The Soldier

"The Soldier," the first book in Neal Asher's Rise of the Jain series, explores a universe filled with advanced AIs, aliens, and post-humans engaged in complex schemes and struggles. The story revolves around Orlandine, tasked with safeguarding a dangerous area of space containing alien technology created by the long-dead Jain race, which holds the potential to end civilizations. As she devises plans to eliminate this threat, underlying tensions between humanity and alien empires threaten to ignite interstellar conflict, hinting that the ancient Jain may still pose a danger.