Mass Market Paperback, 544 pages
English language
Published Feb. 28, 2006 by Del Rey.
It's the twenty-fifth century, and advances in technology have redefined life itself. A person's consciousness can now be stored in the brain and downloaded into a new body (or "sleeve"), making death nothing more than a minor blip on a screen. Onetime U.N. Envoy Takeshi Kovacs has been killed before, but his last death was particularly painful. Resleeved into a body in Bay City (formerly San Francisco), Kovacs is thrown into the dark heart of a shady, far-reaching conspiracy that is vicious even by the standards of a society that treats existence as something that can be bought and sold. For Kovacs, the shell that blew a hole in his chest was only the beginning.
I really enjoyed this book. An hard-boiled, engaging story which aligns with the themes and the style of its genre, but succeeds at the same time in creating something really unique. Language is simple, straight to the point; explicit at times, but under no circumstances vulgar. A Dense, intricate plot, a crescendo of suspense.
"Inside, stained light from a window and a peculiar calm fell on me simultaneously."
The prose is a little muddy at times, so I'm a bit frustrated with how slow a read this is when I have to go over a lot of things twice (I can't use my reader! Woe!). The worldbuilding is great, the story is engaging, the hero is an unbearably smug Mary Sue. Heck, I'd be smug too, if I was some sort of super soldier spy consciousness travelling the universe and solving sexy mysteries. You'd best believe you'd be hearing about what my penis was getting up to while I had a casual conversation with someone. There's a lot of penis-describing. I can see why Netflix picked this up.
Finished book & show. Imagine my dismay when the bits of the show that made no sense weren’t explained or even present in the book. I …
"Inside, stained light from a window and a peculiar calm fell on me simultaneously."
The prose is a little muddy at times, so I'm a bit frustrated with how slow a read this is when I have to go over a lot of things twice (I can't use my reader! Woe!). The worldbuilding is great, the story is engaging, the hero is an unbearably smug Mary Sue. Heck, I'd be smug too, if I was some sort of super soldier spy consciousness travelling the universe and solving sexy mysteries. You'd best believe you'd be hearing about what my penis was getting up to while I had a casual conversation with someone. There's a lot of penis-describing. I can see why Netflix picked this up.
Finished book & show. Imagine my dismay when the bits of the show that made no sense weren’t explained or even present in the book. I mean, among other things, Reileen’s whole deal. No spoilers, but y tho, Netflix? I am frustrated by this whole deal.
I liked it, but enjoyed the Netflix movie a little more.
