Broken Angels: A Novel

Richard K. Morgan

Mar 2004 · Takeshi Kovacs Book 2 · Sold by Del Rey

About this ebook

Welcome back to the brash, brutal new world of the twenty-fifth century: where global politics isn’t just for planet Earth anymore; and where death is just a break in the action, thanks to the techno-miracle that can preserve human consciousness and download it into one new body after another.

Cynical, quick-on-the-trigger Takeshi Kovacs, the ex-U.N. envoy turned private eye, has changed careers, and bodies, once more . . . trading sleuthing for soldiering as a warrior-for-hire, and helping a far-flung planet’s government put down a bloody revolution.

But when it comes to taking sides, the only one Kovacs is ever really on is his own. So when a rogue pilot and a sleazy corporate fat cat offer him a lucrative role in a treacherous treasure hunt, he’s only too happy to go AWOL with a band of resurrected soldiers of fortune. All that stands between them and the ancient alien spacecraft they mean to salvage are a massacred city bathed in deadly radiation, unleashed nanotechnolgy with a million ways to kill, and whatever surprises the highly advanced Martian race may have in store. But armed with his genetically engineered instincts, and his trusty twin Kalashnikovs, Takeshi is ready to take on anything—and let the devil take whoever’s left behind.

Ratings and reviews

Broken Angels by Richard K. Morgan is, yet another, strange book! I listened to the un-abridged audio book. This is the third book by Morgan I have listened too.<br/><br/>Altered Carbon was the beginning of "this world". In Broken Angels, we continue with "the world" and the same main character. Morgan has defined a universe of planets with strange technologies. The key technology is that a person's whole "being" (person) is stored in a "stack" (think of it like a memory card). A stack can be moved from body to body which moves all of the person's memories and mental abilities. These bodies are simply called "sleves". So as a person's "stack" is moved from sleve to sleve so does their whole being. If a body dies, no problem, if someone will cause your "stack" to be "re-sleved" into a new body. This is just one example of this strange world Morgan has created.<br/><br/>I did really enjoy Broken Angels, however, I have previously completed Altered Carbon. I strongly recommend you read (or listen) to Altered Carbon first! Otherwise, you will lose alot of background and understanding of what's going on in Broken Angels. For example, do you know what an "On-Boy" is? Altered Carbon will explain.<br/><br/>BTW, Market Forces is also by Morgan and I have previously described it in my blog. It is not related to either Altered Carbon nor Broken Angels, though set elsewhere in the same universe.<br/><br/>I do recommend all three books!<br/>

Many said this book was not as good as altered carbon but I disagree. The characters here felt more refined with more political layers on top of it. Worth your time to read this one

The combat, archeology n politics entwine to give a gripping tale of Takeshi's world. A good read though some parts could be just ramblings.

About the author

Richard K. Morgan is the acclaimed author of The Cold Commands, The Steel Remains, Thirteen, Woken Furies, Market Forces, Broken Angels, and Altered Carbon, a New York Times Notable Book that also won the Philip K. Dick Award in 2003. The movie rights to Altered Carbon were optioned by Joel Silver and Warner Bros on publication, and a film version is currently in development with Mythology Entertainment. Market Forces was also optioned to Warner Bros, before it was even published, and it won the John W. Campbell Award in 2005. Thirteen won the Arthur C. Clarke Award in 2007 and is currently under movie option to Straight Up films. The Steel Remains won the Gaylactic Spectrum Award in 2010, and its sequel, The Cold Commands, appeared in both Kirkus Reviews’ and NPR’s Best Science Fiction/Fantasy Books of the Year lists. Morgan is a fluent Spanish speaker and has lived and worked in Madrid, Istanbul, Ankara, and London, as well as having traveled extensively in the Americas, Africa, and Australia. He now lives in Scotland with his wife, Virginia, and son, Daniel.