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3.81 AVERAGE
3.81 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Hard-boiled cyberpunk that hits the spot. If he could only make the sex as sexy as the violence he'd really be on to something.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
This book marks return of [a:Richard K. Morgan|16496|Richard K. Morgan|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1175224722p2/16496.jpg] back to hard-boiled SF action genre.
Book follows genetically enhanced enforcer Hakan Veil as he wakes up (after mandatory cryogenic sleep) and gets himself thrown into merciless everyday politics on Mars.
Technology and entire world setting describe world that is not set in Takeshi Kovacs timeline but several centuries before (Earth to Mars travel requires hibernation of passengers while in Takeshi Kovacs novels inter-system travel takes considerably less time - at least this is how I see it :)). Unlike Kovacs' universe, Hakan's universe is rather similar to our own - consumer society run by profit-margins of international conglomerates (you gotta love Veil's constant annoyance with advertisements), organized crime and mercenaries running rampant but still with strong presence of national armies and intelligence forces bent on old-fashioned territory control.
What I like in stories by Richard K. Morgan is that while he uses some weird words to describe everyday items and activities [not existing today] unlike Gibson he does not use this new vocabulary to purely bombard the reader - author describes what certain things do and perform as story progresses so you can visualize all of the fantastic futuristic technology and finally accept newly coined words as part of the story vocabulary (to the point when you hear 'geltech or 'gelbrain you know at least what is capable of and you move on with story). This helps readers immersion into story and setting tremendously. Book does not assume you are already familiar with any of the existing cyberpunk genre dictionary and this is great plus in my eyes.
Story contains everything that I came to expect from Richard K Morgan - cynical main character, in his own words "not so nice person" who kicks ass but in more than one occasion gets beaten almost to death, AI that acts as faithful but none the less deadly side-kick, pretty ladies that prove to be more deadly than expected but always end up in bed with main hero :) hard-core mercenaries and deadly futuristic weapons and tactics. Like in Kovacs' novels technology here is not "chrome only" - entire technology is mesh of hardware and biological modifications (I enjoyed how one of the Veil's friends, retired intelligence officer, decides on more cyborg-like look that makes him stand out of the crowd (very much like weird body choices for characters in [a:Gavin G. Smith|6572857|Gavin G. Smith|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1354680383p2/6572857.jpg] [b: Veteran (Veteran #1)|7298320|Veteran (Veteran, #1)|Gavin G. Smith|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1328838641s/7298320.jpg|8649327] - if you haven't read this one do yourself a favor and read it)).
To go any further into story would be to spoil it, so I will stop here.
If you like SF, cyberpunk, fast paced action, detective story, military style shoot-outs, lots of twists and turns, main character that is not a super hero but highly capable person that is sometimes too smart for his own sake, investigations into and with criminal underground all set in the very very interesting world of Mars colony with very strained relations with the mother Earth don't look any further - this is book for you.
Highly recommended.
P.S.
I just saw that novel Black Man (or as it is also known Thirteen depending on the market) is set in the same universe as this novel. If you wander if you need to read that one first my answer is no - "Thin Air" is standalone novel.
Having said that I am currently looking for Thirteen :) You can never have enough cyberpunk action stories.
Book follows genetically enhanced enforcer Hakan Veil as he wakes up (after mandatory cryogenic sleep) and gets himself thrown into merciless everyday politics on Mars.
Technology and entire world setting describe world that is not set in Takeshi Kovacs timeline but several centuries before (Earth to Mars travel requires hibernation of passengers while in Takeshi Kovacs novels inter-system travel takes considerably less time - at least this is how I see it :)). Unlike Kovacs' universe, Hakan's universe is rather similar to our own - consumer society run by profit-margins of international conglomerates (you gotta love Veil's constant annoyance with advertisements), organized crime and mercenaries running rampant but still with strong presence of national armies and intelligence forces bent on old-fashioned territory control.
What I like in stories by Richard K. Morgan is that while he uses some weird words to describe everyday items and activities [not existing today] unlike Gibson he does not use this new vocabulary to purely bombard the reader - author describes what certain things do and perform as story progresses so you can visualize all of the fantastic futuristic technology and finally accept newly coined words as part of the story vocabulary (to the point when you hear 'geltech or 'gelbrain you know at least what is capable of and you move on with story). This helps readers immersion into story and setting tremendously. Book does not assume you are already familiar with any of the existing cyberpunk genre dictionary and this is great plus in my eyes.
