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Author Richard K. Morgan booklist (click here)

Book Review By Dave Hoon
Altered Carbon by Richard Morgan

Takeshi Kovacs is brought to Earth by wealthy Laurens Bancroft to prove that Bancroft's first mysterious death was murder and not suicide. To do this, Kovacs must be "resleeved" into the body of a disgraced police officer to be on the case. While investigating, he develops a relationship with the police lieutenant who was involved former "occupant" of his body. To solve the crime, he encounters a number of violent characters, including robot killers in settings ranging from virtual paradises to seedy houses of prostitution. The story ends with low level criminals punished, but the wealthy wrongdoers continue their morally corrupt ways.


Plot & Themes
Tone of book - cynical or dry-wit
FANTASY or SCIENCE FICTION? - science fiction story
Spying & Investigations Yes
What is main char. doing? - finding a killer (criminal)
Lifeform altered? Yes
Kind of alteration:
Is this an adult or child's book? - Adult or Young Adult Book
Descript. of chases or violence - 30 %
planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 20 %
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 30 %
Descript. of society, phenomena (tech), places - 20 %
If enemy is a group... - big corporation

Main Character
Identity: - Male
Profession/status:
Age: - 20's-30's
If magical mental powers: - can change shapes

Main Adversary
Identity: - Male
Age: - long-lived adults
Profession/status:
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in: - a moderate amount
How sensitive is this character?
Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence - Very much smarter than other characters

Setting
Terrain
Which planet? - Mars
Earth setting: - medium future 22-24th century
Takes place on Earth? Yes
Not Earth, in Solar System? Yes

Writing Style
Accounts of torture and death? - moderately detailed references to deaths
scientific jargon? (SF only) - a moderate amount of scientific explanation
How much dialogue? - roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
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