REVIEW: Altered Carbon by Richard Morgan

Altered Carbon by Richard Morgan
Publishing Information: Paperback; 384 pages
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group; 01 March 2003
ISBN 10: 0345457684
ISBN 13: 9780345457684
Series Book #1 of Takeshi Kovacs series
Copy out of pocket
Reviewer: Tyson

Back of the Book "In the twenty-fifth century, humankind has spread throughout the galaxy, monitored by the watchful eye of the U.N. While divisions in race, religion, and class still exist, advances in technology have redefined life itself. Now, assuming one can afford the expensive procedure, a person's consciousness can be stored in a cortical stack at the base of the brain and easily downloaded into a new body (or "sleeve") making death nothing more than a minor blip on a screen.

Ex-U.N. envoy Takeshi Kovacs has been killed before, but his last death was particularly painful. Dispatched one hundred eighty light-years from home, re-sleeved into a body in Bay City (formerly San Francisco, now with a rusted, dilapidated Golden Gate Bridge), Kovacs is thrown into the dark heart of a shady, far-reaching conspiracy that is vicious even by the standards of a society that treats "existence" as something that can be bought and sold. For Kovacs, the shell that blew a hole in his chest was only the beginning...."

This is my second Richard Morgan novel. My first encounter with Morgan was The Steel Remains. His debut fantasy novel and while there were a few things that I enjoyed about The Steel Remains it left me on the fence as to whether or not I should continue the series. However, whether you enjoyed Morgan's fantasy literature nearly everyone agrees that his true calling is science fiction. With that in mind, not long ago I came across his first novel Altered Carbon and decided to give him another shot.

Altered Carbon is set in our future where the human body is simply a shell to be used and discarded as easily as the hermit crab does. We are all uploaded via a small electronic device at the base of the skull. From there it is as simple as downloading your personality into a new body of your choosing. Or, if you are unlucky someone else's choosing. It is here where we meet our hero Takeshi Kovacs. A former envoy or special forces agent/assassin/detective with advanced programming and upgrades that travel along with him when he "resleeves" or is downloaded into a new body.

Altered Carbon starts off with adventure and does not let up until the very last page. Kovacs is resleeved and sent to Earth to investigate a murder. While most readers would love to read about distant planets Morgan has chosen to have Earth as the backdrop to the novel and as it turns out Kovacs has never been to the cradle of civilization and so he is out of sorts with some of the mundane everyday things we take for granted. While Kovacs is tracking down leads he is constantly being hunted by interested parties that have scores to settle and keep him from the truth. I found it interesting that the body Kovacs has been sleeved into still smokes. I would have thought that smoking would have been outlawed/illegal many eons ago but we apparently still need our nicotine. While Takeshi Kovacs is the main star of the show his friends and associates are also interesting. Each with their own story to tell and motivations for their own actions. No one is pure which only adds to the enigma.

The book has a deeper issue beyond the detective story in regards to religion and how humanity deals with the concept of souls. With people able to enter any body whenever they feel like changing (assuming they can afford it), it leaves the last remaining Earth religion Catholocism to answer those questions and attempt to stop people from resleeving. While Morgan brings these issue to the forefront of the book, he does not browbeat you with this quandary which only adds to the richness of the novel.

The novel also has Morgan's flair for graphic sexual details and while I was not bothered by the actions that the characters engaged in, I could not help but feel it was a bit over the top and perhaps thrown in there for a bite of shock value.

Altered Carbon is a cross between Blade Runner and the Matrix while surpassing them both and adding Morgan's own distinct flavor. A highly recommended book that may have just changed my opinion on the way I look at the author. I may not have found The Steel Remains an entertaining read but I do see where Morgan's genius shines and that is in science fiction. A noir detective story set in the far future that has a gripping mystery and interesting characters.

Plot 8
Characters 9.5
Style 8

Overall 8.5/10