Altered Carbon (Kovacs) by Richard K. Morgan (2005-01-10)

Book and movie are both good but there are differences. Watched movie first, then read book, then watched movie again. Idea of “sleeves” is creative. New tech has both intended and unintended consequences, just like computers, cell phones, medical advances, and advent of artificial intelligence.

I haven't read much science fiction, so picked this book because it won some awards & had been well reviewed. The 25th century setting was really interesting, & I found it provocative & timely that the plots explores all the the positive & negative effects of a future totally dominated by technology. Despite the futuristic setting, the book is fundamentally a mystery with lots & lots of plot twists & a very complex main character.

Loved this book so much I bought more simply because they were part of the Taskiki novels, or written by Morgan. I am patiently awaiting another, though this was the best book by far in my opinion. The world is so immersive and clever yet realistic about the fate of industry trends like pornography and advertising mixed with technology.

The prodigal envoy has sleeved home and Harlan's World is awash in violence - nothing new for a planet that is 10% dry land and 90% rebellion. Takeshi Kovacs is back and has scores to settle, scores to kill, and scores to sleeve. Now that he is in the comfort of his home world, Kovacs has assumed a more focused, more mature, and more deliberate persona for his latest vendetta of annihilation and revenge. Troubles soon escalate for him and his colleagues-du-jour. Quicker than you can shoot "angel-fire" he is throttled into an epic conflict between the ancient, the past, the present and the future where ultimately humanity itself hangs in the balance. This time however, he confronts an enemy that is more than a match for him... himself.

Richard Morgan weaves a lavish tapestry of characters, storyline and mayhem in his latest tour-de-force, "Woken Furies." The characters come fast and furious and are all quite memorable. The pages of the book drip with neura-chem as the storyline grabs you not only by the throat, but also by your heart and mind as well. As usual, Morgan creative talents present a tale of murderous intrigue, complex social interaction and wonderful science fiction. This time Morgan augments his literary repertoire with deep psychological drama. On a personal level, we witness the Furies awaken once more, unleashed on society in order to fan the passions between dogma vs. change, conformity vs. revolution, justice vs. revenge, safety vs. sacrifice, loyalty vs. expedience.

Morgan explodes the bounds of science fiction and produces a tremendous literary effort. Morgan transforms extreme violence, shocking brutality, carnal lust and ultimate technology into an Odyssey-like adventure with a Quell twist. Kovacs' torment is exposed and his guard is dropped as he tumbles into ever-intensifying physical conflicts and emotional rage. He comes down to earth, so to speak, from his UN-envoy conditioning and must confront his demons and measure the scope of his humanity.

I discover this after the show aired, and read it to see what they changed. I’m very glad I picked it up. It’s subtly different, and as usual, I like the book better. In his case, I honestly really like both, and view them as different telling of a story, not really all that related to one another. Glad to have read it.

With a now established universe, Woken Furies does a good, although not entirely satisfactory effort, of wrapping up what feels like an end to a trilogy. It returns back to familiar grounds and explores a more personal side of Takeshi. This time, settled on Takeshi's home world of Harlan, with the constant watch of the Orbitals, it makes for a more grounded and less mysterious tone. Science fiction is traded for action. Mad science is traded for the intricate culture and space politics. Morgan's writing has also improved. With fewer flurries of complicated mixes of real and made up words, it simply makes for more enjoyable reading. But it also feels like Morgan got tired of exploring his own universe, loosing some of its believability, especially with a couple flimsy sequences into the virtual world. It's definitely the weakest in the series, but for the most part I enjoyed it just as much.

I loved this series, and this book starts the series.

I'm a big fan of sci-fi in general. I had been watching Castle, and also just ran through the Jesse Stone movies.
I asked a good friend what he thought would be a good detective noir novel would be, and he told me to read the same book he'd been trying to get me to read for months - Altered Carbon.

It is a good thing the sequels were available on Kindle - I ordered the next 2 at the end of the day, and read them by the end of the week.