Story contains everything that I came to expect from Richard K Morgan - cynical main character, in his own words "not so nice person" who kicks ass but in more than one occasion gets beaten almost to death, AI that acts as faithful but none the less deadly side-kick, pretty ladies that prove to be more deadly than expected but always end up in bed with main hero :) hard-core mercenaries and deadly futuristic weapons and tactics. Like in Kovacs' novels technology here is not "chrome only" - entire technology is mesh of hardware and biological modifications (I enjoyed how one of the Veil's friends, retired intelligence officer, decides on more cyborg-like look that makes him stand out of the crowd (very much like weird body choices for characters in [a:Gavin G. Smith|6572857|Gavin G. Smith|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1354680383p2/6572857.jpg] [b: Veteran (Veteran #1)|7298320|Veteran (Veteran, #1)|Gavin G. Smith|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1328838641s/7298320.jpg|8649327] - if you haven't read this one do yourself a favor and read it)).
To go any further into story would be to spoil it, so I will stop here.
If you like SF, cyberpunk, fast paced action, detective story, military style shoot-outs, lots of twists and turns, main character that is not a super hero but highly capable person that is sometimes too smart for his own sake, investigations into and with criminal underground all set in the very very interesting world of Mars colony with very strained relations with the mother Earth don't look any further - this is book for you.
Highly recommended.
P.S.
I just saw that novel Black Man (or as it is also known Thirteen depending on the market) is set in the same universe as this novel. If you wander if you need to read that one first my answer is no - "Thin Air" is standalone novel.
Having said that I am currently looking for Thirteen :) You can never have enough cyberpunk action stories.
I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
When I started reading this book, I had sort of forgotten who wrote it. It was abundantly clear to me that Richard K Morgan was the author about 10 pages in. The way he writes is extremely appealing to me. It feels gritty and kind of...pulled tight in a way that gives a lot of suspense and keeps me engaged. I was unfamiliar with this world when I started the book, so it took a bit of time to become acquainted with the way it works and the rhythm of it, but I didn't feel like I missed anything important in the beginning in my "acclimation phase." I really enjoyed the characters and felt like they were all very believable. The book had a bit of an Altered Carbon vibe in that there was a lot of mission-based excitement and intrigue with lots of surprises and shadow players waiting in the wings. Though there are thematic differences, this is a completely different story with different characters. I can say that I think you'd love this book if you are a fan of our friend Takeshi Kovacs. Overall, this is a good book, and I think you should read it!
When I started reading this book, I had sort of forgotten who wrote it. It was abundantly clear to me that Richard K Morgan was the author about 10 pages in. The way he writes is extremely appealing to me. It feels gritty and kind of...pulled tight in a way that gives a lot of suspense and keeps me engaged. I was unfamiliar with this world when I started the book, so it took a bit of time to become acquainted with the way it works and the rhythm of it, but I didn't feel like I missed anything important in the beginning in my "acclimation phase." I really enjoyed the characters and felt like they were all very believable. The book had a bit of an Altered Carbon vibe in that there was a lot of mission-based excitement and intrigue with lots of surprises and shadow players waiting in the wings. Though there are thematic differences, this is a completely different story with different characters. I can say that I think you'd love this book if you are a fan of our friend Takeshi Kovacs. Overall, this is a good book, and I think you should read it!
Follows the Richard K. Morgan formula of a badass anti-hero who runs afoul of circumstances that requires him to solve a mystery. That being said it's perfectly executed and keeps you hooked to the end.
Finished: 2019-09-14
Graphic violence: CheckGratuitous sex: CheckRampant neoliberalism: CheckNoiresque Protaganist: CheckBFG: CheckReally explicit gratuitous sex: Check
Must be another cheery tale from Richard Morgan! Obviously, this is rather rude, but I think it's also accurate :)
I read Black Man (aka Th1rte3n) nearly 8 years ago and Carl and his Cressi sharkpunch have lodged in my memory ever since (to be honest, mostly the sharkpunch). Thin Air is set in the same universe as Black Man albeit at least 100 years later (in 2107). Thin Air also reads very similarly to Black Man and, indeed, the Takeshi Kovacs trilogy. I feel like these are very pigeon-holeable books (a little like Len Deighton and his somewhat formulaic spy novels) but that's not to say they're not enjoyable, they very much are and if you've read any of Mr Morgan's other sci-fi works and liked them, you'll love this equally.
