Market Forces

By: Richard K. Morgan

Narrated by: Simon Vance

Length: 15 hrs and 42 mins

Publisher's summary

What do you buy and sell when the global markets reach saturation point? The markets themselves. Thirty years from now the big players in global capitalism have moved on from commodities. The big money is in conflict investment. The corporations keep a careful watch on the wars of liberation and revolution that burn constantly around the world. They guage who the winners will be and sell them arms, intelligence, and power. In return for a slice of the action when the war is won.

The reward? A stake in the new nation. It's cynical, brutal, and it has nothing to do with democracy and the rule of law. So what else is new? The executives in this lethal game bid for contracts, fight for promotion, secure their lives on the roads. Fighting lethal duels in souped up, heavily armoured cars on the empty motorways of the future. Chris Faulkener has a lethal reputation and a new job at Shorn Associates. Has he got what it takes to make a real killing?

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

Critic reviews

• 2005 Audie Award Winner, Science-Fiction

"Convincing and compelling." (Publishers Weekly)

Wall Street Meets Road Warrior

I am honestly not sure why people are rating this so low. It is very well written and well narrated. It is classic Richard K Morgan story telling, sex and violence laced with discussions of morality, economics and politics.

Mr. Morgan creates a world where multiple economic collapses have created a society where the corporations control everything including when and where wars happen. In order to move ahead in this corporate world you must participate in road duels with others of the executive class.

I easily connected with Chris Falkner, the primary character who fought his way out of the slums and into the executive world. As with all of Morgan's characters he is neither good nor bad but a real, conflicted character faced with moral choices that change him and the people around him.

I almost didn't get book based on some of the reviews and now I am glad I did. It is not a Kovaks book but if you like Morgan's style give it a try.

Tale of an Economic Hitman, literally.

Take a healthy dose of globalization run amok, mix liberally with John Perkins "Confessions of an Economic Hitman", add a dash of "Blade Runner" (directors cut thank you very much) and you've got something resembling this work. The canned jacket liner material doesn't do it justice.

Reading the Audible blurb after finishing the book doesn't just make me go "they just didn't get it;" It totally lacks the "gut wrenching - can't stop listening - don't want the story to end - but in a way relieved that it's over" feeling the book leaves the reader with at the end. Well worth the read.

I'm happy I spent money on this.

I illicitly downloaded this audiobook years ago. I listened to the whole thing many times in the past.
I recently plugged my old iPod into my car and hit random.
This popped up.
My appreciation for the book has driven me here to do right by the author and pay for the audio book.
The narrator makes all the difference. The general concept is goofy and playful but the delivery is not. A great listen.

A Predictable Story, But Pretty Decent

Less surprising than it could have been. The characters all have a predictable story arc, but it was read well by Simon Vance.

A puzzle

It could have been so good, in fact I thought it was so good. But either the author choked at the last minute or it was never good.
It’s a dystopian world where financial companies make money off of wars by supplying arms to one or both sides and then controlling the clients economy. The financial analysts get promotions based on the excellence of their work and in addition get promotions by the ritual killings of their competitors on the way in to work.
It’s a great premise and as the violence spills over into the city I thought it was leading to social change.
So...characters are complicated but then they aren’t. I can’t explain because it would give away too much. At any rate I listened to the end. Contains graphic violence and sex.

Doesn't fully make sense, but is awesome

The premise with the driving fights is a bit contrived & hard to suspend disbelief on, however it will grow on you as the book progresses.

Once in full swing, it's a fun book without a simple tied-bow story or simple characters. It's rich dudes fighting with cars next to future slums in London while running global-conflict arbitrage, what's not to enjoy??

Not as great as his other work, but definitely enjoyable & has his trademark tone. would recommend.

Well written, Well read.

This book reads like a classic...could end up being one, I think. Morgan does stretch one's imagination
and ability to buy into some of his concepts pretty hard, but he never snaps the chord.
His characters play the scenes like real humans...human strengths, weaknesses, all there
to drive the story line to its not so simple, thought provoking, conclusion. There's hints that the hero has a bit of "super" ability to drive a car. I dislike "superpower" junk. Also, his wife as his personal super competent mechanic was a bit of a klunker. But Morgan managed to keep the whole peice in the right key, even so.
Simon Vance played it all with perfect pace and pitch. First rate narration. Consistent, too.
Overall, SF as I think it should be. Up there with the real good ones.
PS...The above praise does not apply to some of his other works which, frankly, contain every
element it takes to make genuine stinkers. Those include everything in the " Takeshi
Kovacs" series.

great

great book. very dark and what you expect from such an amazing writer. looking forward to more

Morgan delivers again

As always Simon Vance delivers as your transported into the not so distant future thought up by Morgan. Falkner is a wonderfully flawed character and the story flies by in a whirl of self exploration and intrigue.

Why wasn't this a short story?

it took me over a month to get through this book. after Carbon, the author just gets worse and worse with each book. This book had some neat ideas, but drags on pointlessly through them. Obligatory sex scenes are common with Morgan's writing.

I don't know, it's like because altered carbon was good, they just keep letting this author try to hit gold again, and every piece of work just falls short.

Don't waste your credit.