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Richard K. Morgan
Richard K. Morgan is the author of the cyberpunk thriller Altered Carbon. He's known for his gritty, action-packed science fiction stories.
Altered Carbon
Synopsis
Centuries from now, human consciousness can be digitised and stored on a "stack" implanted at the base of the skull, then re-sleeved into a new body at will. Death is negotiable for those who can afford it; the wealthy are effectively immortal. Takeshi Kovacs — a former Envoy, an elite and dangerous kind of soldier — is killed on his home world and wakes up hundreds of light-years away in a borrowed body on Earth, downloaded into a job he did not choose.
His new employer is Laurens Bancroft, one of the near-immortal super-rich, who was found with his head blown off. Bancroft was restored from a backup, but the backup predates his death, so he has no memory of it — and he does not believe the police verdict of suicide. He hires Kovacs to find out who killed him, and why.
What follows is a hard-boiled murder investigation set in a neon, rain-slicked future, unfolding through virtual torture, designer drugs, corporate conspiracy, and the philosophical vertigo of a world where the self can be copied, edited, and deleted. Violent, cerebral, and stylish, Altered Carbon is a landmark of modern cyberpunk and the first novel in the Takeshi Kovacs trilogy.
Genres
Characters
Takeshi KovacsProtagonist
A former Envoy re-sleeved on Earth to solve a murder.
Laurens BancroftSupporting
A near-immortal magnate investigating his own death.
Kristin OrtegaSupporting
A Bay City police lieutenant entangled with Kovacs.
Philip K. Dick Award (2003)
Frequently asked questions
Did Altered Carbon win any awards?
Yes. Altered Carbon won the Philip K. Dick Award for the best original science fiction paperback of 2003, for its US Del Rey edition. The novel was also Richard K. Morgan's debut.
Is Altered Carbon the basis for the Netflix series?
Yes. Netflix adapted the novel as Altered Carbon, an 18-episode series starring Joel Kinnaman as Takeshi Kovacs, which premiered on February 2, 2018, with a second season following in 2020.
Is this book part of a series that must be read in order?
This novel is the first entry in the Takeshi Kovacs trilogy, which continues with Broken Angels and concludes with Woken Furies. While each book features a distinct mission for the protagonist, they follow a chronological progression of his life and experiences.
Did this book win any major awards?
It received the Philip K. Dick Award in 2003, which is presented annually to distinguished science fiction works published as paperback originals in the United States.
Is there a screen adaptation I should know about?
A television series adaptation of the same name was released on Netflix in 2018, spanning two seasons, and was later accompanied by an animated spin-off film titled Altered Carbon: Resleeved.