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This thread is for discussion of the January 2015 group read Altered Carbon by Richard K Morgan.

I read Altered Carbon about a year and a half ago. This is the review I posted then:

Altered Carbon is a tough-guy detective novel. It's in the sci-fi genre because in it people have a cortical stack with which they can be resleeved. That is, a small device which holds the person's mind, memories, and personality is inserted in their bodies and if they should be killed, they can be fitted with a new body, a clone of their own, or someone else's. That little arrangement really changes things. Getting killed is just an inconvenience, unless of course its RD, real death, in which the stack is destroyed. It's amazing how motivations are changed. Still, its a detective story, but like many sci-fi stories, there are flying cars.

I believe Altered Carbon is Richard K. Morgan's debut novel. He writes as if he's an old pro at it. If you like detective stories, you'll probably like this one. Sam Spade meets Blade Runner, with plenty of plot twists, selfish motivations, a couple of steamy sex scenes. It really deserves more than the measly three star rating I gave it, but it just wasn't my cup of tea.

A side note: In the book, Catholics are apposed to being resleeved, as a matter of conscience. They believe that resurrection should be left to God. In the second two books of Dan Simmons' Hyperion Cantos, Endymion and The Rise of Endymion, resurrection through the cruciform is a major tenet of the Catholic faith and one must accept the cruciform upon conversion to Catholicism. I thought it interesting, the Catholic take on resurrection in future societies by two different authors.

I must admit if I don't know the book I try not to read about it before I start reading it in case it puts me off. I knew nothing about this one so was quite surprised to find it is more of a detective story, with the name and the cover I think I was expecting something more William Gibson like.

I'm a third of the way through now, it's quite fast paced and readable although it's not really something I would have chosen myself. Maybe I will be totally hooked by the end but I kind of think I prefer detective stories not to be sci-fi and vice versa.

So i've finished reading Altered Carbon now and I have to say I enjoyed it more than I thought it was going to after the first third. The writing was sharp and the plot had plenty of twists and turns. Kovac's was an interesting character and the whole Envoy idea was clever. Quite impressive for a first novel and if Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ allowed half stars I would have given it 3.5.

I haven't read too much cyberpunk so I have nothing to compare to but it's certainly rated highly on goodreads with an average of 4.1 stars.

I can recommend the 2nd book in the series. It's a somewhat different style (no detective noir), but I think if anything it works better. I was somewhat disappointed by the third book, which I think wasn't as tightly edited.

Radiantflux wrote: "I can recommend the 2nd book in the series. It's a somewhat different style (no detective noir), but I think if anything it works better. I was somewhat disappointed by the third book, which I thin..."

See - and I LOVED AC, but HATED Broken Angels

They are such different books I am not surprised at all if you didn't like it. I haven't read the book for a few years, but from memory I particularly like the 2nd books further exploration of the Martian society. And was happy to not have the Earth/crime-noir setting.

Precisely right, and you're not alone. My friends and I differ on this as well, but you're right on track for the reasoning - I particularly enjoy the noir aspect. Without it, and in the context of Broken Angels, I felt Morgan allowed Kovacs to come off as far too emo for what his envoy training should allow. haha