Anything like Altered Carbon's sleeves?

**Overgeeked** · July 16th, 2012, 01:25 PM

If you don't know it or haven't read it, Altered Carbon by Richard Morgan is a great read, I think. What I'm looking for are more stories, novels or shorts, or whatever, that use anything similar to his 'sleeves' idea. The basics are human bodies have a stack (re: computer storage) implanted to backup the person's mind. The mind can be transferred between bodies (re: sleeves) with ease. A large part of the novel deals with the interesting and cool implications of such technology.

I'm looking for other books that use the same or similar devices. And yes, I am aware he has written sequels. Thanks in advance.

**algernoninc** · July 16th, 2012, 02:25 PM

Dancing With Eternity by John Patrick Lowrie has a similar concept : transfering the conscience stored in a digital format to a rejuvenated body.

**Pennarin** · July 16th, 2012, 08:37 PM

I have not read anything that comes close to a sleeve in terms of potential. These things are alive yet can be so artificial as to be better than souped up artificial cybernetic bodies imagined by other authors.

**Karyle** · July 27th, 2012, 08:07 AM

Scalzi's Old Man's War deals with... kinda. It's a similar idea, anyway.

**livens** · July 28th, 2012, 05:32 PM

Alastair Reynolds has similar tech in his culture novels. Minds can be transferred into large storage mediums, mostly on/in sentient ships. If you die you can be revented into a new body; either a clone of your original or pretty much any other form you like.

I like the way Reynolds handles alot of the social implications of being effectively immortal. After living for a few hundred years you may begin to grow bored with life. At that point you can transfer into a simulated environment where your life can be whatever you want it to be, only limited by your (or an AI's) imagination. Then if you get bored with that you can retire into the common consciousness of whatever substrate is housing the simulation you were in.

**Pennarin** · July 28th, 2012, 05:48 PM

...Ian Banks, you mean?

**Kazz Wylde** · July 28th, 2012, 08:06 PM

Yeah sounds like Bank's Surface Detail, I remember some reviews of it.

**k1w1taxi** · August 4th, 2012, 02:10 AM

Tangental but worth a read Kil'n People by David Brin

Cheers
Lee

**tensai** · August 12th, 2012, 08:41 PM

Definitely Kil'n people.

Also Vast, by Linda Nataga. Absolutely great read, can be stand-alone although you'll get a bit more out of it if you read the earlier books (deception well and bohr maker). One of my top 5 all-time books.

**Michigan** · August 12th, 2012, 10:35 PM

probably 20 years ago I read A Trace Of Memory by Keith Laumer which dealt with swapping memories in bodies.

And Reynolds did touch on the subject in some of his books, between Chasm City and the whole idea of the 88(I think that's the number). Tad Williams dealt with identity downloads in Otherland. Hamilton has used the idea of memory downloads in both of his big series.

I feel like I have read quite a few books over the years that dealt with cloning and memory implants. Not quite the same treatment Morgan gives them but same basic concept.

**odo** · August 13th, 2012, 05:00 AM

The Ophiuci Hotline, by John Varley.

Quoting from the Wikipedia:

Important technological elements of the stories are cloning and the ability to record memories and restore them to a brain at a later date. There is also advanced surgery used for cosmetic body alteration. Everyone is fitted with a data port which allows them to be interrogated by computer. They can also have their nervous system shut down selectively for surgery. Many people change sex on a whim. Others choose to exist without sex at all.