MovieChat Forums > Altered Carbon (2018) Discussion > The books

The books

posted 4 years ago by damocci (1514)
4 replies | jump to latest

I tried reading the book once and stopped a third of the third way because I couldn't get into the writing style, the story seemed very convoluted and I got bored.

Then I watched the first season of the show and was blown away by how amazing the premise, the future setting, the investigation and the implications of the stack technology. It's easily one of the best sci-fi shows I've seen. So I decided to give the book another try.

Again, I got about a third of the way through and got utterly bored and confused, which is really weird because the book has received so much acclaim.

So the question is, can I skip the first book and go straight into Broken Angels without getting lost? Or is Altered Carbon crucial to being able to enjoy Broken Angels and Woken Furies?

PS, I am aware of the things that were changed while translating the book to the TV show eg. Reileen isn't Kovacs's sister, Quellcrist died centuries ago and nevet met Kovacs, the Envoys still exist and are government soldiers instead of rebels etc.

[–] papamihel (1616) 4 years ago

I only read the first one to see how it was different from the show. It was a bit of a noir overload + every cyberpunk cliche.

[–] damocci (1514) 4 years ago

So you agree that aside from the interesting idea of the cortical stack technology the book is overrated?

I originally discovered the book because after being very impressed by Hyperion by Dan Simmons (which I highly recommend) and was looking for another original epic futuristic sci-fi/space opera so a friend suggested Altered Carbon. The noir and nihilism in it is just too much.

Another one that's been recommended is Pandora's Star by Peter Hamilton. Judging by its synopsis it sounds more like Hyperion in setting and tone so maybe it's worth a read.

[–] papamihel (1616) 4 years ago

I'm not a fan of Morgan's. I've started some grimdark fantasy series of his but it was mostly meh... I only thing remember that it had a lot of gay hardcore.

As for Pandora's Star... When it comes to Hamilton's series I tend to like the universe and characters but not the story. I prefer his stand-alone novels.

[–] OakleighMartin (26) 3 years ago

I don't think you should skip the first book. I read a lot of fiction lately, which helps me remember the moral guidelines that help me in life situations. On the site https://artscolumbia.org/free-essays/the-bell-jar/ I recently learned about the book The Bell Jar, which fascinated me so much that I read it the next day. The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath, a young adult by the name of Esther Greenwood tells her story of her everyday struggle with life. Her coming of age is very difficult, and she does not know where she fits in society.