This time around, we're running shotgun (ha!) on one Hakan Veil. Veil is an ex-overrider, a frequently cryogenically-suspended "Break Glass" option when interstellar travel goes wrong and a space-ship (or at least its cargo) needs to be recovered from pirates, mutinies or misadventure. One of Veil's missions went wrong, resulting in his forcible retirement, dumped on Mars by the interestingly-named "Blond Vaisitus TransSolar Enforcement and Security Logistics" who, incidentally, purchased Veil from his mother in-vivo and proceeded to train and enhance him both physically and psychologically.
Veil is now doing the noir thing on Mars, using his employment skill set in dubious "enforcement" jobs in order to scrape enough Marins together to get back "home". He's been stuck there for 14 Earth years so far and had built up a pretty interesting stable of friends and associates which are a major draw for this book because they've nearly all got backstory of interest! There's Lieutenant Nikki Chakana of the Bradbury PD (there are a LOT of places named, if not in homage, at least in recognition of humans with a contribution to the concept of Mars in both science fiction and fact), the typical noir-detective whose allegiances you're never really certain of. Mr Hannu Holsmtrom, in a similar position to Veil in that he's also ended up exiled to Mars from his previous gig as Navy pilot and now makes his living as local celebrity and hacker extraordinaire. Veil's ex-running-mate Milton Decatur, now moved on and up in the world. Actually, you could pretty much name everyone because they're ALL solidly imagined and created characters and the world they inhabit is similarly textured which means that the plot of the book isn't a straight line so much as a meandering through all of the ways that these people's lives intertwine.
I really enjoyed this book, but there are two larger problems and one suspension of disbelief issue for me. Problem One: the combination of so many people, some of whom had very similar names and so many intertwined plot points left me wondering if I really was following along at times. Problem Two: the sex scenes and, to some extent, some of the cruder phrasing. For instance, at one stage while being depressed about the superficiality of life, Veil's contemplations are rendered as:
"Raw spectacle shoved in a blender, shorn of all useful context or depth, then splattered across the audience's collective face like an endless series of cum shots".
Well, OK, I get the point, but I'm not loving the imagery that comes with it and I think the point could have been made equally well without the crudity. Similarly, a lot of the sex scenes I found to be not just crude but often out of character for the people involved. It's hard to get into details without hitting spoiler territory. Maybe it's because I'm a prude of some sort (or maybe my life is just being lived in a bizarrely sheltered fashion), but the ludicrous sex scenes just seem, well, ludicrous. I will content myself with this minor tutting and move on.
With regard to the suspension of disbelief thing, that's possibly me failing to be imaginative enough but I really get pulled out of the moment when, even though I've elected to roll with the fact that nearly everyone is able to harbour what appear to be on-board general AIs, they tend to be able to achieve feats of connectivity that seem - well - contrived. It's hard not feel like everything these AIs do is a bit of a deus ex machina.
To be clear, the above whining consists only of minor quibbles! Overall, this is a fast-paced, fun techno-noir-thriller and you should read it!
There's an interesting interview with Mr Morgan about Thin Air that's worth a read at https://www.richardkmorgan.com/2018/10/thin-air-deep-dive/.
Graphic violence: CheckGratuitous sex: CheckRampant neoliberalism: CheckNoiresque Protaganist: CheckBFG: CheckReally explicit gratuitous sex: Check
Must be another cheery tale from Richard Morgan! Obviously, this is rather rude, but I think it's also accurate :)
I read Black Man (aka Th1rte3n) nearly 8 years ago and Carl and his Cressi sharkpunch have lodged in my memory ever since (to be honest, mostly the sharkpunch). Thin Air is set in the same universe as Black Man albeit at least 100 years later (in 2107). Thin Air also reads very similarly to Black Man and, indeed, the Takeshi Kovacs trilogy. I feel like these are very pigeon-holeable books (a little like Len Deighton and his somewhat formulaic spy novels) but that's not to say they're not enjoyable, they very much are and if you've read any of Mr Morgan's other sci-fi works and liked them, you'll love this equally.
