Reading Order List β€” Book Series Reading Order Guide
Neal Asher

Neal Asher Reading Order

16 series Β· 81 books Β· Born 4 February 1961

Neal Asher is a prolific English science fiction author known for his imaginative storytelling and intricate world-building. With an impressive catalog of 81 books spanning 16 series, including the Agent Cormac and Polity Universe collections, he has captivated readers since 1994. His notable works also include the Dark Diamond and Owner Trilogy series, showcasing his unique blend of adventure and futuristic concepts.

Agent Cormac Series

Complete

5 books (2001–2008)

Start with Gridlinked, the first of 5 books in the Agent Cormac series.

#Title
1
Cover of Gridlinked
Gridlinked
2
Cover of The Line Of Polity
The Line Of Polity
3
4
Cover of Polity Agent
Polity Agent
5

Anthologies Series

Likely Complete

19 books (2003–2022)

Start with Year's Best SF 8, the first of 19 books in the Anthologies series.

#Title
1
Year's Best SF 8
2
The Year's Best Science Fiction: Twenty-Third Annual Collection
3
Cover of Year's Best SF 11
Year's Best SF 11
4
Asimov's Science Fiction, June 2007
5
Cover of The Solaris Book of New Science Fiction
The Solaris Book of New Science Fiction
6
Cover of Space Pirates
Space Pirates
7
Cover of Subterfuge
Subterfuge
8
Cover of The Mammoth Book of Best New SF 21
The Mammoth Book of Best New SF 21
9
10
The Mammoth Book of SF Wars
11
In Space No One Can Hear You Scream
12
The Sixth Science Fiction Megapack
13
Story Behind the Book
14
Cover of The Year's Best Science Fiction: Thirty-First Annual Collection
The Year's Best Science Fiction: Thirty-First Annual Collection
15
Total Conflict
16
Galactic Empires
17
Infinite Stars
18
London Centric
19
Cover of Love, Death + Robots: The Official Anthology: Volumes 2 & 3
Love, Death + Robots: The Official Anthology: Volumes 2 & 3

Collections Series

Likely Complete

7 books (1998–2023)

Start with The Engineer, the first of 7 books in the Collections series.

#Title
1
Cover of The Engineer
The Engineer
2
Mason's Rats
3
Cover of Conflicts(With: Eric Brown,Keith Brooke)
Conflicts(With: Eric Brown,Keith Brooke)
4
Owning the Future
5
Cover of Lockdown Tales
Lockdown Tales
6
Fantastical
7
Lockdown Tales 2

Dark Diamond Series

Complete

1 book (2025–2025)

#Title
1
Dark Diamond

Far Future Polity Series

Complete

1 book (2020–2020)

#Title
1

Jack Four Series

Likely Complete

2 books (2021–2022)

Start with Jack Four and read in order.

#Title
1
2
Weaponized

Non-Fiction Series

Complete

1 book (2014–2014)

#Title
1
Story Behind the Book(With: Ken Scholes,Jay Posey)

Owner Trilogy Series

Complete

3 books (2011–2013)

Start with The Departure and read in order.

#Title
1
Cover of The Departure
The Departure
2
Cover of Zero Point
Zero Point
3
Cover of Jupiter War
Jupiter War

Polity Collections Series

Complete

3 books (1998–2008)

Start with The Engineer Reconditioned and read in order.

#Title
1
Cover of The Engineer Reconditioned
The Engineer Reconditioned
2
Cover of Runcible Tales
Runcible Tales
3
Cover of The Gabble And Other Stories
The Gabble And Other Stories

Polity Universe Series

Likely Complete

5 books (2006–2023)

Start with Prador Moon, the first of 5 books in the Polity Universe series.

#Title
1
Prador Moon
2
Cover of Hilldiggers
Hilldiggers
3
Cover of Shadow of the Scorpion
Shadow of the Scorpion
4
Cover of The Technician
The Technician
5
War Bodies

Rise of the Jain Series

Complete

3 books (2018–2020)

Start with The Soldier and read in order.

#Title
1
Cover of The Soldier
The Soldier
2
The Warship
3

Short Stories/Novellas Series

Complete

4 books (1994–2013)

Start with Africa Zero, the first of 4 books in the Short Stories/Novellas series.

#Title
1
Cover of Africa Zero
Africa Zero
2
Snow in the Desert
3
The Parasite
4
Mindgames: Fool's Mate

Spatterjay Series

Complete

3 books (2002–2009)

Start with The Skinner and read in order.

#Title
1
Cover of The Skinner
The Skinner
2
Cover of The Voyage of the Sable Keech
The Voyage of the Sable Keech
3

Standalone Novels Series

Ongoing

3 books (2004–2024)

Start with Cowl and read in order.

#Title
1
2
Jenny Trapdoor
3
World Walkers

Transformation Series

Complete

3 books (2015–2017)

Start with Dark Intelligence and read in order.

#Title
1
Cover of Dark Intelligence
Dark Intelligence
2
Cover of War Factory
War Factory
3
Infinity Engine

Year's Best SF Anthology Series

Complete

18 books (1996–2013)

Start with Year's Best SF, the first of 18 books in the Year's Best SF Anthology series.

#Title
1
Year's Best SF
2
Year's Best SF 2
3
Cover of Year's Best SF 3
Year's Best SF 3
4
Year's Best SF 4
5
Cover of Year's Best SF 5
Year's Best SF 5
6
Year's Best SF 6
7
Cover of Year's Best SF 7
Year's Best SF 7
8
Year's Best SF 8
9
Year's Best SF 9
10
Cover of Year's Best SF 10
Year's Best SF 10
11
Cover of Year's Best SF 11
Year's Best SF 11
12
Cover of Year's Best SF 12
Year's Best SF 12
13
Year's Best SF 13
14
Year's Best SF 14
15
Cover of Year's Best SF 15
Year's Best SF 15
16
Year's Best SF 16
17
Cover of Year's Best SF 17
Year's Best SF 17
18
Cover of Year's Best SF 18
Year's Best SF 18

Frequently Asked Questions

How many books has Neal Asher written?
Neal Asher has written 81 books across 16 series. Their published works span from 1994 to 2025.
What is the first book in each Neal Asher series?
Here are the first books in Neal Asher's series: Agent Cormac: Gridlinked; Anthologies: Year's Best SF 8; Collections: The Engineer; Jack Four: Jack Four; Owner Trilogy: The Departure.
What order should I read Neal Asher's books?
We recommend reading Neal Asher's series in publication order. Each series can be read independently.
Is Neal Asher still writing new books?
Yes, Neal Asher has 1 ongoing series: Standalone Novels.

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