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Altered Carbon
Altered Carbon | Richard K Morgan
NOW AN EXCITING NEW SERIES FROM NETFLIX - The shell that blew a hole in his chest was only the beginning in this "tour de force of genre-bending, a brilliantly realized exercise in science fiction."--The New York Times Book ReviewIn the twenty-fifth century, humankind has spread throughout the galaxy, monitored by the watchful eye of the U.N. While divisions in race, religion, and class still exist, advances in technology have redefined life itself. Now, assuming one can afford the expensive procedure, a person's consciousness can be stored in a cortical stack at the base of the brain and easily downloaded into a new body (or "sleeve") making death nothing more than a minor blip on a screen. Ex-U.N. envoy Takeshi Kovacs has been killed before, but his last death was particularly painful. Dispatched one hundred eighty light-years from home, re-sleeved into a body in Bay City (formerly San Francisco, now with a rusted, dilapidated Golden Gate Bridge), 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. Praise for Altered Carbon "Compelling . . . immensely entertaining . . . [Richard] Morgan's writing is vivid and his plotting inventive."--The Philadelphia Inquirer "A fascinating trip . . . Pure high-octane science fiction mixes with the classic noir private-eye tale."--Orlando Sentinel "Gritty and vivid . . . looks as if we have another interstellar hero on our hands."--USA Today
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amyrohn
Altered Carbon | Richard K Morgan
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Pickpick

I reread this in conjunction with my rewatch of season 1 of the show and it‘s been long enough that it felt like reading for the first time again! This is such a great sci fi detective noir that sets up a really interesting society where you can basically become immortal by “resleeving” your consciousness in a new body. Takeshi Kovacs is a really great character to follow. This remains one of my all time favorite books. 5/5⭐️

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HiMyNames_Alyssa
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Mehso-so

I always stay up way too late when I only have a few chapters left. This one gets 2.5/5 ⭐️ from me. Good story, okay writing, a little slow for my taste but picked up toward the end. It is #1 in a trilogy, but with the way its written I think I may read them as stand alones. I will get to the next one another time. Lol.

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DarkMina
Altered Carbon | Richard K Morgan
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JuliaTheBookNerd This book was one of the very rare occasions where I actually enjoyed the tv show more then the book 😬 2y
Eggs Intriguing!! 2y
DarkMina @JuliaTheBookNerd I haven‘t read the book, but I really liked the tv series. Interesting that you liked the show more. 2y
15 likes3 comments
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archaeolibrarianologist
Altered Carbon | Richard K Morgan
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archaeolibrarianologist
Altered Carbon | Richard K Morgan
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archaeolibrarianologist
Altered Carbon | Richard K Morgan
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archaeolibrarianologist
Altered Carbon | Richard K Morgan
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5 likes1 stack add
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TheSpineView
Altered Carbon | Richard K Morgan
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Mehso-so

This is a futuristic crime thriller. While I liked it at the start, I felt the deeper I got into the story the less I enjoyed it. The plot got kind of convoluted. Too much going on and too many angles. A simpler plot would have worked better. In other words, less would have been more. The world building was good but I would have liked more character development. 3⭐

JeffyRoo The Netflix series is much the same. We managed season 1, but gave up a few episodes into Season 2. 3y
TheSpineView @JeffyRoo After several of my friends not liking the Netflix series and my feelings on the book, I am not going to waste my time. 3y
TheSpineView Forgot to mention, this is my #BookSpin book for February. @TheAromaofBooks 3y
TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!!! 3y
66 likes4 comments
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Bookboss
Altered Carbon | Richard K Morgan
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Pickpick

The world building in this novel is excellent. The premise is that a person‘s mind is saved in their “stack” located at back of the neck. When a person dies, the stack is removed and can be re-sleeved into a new body. The author explores the problems of class and power by showing who can afford to get re-sleeved and who cannot. I did not care for the writing style- so many bad descriptions of breasts- but the story compelled me to keep reading.

