My first reaction when reading this was that it was quite good, but it didn't blow me away. Then I discovered that it was Morgan's first novel, and THAT blew me away. This combines a tense, complex plot with an amazingly detailed future world. Morgan really examines the implications of moving consciousness from body to body, from the trivial (what happens when a non-smoker is housed in a smoker's body?) to the profound (if the rich have a vault of clones and become effectively immortal, how does that change their connections to society?). And many more along the way, often surprising, but logical and consistent.

DrSlump liked this as well as I did. And we both also liked the hotel!

Mailed to Minerva101 for the NPR Fantasy & Science Fiction VBB

This book arrived today - it looks very good - I enjoy science fiction infused with a good mystery. I am looking forward to reading it :)

Ooooo - I really enjoyed this book! A perfect fusion of noir mystery with speculative science fiction. Thought provoking with great entertainment value!
Kovacs is a flawed protagonist that you just can't help but like. The characters in the book are vivid and interesting. This is a plausible future that holds a certain appeal, but is one that I hope I never see. Saying anymore would generate too many spoilers - honestly, just read the book - it's great!
Thank you for sharing this excellent book with me JudySlump612! I will save this for the next round of the NPR VBB and I have already started watching book sales and charity shops for more by Richard K. Morgan, particularly the sequel to this one called Broken Angels.

I forgot that I'd requested these books from JudySlump612's NPR SF VBB, so it was a pleasant surprise when they arrived in the mail today.

Very enjoyable, and I also liked the Hendrix.

I'll be on the lookout for more of Takeshi Kovacs's adventures.

Off and running in Erishkigal's Science Fiction Bookbox. I'll try to count this for Firegirl's 4 Elements challenge.

LOL~ funny to find this in the returning box, as I just read the copy I received last Xmas ~~

Excellent book (imho), you can see the copy I read here

http://www.bookcrossing.com/journal/10425529/

This terrific book came home in my SF Only bookbox. I have another copy, so this one is going into emmejo's Otherworldly Bookbox to be enjoyed by another reader :D

This book enjoyed a brief stop in San Jose, CA before continuing its journey in the Otherworldly Bookbox!

This book came home with The Otherworldly Bookbox. This sounds like a cool cyberpunk tale.

When Takeshi wakes up from being shot to death in a new body, it isn't a new experience. It turns out that he was pulled off the Stack, despite his criminal record and death in a hail of police bullets, by a man wealthy enough to pull stings in an effort to solve his own murder. Re-sleeving, getting a new body after death, is common enough, but working with the victim of a murder is still odd. After all, the killing seemed badly planned, since the vic was still able to be transferred to his new sleeve. Takeshi soon finds out that vic wasn't so innocent, and wanders deep into the cyber-underworld looking for the truth, a mission which is will bring him up against some of this future's scariest characters and his own checkered past, not to mention the life of the man previously inhabited the body Takeshi is wearing.

This was the best book I've read in a long while. I was glued to the pages and, despite its density, raced through it in a couple days. This is one of the best cyberpunk worlds I've come across and the scope of the novel is astonishing for a first novel. Morgan does a good job subtly working in issues of race, gender and class, without becoming preachy, but while giving everyone someone in the future like themselves. I loved the portrayal of A.I. as well, I can see us heading in that direction one day. My only complaint was that there were a few pacing problems, but they were minor.

I'm definitely going to have to track down the next in the series!

Added to the LFL