Runo Knows...Broken Angels
Broken Angels is Richard K. Morgans' second novel, following the adventures of Takeshi Kovacs a few decades later. Now he's a mercenary in "The Wedge" fighting a war on the planet Sanction IV. Only brief flashes of his past - such as Ortega from the first book, and his buddy Jimmy De Soto from the Innenin fiasco - are shown. This book focuses more on the military action on Sanction IV and the Martians, as Kovacs gets wrapped in a plan to discover a Martian spaceship. It also goes much more into Quellism, the philosophy from Harlan's World mentioned throughout both works. (Interestingly enough, the woman he was so in love with in Altered Carbon - Sarah something-or-other - isn't even mentioned at all in this book.)
This book deals more with corporate issues as well, espeically as they couple with military issues. The graphic violence and sex are still there, as are the "obvious clues" to the reader that Kovacs and his famed Envoy intuition completely misses (though he does make excuses in both books). (But seriously - the book is told in first person point of view. If it merited him "mentioning" it, you'd think he'd notice it.) The violence and action hero escapades go a bit more over the top, especially as the action comes to a climax.
The book is a fine second effort. My biggest nit to pick with it is the writing of dialogue. Somehow Morgan got it in his head to right more dialogue like this:
"Well, he's not a. Bad looking. Guy for a. White boy and. Wardani, well. She'd probably. Take whatever. She can get."
It's obvious the effect he's going for (and, in case you were wondering, that was the prelude to a graphic sex scene). As the book goes on, the characters are more and more radiation damaged and sick. But they all start to. Sound the. Same. As well as fail. To use contractions. Very often.
I get a bit tired about it. I'm reminded of a writing guide I saw at one point that said "give the hint of an accent - don't layer it on constantly, or you'll just annoy the reader." I wish more authors took that advice when being "stylistic".
This book deals more with corporate issues as well, espeically as they couple with military issues. The graphic violence and sex are still there, as are the "obvious clues" to the reader that Kovacs and his famed Envoy intuition completely misses (though he does make excuses in both books). (But seriously - the book is told in first person point of view. If it merited him "mentioning" it, you'd think he'd notice it.) The violence and action hero escapades go a bit more over the top, especially as the action comes to a climax.
The book is a fine second effort. My biggest nit to pick with it is the writing of dialogue. Somehow Morgan got it in his head to right more dialogue like this:
"Well, he's not a. Bad looking. Guy for a. White boy and. Wardani, well. She'd probably. Take whatever. She can get."
It's obvious the effect he's going for (and, in case you were wondering, that was the prelude to a graphic sex scene). As the book goes on, the characters are more and more radiation damaged and sick. But they all start to. Sound the. Same. As well as fail. To use contractions. Very often.
I get a bit tired about it. I'm reminded of a writing guide I saw at one point that said "give the hint of an accent - don't layer it on constantly, or you'll just annoy the reader." I wish more authors took that advice when being "stylistic".