Scan barcode
venusaspirant's review against another edition
1.0
I've been trying on and off to read this book for months with no success. The writing style was dry, the mystery didn't interest me, and overall it wasn't good. The sci-fi/cyberpunk concepts were incredibly interesting, but were ultimately let down by the sheer amount of apathy I felt reading it all. Also wasn't a fan of the sheer amount of bigoted nonsense this writer felt necessary to include, most of it culminating in me uttering "what the fuck" to myself at three in the morning. Some of the lines in this book bro. It makes me wonder how it ever got past editing.
Sadly, not for me. A star is given for the interesting concepts, however.
Rating: 1/5 stars.
Sadly, not for me. A star is given for the interesting concepts, however.
Rating: 1/5 stars.
soben's review against another edition
3.0
This is one of those examples in which the TV show and the book hold up on their own laurels. They diverge but in ways that make sense for their mediums. It took me a bit to work through the last 25% of the book, partly time, partly interest as it seemed to drag a little for me.
rosewolfeemery's review against another edition
3.0
It's always disappointing when a book doesn't quite live up to its premise.
I enjoyed watching the Netflix adaptation of Altered Carbon, and I was keen to discover whether the book offered more insight into the world that Morgan had created. Much like the show, however, you're just launched into the plot. I think an intentional lack of background knowledge can work well in some cases (e.g. Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro), but I would have liked to know how Altered Carbon came to be.
If I hadn't watched the adaptation, I think the plot would have lost me. Altered Carbon is wonderfully ambitious, but I don't like having to rifle through a book for information on a seemingly minor character that turns out to be important.
I found the concept of uploading your consciousness into a stack and 'resleeving' whenever you 'died' so interesting that I persevered with it. The prose was well-crafted, but I think this is one of the rare instances where the adaptation outstrips the source material. I was disappointed to discover that Reileen wasn't Kovacs' sister in the book, but just a Bad Girl who values power and influence more than human life. I also don't think that Kovacs was a particularly interesting or well-developed character.
I think the premise of Altered Carbon is more interesting than the story itself, but I'll watch the sequels if they make it to Netflix.
I enjoyed watching the Netflix adaptation of Altered Carbon, and I was keen to discover whether the book offered more insight into the world that Morgan had created. Much like the show, however, you're just launched into the plot. I think an intentional lack of background knowledge can work well in some cases (e.g. Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro), but I would have liked to know how Altered Carbon came to be.
If I hadn't watched the adaptation, I think the plot would have lost me. Altered Carbon is wonderfully ambitious, but I don't like having to rifle through a book for information on a seemingly minor character that turns out to be important.
I found the concept of uploading your consciousness into a stack and 'resleeving' whenever you 'died' so interesting that I persevered with it. The prose was well-crafted, but I think this is one of the rare instances where the adaptation outstrips the source material. I was disappointed to discover that Reileen wasn't Kovacs' sister in the book, but just a Bad Girl who values power and influence more than human life. I also don't think that Kovacs was a particularly interesting or well-developed character.
I think the premise of Altered Carbon is more interesting than the story itself, but I'll watch the sequels if they make it to Netflix.
maudalorian's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.0
A murder mystery in a macho cyberpunk sleeve. The concept is cool, but I feel like the novel would've confused and/or frustrated me if I hadn't already seen the Netflix series. I couldn't help but compare them all the way through and the adaptation definitely comes out on top for me. It's impressive how they managed to streamline the story, cutting out superfluous characters and a random trip to Spain(?!). Their take on the whole Envoy thing made more sense and characters were better fleshed out, too. Changing the Hendrix to Edgar Allen Poe was genius.
knitasgonnaknit's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
guppyur's review against another edition
3.0
Fun, pretty pulp. Don't think this deserves the hype it gets. Its central conceit isn't especially interesting if you're well-read in science fiction.
austex_93's review against another edition
4.0
I remember briefly skimming through this book, and before I knew it, I was halfway done. It hits the ground running from the start. It felt a bit rushed towards the end, but I enjoyed it very much!
richter10's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
kodyp97's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
jsdrown's review against another edition
2.0
Utterly disappointed in this one. I have read the hype for this cyberpunk novel for years. The new netflix series getting rave reviews finally motivated me to read it. I found both the science fiction and mystery aspects of the book to be super underwhelming. It also tries to have similar philosophical questions comparable to other cyberpunk works like Neuromancer, Ghost in the Shell, or Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? but there just isn't much to chew on here. No, the cyberpunk elements felt like window dressing for the action sequences and sex scenes. I actually can't figure which of those two were more juvenile. There is a moment in a sex scene that actually made me gag in the real world. I wrote my wife and she was pretty revolted. The sexual stuff in this is at a constant stream. Our main character is constantly talking about his swelling penis, masturbating, the figures of every woman he meets(which always happens to be a 5/5 knock out)As far as the action goes? Probably the best thing on display here. That's not to say the action isn't cliche. Richard K. Morgan also loves his guns. He goes into great detail about every single weapon in the book. In fact I think the page or so has our main character playing around with guns. When it's not guns it's samurai swords.
The point is that this book reads like bad Ghost in the Shell fan fiction. I'm sure the show is great. The cinematography and music look phenomenal. This book was all around a bad read for me. I never felt like Takeshi Kovacs came to life for me. I likely wont read any further into the series.
The point is that this book reads like bad Ghost in the Shell fan fiction. I'm sure the show is great. The cinematography and music look phenomenal. This book was all around a bad read for me. I never felt like Takeshi Kovacs came to life for me. I likely wont read any further into the series.