In the far future, the Heliothane Dominion is triumphant in the solar system, after a bitter war with their Umbrathane progenitors. But some of th...
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reviews
May 11, 2010
Dunkthebiscuit
rated it: 
Revisiting an old favourite by a favourite author. Cowl is a time travel novel with the usual Asher twist (it's bloody, intelligent, often blackly humorous).
When teen prostitute Polly and brainwashed government hitman Tack get caught up by an organic time machine that will only travel backwards, to the point before complex life on Earth arose, they're due to be genetic samples for Cowl, a genetically modified future human. Things get a bit sticky and it doesn't work out as planned, More...
When teen prostitute Polly and brainwashed government hitman Tack get caught up by an organic time machine that will only travel backwards, to the point before complex life on Earth arose, they're due to be genetic samples for Cowl, a genetically modified future human. Things get a bit sticky and it doesn't work out as planned, More...
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Nov 21, 2010
Nicolas
rated it: 
Dans ce roman, on suit les aventures de Polly et de Tack, projetés depuis leur XXIIIème siècle natal jusqu'avant l'apparition de la vie sur terre pour participer à une guerre qui ne devrait pas encore être la leur, mais qui se déroule à rebrousse-temps. Qui plus est, il ne s'agit pas d'une "simple" guerre, mais d'une lutte entre l'humanité et le post-humain conçu pour la remplacer. Bref, c'est LA grosse baston de la fin de l'histoire de l'humanité, mais qui se déroule au début des temp
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Nov 04, 2010
Zare
rated it: 
Interesting story based around time-travel and long exhausting war that spreads millions of years starting from the future backwards - yup you read it well, backwards :)[return][return]Characters are great - maybe not too fleshed out but nevertheless very well portrayed. Main characters seem to be of the Asher's favorite type - good person forced to live at the edge of society and do things that others find awful and distasteful and the brutish merciless one, perfect killing machine bred for war
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Feb 02, 2009
Wil
rated it: 
I'm so addicted to anything by Neal Asher. He knows how to heighten his stories to such an imaginative and sometimes gruesome level that you can't help but be sucked into it all. His villains are always memorable and his stories satisfying complex, even baroque. His stories are a cross between horror, scifi, and space opera that I think few authors are able to pull off as well without getting ridiculous or collapsing under their own weight.
Having said that, I should have stuck to More...
Having said that, I should have stuck to More...
Jan 23, 2009
Robert
rated it:
An amusing time-travel novel, based on the "many-worlds" interpretation of quantum mechanics (an interpretation for which there is no evidence or requirement). Asher has the wit to steal Heinlein's answer to the question, "How come I end up in the same place on Earth when I time-travel, despite the Earth's orbit, rotation etc?" and modify it only slightly. It is also fun to get away from Asher's "Polity" setting in this novel: may his publishers allow him to do so
May 11, 2009
Joe
rated it: 
I'm not a total devotee to the SciFi genre so what others would find intriguing with Asher I just find silly and unbelievable. I tried reading this book but soon tired of a storyline that felt like it was more of a mashup of old Spielberg movie plots than anything I could readily believe in. Fantasizing about what could be true with postulates from the edges of science can be fun for others but not for me. So back to the Gibson, and Morgan books I go.
Aug 27, 2009
Mya
rated it:
If you like hardcore science fiction with a bit of Barron von Munchausen, a tad of time-manipulating demonspawns, a splash of Bladerunner and a whole lot of complex scientific terminology then you will love this book. I must admit, it was a bit heavy for me and I was never truly clear of the mechanisms behind the time travel but was impressed by the weight of the scenes and descriptions none the less. Definitely need to read some fluff now.
Jan 29, 2012
Derrick
rated it:
Confusing start and lots of scientific'y talk about time travel and chronal possibility, blah blah blah.
It comes down to lots of fighting and people killing things and each other.
I liked this more than Asher's The Departure. by Neal Asher, but not as much as the Polity Universe.
It comes down to lots of fighting and people killing things and each other.
I liked this more than Asher's The Departure. by Neal Asher, but not as much as the Polity Universe.
Jul 28, 2011
Geoff
rated it:
Whatever incredible vision Neal had in his head when he wrote this, I can only guess at. I'm afraid there was a failure to communicate for me. Already rapidly forgetting what little did register. A bit of a struggle to get through all of the bibble-bobble SF, in the company of muted characters I didn't really care about, culminating in a very unsatisfying ending. Neal Asher is a much better storyteller than this book reveals. Better luck with the next.
Feb 01, 2011
Jason
rated it:
Very fun. Very Asher. Neal can write an action scene like nobody's business. Some original ideas on a time travel novel. If you're like my friend Rude, who does not like time travel novels, you should give this one a shot. He did, and then recommended it to me.
