Altered Carbon

By Richard K. Morgan

Altered Carbon - Richard K. Morgan
  • Release Date: 2003-01-01
  • Genre: High Tech Sci-Fi
Score: 4.5
4.5
From 576 Ratings

Description

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • NOW AN EXCITING SERIES FROM NETFLIX • The shell that blew a hole in his chest was only the beginning in this “tour de force of genre-bending, a brilliantly realized exercise in science fiction.”—The New York Times Book Review

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.

Reviews

  • Hard sci fi at its best

    5
    By Eschersghost
    I have not found many authors able to equal William gibson's cyberpunk style and feel but Morgan does it with ease. I found this title in a 100 best sci if books list and was not disappointed. Icy cool prose, kinetic action and a killer concept.
  • Loved it.

    5
    By Okpeewee
    This was my first time with Richard K Morgan. Long, detailed, surprisingly visual, dark and heavy, this was an outstanding journey for me. I'm now curious about the tv adaptation!
  • Well worth the read!

    5
    By WalkerInTheWell
    Definitely one of the most well crafted sci-fi universes I’ve been exposed to. Can’t wait to move on to the next two books!
  • author is a TERF

    1
    By mx_niko
    Apple, I want my money back
  • Too much

    3
    By DSFlorids
    The story line was excellent and well written, BUT the author is gratuitously and grossly graphic. I know we live in an age of “over the top”, however I seek quality in the written word in hopes of avoiding the sensationalized movie and tv industry. Not likely to read the next books as a result. It is a shame as the storyline and story crafting are excellent...
  • 100 Words or Less

    4
    By JRubino
    This is a well-written hard-boiled (and a bit retro, in style) detective novel, which happens to be set in the year 2400 or so. I really enjoyed the way Morgan immerses us into the culture, with references that we don’t get, but at the same time still understand. Great plot. Interesting characters. However, one caveat. I’m no prude, but the use of the “c-word” was a shock. Every time I ran across it (maybe 10 times, I guess) I was a bit stunned. For those who are offended by explicit sex scenes and that type of vulgarity, skip this.
  • Awesome!

    5
    By sevensixtwo
    One of my favorite books.