Altered Carbon

By: Richard K. Morgan

Narrated by: Todd McLaren

Length: 17 hrs and 10 mins

Publisher's summary

In the 25th century, humankind has spread throughout the galaxy, monitored by the watchful eye of the U.N. While divisions in race, religion, and class still exist, advances in technology have redefined life itself. Now, assuming one can afford the expensive procedure, a person's consciousness can be stored in a cortical stack at the base of the brain and easily downloaded into a new body (or "sleeve") making death nothing more than a minor blip on a screen.

Ex-U.N. envoy Takeshi Kovacs has been killed before, but his last death was particularly painful. Dispatched 180 light-years from home, re-sleeved into a body in Bay City (formerly San Francisco, now with a rusted, dilapidated Golden Gate Bridge), Kovacs is thrown into the dark heart of a shady, far-reaching conspiracy that is vicious even by the standards of a society that treats "existence" as something that can be bought and sold. For Kovacs, the shell that blew a hole in his chest was only the beginning.

Altered Carbon is the first Takeshi Kovacs novel. Don't miss the sequels Broken Angels and Woken Furies.

©2003 Richard K. Morgan (P)2005 Tantor Media, Inc.

Critic reviews

"This far-future hard-boiled detective story is a lovely virtual-reality romp." (Booklist)
"Fast-paced, densely textured, impressive....Morgan's 25th-century Earth is convincing, while the questions he poses about how much Self is tied to body chemistry and how the rich believe themselves above the law are especially timely." (Publishers Weekly)

NC-17 rated

These books should contain a rating. In this case an NC-17 would be appropriate for violence, language, sex, and drug use. However, the book does have a captivating story and SciFi backbone.
Given the DLNV used by this author, I don't think I can bring myself to read any sequels though.

Not as good as the TV series (surprisingly)

If you could sum up Altered Carbon in three words, what would they be?

Sex. Blood. Crime.

What did you like best about this story?

The main character, classic anti-hero.

Have you listened to any of Todd McLaren’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Many of them. Perhaps too many. It was hard not to think of other characters he has read.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Not really.

Any additional comments?

Unfortunately, the netflix series is better. Not what I expected but this time it was the TV series that had more story and the book that felt kinda stripped down.

Story makes up for audio flaws

Would you consider the audio edition of Altered Carbon to be better than the print version?

No

What did you like about the performance? What did you dislike?

The actor's voice doesn't match the one in my head when I read the book (not his fault); the other characters' voices aren't consistent.

Any additional comments?

The volume shifts are radical - I have to drive with one hand on the volume dial to maintain a reasonable level.

okay book, unique plot.

I enjoyed the originality of the story . the characters for the most part were very dull and uninteresting. this is definitely a plot driven book. nothing remarkable about the world. The narrator has a great tone and pace for the main character but nobody should make this man do a female voice ever again, or attempts at any kind of an accent.

With all that said the story plays out like a high tech murder mystery. I gave it 3 stars because it captured me enough to want to know how it ended and the last few chapters were really captivating and intense. it could have been more so if the writer didnt have everyone act like a zombie the entire book and then double down on that in the end. I wouldn't recommend purchasing this book at full price. maybe on sale or as a gift.

It's not Netflix

It's not like the show. The ride is just as intense and just as mind twisting.
I was a bit bummed a the difference in the Hotels but in the individual settings each had its place.

captivating

with a few exceptions this is a continually riveting listen. the narrator had the perfect balance of excitement and nonchalance. can't wait to listen to the rest of the series.

Not the Netflix story...

I came to this expecting the same basic story from.the tv version. What I got was vastly different, but still familiar. I enjoyed this story as much, and in some ways more.

Solid cyberpunk dective stroy

Both the story and narrator was great, but the recording quality was questionable. Haven't had to adjust the EQ volume settings for other books I've listened to before and a shame that it was needed at all for a otherwise great book.

great cyberpunk

fantastic cyberpunk world, high tech and gritty. intrigue everywhere, layers upon layers to keep the reader engaged.

Very enjoyable

Very enjoyable, fast paced and well developed. Reader was excellent.