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)

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.

Morally grey

Morgan drops Kovacs into a war which really helps to explore the character and his selective morals.

It’s interesting but relies heavily on exposition dumps near the end to make sense of all the threads he left dangling.

violence and drugs

really appreciate the way the author writing style flows in a badass way must listen to this book.

Fabulous Noir Sci-Fi

I've enjoyed Richard K. Morgan's science fiction more than any other books I've ever downloaded from Audible (and that's a lot). The plot of Broken Angels is sufficiently complex to keep your interest but not overwhelming. There's plenty of tension to draw you forward. The scope of the novel is sufficiently grand to remind you of why you like science fiction in the first place.

Takeshi Kovacs, the hero, is fabulous. Imagine Han Solo and Clark Gable and James Bond being grafted into one personality... that's him.

Warning: there are a couple of steamy scenes not for the prudish -- and can be very distracting while you're at work.

Good book. Audio Volume is very low

The NARA raider reads very well, and I like his performance, but the recording is ridiculous.

When you master an audio performance like this, you need to make sure that people don’t have to crank their volume up to 11 just to hear it. Run a compression filter at the very least so that the low volume segments are amplified and the high amplitude segments are gated. This narrator has a really deep voice also, so maybe you could take out some of the thunderous bass that’s recorded.

I like the book series.

Not as good as Altered Carbon but not bad

I enjoyed the first book, Altered Carbon. Though it was mostly a typical (if graphic) gumshoe novel, it introduced a well made and thought provoking universe.
Broken Angels has a bit more of a generic, convoluted sci-fi plot with fewer memorable characters. I liked the parts that expounded upon Takeshi's background, the Quellists, and the Martians, but they felt few and far between. The continuous action was enough to keep me interested, but I hoped for more depth. The fact that the end of the book turned into another "who done it" scene also had me rolling my eyes. Maybe if all of the character motivations revealed in the end had been explained along the way, it would have made for a more compelling read. I agree with readers who say this book is worth reading if you want to get more acquainted with TK's universe, but keep expectations in check.

vividly entertaining

Superior performance and memorable characters make this another worthwhile book to listen to. I wish they would release a third done with this narrator because it would be great.

great story

loved this one better than the first book, my only complaint is the the reader stumbles on his words sometimes. such a great book though.

Love Todd McLaren

I love Todd McLaren's voice. He puts me to sleep quickly, and I have to backtrack a lot. Didn't enjoy the story as much as Altered Carbon. But, I plan on listening to the 3rd book.

Great story, poor audio

loved the story. audio has way too much bass, sometimes speech is unintelligible. looking forward to the next book in the series