Neal Asher's Dark Intelligence is the start of a new series (Transformation) set in the "Polity" universe of most of his previous books. You need not have read those to enjoy this book, though. This book takes place about a century after the Polity-Prador war ended. While readers of his previous books will recognize references to characters and events in those books, they are mentioned as more of an "in joke" than information crucial to the plot of this one. I've read some of those books, but not all of them, and I had no trouble understanding the plot and characters of this one.
Neal Asher is not a "favorite" author, but he is a good one. He misses the "favorite" mark mostly because his books are not always easy to follow, and Dark Intelligence is no exception. In this book, there are time shifts and flashbacks, and inclusions of seemingly unrelated events and characters that only later (in some cases, much later) become relevant to the plot. The pacing is also somewhat uneven, sometimes zipping along, other times getting bogged down in technological details. (Asher's work - both this and previous books I've read - is definitely hard science fiction!) There is also more violence and gore than I generally enjoy. Finally, the characters are not particularly appealing. They're cynical, ruthless and sometimes cruel or bloodthirsty. All of which gives them depth and dimension, but still, they're probably not people (to use the term loosely) you'd want to hang out with for any length of time. Or even meet, in Isobel's case!
All that said, the story/plot is engaging, the concepts involved are complex and intriguing, and I enjoyed the book. I'll probably read the next in the series, but I'll wait until the price comes down to "paperback" levels.