Jan 06, 2010
Simkine
rated it:
This is my first book I've read by Asher and while it's not a bad read, I didn't find the story very compelling. None of the main characters were interesting or fleshed out enough and by the end I didn't really care who won or lost it.
Aug 15, 2011
Alex
rated it:
Cracking good genre fiction. Warring factions of super-evolved humans, dinosaurs, organic time travel devices... lots of fun. All that, and the characters are well-developed too. Can't wait to read more Neal Asher.
Jan 06, 2010
Glshade
rated it:
Loved the setting, action and the varied settings of this time travel horror novel and look forward to a second read but I recall not connecting with the major characters...
Sep 14, 2009
Lauren
rated it:
Awesome in a perplexing way. A really fascinating book, and it seemed every chapter brought a new plot twist. Kind of a spiral to this story--twist, and twist again, and again. It was sort of a sweeping techno-babble time-travel saga, with good sf weaponry and accessories, a tough girl character, and a male character who has several rugs pulled out from under him. And dinosaurs! And other large wildlife with sharp teeth etc. Definitely enjoyable.
Sep 08, 2010
Mike
rated it:
Another great Asher book, really great characters, so life-like and unpredictable and complex, a convoluted plot that will keep you guessing, and some interesting speculation about time travel, great read.
Apr 05, 2009
Towlerj
rated it:
This book covers time travel and evolution, a war across time no less.
Explanations of both are plausible (at least to me). An excellent read.
Explanations of both are plausible (at least to me). An excellent read.
Aug 04, 2009
Charon
rated it:
Good idea behind the book. Very stange character that i couldn't relate to. Some bits that where really not needed.
Apr 29, 2008
Andreas
rated it:
Cowl is a very unique novel by Neal Asher. It's thrilling and chilling, a travel mostly back in time through dangerous epochs where nobody would like to live. It's not related to Asher's other series.
What starts as something inevitable slowly turns into a nightmare. The last chapters feature again the action-packed fighting scenes, which are the trademark of the author and which I don't enjoy so much, but nevertheless this was one of the best books I read in 2005.
What starts as something inevitable slowly turns into a nightmare. The last chapters feature again the action-packed fighting scenes, which are the trademark of the author and which I don't enjoy so much, but nevertheless this was one of the best books I read in 2005.
Sep 05, 2008
Matt
rated it:
Really cool scifi book involving time travel. Some people find strange objects that embed themselves in their arms and leach off them, all while randomly transporting them back farther and farther back in time...and I mean FAR. The two protagonists find themselves in the middle of a far-future war between two rival factions. Very entertaining read. I wouldn't call it literature, but it's just so enjoyable I had to give it 4 stars.
Dec 17, 2009
Ren the Unclean
rated it:
This book is really mind-bending. It deals heavily with alternate timelines and temporal anomalies, but does so as clearly as possible.
The main character's journey back through time engrossed me from the beginning, and the distinctively alien turn it takes at the end was interesting as well. The final fight scene probably encompasses one of the coolest ideas I have seen in writing, and the book is worth reading just for that.
The main character's journey back through time engrossed me from the beginning, and the distinctively alien turn it takes at the end was interesting as well. The final fight scene probably encompasses one of the coolest ideas I have seen in writing, and the book is worth reading just for that.
Apr 05, 2008
Will
rated it:
Very cool!
In no way am I an expert on sci-fi, but when I read Asher I feel like I am reading something cutting-edge and new. His books are smart, vivid, and brutal; his characters are fully realized and have honest story arcs; and his plots are incredibly complex. This one involves time travel and war, but that seems reductionist.
It never feels like Asher panders to his readers.
In no way am I an expert on sci-fi, but when I read Asher I feel like I am reading something cutting-edge and new. His books are smart, vivid, and brutal; his characters are fully realized and have honest story arcs; and his plots are incredibly complex. This one involves time travel and war, but that seems reductionist.
It never feels like Asher panders to his readers.
May 08, 2008
Jday
rated it:
Great book! Plenty of action to keep the interest and hard enough Sci-Fi to make sure you're paying attention. Maybe the best time travel story I've read.
Oct 15, 2007
Jen
rated it:
Maybe not as interesting to me personally as the Polity series, but a fun ride all the same. If you like Asher, check this one out.
Mar 22, 2008
Jim
rated it:
so far so good. I'm a quartrer of the way though this but it seems real good. Time travel, future stuff.
Jun 06, 2010
Parts of it remind me of Richard Morgan's Broken Angels. Not a bad read.
Feb 11, 2012
Feb 10, 2012
