He went to Penny Royal for answers and as ever, in deals with that devil, got more than he bargained for. Believing in the superiority of the prador he could not understand why the Polity, with its weak humans and detestable AIs, came close to defeating his kind. He was an alien prador who had a cultural problem. Sverl, my favourite character in the books, is a combination of them all. And my AIs: godlike patience with the slow development of humanity contrasted with super-fast thought and instant access to masses of information. I like my aliens because I can imagine the completely different societies they arise from, the ways that they will think that in some cases will be similar to that of human beings (they are evolved creatures after all) and sometimes wildly different. I like my drones – machines made for the apparently cold, ruthless and efficient destruction of an enemy who are irascible, sometimes comedic and often cock a snoop at authority. But the characters that interest me the most are the non-human ones. I enjoy writing my human characters and getting into the intricacies of the workings of their minds, but I don’t want to do too much of that simply because it slows down the story. Opinions on my characters vary from cardboard and flat to wonderful – it’s all a matter of perspective and really I think more to do with how the reader enjoyed, or not, the story. Did you have a favourite character to write in the Transformation series, and if so, why? Penny Royal has the power to transform just about anything, including people, and ultimately it can use that power on itself. It should therefore not be surprising that its purpose and its aims are tremendous. Here you have a rogue AI who is a potential paradigm changer in a massive human and AI Polity.

All my creations have a purpose (well, if it turns out they don’t they end up deleted either by editing or laser carbine) and Penny Royal – that ‘dark intelligence’ – revealed its purpose as the series progressed. When I set out to write a book or a series of books I don’t plan, there are no post-it notes above my desk, in fact I’m as eager to know what comes next as I hope the reader is. It has been a wild ride but it has to come to an end. We are at Book 3 of the Transformation series, how are the stakes raised in Infinity Engine ? It is the beginning of the universe, and the end.

What is your short 'elevator pitch' for Infinity Engine?

Neal asher polity