For nearly 25 years British science fiction author Neal Asher has written stories set in a fictional universe he calls Polity.
But while his newest installment Dark Diamond (paperback, Kindle) is the 21st installment of this series, in the following email interview — in which he also discusses what inspired and influenced this new novel — he explains why this story may serve as a good entry point for this sci-fi saga.
To start, what is Dark Diamond about, and when and where does it take place?
Dark Diamond takes place in my Polity future, one in which humanity has spread out across a large portion of the galaxy and is more or less ruled by AIs. One of these AIs, during a war against the alien prador, went rogue and turned into something nasty. Later, during a period of redemption the AI — Penny Royal — dumped itself in a black hole and went “beyond time.”
This story is told in my Transformation trilogy: Dark Intelligence, War Factory, and Infinity Engine. The AI Penny Royal is protean in appearance, but generally formed of black crystals. Prior to departing it left a “dark diamond,” a piece of itself with another protagonist of that story called Captain Blite. Now, some decades later, Blite has formed a space haulage business and is doing very well, but someone keeps trying to kill him and yet, the dark diamond keeps reversing that verdict. Blite sets out on an adventure to find out what the hell is going on.
Where did you get the idea for Dark Diamond? What inspired it?
The inspiration was in Blite discovering the dark diamond in his pocket at the end of Infinity Engine, and I just built the story from there. It was a mystery to be resolved in its small way like a ring that a hobbit found.
So, should we read anything into the fact that the main character is named Captain Blite, which sounds a lot like Captain Bligh, the infamously usurped captain of the HMS Bounty?
Nothing beyond that it just rose up out of by subconscious and felt right. I’m a seat-of-the-pants writer, and most of these things arrive by instinct or as placeholders that I eventually adopt.
Dark Diamond sounds like it’s a science fiction space opera story. Is that how you’d describe it?
Kinda, though for some the association is with something simplistic, which this is not, but it is laden with space battles and travel spread across a very wide canvas.
Now, Dark Diamond is obviously not your first novel. Are there any writers or stories that had a big influence on Dark Diamond but not anything else you’ve written?
No, not particularly.
How about non-literary influences? Was Dark Diamond influenced by any movies, TV shows, or games? Because having a stone that can see the future and help someone survive it reminds me of that episode of Rick & Morty with the death crystal, while the stone’s life restoration mechanic seems very video game-y.
Again, not particularly. You mention video games there, but I made a decision long ago to not get involved because I would like them too much and never get any writing done. I also watched a few minutes of Rick & Morty and lost interest.
As you said, Dark Diamond is part of your Polity series, but it’s also the first book in a new trilogy. First, do people need to have read any or all of the previous Polity novels to understand and enjoy Dark Diamond?
Frankly I don’t know. A lot from the Transformation trilogy is relevant, as is much else from my other books, so I guess some might gain some benefit out of reading them first. But as I have discovered, even though my books can be complicated and interrelated, people find many points of entry into them — even in the middle of a trilogy. In the end, if they enjoy my stuff any confusion becomes almost irrelevant.
Though, I also have to add, that my editor keeps on top of me about that and ensures the obscure bits get explained.
And for people who have read the other Polity novels, where does Dark Diamond fit in, chronologically, and why was this the best place to set this story?
It takes place some decades after the end of Infinity Engine. If anyone wants to take a look at where it is here at my website.
Along with being part of the Polity series, Dark Diamond is also the first book in a subseries, a trilogy called Time’s Shadow. What was it about this story that made you realize it needed to be told in multiple parts, and three of them specifically, as opposed to 2 or 5 or 9?
I decided on doing a trilogy before I even had a story, which is about as far as I go in planning things out. I knew it would require a large canvas because I was throwing in some major characters like Ian Cormac, Mr Crane, Penny Royal, and Blite, and playing about with some complicated concepts (time travel). I didn’t want to make it longer than a trilogy because the simple reality of long series is a diminishing number of readers the further along in the series.
And do you know what the other books will be called and when they’ll be out?
I’ve written the other two and in fact have sent the second one to the editor. They are Dark Agent and Dark Horizon.
You said earlier that people don’t need to read any of the previous Polity novels to understand and / or enjoy Dark Diamond. Does that mean that you think Dark Diamond might be a good place to start this series?
Yes, it is a good place to start this series. As I pointed out: everything is explained or obvious to a sci-fi reader. There’s even a glossary and cast list at the start for those who feel they can’t keep track, though I don’t think there’ll be many of those. My books being action centered the reader is generally engaged and not anal about the details.
And then, for people who have read some or all of the earlier Polity novels, what will they get out of Dark Diamond that other people won’t?
They’ll get the return of characters they love like Ian Cormac, the Brass Man Mr Crane, the spider drone Arach, Captain Blite, and Penny Royal. They’ll get answers to perennial questions about what happened to them after the earlier Polity books. And in the end they’ll get plenty of what they have enjoyed in previous books.
Earlier I asked if Dark Diamond had been influenced by any movies, TV shows, or games. But to flip things around, do you think Dark Diamond could work as a movie, TV show, or game?
I know little about games since I don’t play them. Since this is a big book with a lot going on in it I think it would work best as a TV show of numerous episodes. To turn it into a film it would need to be stripped down with copious cutting and much would be lost. Then again, that can be done and would not matter since the book will always exist. More important questions to ask would be about who would do either.
Frankly I have little trust in anyone in film or TV land to treat such a project with honest enthusiasm and not use it as a vehicle for their particular crap ideology
Finally, if someone enjoys Dark Diamond, what similar sci-fi novel of someone else’s would you suggest they read while waiting for the second and third books in this trilogy?
Science fiction I find I can engage in is a rare thing for me. However, there’s one I read recently that hit the spot: Theft Of Fire by Devon Eriksen. Theft Of Fire is the first sci-fi book I’ve enjoyed for years. It’s tense, completely lacking in intrusive political correctness, and in its way resembles The Expanse.
