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Dark Agent by Neal Asher

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Dark Agent

Time's Shadow (Related to this series)

Narrator
Peter Noble
Publisher
Pan Macmillan
Publish Date
14 May 2026
Run Time
24 hours 28 minutes
Format
Audiobook

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What to expect

‘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

Critics Review

  • Magnificently awesome . . . Asher turns it up to eleven

    Peter F. Hamilton on The Soldier

  • Asher rocks with XXX adrenaline while delivering a vivid future

    David Brin on Dark Intelligence

  • Nonstop action, and unimaginable stakes

    Yoon Ha Lee on The Soldier

  • Gleeful but superbly controlled action-adventure

    The Times on Weaponized

See more reviews
  • A powerhouse cocktail of lurid violence, evocative world-building and typically grotesque monsters

    SFX on Orbus

  • Without a doubt the most entertaining science fiction author writing today

    SFF World on Line War

  • Asher’s work continues to combine the best of advanced cybertech and military SF

    Publishers Weekly

  • Asher is a modern master of sci-fi

    Starburst Magazine on Dark Intelligence

User Reviews

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Details

Author
Neal Asher
Narrator
Peter Noble
Duration
24 hours 28 minutes
Release Date
14 May 2026
ISBN
9781035037926
Format
Audiobook
Publisher
Pan Macmillan
Genre
Science fiction: space opera, Science fiction: military, Science fiction: time travel / time slip, Science fiction: cyberpunk / biopunk

Synopsis

‘Balls-to-the-walls levels of exuberance and inventiveness’– Locus Magazine on Dark DiamondFORGE 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

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