Altered Carbon

I love this book for many of the same reasons I adore the Gibson 'Sprawl' novels. It is a staccato vision of a dark near future wrapped in a detective noir style. The pace is faster than gibson though the style is more verbose.

Spectacular book- although a little confusing and convoluted at times. The inclusion of technology central to the story is just mind bending. Truly establishes a new genre. Close in scope and grandeour to Snow Crash, by Neal Stephenson. If you like 90s/00s cyberpunk you'll love Morgan or Stephenson

half SF, half mystery. Great action, perhaps a bit too much violence, solid plot, great lead character. I'm jealous of people who haven't read it yet.

It got tiresome and avoided msot of the interesting topics it's premise could have. It definitely came down on the mind being separate from the body because the brain doesn't effect it, and yet, the mind can be encapsulated in a machine. The body meanwhile is a slave to sex. Lots of possible topics to explore but instead he picked quick plot and titilation.

One of the greatest sci-fi debuts ever, introducing one of sci-fi's most compelling anti-heroes. The action-movie pacing, genre manipulation and brutality linger long in the memory, but what elevates AC is the detail presented in Morgan's vision of earth (and elsewhere) in 500 years or so. So much of this technology is not only believable, but so unerringly downright cool, that you can...more

One of the greatest sci-fi debuts ever, introducing one of sci-fi's most compelling anti-heroes. The action-movie pacing, genre manipulation and brutality linger long in the memory, but what elevates AC is the detail presented in Morgan's vision of earth (and elsewhere) in 500 years or so. So much of this technology is not only believable, but so unerringly downright cool, that you can imagine scientists reading AC, and heading straight to their drawing boards to figure out how to make it reality. That this is only the first in a series of novels featuring Takeshi Kovacs - with each matching the quality of this - is merely one more reason to buy into Richard Morgan as an important new voice in the genre. Truly excellent.   hide

An entertaining cyberpunk / sci fi noir -story for those dark, cold and lonely nights when you have a glass of whiskey by the bedside and just want to forget about this world. Not terribly original or groundbreaking, but has some nice ideas sprinkled here and there. It's simply good entertainment, and the sort of stuff that can almost convert you into a smoker.

Quite the first novel. Philip Marlowe of the future. I kept getting mental glimpses of Humphrey Bogart playing the part of Takeshi Kovacs. Loved the technologies described - the story assumes that we are "software" not "hardware" and hence can be downloaded, transmitted, stored, retrieved, and even messed with virtually. Flying cars, gravity suits, drug enhanced bodies and minds - yep -...more

Quite the first novel. Philip Marlowe of the future. I kept getting mental glimpses of Humphrey Bogart playing the part of Takeshi Kovacs. Loved the technologies described - the story assumes that we are "software" not "hardware" and hence can be downloaded, transmitted, stored, retrieved, and even messed with virtually. Flying cars, gravity suits, drug enhanced bodies and minds - yep - got lots of those. Will look fro more by this author... fun read.   hide

Generally liked this book and found a few ideas in it worth stealing.

Never would have selected this but I was captivated. Love It!