Market Forces

by Richard K. Morgan

book data

704 ratings, 3.51 average rating, 86 reviews (more data...)

rating	frequency	%
5		20%
4		31%
3		31%
2		12%
1		3%

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published

April 15th 2005 by Tantor Media (first published 2004)

details

MP3 CD

characters

Chris Faulkner

literary awards

John W. Campbell Memorial Award for Best Science Fiction Novel (2005)

isbn

1400151392 (isbn13: 9781400151394)

description

Richard Morgan, the award-winning author of Altered Carbon and Broken Angels, strikes out into new territory with Market Forces, leaving behind the fa…more

[close] Richard Morgan, the award-winning author of Altered Carbon and Broken Angels, strikes out into new territory with Market Forces, leaving behind the farflung battlegrounds of Takeshi Kovacs for the not-so-distant future of corporate Earth. Here, Morgan extrapolates a world where commodities trading reaches a brutal pitch and the outcomes of banana republic uprisings are the new market. Now, on the road to success, the brokers of the new economy compete for status and promotions via road rage on the freeways of new London.

Morgan's conflicted protagonist, Chris Faulkner, is a comer known for one spectacular kill that shot him to the top of mid-range global capital firm. He parlays his reputation and skills as a driver into a job in the emerging field of "Conflict Investment" at the world's hottest and hardest firm. Soon he finds himself running with the big dogs and rises to the top of a brutal realm, but his ascent is quickly threatened by vicious senior partners, gold-digging suitors, fame, fair-weather friends, and his own nagging conscience.

Market Forces is at once an anti-globalization treatise and anime fantasy meets The Road Warrior. Morgan employs the graphic-novel imagery of his two previous novels to create a disturbingly brutal picture of slash-and-burn capitalism run amok. There are times when Faulker's moral quandries seem hollow in the face of his actions but this isn't Crime and Punishment. Enjoy the ride and "come back with blood on your wheels or don't come back at all." --Jeremy Pugh

Amazon.com Exclusive Content

<a name="morgan-essay"> A Winning Translation: An Exclusive Essay by Richard Morgan
 His novels may paint a bleak picture of the future, but Richard Morgan has a great attitude toward language, and one word in particular. Read his Amazon.com exclusive essay and find out why he'll never consider himself, or anyone else, anything worse than an occasional non-winner.

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Jan 05, 2010

Morgan Murray rated it:

(review of isbn 0345457749)

bookshelves: scifi

Owns a copy — Read in January, 2010

What an odd book. Richard Morgan's books always feature heavily on violence and sex, but the Kovacs series seem to hang together a little more coherently than Market Forces - all the way through, there's a sense of viciousness and disgust snarling from the page but I really can't understand about what!

The book tells the story of Chris Faulkner, a Mad Max/Gordon Gecko hybrid who works in Conflict Investment for the Shorn Corporation. The CI arm of the firm bank-roll paramilitary orga...more

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Sep 11, 2009

Resonance rated it:

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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

Morgan's writing style matches his protagonists very well; his prose is a blend of subtlety and raw unchecked power that utterly ignores social niceties to great and startling effect, much like the antiheros about which he writes. Although Market Forces is not quite as good as Altered Carbon and its two sequels, it taps a similar vein -- in some ways the Mad Max-flavored cyberpunk dystopia in which Market Forces takes place occasionally seems a little cliched and even heavy handed in contrast t...more

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Jun 06, 2009

Jim rated it:

I just completed the unabridged audio book "Market Forces". No, it is not a book about today's business. No it is not (exactly) a Sci-Fi book. Well what is it?

Hard to describe. Set into the future around 2050 the book follows the future investment advisors of "Conflict International". An investment company that profits from the various little conflicts/overthrows/wars/etc between groups world-wide. CI acts much like a venture capital firm of today, they apply the ...more

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May 12, 2009

Angie rated it:

(review of isbn 0345457749)

Read in May, 2009

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

I'm not sure if this counts as a spoiler or not, but I'm so fascinated by the concept behind this book- what makes it all possible. At first it seems ludicrous, then it's so simple it's scary. And, as a capitalist, I'm uncomfortable with the implications of the whole book, but I see where the corporations as string-pullers is, well, pretty understandable.

So the whole book is predicated on killing to keep one's job. Through car racing. After a series of recessions, the only people who...more I'm not sure if this counts as a spoiler or not, but I'm so fascinated by the concept behind this book- what makes it all possible. At first it seems ludicrous, then it's so simple it's scary. And, as a capitalist, I'm uncomfortable with the implications of the whole book, but I see where the corporations as string-pullers is, well, pretty understandable.