Morgan always enthralls me, always draws me and drops me right in the midst of the world he has created. It is almost unbelievable how well crafted the world of Takeshi Kovacs is. Right from page one I don't want to put the book down, and there is never a dull moment. This is no easy task to complete, and yet Morgan has done this with all his books thus far. This is mainly because of how descriptive he gets with such depth that you can imagine exactly what is happening. I couldn't even begin to count the number of images that jumped to my mind's eye and showed me exactly what was described. Unbelievable.

And Morgan seems to be getting better with each book. Woken Furies has yet again a great plot as we get to watch the book's hero hunted by none other than... himself? Great twist with originality. Additionally, we know the world from the first two Kovacs' books, but with this book we get to view more of the world, get to view and uncover some of the mysteries, and to have new mysteries created that will be great fuel for another Kovacs book.

My only complaint, and this has always been the case, is that Morgan always, and I mean always and a lot, has to add full on pornographic scenes into his books. I can understand it at least once because it adds to how certain characters interact with one another, but why do it two, three, four times? It is just gratuitous and eventually adds nothing to the story. But, alas, this too is becoming a trademark of Morgan and it should be expected that he will continue to do this in all of his books.

A definite recommend.

5 stars.

I must say that I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Once I picked it up I did not want to put it down. At first glance there is a lot of gratuitous sex and violence. So if you are turned off by those types of graphic descriptions, this is not the one for you. But after reading it and placing it within the context of the time and world that Morgan created, it suddenly is no longer gratuitous and rather fits into the story.

I had only read cyberpunk by Stephenson (Diamond Age, Snow Crash) and had always wanted to read some more. The only author I could seem to come up with that other people said was cyberpunk was Morgan, and yet when I read the synopsis of his books it didn't seem like they fit the bill. After having read Altered Carbon I would definitely classify this as cyberpunk.

Even though the sex and violence fit the story it did bring my rating down a little, especially the sex in the latter part of the book. But I really enjoyed the idea of an Envoy detective in a world where people are resleeved. I can't say, as other reviewers have, that Morgan is rehashing the scifi that is out there because I haven't read enough of that genre to know this. But I can tell you that this book was a fun and fast read that kept my attention. I would certainly recommend this book to anyone.

4.5 stars.

This book is a treasure map of unheard of technology and a vast complicated plot to tie the created worlds together sensibly. You might figure a few things out, making it fun and challenging...but the author delivers more than the reader can guess. Well done

Excellent well written detective story set in the future. It has a great core idea. What happens to humanity when bodies are something we can change at will, assuming we have the money to do so. The major drawback is this low priced novel sucks you into the series and the other 2 books are VERY pricey.

Altered Carbon is a raucous jaunt through the hard boiled world of detective noir wrapped in the trappings of cyber-punk. The hyper advanced tech allows for some very heady philosophical queries, but never gets in the way of what is essentially a very human story about greed, avarice, and jealousy. You should read this now.

Was prepping myself for the Netflix TV show, and found that the second read of the book is a bit faster paced, but no less enjoyable. Morgan weaves great characters and sometimes elegant prose, and humanized, believable plots.
Even with some of the technology obviously outdated (public phone booths) much of the innovations still feel fresh and plausible.

Morgan combines hard sci-fi with a hard-boiled detective story in this amazing action triller. His central sci-fi idea is that in the twenty-fifth century, technology exists that can transfer a person's consciousness into an artificial cortical stack implanted in the brain. Essentially, this means that it is much more difficult to die a final death as people can "sleeve" themselves into new bodies as needed. This is the situation with protagonist Takeshi Kovacs, who finds himself re-sleeved into a disgraced detective agent's body and is forced to solve a complex and intriguing mystery.

Great storytelling and interesting characters make this novel worthy is it's Philip K. Dick nomination and well worth reading...

Takeshi is that gritty character that you expect to kick ass. The book moved at a great pace that I enjoyed. A fast read for me because I didn’t put it down for long. The science fiction was well constructed throughout, would not mind a sequel.

