Thirteen
by Richard K. Morgan
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Book Summary Information
Author: Richard K. MorganEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2008-06-24
ISBN: 0345480899
Number of pages: 560
Publisher: Del Rey
Book Reviews of Thirteen
Book Review: Its an enjoyable book... when youre not being lectured
Summary: 2 Stars
I start this review with fairly mixed feelings, and thinking this book deserves different ratings depending on how you look at it. A brief summary goes like this: Politics and religion aside I would have given the book 4 stars. Including the bigoted politics and religion I was going to give it a 3 star, until the ending. After reading the final few pages, the original 4-star dropped to a 3-star, and figuring in the soap box preaching dropped it to a 2-star review. I really tried to not let the political drivel taint the way I felt about the book, but it was just so repetitive and insistent I couldnt get completely past it. On the whole I did enjoy the book.
Ill start by review the literary aspect. While Morgan did give a unique spin (almost used the word "twist") and telling of this story, it does go beyond merely "borrowing heavily" from other works. It is almost an exact replicant.. er replica of Bladerunner. Much worse things have been said about a book, so I dont mean that in a bad way. Morgan did a pretty good job recreating the world and society in the future; broken up countries, redistributed power and wealth, lack of real war due to superpower governing bodies. I think I had a pretty good feel of the world he was trying to create, from the Altiplano, to Manhattan, to the Rim, even Mars (through proxy). His creation on technology that melds seamlessly into everyday life was very enjoyable to me. The story progressed well and had a good amount of mystery as Marsalis and Sevgi tried to hunt down Merrin. The little details I find annoying were that Morgan would take an exorbitant amount of time describing the initial scene of a chapter, and then as things started moving he would use less and less description on actual events taking place. This was minor, but I found myself skimming the opening paragraph or two in each chapter. The other issue I had was Morgans use of created terms he didnt define. Some terms he would let you wonder about for a few uses before explaining, some he never really explain. Or if he did explain, he did so late enough you didnt understand what was going on for quite some time, or his only explanation was when two people would argue over what "myths" were true about it. Two examples: The Haag gun, which fires basically a super fast acting AIDS bullet; and the "virilicide" which is never really explained other that it was used to artificially cull certain aspects out of human population. Whether it was truth or just conspiracy theory. Again, minor issues I could read past. What just killed me was the ending. It felt forced and contrived. Almost as if Morgan ran out of creative ideas and said "here ya go". After reading that his mother died while he was writing this, maybe that played into it, it kinda feels that way. I wont go into the details of the ending, but it was a let down. Also, this is neither complaint nor praise, just warning, there are a number of quite graphic sex scenes in the book. This is an adult book, so this is the place to put them if youre going to, just know its there if it bothers you.
Onto a more volatile subject: Morgans critique of religion and politics. It seems in other reviews both sides of this argument have stated their case poorly. Ill try to be as objective as I can in this. I am a Christian and "Right-Leaning" so you might as well call me a Republican. I am not racist. I am not stupid. I do no hate large groups of people. I do not live by fear. I am accepting of other people having different beliefs than I do. Morgan does not seem to think this is possible. After going through and reinventing the entire geo-political landscape of the world, renaming and re-quantifying every nation and group of people, he keeps "America" as a joke and a place to throw insults throughout the entire book. The hardworking west-coasters joined the Rim States, the hard thinking east-coasters created the Union, and every racist, idiot, hypocritical, inbred, lazy, Christian, Republican white man created the Confederate Republic of America, and its nicknamed "Jesusland". Jesusland is a byword in the book for anything that sucks "the food is bad, but at least youre not in Jesusland". He even says the country was created because everyone smart left, leaving only the people who have been trying to live by the racial fear and hatred of slavery (yes, the slavery that was ended in the civil war) to claim power and run the country as they see fit. He even writes its the "bible-thumping Neanderthals" that tore down American from what great country it was. If he wanted a hated group of people, he could have created one just like he created every other group of people in the book. But to try and disparage three groups of people he appears to hate, and definitely doesnt understand is bigotry plain and simple. Im not saying he doesnt have the right to write these things, just that it does no one any good to do so, and a disclaimer would have been nice.
So all in all the book (aside from politics) is a good 4-star read, until the end.. which falls far short of the rest of the book.
Summary of Thirteen
The future isn?t what it used to be since Richard K. Morgan arrived on the scene. He unleashed Takeshi Kovacs?private eye, soldier of fortune, and all-purpose antihero?into the body-swapping, hard-boiled, urban jungle of tomorrow in Altered Carbon, Broken Angels, and Woken Furies, winning the Philip K. Dick Award in the process. In Market Forces, he launched corporate gladiator Chris Faulkner into the brave new business of war-for-profit. Now, in Thirteen, Morgan radically reshapes and recharges science fiction yet again, with a new and unforgettable hero in Carl Marsalis: hybrid, hired gun, and a man without a country . . . or a planet.Marsalis is one of a new breed. Literally. Genetically engineered by the U.S. government to embody the naked aggression and primal survival skills that centuries of civilization have erased from humankind, Thirteens were intended to be the ultimate military fighting force. The project was scuttled, however, when a fearful public branded the supersoldiers dangerous mutants, dooming the Thirteens to forced exile on Earth?s distant, desolate Mars colony. But Marsalis found a way to slip back?and into a lucrative living as a bounty hunter and hit man before a police sting landed him in prison?a fate worse than Mars, and much more dangerous.
Luckily, his ?enhanced? life also seems to be a charmed one. A new chance at freedom beckons, courtesy of the government. All Marsalis has to do is use his superior skills to bring in another fugitive. But this one is no common criminal. He?s another Thirteen?one who?s already shanghaied a space shuttle, butchered its crew, and left a trail of bodies in his wake on a bloody cross-country spree. And like his pursuer, he was bred to fight to the death. Still, there?s no question Marsalis will take the job. Though it will draw him deep into violence, treachery, corruption, and painful confrontation with himself, anything is better than remaining a prisoner. The real question is: can he remain sane?and alive?long enough to succeed?
From the Hardcover edition.
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