Woken Furies

By: Richard K. Morgan

Narrated by: William Dufris

Length: 22 hrs and 3 mins

Publisher's summary

Richard K. Morgan has received widespread praise for his astounding 25th-century novels featuring Takeshi Kovacs, and has established a growing legion of fans. Mixing classic noir sensibilities with a searing futuristic vision of an age when death is nearly meaningless, Morgan returns to his saga of betrayal, mystery, and revenge, as Takeshi Kovacs, in one fatal moment, joins forces with a mysterious woman who may have the power to shatter Harlan's World forever.

Once a gang member, then a marine, then a galaxy-hopping Envoy trained to wreak slaughter and suppression across the stars, a bleeding, wounded Kovacs was chilling out in a New Hokkaido bar when some so-called holy men descended on a slim beauty with tangled, hyperwired hair. An act of quixotic chivalry later and Kovacs was in deep: mixed up with a woman with two names, many powers, and one explosive history.

In a world where the real and virtual are one and the same and the dead can come back to life, the damsel in distress may be none other than the infamous Quellcrist Falconer, the vaporized symbol of a freedom now gone from Harlan's World. Kovacs can deal with the madness of AI. He can do his part in a battle against biomachines gone wild, search for a three-centuries-old missing weapons system, and live with a blood feud with the yakuza, and even with the betrayal of people he once trusted. But when his relationship with "the" Falconer brings him an enemy specially designed to destroy him, he knows it's time to be afraid.

After all, the guy sent to kill him is himself: but younger, stronger, and straight out of hell.

Wild, provocative, and riveting, Woken Furies is a full-bore science fiction spectacular of the highest order from one of the most original and spellbinding storytellers at work today.

Woken Furies is the third Takeshi Kovacs novel, following Altered Carbon and Broken Angels.

©2005 Richard K. Morgan (P)2006 Tantor Media, Inc.

Critic reviews

"The author's eye for detail and feel for the atmosphere and nuances of SF noir result in a story packed with action and angst that will also appeal to general suspense readers." (Library Journal)
"Morgan's anxiously awaited third Takeshi Kovacs novel makes a terrific addition to an award-winning series....Highly recommended for followers of the series, cyberpunk devotees, and hard-boiled detective fans not averse to a little genre-bending." (Booklist)

professional word pronouncer can't pronounce words

I find the constant mispronunciation of names irritating. It is made clear in the other books that the people of Harlan's World would pronounce Kovacs correctly. All of the Japanese words/names are also mispronounced, and by ostensibly Japanese speaking characters. Totally unacceptable.

The decision to use reverb in some sections makes it difficult to hear and is quite befuddling.

I will read the print version instead.

I understand that they couldn't get the same guy/team as before, but the sudden change of reader and style in the middle of the series is also disquieting.

voice actor ignorance

voice actor clearly never read the first book in the series to see how to properly pronounce Kovacs

Don't be scared off by the different narrator!

I was shocked and outraged to hear a different narrator after getting used to Todd McLaren’s performance in the first two books, but then I decided to stop being petty and enjoy the remainder of the story, which I liked so much that I would have listened to Donald Duck narrate it.
After just a few minutes I could tell that William Dufris, the new narrator, was capable - and then I learned just how good he is. Dufris expresses the protagonist’s (Kovacs’) depth of emotion exquisitely, particularly his world-weariness after centuries of existence and several lifetimes worth of disappointments. This allows Dufris to present a Kovacs that’s a bit closer to his slum upbringing than McLaren’s version. This is ideal for the final book because it shows that Kovacs hasn’t completely left his past behind him, which I believe is essential to really appreciating this book. I believe Mr. Dufris’ version of Kovacs was the best choice for this book’s up-close-and-personal look at the background that made Kovacs who he is.

Here’s how I suggest you read the series: Enjoy McLaren’s narration of the first two books, then take a moment and prepare yourself for a change in Kovac’s voice and demeanor. His street gang past will be more apparent than before, but you’ll soon see that it allows you to relate to the character much better.

Fantastic

I LOVED THIS BOOK! The story was intelligent and gripping, and the narrator was exceptional. He literally breathed life into the characters in a way that I have seldom heard elsewhere. I was fine with the 'echoey' quality to the recording at various points, as those short sections were obviously altered to reflect either a past episode, or to simulate telecommunications. The overall production value was also superb. Can't wait for the next one!

Cyberpunk and Grit!

I was looking for something that was decidedly sci-fi and cyberpunk and this fits the bill perfectly!

Well written with three books in the series which leaves you wishing there were more to be had.

Action and mystery, there promises to be plenty of audio action and I can only cajole you to take a listen and enjoy.

We need more like this!

Narration was subpar

Couldn't get into the new reader. For starters, he pronounced the name "Kovax" , not "Kovatch", something that was made a point of in the first book. I'm sure William DuFris is a good narrator, he just seems to not pay attention to details, and as such, I felt the book was a waste of a credit. Sorry.

special talent

It takes a while to catch on to some of the out of this world concepts that Morgan puts into his story's. But once ya wrap yer brain around changing bodys, like an old shirt, this tale, and the rest of the adventures of Tokoshi is most captivating. If you like sci-fi this will be a favorite among friends in your library.

Science Fiction or Harlequin Romance

….or maybe just an author getting off on his own personal fantasies. A science fiction trilogy this being book 3 was very difficult to buy into and just when you are ready to accept the fiction and enjoy the story he goes into a long drawn out graphic description of a sexual encounter his main character has. So drawn out and so graphic that I needed to jump ahead a chapter and start again the effort to buy into his science fiction. But, right on cue comes another explicit description of another sexual encounter. I’m not against romance in science fiction and it’s common in the majority. But even though Netflix turned it into a 🎥 I rate this trilogy one of the worst I’ve read in over 50 years. I really struggled through finishing as it’s almost never that I just quit on a book. But, I just finished the final chapter of the final book and instead of the sadness I feel after finishing a good book and knowing I’ll never see the characters again, this time I feel like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders and I know that this evening before sleeping I’ll be starting a new book by a new author and I’ll never need to think about this fictional world(s) again. 🎉

Meh….

I chose this because I read the two previous books. The story took forever to get going. The hook came in last half of the third act, which is a lot of drudgery and details to get to the conclusion. The meaningless and unnecessarily detailed sex scenes didn’t do anything to push the plot forward. I really enjoyed the first book, the second one was ok, but this was just too inconsistent.

Excellent series

This is an excellent, deeply thought through, and highly entertaining series. These books, including this one, are complex, dark, and compelling. And quite satisfying.

If I were to do it again, I would listen to the first two books and then read this one, since the original reader was so much better (and knew how to pronounce Kovacs). The voice effects were cool, but this reader is way too maudlin and whiny.