Altered Carbon is a fantastic novel in a genre that I usually don't venture into much. Needless to say Morgan has risen above the fold of other "cyberpunk" novels and Altered Carbon has made me an instant fan of his.

Altered Carbon has three things going for it: good pacing and action, clever plotting and originality. The book is action packed and moves quickly but not at the sacrifice of character development. From the intro up until the end we are thrown in the whirlwind that is Takeshi Kovacks' life and it is exciting. The crime story aspect of the novel I found to be very Asimovian which is not a bad thing at all. The twists and turns are not just plot driven but also correspond to the development of Kovacs as a character. Finally, there are quite a few novel sci-fi ideas in Morgan's world and the stack juxtaposition lends itself to many intellectual dilemmas. I wonder if Morgan realized when he thought of it that it would probably be an idea on which to base multiple books around.

The writing is serviceable and the details are dense which in turn creates a rich but challenging world to exist in. This book is not for casual sci-fi readers nor is it for the squeamish or juvenile as there is pretty explicit violence (and sex).

Altered Carbon juggles many themes such as individuality, identity, morality, and immortality all centered around advanced technology that basically allows you to switch bodies but keep your memories. Its fascinating stuff and handled with thought that goes way beyond just the initial conception and introduction of the idea. Morgan really runs with it all the way to the finish line.

Bottom Line: Highly recommended for sci-fi fans who don't mind a little steroids with their breakfast.

Excellent book, well written. The story line definitely takes you inside the character's mind allowing you to experience his past and his current life. I thoroughly enjoyed the emotional and rational experience the author, Richard Morgan, moves his character, Takashi Kovacs, throughout this novel. I am a fan.

Outstanding first novel. Richard K. Morgan has just made a fan for life with this book, I hope we will see a series featuring this character.
Filled with everything I love in a book, sex, violence, a little mystery and a little romance, and a [tough] character that takes no [guff].
In a future where people are able to "download" themselves into different bodies (what they call sleeves), Tak Kovacs is a breed a part from the rest. Being a former Envoy in which his mind is conditioned to exert itself and any "sleeve" he wears.
Great idea, however I have seen this played out before in a couple low rate movies. Namely "The Sixth Day", in which you wonder if humans are only made up of the product of there memories. I would like to have seen Morgan dig a little deeper into that realm.
However you will enjoy this novel.

I love the world and characters created by Morgan, but this one is slow, and the over all plot and ideas are not what the other two were. Perhaps the author got somewhat burned out or could not come up with as compelling characters or plot. However, because I like Kovacs, it is worthwhile, and I am waiting for the next one and hoping it comes back to the great first two of the series.

Richard K Morgan is my favorite author and I think Altered Carbon is (still) my favorite. It is so densely layered, smart, and visual and easy to read again and again (and again) and still appreciate the imagination and soul that went into this story. There is no point in discussing the story details here...either you feel the need to expand your mind and spirit by diving in...or you don"t. I recommend the former.

I "found" this author late. He already had 3 books out before I read this one. Now I have read all 3 and I am waiting for his 4th to come out on Sept 27. When I find a great author I stick with them.

Everyone else has told you about how they liked this story, and what it was about, so I don't need to do that.

Just know that if you are an avid scifi fan, and you like gritty characters, you will love this book. I just can't get over the concept of transfering your mind from planet to planet and down loading it into a new body. What a fantastic concept!

Good work Mr. Morgan. I look forward to your new works.

The conflicts within the characters are what make this story so intense. I was originally just searching for something to scratch my science fiction itch, but following the insanity that is Kovacs' life, the scientific technological advancements are an afterthought. It's a good story.

I love yhe detail of this book. The author paints a visual picture of the settings, characters, and events that will leave you smelling and tasting the environment. The story is not of some super hero or untouchable crime fighter, but of a man searching for his own answers while attempting to use the tools given to him that allow him to rise above helpless.

'Altered Carbon' has a lot going for it. The plotting is dense and fast-paced, the dialogue snappy, the characters well-drawn, and the writing quite capable. Probably the most rewarding aspect of the novel is its very deep and well-developed setting. Morgan takes the idea of human immortality through storing consciousnesses separately from bodies, and plays with it to an astonishing degree of detail, exploring all the psychological and social repercussions that this technology would drag in its wake.