So the whole book is predicated on killing to keep one's job. Through car racing. After a series of recessions, the only people who can afford cars, licenses, and gas are the executives that work for the corporations who finance the world. While it's implied, the whole background isn't explained until about 2/3 of the way through. Based on the idea that there's too many workers and not enough jobs, companies started out with, say, 8 people to an office but only 7 desks, so the last person in has to borrow a workstation, etc. If that person is consistently late, s/he is seen as the weak link and let go. Here it evolves to- the person who makes it to work first gets the job, straight out. The aggression and speed the person shows in "road raging" (as it's called) is thought to apply directly to their ability for business. A set of rules evolves, and precedents are set as to what is and is not allowed. At some point, someone kills their opponent, and all of a sudden the goal is not to just get there first, but to make sure that person can't compete again- by killing. An executive is expected to finish the job, no matter what. The challenges are set up in a socially codified fashion; if someone wants your job, within limits, that person can challenge you. If you lose, you're out of a job and probably dead.

Really, it's simple, right? I'm blown away by this simple little concept that, from where I sit now, seems so unlikely as to be unreal- but at the same time is totally realistic. That feeling of being unsettled permeates the whole book. It's an uncomfortable read; there is a lot of violence, and the main character really isn't that likable. I had a lot of sympathy for him, but he's set so firmly in his society that he can't pull out, at the end, for a sudden "Oh, I love him!" finish. And, yet, the ending of the book is totally perfect and flows seamlessly with the rest. The whole time I was rooting for him to come to his senses and defect from his job, but true to his character and personality- he couldn't. I'm not sure if 3 stars is enough for this book; I personally don't like reading some of the more gory scenes. But definitely a good read.(less)

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Mar 06, 2010

Mark rated it:

(review of isbn 0345457749)

Read in March, 2010

While an interesting concept for a book, I found this one of Morgan's more poorly written works. It takes place in a very near future where corporations have basically taken control of the world government. Large corporations make huge sums of money selling arms to developing third world nations. In the middle of this all, blood thirsty executives literally drive each other off the road in order to get coveted promotions.

While the premise of the book is interesting in a dystopic kin...more

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Nov 29, 2009

Robert Laird rated it:

(review of isbn 0345457749)

Read in December, 2009

There's a scene in the book where the characters hear violence in the next apartment, and no one does anything, until our anti-hero gets fed up and goes next door. He ends up shooting the man of the house in the shoulder and knees, and then gives the wife some money to get him patched up.

Well, this story was like that... I was getting fed up with it and wanted to take a gun to the author... not to kill, but simply to maim him by shooting his hands, so he couldn't write any more.
...more

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Feb 05, 2009

Bookmarks Magazine added it (review of isbn 0345457749)

Morgan (Altered Carbon ****Sept/Oct 2003; Broken Angels **** July/Aug 2004) leaves his far-future SF thrillers for a violent corporate satire. An indictment of globalization, the novel condemns economic exploitation and offers a scenario in which companies will sell anything in a world where human life is cheap. Though set in the near future, the thriller's premise convinced the critics. Initially conceived as a film script, Market Forces contains cinematic settings (like deadly car duels on oth

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Oct 23, 2009

uncommoner rated it:

(review of isbn 0345457749)

Read in August, 2009

I "read" this book as an audiobook, and enjoyed it for what it was: a quick, entertaining read. It was my first Morgan novel, and it has sparked interest in his other work.
It is about a future world ruled by massive corporations; the concept of racing cars to the death does not really appeal to me, but Morgan creates his world and characters to be believable and I came to care about them and their fates.
Some of the sex scenes were just too gratuitous for my taste; I ca...more

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Jan 06, 2009

Collin rated it:

(review of isbn 0345457749)

I think Richard Morgan is a very good writer but this book just filled me with hate and, as a rule, I'm not a huge fan of hate. I didn't care for or identify with any character in this book (which is about near future, car racing, asshole super capitalists that want to shag and kill everything). If it were handled tongue-in-cheek I might've liked it, but Morgan doesn't really do that -- he does intense, gritty, head explosion, boob job type stuff. All of his characters are pretty much asshole...more

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Feb 01, 2010

Stuart rated it:

(review of isbn 0575075120)

Richard Morgan once held the position of being my favourite author. This book changed all that. Imagine the world of investment banking/corporate finance coupled with Death Race 2000. That's what this book is about. I'm sorry, but it just does not work and is completely ridiculous.

