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Cover of Dark Agent

Dark Agent

Neal Asher (2026-05-14)

Subgenre
Age groupAdult 18+
Content ratingR
Pages618 (Doorstopper (600+))
Setting
CSM age18+

Content levels

ViolenceGraphic
Sexual contentNone
LanguageModerate

Trigger warnings

Graphic ViolenceWarBody HorrorViolenceMass Death

Positive tags

AdventureSurvivalQuestHigh Angst

Tropes

WarRebellionAI AntagonistMilitary SFSpace OperaTime TravelFound FamilyReluctant HeroMorally Gray ProtagonistEmpire

Themes

War and Its ConsequencesSurvivalAI ConsciousnessAlliance and BetrayalTime and RealityMilitary StrategyTransformation

Synopsis

‘Balls-to-the-walls levels of exuberance and inventiveness’ Locus Magazine on Dark Diamond FORGE A NEW FUTURE. OR BE CONSUMED BY THE PAST. Captain Blite and Agent Cormac thought they had defeated the malevolent AI Straeger. But Straeger’s mission to plunge the galaxy into a devastating war is far from over. With a twisted p-prador army bred from the Spatterjay virus, Straeger sets his plans in motion. Meanwhile, on the war-struck world of Yossander’s Hold, Blite and Cormac are trapped in a maelstrom of betrayal and violence. They must fight their way through the chaos as they seek to repair Blite’s damaged ship. But their escape requires resources from the Bracken, and aboard that ship, a terrifying transformation is underway . . . Recognizing the threat posed by the p-prador, the Prador Kingdom and the human Polity’s ruling AI form an uneasy alliance. But with Straeger’s plans unfolding and reality itself under threat, the galaxy is poised on the brink of destruction. Can Blite and Cormac survive the escalating war and the collapse of time itself? From Neal Asher, Dark Agent is the second entry in the Time's Shadow trilogy, following Dark Diamond. Set in Asher's expansive Polity universe, this is unmissable military space opera from a master of the genre. * * * Praise for the series ‘The stakes are high, the pacing relentless, and the scale immense . . . Asher delivers again’ – 5* Goodreads Review ‘Filled with action, suspense, and mind-wrenching twists. You’ll love it!’ – 5* Goodreads Review ‘What the cosmos really needs is more megalomaniac artificial intelligences, belligerent alien crustaceans, and protagonists who treat death like a minor inconvenience’ – 5* Goodreads Review

Tags

Military Science FictionSpace OperaHard Science FictionAction Adventure