Thin Air

A Novel

By: Richard K. Morgan

Narrated by: Colin Mace

Length: 18 hrs and 6 mins

Publisher's summary

An atmospheric tale of corruption and abduction set on Mars, from the author of the award-winning science fiction novel Altered Carbon, now an exciting new series from Netflix.

Named one of the best books of the year by The Guardian.

Hakan Veil is an ex-corporate enforcer equipped with military-grade body tech that’s made him a human killing machine. His former employers have abandoned him on a turbulent Mars where Earth-based overlords battle for profits and power amid a homegrown independence movement. But he’s had enough of the turbulent red planet, and all he wants is a ticket back home - which is just what he’s offered by the Earth Oversight organization, in exchange for being the bodyguard for an EO investigator. It’s a beyond-easy gig for a heavy hitter like Veil...until it isn’t.

When Veil’s charge starts looking into the mysterious disappearance of a lottery winner, it stirs up a hornet’s nest of intrigue and murder. And the deeper Veil is drawn into the game, the more long-buried secrets claw their way to the Martian surface. Now it’s the expert assassin poised against powerful enemies hell-bent on taking him down - by any means necessary.

Praise for Thin Air:

“Kick-ass.... Mixed in with the thriller-esque action and cyberpunk backdrop is a hard-boiled noir story complete with a twisting and turning plot that keeps readers on their toes.” (Los Angeles Times)

“Richard K. Morgan wants to destroy your Mars fantasies.... It’s a grim vision, but one that Morgan finds far more plausible than the cheerful visions of plucky Mars colonists common in sci-fi.” (Wired)

“A robotically enhanced Jack Reacher [in a] dazzlingly intricate game of political double- and triple-cross, spiced with tastily kinetic battle sequences.” (The Guardian)

“If you ever imagined that the core esthetics and themes of cyberpunk - lowlifes and high tech; corporate dominance; future noir; post-human evolution and cyborg adaptations; hardscrabble urban environments - were played out, Thin Air will set you straight, and kick your butt in the process.... Both kinematic and cinematic, [Thin Air is] limned by Morgan with balletic precision and smashmouth grace.” (Paul Di Filippo, Locus)

©2018 Richard K. Morgan (P)2018 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

“Morgan really makes this version of Mars come to life.... As realistic and vibrant as anything I’ve read in the genre.” (Tor.com)

“Scintillating, imaginative.... This is science-fiction as neo-noir thriller, with gunfights, multiple shadowy agendas, and blood on the floor.” (Sci-fi and Fantasy Reviews)

Gritty Mars noir sci-fi - Worth the read

Great book, featuring a noir-ish detective story. I'm a fan of this author and this book doesn't disappoint. The MC is an ex-"over-rider", a "hard man" tasked with riding along on space journeys in cold storage and only woken up if something goes wrong. When they wake up, their mission is to "save the ship" and they do with brutal efficiency and little regard for the safety of themselves of others.

In a lot of ways, Vail (the MC) has been in cold storage on Mars for the past 5 or so years when he's tasked with helping an Earth diplomat figure out the disappearance of a local who'd won a trip back to earth and then disappeared before he could take the trip. The results are explosive...

The action is tight, the noir tropes are on point and the story zips along at a great pace. Morgan's vision of Mars is super interesting and the details he highlights are sleek and edged in chrome. Everything we've come to expect from this master of the genre.

There was perhaps too much sex for me, but I still really enjoyed the novel. I never really enjoy explicit sex in audio books. I don't mind it, if the rest of the book is good, and the rest of this book is great. The sex isn't bad either, just not for me.

great performance

extremely well performed. lots of enjoyable subtlety in the narration that beautifully compliments the well crafted writing. a winding character driven story richly developed. loved it.

Sex, Guns, Betrayal and Reverse Trap cards all day

Simply put this is one of the best audio books i have ever heard. Entertainment through out the whole story.

New Characters, New Background, Same Great Sci-fi

I love the altered carbon series - and the tv shows too. Morgan pulls his future forward, creating a new future set on Mars and a new hero, the Outrider, with a similar skill set and approach as Takeshi Kovacs.

There’s just enough new and different to keep things going. Great narrator - definitely written for an adult audience.

An updated Blade Runner world

It is always great to read realistic hard SF showing a gritty tough world. This is definitely it and I enjoyed burying myself in it. This is not the polished clean Star Trek universe. Gritty futuristic realism gives the story a sophisticated feel and you like and relate to the characters even more.

Great read

I loved everything about this book, great story and a fun read. Beware the Overrider

solid, enjoyable cyberpunk noir

good voice work, fun story, very much in line with his other work. I got a little confused sometimes but the story was put together well enough that it came back together. Gets a little romance novel level softcore a few times but not so much that it deserves a star off. well worth a credit.

Morgan and Mace give some of their best work

We can only hope to see more of the adventures of Haken Vail and company soon.

Gritty Martian noir

Thin Air by Richard K Morgan is a gritty detective tale set on Mars. While the main character is not strictly a detective, he begins as a bodyguard for an Earth auditor and ends up piecing together a complex conspiracy. Mars has been colonized and supplies Earth with some specific merchandise. The Earth conglomerate in charge has arrived for an audit amidst local grumblings. What transpires is a hodgepodge of corrupt politicians, cops, and assorted major and minor criminal gangs, while a larger coup is in the works. All the while, Veil is trying to do the right thing, while everything is constantly shifting around him.

Morgan presents a credible future with Mars colonized, but still with a decidedly colonial flavor. There are extensive operations around the solar system and Veil, the main character is a former Overrider meaning he's been modified for long, solo space flights. As such, he makes good muscle for hire along with his implanted AI as a constant companion. The plot is richly complex with a wide variety of players each with their own agenda, but basically, this is the wild west with a free-for-all attitude.

The narration is quite well done with a good range of voices. Pacing and tone suit the noir nature of the tale.

Great story and narration

I found the narrator excellent and the story gripping. I often listen at 2x but not this one ... Wanted to catch every word. Sex scenes felt clumsy but other than that I loved every moment of this story.