I’m reading Richard Morgan’s new novel, The Steel Remains, at the moment. I dipped into his first novel, Altered Carbon, but honestly never took to it. Not entirely sure why. Anyway, the galley for Morgan’s book showed up a couple weeks ago and I was ready to toss it on the pile and focus on something else when I thought I’d take a peek. He’s very popular, and given that the book is an honest to goodness swords and sorcery novel, it seemed a big change for him. I read a page, then a chapter, and now I’m completely hooked. What’s it like? Hmm. A little like Poul Anderson’s The Broken Sword re-written by David Morell. It’s a traditional gritty swords and sorcery novel, with a bit of harsh language and graphic description thrown in. It’s strength is its plot engine. Pick it up and you’ll forget about the hype that comes with it (something I always react poorly to) and the silly names that seem native to a lot of fantasy, and will find yourself sucked into a genuinely gripping story. Not sure how it’ll finish or whether the book’s completely successful, but so far so good. Would it make me read his SF? I don’t think know. Would I buy another fantasy from him? Absolutely.
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Would it make me read his SF? I don’t think know. Would I buy another fantasy from him? Absolutely.
That’s interesting, because to me the Richard-Morgan-ness of TSR is a more important part of its success than the fantasy-ness. That said, I’ve read a different sample of Morgan than you have, in that I haven’t read Altered Carbon, I read Market Forces and didn’t think much of it, and I read Black Man and was blown away.
It may be that the true divide isn’t his sf vs. his fantasy, but rather his later novels over his earlier ones. Maybe I should read BLACK MAN.
Altered Carbon is certainly more like Black Man than Market Forces is. I agree with Niall that the latter isn’t as good.
Certainly sounds like my sort of fantasy (and I have liked the couple of Morrell books I have read, too).