A master worldbuilder will fail as a novelist if his prose is not up to scratch; but Morgan is successful in this regard as well. The plot of 'Altered Carbon' is so thick that a second reading would be rewarding for fully comprehending it; and the high quality of the writing makes the prospect of such a re-read quite pleasurable. Some shrivelled-up nay-sayers may call science fiction and good writing oil and water; 'Altered Carbon' is a clear counterexample.

(I must mention my one pet peeve: like so many others in this sad age, Richard K. Morgan does not realize that a question must always end in a question mark.)

Overall, I would recommend this book to sci-fi/ cyber punk fans for the interesting plot and some very intriguing characters (all of whom were meths, or those who have been able to buy new bodies to prolong their own lives). The main character was fine but i had a hard time believing someone so touchy could be a so-called "envoy" or super soldier.

Reading this was at some points painstaking, as the writing was not all together clear at many points in the story, nor tight. The plot is non-linear and characters who are barely mentioned at the beginning of the novel eventually show up later as major players. I would recommend getting this on Kindle so you can search for characters you almost certainly missed on your first read through.

As others have mentioned in the comments here this book is also ripe with graphic, Fifty Shades of Grey-style sex. Which is fine (i'm not complaining), but just be warned we're talking freaky kink stuff I imagine even FSOG won't touch.

Again, i would recommend this book if you find the plot intriguing (which it is), but be warned the loose story structure and scattered character mentions can be a struggle at times.

Truly holds up as an entertaining re-read even fifteen years later. Compelling antihero, satisfying world building. If you enjoyed the Netflix series, read this book and see what they condensed/revised/left out.

Came across a article concerning tech noir and this book was mentioned. After so research decide to purchase the book and was instantly amazed at how consuming the book became. I ended up finishing the back in a day of non stop reading. I would recommend to anyone who enjoyed films like Blade Runner and Alien. Dark & Gritty

This seemed very much like a Mike Hammer pulp fiction story which takes place in an unusual setting. You've got the same kind of grim metaphors (the rain sluiced down from the low grey clouds like warm spit, etc.), interviewing the suspects, and the sorting out of many obscure clues until the flash of intuition strikes. Meanwhile everyone is out to get our hero, who perseveres through sheer determination and the desire for revenge, and everyone gets their comeuppance at the end. Highly formulaic.

But I enjoyed some of the flights of imagination. In one sequence the detective is tortured in virtual reality, but they put him in the body of a woman there because females have more nerve endings or something. Plus he had his period, hehe.

Roughly 500 years in the future, death becomes avoidable. Initially used as a method for deep space travel, a person's consciousness can be digitally stored for an indefinite amount of time and then downloaded into a "cortical stack" of an unoccupied human body or "sleeve." However, the procedure does require financial means, and even then only the very rich can get their original body back. This scientific breakthrough, along with space travel, true A.I., virtual reality, biological enhancement, cloning, and other technological advances, haven't served to better mankind as much as further complicated it. Class separation is even more extreme, now that the prosperous have several lifetimes to increase their power. Religious factions oppose man-made immortality. Meanwhile, generations are born and re-sleeved on distant planets while Earth is slowly becoming a relic.

To help maintain control of colonies at the farthest reaches of the galaxy, the UN Protectorate created shock troops called the Envoys, which deploy by instantaneous galactic digital transfer into waiting cortical stacks of bio-enhanced sleeves. The Envoys are elite combat soldiers and counter-intelligence operatives feared throughout the known universe, and Takeshi Kovacs used to be one of them.

A wealthy businessman, Laurens Bancroft, was recently murdered and had to be re-sleeved. With the police claiming his death was suicide, Bancroft needs the best to find his killer. Kovacs is the best, so Bancroft arranges to have him transported to Earth.