35 likes1 stack add
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Jari-chan
Altered Carbon | Richard Morgan
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Mehso-so

This could've been so good, if the author would've kept it short. Or shorter. I was intrigued by his ideas, and what they mean to the future of humankind. But the story drags on for too long, and Morgan looses sight of the, in my opinion, important part of the book.

@TheAromaofBooks #BookSpinBingo

TheAromaofBooks Great progress!! 4y
29 likes1 stack add1 comment
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OriginalCyn620
Altered Carbon | Richard K Morgan
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#IfYouLikeThis #BladeRunner

I haven‘t read this one (or seen the Netflix show) but it sounds interesting!

Klou Ooh, good pick! I've seen this on Netflix, haven't watched it yet, but didn't know it was based on a book! 4y
38 likes1 comment
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Cathy_J
Altered Carbon | Richard K. Morgan
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Pickpick

Okay so I thought this book was good and I want to watch the Netflix series now *but* I found it quite complicated at times and it did have some very disturbing bits. The concept is fantastic though and there were some interesting scenarios exploring the implications of a world like this. ⭐⭐⭐

tessavi I watched the show before reading the book, which made it easier to follow. The next books were harder to grasp. 5y
Lucy_Anywhere I really liked the Netflix series 😊 5y
64 likes2 comments
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catsuit_mango
Altered Carbon | Richard K. Morgan
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Lazy Saturday morning English breakfast tea, oatmeal and a good book.

8 likes1 stack add
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catsuit_mango
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The day was long, I'm tired, so tea, chocolate cake baked by partner 2 days ago and a good book. #bookandtea

6 likes1 stack add
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Chrissyreadit
Altered Carbon | Richard K. Morgan
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@BethM thank you for the lovely extra fun goodies in my #LMPBC package. @cobwebmoth your package will go out Tuesday or Wed.

Avanders 😍😍 5y
93 likes1 stack add1 comment
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BethM
Altered Carbon | Richard K Morgan
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On its way to you @Chrissyreadit

Chrissyreadit 🙌🥰❤️👏🥳I‘m still reading!!! 🤣 5y
BethM @Chrissyreadit I leave on vacation tomorrow so I had to get it done lol! Im impressed you‘re still reading that one when I bailed. 5y
36 likes2 comments
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BethM
Altered Carbon | Richard K Morgan
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Pickpick

#lmpbc entertaining, fast, and complex. It was a fun ride. I will say that the world building in my view is a bit lacking. A good 50% of the references I didn‘t understand and weren‘t explained. In this aspect it reads more like a book 2 than a book 1.

Avanders 🤔 s‘long as it‘s a quick read... 😁😁 5y
BethM @Avanders this one isn‘t ours. 5y
Avanders Ah... I didn‘t think so, but I couldn‘t remember 😉 Still, for you, I can bear much with quick reads! 5y
42 likes3 comments
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BethM
Altered Carbon | Richard K Morgan
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Look at the cup my mom got me! Still enjoying the book- doing audio and print to get it done.

Megabooks Love it!! 5y
wanderinglynn I totally want to be a stay-at-home dog mom! ❤️🐶 5y
58 likes2 comments
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BethM
Altered Carbon | Richard K Morgan
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Trying to will fall into existence and get through this book. Its compelling but I often feel lost. Super thankful that my #bfcr2 Group let me stay in the chat even though I‘m not doing the challenge. I‘m in the midst of a sucky anxiety cycle and their support has been great.

