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Neal L. Asher: The Departure (2011, Tor) 3 stars

Visible in the night sky the Argus Station, its twin smelting plants like glowing eyes, …

Review of 'The Departure' on 'Goodreads'

1 star

I wanted to like this book. I mean it has all I love about a good story. A cyberpunkish theme, space travel, robots explosions.. So how could I not love it?

Well, it lacks a good story, where I'd expect descriptions about life in this dystopia I find mostly action sequences and gore. Where I'd like to see a believable protagonist, I find an extremely flat character. Starting with the boring and overused amnesia plot device (seriously, there are better ways to create suspense), going to the action superhero who is faster, smarter and angrier than everyone else, who turns out to be a former autistic super scientist who refactoring himself, who also created an super ai, which surprise now is in his head making him to a super cyborg hacker... Gimme a break. I'd have preferred if the character was less super über cyber something, but instead would have flaws, doubts, weaknesses, thoughts, dreams and motivations which develop through out the story.
The bad guys aren't much better. The token woman former love interest doctor he's dragging along doesn't save it either.
The second half of the book I had push myself hard to keep reading, simply because I was completely unable to relate in any way with the characters or story.

If you enjoy pointless orgies of picturesque violence as a read you might be able to find some entertainment in this book. I most certainly did not