Altered Carbon is an action-packed, who-done-it mystery that hooked me to the very end. I state with the utmost respect that my mind imagined visuals of the movie Blade Runner as I read it. (After all, Mr. Morgan has made the comparison himself.) Blade Runner's Los Angeles and Altered Carbon's San Francisco could exist in the same future. Rick Deckard and Takeshi Kovacs could be brothers, though Kovacs would be the mean brother that beat up on Deckard when they were kids.

The technological advances in Altered Carbon are mindboggling and believable at the same time. The vision of the future, although grim, is so relatable to our current world that it's easy to accept as reality. Woes that have always plagued mankind, like class separation, abuse of power, and the conflict between government and religion, continue and become more extreme.

Despite incredible scientific achievements being crucial elements to the story, Altered Carbon has the mood and excitement of a crime thriller that just happens to be set in the far future. And the voice of Takeshi Kovacs' narration increases that ambiance.

True to the story's tone Kovacs is the classic noir private-eye, only increased tenfold. Though haunted by the violence of his past, Kovacs is ready, willing, and capable to react with violent action whenever necessary, or maybe just because he's pissed off. On the surface, Kovacs may seem lawless and self-serving but he lives by his own code and is a man of his word.

Richard K. Morgan has the deep understanding of human nature and society that the best authors have. Without distracting from the story, he raises profound questions about what it is that makes a person who they are. Is it the physical body, mind, memories, or is it truly all those things combined? And if that is the case, if just one of those elements gets changed, is a different individual created? However, one thing is certain: in Altered Carbon, being immortal doesn't make life any easier.

Morgan impressed me even more with his ability to bring written words to life. The perception of Earth being an antiquated remnant of human history weighs like a constant dark shadow. The sexual interludes are more erotic than an evening spent in a high-end strip club. I would've given up any secret asked when just reading about a character being interrogated by torture. Because Kovacs' sleeve was a smoker, his constant struggle with that habit made me crave a cigarette, and I haven't smoked seriously in over twenty years.

Wherever Takeshi Kovacs goes, Hell is sure to follow and so will I. I had such a great time with Richard K. Morgan's book that along with the rest of the KOVACS novels, I'll be checking out his sword & sorcery series, A LAND FIT FOR HEROES.

Truly holds up as an entertaining re-read even fifteen years later. Compelling antihero, satisfying world building. If you enjoyed the Netflix series, read this book and see what they condensed/revised/left out.

Came across a article concerning tech noir and this book was mentioned. After so research decide to purchase the book and was instantly amazed at how consuming the book became. I ended up finishing the back in a day of non stop reading. I would recommend to anyone who enjoyed films like Blade Runner and Alien. Dark & Gritty

This seemed very much like a Mike Hammer pulp fiction story which takes place in an unusual setting. You've got the same kind of grim metaphors (the rain sluiced down from the low grey clouds like warm spit, etc.), interviewing the suspects, and the sorting out of many obscure clues until the flash of intuition strikes. Meanwhile everyone is out to get our hero, who perseveres through sheer determination and the desire for revenge, and everyone gets their comeuppance at the end. Highly formulaic.

But I enjoyed some of the flights of imagination. In one sequence the detective is tortured in virtual reality, but they put him in the body of a woman there because females have more nerve endings or something. Plus he had his period, hehe.

Roughly 500 years in the future, death becomes avoidable. Initially used as a method for deep space travel, a person's consciousness can be digitally stored for an indefinite amount of time and then downloaded into a "cortical stack" of an unoccupied human body or "sleeve." However, the procedure does require financial means, and even then only the very rich can get their original body back. This scientific breakthrough, along with space travel, true A.I., virtual reality, biological enhancement, cloning, and other technological advances, haven't served to better mankind as much as further complicated it. Class separation is even more extreme, now that the prosperous have several lifetimes to increase their power. Religious factions oppose man-made immortality. Meanwhile, generations are born and re-sleeved on distant planets while Earth is slowly becoming a relic.

To help maintain control of colonies at the farthest reaches of the galaxy, the UN Protectorate created shock troops called the Envoys, which deploy by instantaneous galactic digital transfer into waiting cortical stacks of bio-enhanced sleeves. The Envoys are elite combat soldiers and counter-intelligence operatives feared throughout the known universe, and Takeshi Kovacs used to be one of them.

