Reviews

Market Forces by Richard K. Morgan

janedoelish's review

4.0

Market Forces clearly deserves every award it has raked in. As a scathing look at neoliberal policies taken to their ultimate conclusions, this novel is excellent, but not a joy to read.

janedoelish's review against another edition

5.0

Market Forces is a scathing extrapolation of socio-economic trends, painting a dystopian portrait of the neoliberal dream turned nightmare. A post-modern "Brave New World", but without the dour fatalism underlying Huxley's novel.

k4iiden's review

it just really didn't pull me in; which was unexpected, to say the least, as i've loved previous books i've read by this author

jkwatson's review

Good, but not great. Parts of it were brilliant. Parts of it were stupid.

matbrown's review

dark fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

rhganci's review

5.0

Once I realized that this book was going to be just as insightful without Takeshi, I really sank into it, enjoyed it, and got a lot more out of it than I did the other three by Morgan. It is a black, black, black book, full of chapter-enders and observations about 21st century lifestyles that are challenging, tough, and depressing all at the same time. Chris Faulkner was tragic as a protagonist, but another very memorable character who did just some unbelievable things. What makes Morgan one of my favorite authors right now is his ability to create situations and characters that conduct themselves according to a nature that they actually really seem to have, which is really an attribute of good literature. My fears that Morgan wouldn’t be Morgan without Takeshi abated, and I look forward to the next book from him in June with excitement.

imperia_'s review

dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

juggernaut's review against another edition

5.0

Actually it is 4.5 stars. This book is a "1984" of capitalism. Wonderful and powerful imagination of near future. Almost all things predicted by George Orwell came true. Hope it won't happen with Morgan.

wishanem's review

3.0

In a surprisingly plausible near-future Britain corporate finance executives engineer "small wars" for the profit of their investors. The business is fiercely competitive, and often results in automobile race fights to the death.

Chris Faulkner is a conflicted antihero, uncertain whether he can maintain his life of a corporate warrior. Chris remains a compelling and unpredictable character, even as the reader becomes more intimately familiar with his life. His relationships with his wife, clients, friends, and enemies slowly tear Chris apart and restitch him together as a different man.

This book consistently describes brutally violence and personal dysfunction in a way that never becomes comfortable or casual to read.

nyxshadow's review against another edition

3.0

Je reste un peu perplexe face à ce roman. Si je retrouve l'atmosphère punk et aggressive d'un Carbone Modifié, je trouve que l'auteur s'est un peu perdu dans des descriptions de violence.
Cherche-t-il à dénoncer les travers de la société et l'hyper-capitalisme ? Le pouvoir qu'ont les entreprises, supérieur au moindre pouvoir politique ? Peut être, surement même.
Pourtant le roman n'a pas su pour moi se positionner. S'il a voulu parler de cette politique, ce fut au détriment de l'intrigue que l'on a du mal à suivre. Cherche-t-il à narrer la vie de Chris ? Mais en ce cas, est-ce un premier tome ? Ce qui justifierai le côté inachevé de ce personnage. Mais cela n'a pas l'air d'être le cas.
Ce n'est pas ce que je qualifierai de fin ouverte. On est plutôt au bout d'une phrase.