Reviewed By: Kat R - RAM - Seattle
Altered Carbon
Amazon US PB Amazon UK PB Amazon UK HC Amazon Canada PB
Richard Morgan
Class/Genre: Science Fiction
Gollancz 2002, Del Rey 2003.
An excellent, hardboiled Tech Noir detective-thriller from an up-and-coming British author (and he's my age!). A violent, adrenaline rush of a book with the grim beauty of a John Woo film and the gritty linguistic style of Raymond Chandler with the censor turned off. Similar techno-premise and set-up to David Brin's Kiln People but without Brin's social conscience. Since the underlying premise allows people to die and be "re-sleeved" in new bodies (no, this is not a spoiler), whole new vistas of psycholgical and social horror are possible for the plot complications and the author uses his tech very well. Solid, believable world (with a few small exceptions) and a lead character who could have been despicable, but had me rooting for him every step of the way.
Morgan has the art of suggesting the most gruesome and horrific details by ommision and suggestion down to a deliciously awful art, though he doesn't always use it often enough. On the down-side, the author does pull a little slight-of-hand with a couple of plot details at the end, which don't qualify as Deux ex Machina, but they do stop the reader from putting all the pieces together for themselves before the narrator does. While reading this, it seemed to me that Morgan is still refining some of his technical writing skills and style, so there are places where the seams show a little, which is the only thing keeping this book from earning glowing kudos from me. Apparently, this is the first in a series and I'll be looking for more from this writer. However, if you are put off by rough language, explicit sex, extreme violence or psychological torture, don't read this book! It's raw.
Kat R - RAM - Seattle
Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Kat R - RAM - Seattle
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