A wealthy businessman, Laurens Bancroft, was recently murdered and had to be re-sleeved. With the police claiming his death was suicide, Bancroft needs the best to find his killer. Kovacs is the best, so Bancroft arranges to have him transported to Earth.

Altered Carbon is an action-packed, who-done-it mystery that hooked me to the very end. I state with the utmost respect that my mind imagined visuals of the movie Blade Runner as I read it. (After all, Mr. Morgan has made the comparison himself.) Blade Runner's Los Angeles and Altered Carbon's San Francisco could exist in the same future. Rick Deckard and Takeshi Kovacs could be brothers, though Kovacs would be the mean brother that beat up on Deckard when they were kids.

The technological advances in Altered Carbon are mindboggling and believable at the same time. The vision of the future, although grim, is so relatable to our current world that it's easy to accept as reality. Woes that have always plagued mankind, like class separation, abuse of power, and the conflict between government and religion, continue and become more extreme.

Despite incredible scientific achievements being crucial elements to the story, Altered Carbon has the mood and excitement of a crime thriller that just happens to be set in the far future. And the voice of Takeshi Kovacs' narration increases that ambiance.

True to the story's tone Kovacs is the classic noir private-eye, only increased tenfold. Though haunted by the violence of his past, Kovacs is ready, willing, and capable to react with violent action whenever necessary, or maybe just because he's pissed off. On the surface, Kovacs may seem lawless and self-serving but he lives by his own code and is a man of his word.

Richard K. Morgan has the deep understanding of human nature and society that the best authors have. Without distracting from the story, he raises profound questions about what it is that makes a person who they are. Is it the physical body, mind, memories, or is it truly all those things combined? And if that is the case, if just one of those elements gets changed, is a different individual created? However, one thing is certain: in Altered Carbon, being immortal doesn't make life any easier.

Morgan impressed me even more with his ability to bring written words to life. The perception of Earth being an antiquated remnant of human history weighs like a constant dark shadow. The sexual interludes are more erotic than an evening spent in a high-end strip club. I would've given up any secret asked when just reading about a character being interrogated by torture. Because Kovacs' sleeve was a smoker, his constant struggle with that habit made me crave a cigarette, and I haven't smoked seriously in over twenty years.

Wherever Takeshi Kovacs goes, Hell is sure to follow and so will I. I had such a great time with Richard K. Morgan's book that along with the rest of the KOVACS novels, I'll be checking out his sword & sorcery series, A LAND FIT FOR HEROES.

Richard Morgan wrote three books about Takeshi Kovacs, and this is the first. It's complex, brutal in places and thoroughly absorbing. The technology is mentioned in sufficient detail to give an idea of what it does, but without the dreadful info-dumps that so many authors indulge in. The culture of a future Earth is gritty and filled with believable people. Not many are really likeable, but their motivations come over well.

Definitely recommend this one.

Morgan has introduced a dark concept of immortality that flies in the face of what it means to have a soul. If your mind never dies, then are you in fact immortal? If so, what does it mean to change bodies? Wrap these fascinating philosophical questions in a great cyberpunk style mystery story, and you have a very fun read.

Kovacs was dark, brooding, and at times sentimental, and it was this last aspect of Kovacs that lowered my rating from 5 to 4 stars. Artificial sentimentality was the only point for me where the story lost its authenticity.

Robin cook explores a similar concept of immortality in his book "Abducted." Similarly, Tad Williams uses the concept of mind transfer for immortality in his "Otherland" series. However, I think Morgan has taken the idea much further and in a more interesting direction than either of these two authors.

If you like cyberpunk, you will love this book and the series.

An excellent conclusion to the trilogy, it returns to the complexity and depth of book 1. We finally return to Kovacs' home of Harlan's World, and many of the socio-political themes that have been present throughout are given the spotlight. Motivating threads from book 1 align with developments from book 2, but it stays very much its own story.