flair, and I really enjoy his Polity universe. These stories really don't disappoint.
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Ed.F
5.0 out of 5 stars Cracking collection
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 10, 2008
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I make no secret of being a big fan of Neal Ashers work and this collection of short works set in the Polity universe hasn't changed my opinion one bit. It's excellent. This collection sheds more light on some of the minor characters of the Polity novels, the Gabbleducks and Hooders, Geronamid, Erlin etc and adds more moments of drama and back-story to some and fleshes out the personas of others. There isn't a single weak story in this lot but if I was asked to pick the best, I'd go for "Softly spake the Gabbleduck" which was a claustrophobic chase story with a nicely packaged ending.

One quick note, and no fault of the Author, the longest story in the collection, "Alien Archeology" was also published in the recent "The Mammoth Book of Best New SF 21" anthology edited by Gardner Dozois, which effectively made a 1/4 of the book redundant for me.
17 people found this helpful
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Thomas Dowling
4.0 out of 5 stars Not his best effort
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 13, 2021
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I have read almost everything Neil Asher has read including most of his short story’s. It’s a good series of short stories and I’m sure I will read some of them again. I just wish he would stick to full books as I find them more enjoyable.
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Kelly Coccimillo
5.0 out of 5 stars ... but since they are all polity based it was like a continuation of my favorite mind blowing epic
Reviewed in Canada on August 5, 2017
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I don't normally read short stories but since they are all polity based it was like a continuation of my favorite mind blowing epic.
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Background
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 28, 2021
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A few tales from the Polity. Strong links to other stories and stand alone tales. Great fun. If you are new to the Polity, here is a good "toe in the water".
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