Sex, violence and drugs become a strange brew in this futuristic novel with the premise that what we are can be contained in a small device implanted ..Show More »into any body. The hero, Takashi Kovacs, is a detective (of sorts). His neural systems are enhanced.
When people die in this future, except for Catholics, they can be brought back in another body if their device (called a stack) is not destroyed. Catholics do not have stacks.
So Kovacs, who is disliked by almost everyone in the novel, is called by a rich man, who believes his suicide was murder.
With more plot twists than a tub full of snakes, the story unfolds complete with some of the nastiest villans around.
If you like plenty of violence and strange machinations, read this novel. The writing is colorful and interesting and the plot moves along wihtout undue burdening by explantion of the science, politics and culutres involved.
The ending has a twisted nobility that I found appealing.
This is not high art, but it is darn good listening.



« Show Less

I also listened to Altered Carbon (first book in the series). This one is slightly better in some way - it seems more smooth or something, less time s..Show More »pent explaining the backdrop perhaps. The story is independent of the first book so you don't have to read them in order (but Altered Carbon is good enough that you should anyway)

Same narrator as the first book and he is terrific! Probably one of the best readers I've heard: his women's voices don't sound absurd, and you can tell who's talking from his intonation.

It is graphic, with detailed (and very long) sex scenes which are gratuitous in nature - i.e. they don't advance the plot in any significant way. I'm not a prude and I don't mind listening to sex, but be forewarned that it is adult in nature, a.k.a pornographic, no two ways about it. I would have taken off a star for this but it's such a good story otherwise and there's always a fast forward button.

And, of course, it is violent and gory and has a dim view of the value of human life...

But, other than that, it's terrific!





« Show Less

Even though I read some of the reviews, I still purchased the Woken Furies audio book. I did this because I LOVED the first two books: Altered Carbon..Show More » and Broken Angels. I LOVED the narrator for the two books: Todd McLaren. Todd McLaren IS Takeshi Kovacs. I listened to the books back to back.

But the reviewers are usually on the mark. I should have know better than to doubt. I agree with many of the other reviewers. The change in narrators was a horrendous mistake. It almost made me cry. I just started listening to the book, and honestly, I don't know if I will be able to finish. The story is excellent, but I might have to read it instead. That way I can at least hear Todd McLaren in my head.

This narrator for Woken Furies is terrible. Sometimes he sounds as if he talking in a tin can. He absolutely does not have the voice for this kind of story.



« Show Less