Altered Carbon is a character-driven crime novel set in the twenty sixth century on planet Earth and it is simply a marvellous read. Takeshi Kovacs, a one time member of an elite group of super soldiers known as Envoys, has had his stored mind downloaded into a new body, (this donor's body is known in the trade as a sleeve) and quicker than it takes for him to adapt to his new surroundings he is whisked off to his employer's mansion. Morgan's prose in detailing how Kovac's reacts to his new identity is superbly explained thusly, It's as if someone's cut an umbilical cord, only instead of separating the two of you, it's the otherness that has been severed and now you're just looking at your reflection in a mirror. He has been hired to find out who assassinated his present employer. Death is not the death as we know it to be. In this time of marvellous and terrifying technological advancements, people, if they are sufficiently rich or powerful are able to create a backup of their consciousness at no risk. Life is cheap, Morgan makes that very clear from the outset. If you are the squeamish type, then this novel is not for you. Kovac's becomes a hired detective, his honour, self esteem, sanity and even his very existence is examined and tested by his newly acquired position. It is during times of stress, of which there are many, he experiences flashbacks of the time he served in the Envoys. The name Jimmy De Soto is one that we become intimate with as we witness Kovac's post traumatic stress and inner dialogue with a dead comrade. The ramblings of a psychopath or a man approaching a precipice that he was coerced to face by reasons beyond his control? One thing that this novel left me with is how well it stimulated my five senses. The cracking of bones and the whine of gunfire amidst an inner city landscape made me believe I was a spectator, The sights and smells of the various seedy places that Takeshi visits left me seeing blurs on occasions, the tastes and touch of the women in this novel made me jealous. Backdropped against this we have a milieu of characters, some bio engineered to make them faster or stronger or both all packing hi-tech weaponry and attitude. This is one of the most violent novels I have ever read. It is not as psychologically terrifying as The Gap series from Stephen Donaldson nor does it deliver world shattering explosions such as those imagined by Charles Stross but it does have a wistful noir feel packed with adrenaline packed pages that pump out action sequences, plots within plots, powerful AI's, advertising that intrudes into your brain, unbelievably amazing and hard drugs, and a man, seeking to overcome his history and programming. I loved it!

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