Neil Asher was born in 1961 in Billericay, Essex. He currently lives in Chelmsord, in the same Essex. His “love for the strange” began, as it happened with many children, with Tolkien’s “Hobbit?”, and then strengthened under the influence of the “Lord of the Rings?”. Neil’s parents, a school teacher and a teacher of applied mathematics, also contributed much to this. He first tried to write NF at the age of sixteen, after a literature teacher praised in class his story, written under the great influence
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Neil Asher was born in 1961 in Billericay, Essex. He currently lives in Chelmsord, in the same Essex. His “love for the strange” began, as it happened with many children, with Tolkien’s “Hobbit?”, and then strengthened under the influence of the “Lord of the Rings?”. Neil’s parents, a school teacher and a teacher of applied mathematics, also contributed much to this.
He first tried to write NF at the age of sixteen, after a literature teacher praised in class his story, written under the great influence of the books of Edwin Tubb, which he then read.
Before becoming a professional writer, he tried many jobs and professions. For quite a long time he was a worker in a firm that made metal furniture, and at the same time led a circle of card games, worked as a miller, set up machines with chops. At the same time tried to compose fantasy novels, but was not very skillful and lucky. Ironically, his first literary achievements were a toaster won in a poetry contest and five pounds paid for a story about a young suicide. One day he realized that he already hated the sight of the factory walls and the smell of cooling oil, and then began to pick up works that allowed him to be more outdoors and left more time for creativity. Escher mowed lawns, cut trees, worked as an insurance agent and did a lot of things. And in his spare time, he worked hard on himself, studied at night school, attended a writing seminar for ten years, as well as a karate section (he says that it helps a lot now that he wants to describe a fight, a fight or a fight in a book). Gradually he made great progress, the amount of writing began to pass into quality :) Escher's stories began to be published in various small-circulation journals and publishing houses. He published several short-circulation novels, including Mindgames: Fool's Mate? (1993) and The Parasite? (1996), as well as several short story collections. It began to attract the attention of major publishers. The year 2000 was a turning point in his life. Then he published a large-circulation collection of two novellas Africa Zero? and The Army of God?. One of his synopses and the attached fragment of the text of the future novel attracted the attention of the publishing house Pan Macmillan?, and it signed a contract with Escher to write three novels, the first of which was Gridlinked?. Neil Escher is now a professional writer
? Skinner? is the second book of the Polity? series (also sometimes called Gridlinked?). The world of the cycle first began to emerge in Escher’s short story The Gire & The Bibrat?, published in 1992 in the first issue of Premonitions?. In the following stories and novels of the writer, he acquired more and more clear outlines. Then came the novels. Currently, the series includes novels Gridlinked? (2001), The Skinner? (2002), The Line of Polity? (2003; nominated for Locus?-2004 (20th)) and Brass Man? (2005). In February 2006, Voyage of the Sable Keech?, a direct sequel to The Skinner?, was released. In the future plans of the writer – the novel “Polity Agent?”, which tells about the further adventures of Ian Cormac, the hero of “Gridlinked?” and “The Line of Polity?”. Asher is going to write Orbus?, about one of the heroes of Voyage of the Sable Keech?. Next, there will be another book about Cormac, the name of which is not yet known.
In 2004, his off-cycle novel Cowl? was published, which grew out of a once-written novel and tells about time travel. In the plans of Escher – another separate novel “Hilldiggers?”.
Also in the writers' vaults are the drafts of the fantasy trilogy Yellow Tower Series?, waiting for its publisher. In the drafts, he has the beginning of another fantasy trilogy and the beginning of the first novel of the conceived NF cycle. In addition, Escher wrote several scripts for television and a couple of plays.