Megabooks Anxiety is part of my mental illness complex. I‘m so sorry your going through that! It really sucks. Best wishes for feeling better soon! 💙 5y
Lindy 🌻 5y
BethM @Megabooks thanks. I‘ve had GAD all my life so I know it‘ll get better but it sucks big time when you‘re in the middle of it. 5y
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Megabooks @BethM Truer words have never been typed!! 5y
tracey38 Hugs Beth. I know how that feels. 💛🌻 5y
IndoorDame I'm so ready for fall! 5y
BethM @IndoorDame me too! @tracey38 thanks it‘s nice to know that people get you. 5y
AlaMich I loved Altered Carbon!! But I can definitely see it not being everyone‘s cup of tea. 5y
cobwebmoth Sending positive thoughts and hugs! 5y
Avanders 😖😔 so sorry for the anxiety .. so glad Litsy helps even a little! ♥️ Also, I‘m verrrry ready for fall. This 101* nonsense is wearing.... 🥵 5y
BethM @AlaMich I like it I just spend a lot of time wondering what they‘re talking about. @Avanders thanks dear. The shouldn‘t complain about 80s but I‘m a solidly 60-65 kind of girl. 5y
Chrissyreadit Hope you‘re feeling a little or a lot better. Anxiety sucks ❤️❤️❤️❤️sending positive vibes in your direction. 5y
BethM @Chrissyreadit thanks friend. Today was a little better, I‘ll be busy this weekend so that should be fine. Monday we have to deal with some work stuff for my hubby again so that will probably not be so fine. But we leave for vacay on Wednesday so that will help! 5y
Avanders Oh I totally understand... those low 60s are my sweet spot too!! 🍁🍂⛈ Keep your eyes on that vacation!! 🌈🤗 5y
46 likes14 comments
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BethM
Altered Carbon | Richard Morgan
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It was girls and dogs weekend so I‘ve been without service since Friday. Hoping to get some solid reading in tonight but I‘m so tired.... the pups is already passed out.

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wellreadredhead
Altered Carbon | Richard K Morgan
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Pickpick

I really enjoyed this crazy ride! This novel felt like reading an action movie and I truly can‘t wait to watch the Netflix series. I don‘t think there was much intellectual depth to this book, but it was a good brain candy read. For its entertainment value, I have given it 4 out of 5 stars. I can‘t wait to hear what everyone thinks of this! #lmpbc

For the #24b4Monday readathon, I am at just over 6 hours!

BethM That‘s awesome! I‘m struggling a bit with mine! 5y
Chrissyreadit I look forward to reading it! 5y
67 likes1 stack add2 comments
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Sammidnightsun
Altered Carbon | Richard K. Morgan
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Pickpick

Goooood

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LeticiaToraci
Altered Carbon | Richard Morgan
Bailedbailed

The story world and mystery was interesting, but somehow this wasn't for me.

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Sammidnightsun
Altered Carbon | Richard Morgan
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7 likes1 stack add
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howjessicareads
Altered Carbon | Richard K. Morgan
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Bailedbailed

Yeeeeah. Not my fave. #howjessreadsin2019

Sarz Oh no! Have you watched the Netflix series? 6y
61 likes1 comment
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howjessicareads
Altered Carbon | Richard K Morgan
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I survived my first post-surgery day of work today, hooray! Patting myself on the back for pulling a spaghetti casserole out of the freezer yesterday. Stopped at Walmart on my way home and grabbed bread and salad, and pulled down my stash of paper plates. May be bad for the environment, but hooray for a simple/tasty dinner.

And I‘m really liking this book! Thanks to whichever Litten recommended it! #bookanddinner

Megabooks Yay!! 🎉🎉 6y
Karkar You got to take care of yourself! 6y
TheBookgeekFrau I think this was/is a show on Netflix, too 6y
gradcat Glad you‘re up and about, even if only just...your dinner looks great! 👍❤️ 6y
85 likes1 stack add4 comments
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Abby2
Altered Carbon | Richard K. Morgan
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Pickpick

Great world creater. So many details and great action.

