Broken Angels

By: Richard K. Morgan

Narrated by: Todd McLaren

Length: 16 hrs and 8 mins

Publisher's summary

Cynical, quick-on-the-trigger Takeshi Kovacs, the ex-U.N. envoy turned private eye, has changed careers, and bodies, once more, trading sleuthing for soldiering as a warrior-for-hire and helping a far-flung planet's government put down a bloody revolution.

But when it comes to taking sides, the only one Kovacs is ever really on is his own. So when a rogue pilot and a sleazy corporate fat cat offer him a lucrative role in a treacherous treasure hunt, he's only too happy to go AWOL with a band of resurrected soldiers of fortune. All that stands between them and the ancient alien spacecraft they mean to salvage are a massacred city bathed in deadly radiation, unleashed nanotechnolgy with a million ways to kill, and whatever surprises the highly advanced Martian race may have in store. But armed with his genetically engineered instincts, and his trusty twin Kalashnikovs, Takeshi is ready to take on anything...and let the devil take whoever's left behind.

Broken Angels is the second Takeshi Kovacs novel. Don't miss the first, Altered Carbon, or the third, Woken Furies.

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

Critic reviews

"A superior, satisfying cyberpunk noir adventure." (Publishers Weekly)
"A lively follow-up to an energetic debut, with a still refreshingly cynical hero." (Booklist)

Excellent

The recording quality was definitely better than in the first book. This second book was as good or better than the first, in terms of both story and narration! Highly recommend!

all great as usual

even though his style of "adult bedroom scenes" improved fro the last book, I seriously think this writer should use a "shadowwriter" for these scenes. with so much detail of colors and emotions and raw material turned into this insanely beautiful picture that is written, I feel as though a climax is spoiled as I laugh at the sex scenes. it kills the chapter. if this book is republished, please add the same imagination into the adult scenes as you do with their surroundings of beautiful blue sea.
that only argument aside, another fabulous book!

incredible story, tons of action.

You come to really love the characters, and at times, the phrase, "Indiana Jones in Space" comes to mind. if Indiana Jones were a super soldier with state of the art weaponry. Fantastic listen!

My favorite so far

Don't read this book until you've read the first novel (Altered Carbon). This is a futuristic world, with lots of new technologies and phrases that won't make any sense to you if you haven't read the first book. I liked the fact that the second installment just took off without the usual plodding re-hashing of details from the previous story. Kovach is the perfect lead character, sort of a cross between Han Solo and Indiana Jones but with out the moral code. His sarcastic sense of humor with an "I really don't give a damn" attitude make him very sexy. I've read other reviewers that were turned off by the strong language and explicit sex scenes, but many of you might actually find them refreshing. I enjoy Fantasy and Sci-Fi novels (Robert Jordan was my favorite), but the total lack of sex in Jordan's complex adult stories was very dissappointing and quite unrealistic. Morgan has written a trilogy (yes, the third one is out already!) with lots of very strong female characters who really enjoy sex. There are evil women in the book as well as righteous ones, but none of them are victims. The only part of the two books that I could have done without were the graphic torture scenes. Fortunately, they are only a small part of what is sure to become a classic trilogy. The movie rights have been snatched up by Holliwood already, but the dilemma will be, who will play Tak, when he's in a different body in each episode?

Great story

I must admit that at first I didn't think the sequel was going to be as good, then it all changed and I was in for an unpredictable wild ride. I'm going to knock off 1 star for three plot problems. He ended up 'solving' them by lying and having the character lie to us one right after the other. with a few sentences he tore the band-aid off and away we went. If you can't solve it better than that, I guess that's a fine plan. Cause if he drug it out and popped me out of the story three separate times, I very likely would have stopped reading. As it was, I laughed and learned a way past writers block!

Good book great performance

The narrator is really good and the writing is tight. Look forward to more books by both the writer and the narrator.

This guy is scary good!

Can't believe it's only his 2nd novel. I enjoyed Altered Carbon but had a hard time following or really getting engaged with the characters. This sequel has a much different feel although Kovach is still central...different sleeve and still sorta Mickey Spillanesque but with some light and warmth in the darkness. You do NOT have to read the first one to appreciate this sequel, but it may jump start you on some of the concepts. The throw-away sidebar ideas are an ideational feast...wish someone would flesh many of them out into full stories. This guy is scary. Can't wait to see what happens when the Martians and/or the real badass aliens come into focus. He creates a fantastic but very coherent world which begs many philosop[hical questions. But more importantly, it's a fast-moving, engaging and fun read...with several interesting twists. I'm ready for volume 3.

A Solid 4 Star Hardcore Scifi Roller-coaster Ride

Richard Morgan is a fun read/listen for any hard tech scifi lover. Period. He just gets it. He's into the moment, wherever you are in this great audiobook, and you can feel it. He's brought warfare, technology, moral crises, hard action, plots within plots, backstabbing, subterfuge, turn-on-a-dime plot direction, and so much more to this novel. From Voodoo tech dealers, to mega corp nanotech battles, to virtual playgrounds, to bionic enhancements that offer virtual immortality, to gigantic alien ark ships, you, dear reader, are going to be busy in a great way.

Remember, if you like the soft gentle scifi writings of early Heinlein or Norton, this won't quite be your cup of tea.

Otherwise, jump in, pull the bar close to your chest, keep your arms in the car at all times - You're in for a wild ride!

Excellent noir military scifi, well performed

Altered Carbon, the first book to feature this protagonist, is a noir mystery. This book has a more military theme, but still with a mystery flavor. Todd McClaren does an excellent narration job. The world that Morgan creates is intriguing and reasonably and brings up lots of interesting ethical questions. He does a good job of balancing action, philosophical pondering, and emotion. The plot is enjoyably complex but with plenty of familiar cliches. Note that there's lots of violence, gore, and torture.

Excellent Book for Lovers of Gritty Sci-Fi

This is another outstanding effort in the ongoing saga of ex-Envoy assassin, cum private detective Takeshi Kovacs. Many reviewers have taken exception with comparing Richard Morgan to Neil Stephenson or William Gibson. I loved Stephenson?s early work, and Gibson broke new ground with Neuromancer, but where are they lately? Stephenson has been engrossed in his three book Cryptonomicon series, a long drawn-out story that is something like Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell but that flat out makes no sense. Who knows where Gibson has gone, his later books show him struggling with finding new visions in his once vivid imagined universe. Morgan picks up the mantle and welds on a bit of Raymond Chandler, and the result is exceptionally entertaining and quite interesting. There are a couple of graphic sex scenes that do seem a bit gratuitous, and if you read the first book, they will make you wonder about Morgan?s predilections. Still, I have to think that if Chandler could have gotten away with it, Sam Spade would have had a similar scene with the bookseller in The Maltese Falcon. If you like gritty, sci-fi set in the not too distant future, and not the dreck that Kevin Anderson is pushing in his abysmal ?Saga of Seven Suns? series; you?ll like this book and its prequel, Altered Carbon. Definitely not a waste of a book-credit.

-Jack