For me the final nail in the coffin was when the protagonist picks up a novel and leafs through it. A very brief plot synopsis is given of this novel and anyone who has read the earlier works of Mr Morgan wo...more

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Dec 25, 2008

.50spiderbite Higgins rated it:

(review of isbn 0345457749)

This is a hard-hitting, brutally portrayed satire about global affairs and funding of wars.

The main character, Cris Faulkner, is a corporate deal maker, but in this world, in order to climb the corporate ladder, you are required to kill the person you wish you replace. This is generally done on the highway in fatal road-rage style face offs. Sometimes multiple agents work together against other firms for an account.

One thing I must stress about this book and all of Morg...more

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May 21, 2009

SpyNavy rated it:

(review of isbn 0345457749)

Read in May, 2009

Another great Morgan book. I really enjoyed this novel and if you are like me you will probably envision the main character as Jason Statham. There is a lot of Death Race/Transporter type action within the book and is a novel look at the future corporate world. An interesting setting in a near future "megacorporation" society coupled with Morgan's unique vision makes for a pretty good read. The characters are dark, gritty antihero types that you may either love or hate, but perhaps...more

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Feb 17, 2009

Eve rated it:

(review of isbn 0345457749)

Read in February, 2009

I had some trouble with this one. Morgan invents an interesting future, but in this case the idea of corporate hot-shots doubling as financiers/economists and race car drivers a la mad max was a bit much. Would have liked it better without the car angle. Morgan sees the results of NAFTA & other forms of globalization and free trade having insidious and almost completely negative effects on people; the rich flourish and the rest suffer. It's a dark vision of corporations run amok. Our future? ...more

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Nov 11, 2009

Joe rated it:

(review of isbn 0345457749)

Read in January, 2010

This book has a fairly ridiculous premise, that centers around the way that internal corporate disputes are resolved (namely, by regulated automobile duals to the death; that is also the typical path for promotion). But really, that's just a backdrop and scene-setter for a world of gross injustice, an extreme push along the continuum towards a world where the Haves have it all, and the Have-Nots have nothing, not even the right to not be killed arbitrarily by the Haves.

Reading it wa...more

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Jun 23, 2009

Nagrom rated it:

(review of isbn 0345457749)

Read in October, 2008

Imagine a world where corporate interests outstrip government. Where executives are celebrities. Where the division between the poor and the rich, the haves and have-nots, is enforced by law, and walls, and an economic standard soaked in blood. A world where executives compete with one another - for promotions, to win contracts, to settle disputes - via murderous road rage in specially designed and armored "battle-wagons". This is the world of Richard K. Morgan's "Market Forces"...more Imagine a world where corporate interests outstrip government. Where executives are celebrities. Where the division between the poor and the rich, the haves and have-nots, is enforced by law, and walls, and an economic standard soaked in blood. A world where executives compete with one another - for promotions, to win contracts, to settle disputes - via murderous road rage in specially designed and armored "battle-wagons". This is the world of Richard K. Morgan's "Market Forces", a character driven science fiction thriller set in the near, and all too believable, future of late 2040's London.
Market Forces protagonist (hero would be the wrong word) Chris Faulkner is an up and coming executive, or "driver" as he is one of the select few who can both afford to drive and are among the ranks of road-rage competing corporate agents. Faulkner, at the book's opening, has just been drafted into the ranks of Shorn Associates, Conflict Investment division. Riding on his work at a previous firm's Emerging Markets division, and the highly controversial yet celebrated kill on the road that won him that position, Faulkner meets immediate challenge. His coworkers and the partners at Shorn are far more bloodthirsty than Faulkner believes necessary, demanding that every roadway dual end in a positive kill. Faulkner is able to deliver extreme violence, as in his celebrated kill in which he ran over his competitor five times, but comes to Shorn with a preference for less bloodthirsty business approaches. This puts him at odds with other Shorn executives; Rivalries which only become worse when he proves successful in the division.
Conflict Investment is no nice thing – It is investment in, and guidance of, small wars for maximum profit. Shorn Associates is as bloodthirsty and greedy here as anywhere, and it pays. Conflict Investment is a money-maker, and success in the field means great gains, recognition and advancement for Faulkner. Being less bloodthirsty still does not give Faulkner clean hands, and as the pressure mounts, he becomes more and more blood-soaked. And he likes it – Every victory, every risk won out, is validation for the way he does business, and the ideals he brings to the game.
At the same time, it is his idealism that runs him aground. Faulkner is no mindless greed driven power player. He's come from the very bottom to get to where he is, and has built the beginnings of a good life. His wife, Carla, is a loving and kind force in his life, always encouraging the best of him. She holds him to be the better man, and not succumb to the sheer greed and immorality of his work.
As Faulkner rises to the top in the most cut-throat area of a cut-throat world, his professional drive and personal conscience conflict more and more. As he struggles with these disparate halves of himself and his life he is forced (or forces himself) into a decision between two paths, one of harmony in his family, and one of unbridled success.

