Books similar to/as good as Altered Carbon?

**TooNice** · July 15th, 2011, 05:18 AM

I read this not too recently and absolutely loved it, but Morgan's other work left me underwhelmed. I didn't enjoy the alien angle of broken angels or the somewhat...desultory plot direction of woken furies (only way i can describe it really). So could anyone mention something in a similar vein that I might enjoy? I'm not really sure if it was the hard boiled side or the cyperpunk side that made me love Altered Carbon more, the unique combination of the two, or maybe even Takeshi Kovacs himself, but I definitely loved all of that along with the grim tone to it all. I was thinking of getting something like Snow Crash or Neuromancer, but honestly I don't know....I've always been more of a Space Opera kind of guy when it comes to Sci-fi.

Thanks.

Also what are some of Morgan's stand alone books like? Any that are really worth checking out?

**PeteMC** · July 15th, 2011, 06:02 AM

Altered Carbon is the only Morgan I've read (other than his fantasy thing, which I hated) and if it reminded me of anything it was probably early Gibson so yeah, give Neuromancer a go. It hasn't aged brilliantly but it's certainly got the same sort of hard-boiled thing going on, and it's about as cyberpunk as you can get.

If you like hard-boiled and space opera, you might like Alistair Reynolds if you haven't read them already. Chasm City is probably the best one, IMO.

**martielillycrop** · July 16th, 2011, 02:46 AM

Originally Posted by PeteMC

If you like hard-boiled and space opera, you might like Alistair Reynolds if you haven't read them already. Chasm City is probably the best one, IMO.

I agree about Chasm City - very similar feel to it, and one of Reynolds' better books IMO. You might also want to look at 'Gridlinked' by Neal Asher. There's a similar grittiness to that particular novel in the Polity universe that might grab you.

Morgan's stand alone novels, for me, were hit and miss. I didn't get on with Market Forces (though I know others who loved it) and didn't even finish Thirteen (Black Man).

**Contrarius** · July 16th, 2011, 02:36 PM

I haven't read em yet, but from what I've read *about* them maybe the Marid Audran books by George Alec Effinger would fit the bill? The first is When Gravity Fails.

**Waiting** · July 16th, 2011, 09:36 PM

Originally Posted by Contrarius

I haven't read em yet, but from what I've read *about* them maybe the Marid Audran books by George Alec Effinger would fit the bill? The first is When Gravity Fails.

I've read those and they are, at best, just OK. I liked "Thirteen". If "Altered Carbon" is a 10, then "Thirteen" is a 9 (IMHO).

**TooNice** · July 17th, 2011, 03:22 AM

alright thanks, i like the sound of chasm city and neuromancer. keep the suggestions coming though.

**pox** · July 17th, 2011, 06:28 AM

have a search for the review to Leviathan Wakes on here somewhere. Might do right for you.

edit, got

http://www.sffworld.com/brevoff/718.html

**crucislancer** · July 17th, 2011, 01:01 PM

Originally Posted by TooNice

I read this not too recently and absolutely loved it, but Morgan's other work left me underwhelmed. I didn't enjoy the alien angle of broken angels or the somewhat...desultory plot direction of woken furies (only way i can describe it really). So could anyone mention something in a similar vein that I might enjoy? I'm not really sure if it was the hard boiled side or the cyperpunk side that made me love Altered Carbon more, the unique combination of the two, or maybe even Takeshi Kovacs himself, but I definitely loved all of that along with the grim tone to it all. I was thinking of getting something like Snow Crash or Neuromancer, but honestly I don't know....I've always been more of a Space Opera kind of guy when it comes to Sci-fi.

Thanks.

Also what are some of Morgan's stand alone books like? Any that are really worth checking out?

What I really enjoyed about Altered Carbon was the combo of cyberpunk and hard boiled with the first person perspective noir feel. It is, without a doubt, one of my favorite novels.

As far as something similar, I really haven't found anything yet that comes close. I had hoped that Broken Angels and Woken Furies would be more like the first book, though I wasn't disappointed in either of them.

I've heard that a book called Spin State has a similar feel, but I haven't read it nor a review yet so I don't know for sure.

pox mentioned Leviathan Wakes, I just started it and I'm really enjoying it so far. Definitely space opera, though.

**Michigan** · July 17th, 2011, 10:09 PM

Never really thought about the comparison but Chasm City does have a bit of the same feel, very hard boiled.

Personally I loved Thirteen, along with Broken Angels and Woken Furies. Actually liked the alien angle of Broken Angels more then Altered Carbon. Hated Market Forces though.

You mentioned Snow Crash and I don't think that compares very well. Good book in it's own right but definitely lacking that hard boiled/noir aspect.

**funky mosquito** · July 18th, 2011, 07:24 AM

Well I've only read the first Chapter so far on the Kindle but Quarantine by Greg Egan might fit, it's been around for a while and the books I've fully read of his have been more recent but the first chapter was enjoyable enough that I'll be buying it as some point. Just started Altered Carbon myself, so far so good.

**beedle** · July 28th, 2011, 01:05 PM

Just finished the Takeshi Kovacs novels too, and i totally agree- Altered Carbon was excellent, but i was a bit dissappointed with the other two.

Personally I loved black man/thirteen, although that might have been because I red it before the others.

Gridlinked by Neal Asher was good, but i got bored with the next in the series (Line of Polity) and never finished it. Are the rest in the series any better? How about the Spatterjay series?

**JustaStaffer** · July 28th, 2011, 01:25 PM

I'd say The Quantum Thief

**martielillycrop** · July 28th, 2011, 02:38 PM

Originally Posted by beedle

Gridlinked by Neal Asher was good, but i got bored with the next in the series (Line of Polity) and never finished it. Are the rest in the series any better? How about the Spatterjay series?

I completely agree about the 'Cormack' series. Gridlinked is great, the sequels flounder a bit. I liked 'Brass Man', though. Definitely read 'The Skinner' - it's awesome. 'The Voyage of the Sable Keech' is okay. Haven't read any of the others in the Spatterjay universe.

**Michigan** · July 28th, 2011, 11:55 PM

Originally Posted by beedle

Just finished the Takeshi Kovacs novels too, and i totally agree- Altered Carbon was excellent, but i was a bit dissappointed with the other two.

Personally I loved black man/thirteen, although that might have been because I red it before the others.

Gridlinked by Neal Asher was good, but i got bored with the next in the series (Line of Polity) and never finished it. Are the rest in the series any better? How about the Spatterjay series?

eh, wasn't impressed with Gridlinked. Half the book was this subplot about the protagonist being chased by these other guys, except he didn't even know he was being chased so no tension was built and when the subplot came to a conclusion it literally amounted to nothing. And the other half didn't make a big enough impression on me as I hardly remember it.

The Skinner book was a little better but I never got a sense that anything that happened was real. Haven't tried Asher again after those two.

**Mostlyharmless** · July 29th, 2011, 06:23 AM

I actually preferred “Woken Furies” to “Altered Carbon” and I also liked “Broken Angels”. They were all very good but I suspect that Morgan had listened to criticism and handled the idea of sleeves much more plausibly in “Woken Furies”.