This time around, we're running shotgun (ha!) on one Hakan Veil. Veil is an ex-overrider, a frequently cryogenically-suspended "Break Glass" option when interstellar travel goes wrong and a space-ship (or at least its cargo) needs to be recovered from pirates, mutinies or misadventure. One of Veil's missions went wrong, resulting in his forcible retirement, dumped on Mars by the interestingly-named "Blond Vaisitus TransSolar Enforcement and Security Logistics" who, incidentally, purchased Veil from his mother in-vivo and proceeded to train and enhance him both physically and psychologically.
Veil is now doing the noir thing on Mars, using his employment skill set in dubious "enforcement" jobs in order to scrape enough Marins together to get back "home". He's been stuck there for 14 Earth years so far and had built up a pretty interesting stable of friends and associates which are a major draw for this book because they've nearly all got backstory of interest! There's Lieutenant Nikki Chakana of the Bradbury PD (there are a LOT of places named, if not in homage, at least in recognition of humans with a contribution to the concept of Mars in both science fiction and fact), the typical noir-detective whose allegiances you're never really certain of. Mr Hannu Holsmtrom, in a similar position to Veil in that he's also ended up exiled to Mars from his previous gig as Navy pilot and now makes his living as local celebrity and hacker extraordinaire. Veil's ex-running-mate Milton Decatur, now moved on and up in the world. Actually, you could pretty much name everyone because they're ALL solidly imagined and created characters and the world they inhabit is similarly textured which means that the plot of the book isn't a straight line so much as a meandering through all of the ways that these people's lives intertwine.
I really enjoyed this book, but there are two larger problems and one suspension of disbelief issue for me. Problem One: the combination of so many people, some of whom had very similar names and so many intertwined plot points left me wondering if I really was following along at times. Problem Two: the sex scenes and, to some extent, some of the cruder phrasing. For instance, at one stage while being depressed about the superficiality of life, Veil's contemplations are rendered as:
"Raw spectacle shoved in a blender, shorn of all useful context or depth, then splattered across the audience's collective face like an endless series of cum shots".
Well, OK, I get the point, but I'm not loving the imagery that comes with it and I think the point could have been made equally well without the crudity. Similarly, a lot of the sex scenes I found to be not just crude but often out of character for the people involved. It's hard to get into details without hitting spoiler territory. Maybe it's because I'm a prude of some sort (or maybe my life is just being lived in a bizarrely sheltered fashion), but the ludicrous sex scenes just seem, well, ludicrous. I will content myself with this minor tutting and move on.
With regard to the suspension of disbelief thing, that's possibly me failing to be imaginative enough but I really get pulled out of the moment when, even though I've elected to roll with the fact that nearly everyone is able to harbour what appear to be on-board general AIs, they tend to be able to achieve feats of connectivity that seem - well - contrived. It's hard not feel like everything these AIs do is a bit of a deus ex machina.
To be clear, the above whining consists only of minor quibbles! Overall, this is a fast-paced, fun techno-noir-thriller and you should read it!
There's an interesting interview with Mr Morgan about Thin Air that's worth a read at https://www.richardkmorgan.com/2018/10/thin-air-deep-dive/.
Richard Morgan returns to science fiction after a bit of a break with a sequel of sorts to his last scifi outing Black Man (called Thirteen in the US). That break has seen the Netflix adaptation of his best known scifi work (and debut) Altered Carbon. Those who have read or seen Altered Carbon might find themselves experiencing a strange sense of déjà vu when reading his latest book Thin Air.
Hakan Veil is an overrider. Genetically engineered from before birth to be a supersoldier, he is forced to spend four months of every year in hibernation. When he emerges from that state he “runs hot”, prone to anger and violence. When Thin Air opens, Veil has just been woken and is on an assassination mission in the nightclubs of Mars. Veil was decommissioned from the overriders and exiled to Mars where he makes a living working for underworld figures. Mars is a frontier world, riddled with gangs, corruption and vice, a milieu that Veil slots into perfectly.
At one level Thin Air is a crime story and political thriller although it takes a long time to get there. Veil is assigned to one of the auditors who has come from Earth to clean up Martian corruption. Madison Madekwe is looking into the disappearance of the last man to win the Martian lottery, a scheme that gives one lucky Martian the opportunity to go back to Earth. But when Madekwe herself is abducted and an attempt is made on Veil’s life it turns out there is a lot more going on that just a missing, presumed dead lottery winner.
