Altered Carbon

This is one of the best sci-fi novels I have ever read! The main idea beyond the story, the possibility of digitized our mind and therefore never die, is brilliant and used excellently. If you like sci-fi you will love this book!

Great book while it’s tv equivalent is entertaining,there were some alterations(unnecessary) on the characters and their motivations to make them more appealing to a tv audience and to some extent more in line with the producers political views, like the envoys being terrorists/ freedom fighters, witch is completely diferent on the book The characters here and to some extent the world itself are more interesting and well rounded Kovach s investigation fells more like that of a detective and you don’t have the feeling he was being led by the nose

I discovered this story with Netflix and decided to read the books to make the pleasure last, and what a good idea that was ! I must say that for once, watching the show first helped tremendously to picture all the crazy and precisely described futuristic scenery. Also, reading the book afterwards was not redundant as the script is not the same as the initial story. Also, the book was delivered on time and in perfect condition. I got tired to read on my phone and this paperback is nor too big nor too small, perfectly sized in fact, to fit in my bag. Same goes for the font used inside , it is the perfect size, especially considering that after spending all day on my computer at work, my eyes tend to get really tired and I become a bit presbyopic... but I was never bothered with the size of the letters ! The only thing maybe is the picture on the cover : a bit difficult to stay inconspicuous in the tube when reading a book displaying a naked man in a giant plastic bag....

I love sci-fi, but this dystopian world takes speculative fiction to the next level; namely, with the notion of transferring consciousness into hardware and moving this hardware into other bodies--or, as they are called, "sleeves." If you can wrap your head around the philosophy of this idea (i.e. is it really "you" if you're being "uploaded" into a hard drive, or is the uploaded consciousness simply a "copy" of the original "you," whereas the original you is now dead?) then you're 75% of the way to enjoying this novel. If that concept is something you'd prefer not to grapple with in any form, then this novel might not be for you. Other notable aspects of the fiction that should be taken into account before reading: - Like I said, this is hardcore science fiction. While the narrative is very well written and extremely descriptive, it can be hard to visualise this gritty dystopian future if you haven't seen the Netflix show first. - The novel--like the show--is very heavy with violence and sex. This is not a book for young teens; this is a novel for adults. If you're squeamish or do not like things to be especially graphic, then this aspect of the book might be a clincher for you. - Kovacs may be considered less appealing in the book than in the show because, without giving the plot away, there is a major difference in the show and the book that changes Kovac's past. All in all, this is a great read for fans of science fiction. If you're unsure, I recommend watching the first episode of the Netflix adaptation before giving this book a shot.

Altered Carbon is one of my all-time favourite books. I’ve re-read this at least 20 times and it still holds up every single time. The world building, the gritty cyberpunk themes, and the compelling main character make it a standout in the genre. If you’re even remotely into science fiction or thrillers, do yourself a favour and dive into this one.