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JuliaTheBookNerd
Altered Carbon | Richard K Morgan
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This book did not grab my attention the first time I tried to read it but I thought I would give it another chance since the first try was during a readathon 😊 #LunchtimeReading #SecondChance #IMightFinish #IMightDNF 🤷🏻‍♀️

#BookNerd 💙📚🤓

AlaMich I don‘t generally read hard science fiction but I loved this book. I thought the world-building was great and the story was well plotted. 6y
JuliaTheBookNerd @AlaMich For some reason I am still just not connecting with the story 😕 and I love SciFi books. Maybe I‘ll try again later... 🤷🏻‍♀️ 6y
97 likes2 comments
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Siannalyn
Altered Carbon | Richard K Morgan
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I have started my first reading of the 2019 and I so so so so excited about it!!!

speljamr Loved this book. Might read the second in the trilogy this year. 6y
Siannalyn @speljamr I'm glad you liked it! So far I'm liking it too!! And I hope the rest of the trilogy would be good, too! 6y
11 likes2 comments
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PandaCakes
Altered Carbon | Richard K. Morgan
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imyril
Altered Carbon | Richard Morgan
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Pickpick

I‘m less forgiving of the tropes than when I first met Takeshi Kovacs, but I still found Altered Carbon a helluva ride. It‘s gritty, it‘s cynical, it‘s thrilling and it‘s violent. It‘s so soaked in noir you can‘t see it after dusk, but I appreciate that Morgan tries to subvert the genre‘s misogyny. I was worried it would just make me angry these days; but I was pleased to find it mostly made me thoughtful.

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imyril
Altered Carbon | Richard Morgan
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‘The human eye is a wonderful device. With a little effort, it can fail to see even the most glaring injustice.‘ - Quellcrist Falconer, Poems and Other Prevarications

...ouch.

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imyril
Altered Carbon | Richard Morgan
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“Make it personal”

I used to have two quotes on my Facebook profile: Quellcrist‘s angry call to arms, and a rant from Ianucci‘s political satire In the Loop about fucking up.

...I should put this one back on there.

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tessavi
Altered Carbon | Richard Morgan
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Pickpick

Just like the show I loved the world building and the story was solid. However, if I hadn't watched the show, I think I would have struggled in the beginning to understand the terminology and what was going on. Looking forward to the next Takeshi Kovacs, which I got on audio 🙌

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tessavi
Altered Carbon | Richard Morgan
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I got the ebook version of Altered Carbon a few weeks ago, but I prefer paperback so couldn't resist this used copy!
#bookhaul

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i.z.booknook
Altered Carbon | Richard K. Morgan
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Pickpick

This was between a pick and a so so for me. I read it because a friend begged me to and I have to admit the detail is astonishing! But it was so much that I had to concentrate really hard and reread bits and I think where I‘m just so busy at the moment I feel like I want something slightly easier to read 😂

The story is engaging and well thought out with complicated characters😊

I think I will give his other books a go too! 😃

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DragonAuthors
Altered Carbon | Richard K Morgan
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We discovered this story through the Netflix series. We were impressed by the series, and we expect to feel the same way about the book–a New York Times bestseller–which we just bought for less than the price of a cup of coffee. (We might not live in the age of immortality yet, but you sure can‘t beat the entertainment.) Anyone read it? What did you think? Just $2.99 right now on Kindle. https://amzn.to/2zTqhve

#scifi #thrillers #deals #bargains

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laurifer
Altered Carbon | Richard K Morgan
Pickpick

"Take what is offered and that must sometimes be enough."
After I saw the Netflix series and heard there was a book, it was the very next thing I read. I'm glad I did, because there was so much detail that I missed in the show. Although it was centered around Takeshi, the book also showed me the people around him more closely. A long book, which I liked enough to stick through.

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sophierayton
Altered Carbon | Richard Morgan
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Mehso-so

I was excited at the start of this book as I thought it was a great idea but I felt like the bad language, sex and violence was over the top and made it seem like the target audience is wannabe bad boys. I think the ideas might translate better visually so I'm hopeful the TV show will be better.