Thin Air is classic Morgan, using a formula that does not seem to have changed much over the years. Veil solves every problem with violence – fists, big guns and knives – a sparky AI companion called Osiris and, where necessary, pornographically described sex. He relies on a range of friendly or slightly antagonistic allies including a couple in the local police force. And he is able to get out of a bunch of life threatening situations using his on board technology and by violently killing plenty of people but often because his assailant can’t help monologuing.
Space as a frontier town is something science fiction readers have been treated to in spades recently. Books like Ian McDonald’s Luna, Andy Weir’s Artemis and Chris Brookmyre’s Places in the Darkness are good recent examples. Morgan’s Mars has a cyberpunk, run down, lived-in feel complete with a range of political actors and locations built into the Martian landscape. Given its potential impact on the Martian population then, the ultimate mystery itself should create more tension. But in the end it just feels like a vehicle for escalating encounters for Veil and it is hard to care about the outcome for the Martian people one way or the other.
As noted above, while there is no “sleeving” and the background is Martian, there is plenty about Thin Air that is reminiscent of Altered Carbon. It is no stretch at all to imagine Joel Kinneman, who played Takeshi Kovacs on screen, taking the role of Hakan Veil. Similarly plenty of the side characters, including the cocky hacker, policewoman with a heart of gold and head of a Martian crimegang, could easily be played by their Netflix equivalents.
Fans of Morgan and his muscular, ultraviolent, hypersexualised style are likely to be fine with Thin Air. But Hakan Veil quickly outstays his welcome, the plot takes a long time to pick up speed and in the end is not all that engaging so any broader appeal is likely to be limited.
Hakan Veil is an overrider. Genetically engineered from before birth to be a supersoldier, he is forced to spend four months of every year in hibernation. When he emerges from that state he “runs hot”, prone to anger and violence. When Thin Air opens, Veil has just been woken and is on an assassination mission in the nightclubs of Mars. Veil was decommissioned from the overriders and exiled to Mars where he makes a living working for underworld figures. Mars is a frontier world, riddled with gangs, corruption and vice, a milieu that Veil slots into perfectly.
At one level Thin Air is a crime story and political thriller although it takes a long time to get there. Veil is assigned to one of the auditors who has come from Earth to clean up Martian corruption. Madison Madekwe is looking into the disappearance of the last man to win the Martian lottery, a scheme that gives one lucky Martian the opportunity to go back to Earth. But when Madekwe herself is abducted and an attempt is made on Veil’s life it turns out there is a lot more going on that just a missing, presumed dead lottery winner.
Thin Air is classic Morgan, using a formula that does not seem to have changed much over the years. Veil solves every problem with violence – fists, big guns and knives – a sparky AI companion called Osiris and, where necessary, pornographically described sex. He relies on a range of friendly or slightly antagonistic allies including a couple in the local police force. And he is able to get out of a bunch of life threatening situations using his on board technology and by violently killing plenty of people but often because his assailant can’t help monologuing.
Space as a frontier town is something science fiction readers have been treated to in spades recently. Books like Ian McDonald’s Luna, Andy Weir’s Artemis and Chris Brookmyre’s Places in the Darkness are good recent examples. Morgan’s Mars has a cyberpunk, run down, lived-in feel complete with a range of political actors and locations built into the Martian landscape. Given its potential impact on the Martian population then, the ultimate mystery itself should create more tension. But in the end it just feels like a vehicle for escalating encounters for Veil and it is hard to care about the outcome for the Martian people one way or the other.
As noted above, while there is no “sleeving” and the background is Martian, there is plenty about Thin Air that is reminiscent of Altered Carbon. It is no stretch at all to imagine Joel Kinneman, who played Takeshi Kovacs on screen, taking the role of Hakan Veil. Similarly plenty of the side characters, including the cocky hacker, policewoman with a heart of gold and head of a Martian crimegang, could easily be played by their Netflix equivalents.
Fans of Morgan and his muscular, ultraviolent, hypersexualised style are likely to be fine with Thin Air. But Hakan Veil quickly outstays his welcome, the plot takes a long time to pick up speed and in the end is not all that engaging so any broader appeal is likely to be limited.
Okish, didn't find as interesting as some of his other novels.
4 stars. This is a decent sci-fi thriller set on a colonized Mars. It's got a bit more brutality than I'm happy with and likeable characters are a bit thin on the ground, but it's definitely high action and it was easy to buy in to this version of a Mars of the future.