Thursday, June 20, 2002
Title: Altered Carbon
Author: Richard Morgan
Publisher: Gollancz
Altered Carbon is the first book by Richard Morgan, equal parts thiller to science fiction. Which is just as well given that the main character gets killed in the first few pages - altered carbon allows him to be given a new body, a technology which has changed the way that people live. But as always these things come with a price, theory is you can live forever if you are rich enough and the man that wants to hire Kovacs to find his killer is certainly rich enough, giving him 3 centuries of life so far. So Kovacs, fresh plucked from his death on the Japanese/Polish colony of Harlan's World finds himself on Earth with a deal that leaves him little choice but to find out who was responsible for blowing the head off his client.
Takeshi Kovacs is an ex-Envoy, the UN special forces created to deal with the spreading influence of the human race, intended to keep things under the control of earth. Specially trained so that they can deal with any new situation on any planet in any sleeve of altered carbon in which they might find themselves. This makes him a unique investigator, and one used to the levels of violence he quickly encounters as he is plunged in at the deep end of the games of the unnaturally old, conspiracies and general mistaken identities. Fast and hard as clues are laid out for the attentive reader at the same rate as the characters past is pieced together.
In a lot of ways Altered Carbon could almost be said to be more heavily in the crime genre. The lead character taking on the role of private investigator for a rich client. The client's wife playing the femme fatale to perfection, especially when she is as many centures old as her husband. Add a conflicted relationship with the local police and a selection of bad guys that ranges from modified street tough to the smart edged black-corporate criminal. All the elements are there and transposed against a satisfyingly hard SF back drop. Exotic planets and extended life spans fleshed out by the technologies which make it all possible as well as the differences in culture which are likely to crop up. The whole sleeve culture that has cropped up is particularly effective - the idea of disposable or regenerative bodies isn't a first, but the way in which it has been integrated and developed here is different and interesting, especially in the way it seems to have been so casually accepted as way of life - except for those religious objectors of course.
An enjoyable first work which hopefully the author will be able to build upon to make his future work even more impressive.
RVWR: PTR
June 2002