Market Forces channels American Psycho with a Road Warrior ethic and a Dogs of War sensibility. The world created by Richard Morgan for his corporate samurai is one of merciless competition, bloody corporate affairs, unabashed profiteering, riding on a current of warfare and class oppression. In short, Morgan writes a world that, while exaggerated, doesn't seem too impossible or even too far off. In examining this potential future what the reader must ask themselves is if that is a good thing, and what role they want to play. These are the questions that are at the heart of the novel, driving its biting political dialog and fast paced action alike. The choices faced by Faulkner and those surrounding him are more than political, or monetary: Their very lives are at stake on the physical, moral and even human scale.
Market Forces is not an uplifting read. Faulkner is a great anti-hero, and is surrounded by similarly flawed individuals and their mistakes. Very few of these characters are merely two-dimensional, as Morgan is unafraid to delve into the vulgar depths of personality. These are very human people, and will force the reader into uncomfortable territory. At times it is like being in the room while your friend and his wife have a screaming argument. All you can do is watch as people you want to care about debase themselves and one another, screaming themselves into the deafening silence of mutually assured destruction.
Yet while not an uplifting read, it is a fundamentally good read. Morgan's characters resonate with that level of richness throughout, flowing effortlessly with the tautly woven story. Market Force is a book that draws you in, each page pulling you deeper into the quagmire of morality, violence and lust that consumes its characters. It will leave you breathless, and with the sensation that you may be accomplice to something awful, yet wanting more. A unique and masterful work of speculative fiction, Market Forces is a must read.(less)

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May 09, 2009

William rated it:

(review of isbn 0345457749)

Read in May, 2009

Set fifty years in the future after the Domino Recessions, executives use their armoured BMWs in scheduled road-rage duels to win contracts ("Show up with blood on your wheels or don't show up at all") but only the bravest go for a night out in the Zones. Chris's Conflict Investment department needs to win the Cambodia contract, and to do that they must first take out the Nakamura team, who drive Mitsubishi battlewagons and don't always play by the rules (the jury's still out on whethe...more

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Sep 22, 2008

George Hawkey added it (review of isbn 0345457749)

Read in November, 2009

To start, I like sci-fi. I like the crappy, action focused ridiculous premise plots and characters (Harry Harrison-type). I also like the searching, questioning novels reaching for human truths in a speculative framework (Le Guin).

This book was both and neither successfully. The premise was so ridiculous as near-future sci-fi that I couldn't suspend disbelief. Investment bankers who were also warriors in souped-up combat cars? I'm sure the I-bankers themselves certainly like to see t...more

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Aug 14, 2009

Stefan rated it:

(review of isbn 0345457749)

bookshelves: science-fiction-and-alt--history

Read in August, 2009

Richard Morgan has created a dark, gritty portrayal of future society in Market Forces. No part of this corporate society seems implausible, which makes the writing all the more chilling to read. The author did a good job a creating a protagonist who was repelling, but also who I could also connect to. The setting of Market Forces was vividly stark and fascinating, the narrative was fast-paced and intelligent. Market Forces was a brilliant, insightful, exciting, and disturbing read.

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Jan 06, 2009

Jonathan Galloway rated it:

(review of isbn 0345457749)

Read in December, 2008

I really got absorbed into this novel. I was not at all what I thought it would be... investment executives meets mad max of sorts.

I felt like this book was written specifically for me as the audience. I don't want to spoil it however by talking about it.

Like Altered Carbon, this book reads like a movie (or video game). It's got great character development, more crazy ideas mashed together and a definite anime influence (in my mind at least.)

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Nov 08, 2009

Rich Cresswell rated it:

(review of isbn 0345457749)

Read in November, 2009

The best description for this book is Mad Max meets Wall Street. It's a story about giant corporations and the horrible things they do, and the horrible things the guys at said corporations do to one another. They have car-duels to the death to win promotions and accounts, and generally make money off wholesale slaughter. Morgan manages to make his main character a hero while keeping him morally reprehensible, and the story's action packed and satisfying. I liked it alot.

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