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Hilldiggers by Neal Asher
01/12/2007 . Source: Tomas L. Martin 
pub: TOR-UK. 474 page hardback. Price: £17.99 (UK). ISBN: 978-1-4050-5500-0. Buy Hilldiggers in the USA - or Buy Hilldiggers in the UK  check out website: www.panmacmillan.com and www.toruk.com
Neal Asher is a relatively new writer that I admire. His work from 'Gridlinked' through to 'Polity Agent' is packed full of expansive world-building, gutsy characters and explosive action. In his latest book 'Hilldiggers', Asher treats us with two completely new worlds to enjoy.
The complex and often crazy creatures and ecosystems Asher creates in many of his novels are a real delight. The unique world of Spatterjay has been the setting for much of his recent work and whilst the world's parasitic virus, carnivorous leeches and long-living infected humans is a fascinating dynamic, I'm glad this new novel is set somewhere new.
Much of the author's best work comes studying the effects of his AI-run Polity government when it comes to study and subsume an outlying system. 'Line Of Polity' explored the dynamics of empire-building amidst a carefully constructed alien world. Here, in the two world system of Brumal and Sudoria, we see it again.
The Brumallians and Sudorians fought a long and troubled war between their two planets for decades, bankrupting Sudoria as it constructed vast gravity-wave using warships, the hilldiggers. Eventually the war ended, leaving Brumal's population all but destroyed and Sudoria weak with guilt, greed and rifts between the military and other groups.
Around the time the war ended, a strange alien artefact known as the Worm was found by the Sudorians, captured in the space station Corisanthe Main and studied, leading to much of the technology used to win the war, including the hilldiggers. However, a woman fell pregnant in close proximity to the worm, committing suicide soon after giving birth to four extraordinary children.
Amidst a world wracked by mental health problems and the after-effects of the war, these four children rapidly rose through the ranks to become leaders in their fields - biotech, politics, study of the Worm and the military. Some of the time, however, they felt like their actions were not entirely their own.
The novel begins as Polity Agent David McCrooger enters the system to judge whether the two worlds should be allowed to join the Polity. Together with the enigmatic Droid 'Tigger', he uncovers a mass of conspiracies and schemes that rapidly spiral into conflict and catastrophe.
This is a very strong novel, probably the most controlled and lucid plot I've read by Asher. The politics behind both worlds and the military is fascinatingly complex and the alterations made to themselves by both civilisations to adapt to their planets makes them almost as alien as those on Spatterjay.
McCrooger is a character infected by both the Spatterjay virus that makes him strong and practically immortal and a second strain fighting the other virus inside his body. When he gets hurt, the viruses play up and he gets weaker and this weakening of power is a key reason why the book is so enjoyable. There's far less omnipotence in this book compared to some of Asher's work.
The action is good, especially the ship-to-ship combat which is nice and realistic, using the vastness of space and the limitations of physics to create a real but still exciting conflict. The characters are well-drawn and the whole thing builds to a satisfying climax. This is Asher's best work since 'Line Of Polity' and is highly recommended to anyone who enjoys carefully constructed and dynamic space opera.
Tomas L. Martin
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