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MrBook
Altered Carbon | Richard K. Morgan
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#TBRtemptation post 3! This is the first installment of the Takeshi Kovacs series. It's the 25th Century. Your consciousness can be downloaded and put into another body ("sleeved"), making death something of a minor blip of an event. Re-sleeved into a body in San Francisco after being shot in the chest while working for the UN, he's thrown into a far-reaching and very dark conspiracy testing existence as a commodity. #blameLitsy #blameMrBook ?

LibrarianRyan This show is soooo amazing. And complicated. I can't wait to read the book. 6y
64 likes3 stack adds1 comment
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gilroyc
Altered Carbon | Richard Morgan
Mehso-so

I'm running a touch behind on my reviews, cause wedding madness from April.

So this book is gritty, bloody, very adult. It's not bad, but not great either. Read the full review here:

https://www.librarything.com/work/18414/reviews/155121957

#alteredcarbon #review #takashikovacs

SqueakyChu Wedding madness! 😃🍷🍷💐 6y
2 likes1 comment
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Melkyl
Altered Carbon | Richard K. Morgan
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Pickpick

I decided to listen to this book on audio after watching the show. I liked the show, and I liked the book. There were some differences between the two. What I did learn is that I need to choose books on audio that are not quite so long. This one clocked in at around 17 hours. It was difficult for me to maintain my interest over that period of time. I only listen to audiobooks to and from work, so this one took a while for me.

Richryan52 Nice review! 7y
LibrarianRyan Wasn't the show awesome. I had planned on reading the book as well 7y
40 likes2 comments
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bradleymp
Altered Carbon | Richard Morgan
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Pickpick

A cracking read, really unputdownable. Had a very different feel to it than the TV series - Kovacs is less of a cipher and feels more human, and medium allows more a deep dive into things only mentioned in the show. Definitely going to look into the rest of the series.

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TheLibrarian
Altered Carbon | Richard K. Morgan
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My B&N #bookhaul from today (I seriously have a problem).

I‘m intrigued to see how Altered Carbon is compared to the Netflix show (which I loved).

Richryan52 Please let me know what you think about Altered Carbon. It‘s on my TBR list 7y
kricheal I'm two episodes into Altered Carbon #allthebutts #notcomplaining 😶😶😶 7y
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Richryan52 You need to put some Holmes on your TBR list. Jk. Thanks! 7y
ElishaLovesBooks I liked the show too! Can‘t wait to hear your thoughts on the book. 7y
114 likes1 stack add7 comments
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gilroyc
Altered Carbon | Richard Morgan

Starting this as my audio travel book. 17 hours. Eep. Need a good road trip in there to get thru it before I have to return it...

#alteredcarbon #audio

saresmoore I‘ll be interested to hear your thoughts on this! My husband tried it in print, but couldn‘t get into (he‘s a fickle reader). I‘m thinking the audio is a good choice for it, though. 7y
gilroyc @saresmoore it's detailed. In places, obsessively so. Cross of noir mystery, science fiction, and bad erotica... 7y
saresmoore Oof. I‘m okay with obsessive detail sometimes (The Hobbit) and I can dig noir mystery and sci-fi, but bad erotica? That‘s a deal-breaker. 7y
gilroyc I'm pushing through now just to find out whodunnit. 7y
3 likes1 stack add4 comments
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krustalloscryst
Altered Carbon | Richard K. Morgan

"For all that we have done, as a civilization, as individuals, the universe is not stable, nor is any single thing within it. Stars consume themselves, the universe itself rushes apart, and we ourselves are composed of matter in constant flux. Colonies of cells in temporary alliance, replicating and decaying, and housed within, an incandescent cloud of electrical impulse [...] the perception of it will, of course, make you dizzy."

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Bookworm-Bobbie
Altered Carbon | Richard Morgan
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Hot damn! I just finished watching this on Netflix. I didn‘t realise it was a book too! Damn my book buying ban, because this show was freaking awesome and I can only assume to book is better!

40 likes3 stack adds