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Nov 13, 2011

Cathy rated it:

A very interesting book. His website calls it noir fantasy. I guess I kind of get that. It's certainly not the lovely elves dancing under the moon kind of book. War, violence, intolerance, politics, and religion all play a part. There is a lot of crude language and some sexually explicit scenes. The main character. Ringil, is a self-proclaimed queer. If you find homosexuality, or outright heterosexuality, both in scenes and language, to be offensive, this is not the book for you. I actually foun More...

1 comment like (12 people liked it)

May 04, 2010

Brad rated it:

I have too much to write about The Steel Remains to put it all into a coherent paragraph by paragraph review, so I am just going to ramble around a bit and write what I need to write.

Mind-Blowing: That's my instant reaction after finishing this book. But the mind-blowingness began in the midst of the first chapter. I intentionally slowed down my reading so that I could savour every word, but by the time Ringil came out of the grey mists with his dwenda lover, Seethlaw, and his lover' More...

16 comments like (22 people liked it)

Aug 04, 2008

Liviu rated it:

I've been a big fan of R. Morgan ultra violent, ultra dark and quite explicit novels since his extraordinary debut Altered Carbon. Though in his last novels the repetitions of themes, plot and gimmicks became a bit tiresome, in The Steel Remains Mr. Morgan moves to epic/adventure fantasy and reinvigorates said themes. While longtime readers of his novels will be less surprised at the twists and turns of this novel because of the echoes of previous works, there is a lot of new stuff here and the More...

0 comments like (6 people liked it)

Dec 02, 2008

Guy rated it:

As in all of Morgan's other books that I've read (which I think is all of them), there is a world-weary grittiness to "The Steel Remains" that makes the most outlandish settings and scenarios seem very real. His characters are three dimensional and believable, dialogue and descriptions mostly crisp, and there are some nice flashes of humour. That being said, there are a number of flaws that ultimately relegate, at least for me, this book into the category of "very mixed reaction More...

5 comments like (3 people liked it)

Oct 02, 2011

Perry rated it:

Richard K. Morgan has made quite a name for himself as a hard-edged, contemporary science fiction novelist, winner of a good number of the awards available after just a handful of publications. Here he tries his hand at writing a fantasy with a grim, visceral presentation and a couple of unusual, contemporary tropes.

To give due, The Steel Remains is fairly strong on narrative drive. However, it is simply horrid when it comes to dialogue. Clearly Morgan wants us to like his main char More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Jan 27, 2012

David rated it:

There is a lot of edgy sex in this book, not unusual for a Morgan book. The twist here is the protagonist is gay. So if that bothers you, then this may not be the book for you. If like me, sex is sex and it doesn't bother you - well this still isn't the book for you.

I loved the hardboiled, neo-noir, cyberpunk grittiness of his SF Takeshi Kovacs trilogy Altered Carbon, Broken Angels, Woken Furies but his first foray into gritty, violent, fantasy falls flat. This book doesn't stick wi More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Sep 10, 2008

James rated it:

Before you ask, I got my copy of this book through Amazon.co.uk, where the book is in print today. This is my habit with Morgan's books, rather than waiting another year for them in the United States.

Traditionally, in Noir, it's customary to have a protagonist who is morally compromised, but who at least tries to better himself/herself, the world, etc. Morgan seems to have missed that point with the utterly unlikable Ringel, protagonist of The Steel Remains. Ringel is an empty husk o More...

0 comments like (6 people liked it)

Feb 26, 2009

Michael rated it:

Richard K. Morgan has made a career of taking the familar elements of science-fiction, breaking them down and building them into something that respects its past but it willing to challenge readers by trying something new. After a successful and award-winning run in sci-fi, Morgan is now turning to the world of fantasy to take the familar and make it new and fresh again.

"The Steel Remains" is the first of a new trilogy by Morgan. The story has the usual fantasy tropes on More...

0 comments like (3 people liked it)

Sep 22, 2008

Judd rated it:

Richard K. Morgan has brought his unique brand of politics, amazing world-building, graphic violence and even more graphic sex to the fantasy genre and nails it.

This is the first book in a trilogy but it ends in a way that makes it a satisfying book all on its own. I dig that. I'm done with Dark Tower cliff-hangers. When I put down this book, I was hungry for another but satisfied with where I was left.

And when I say I'm in, I mean that as soon as the book is released, More...

4 comments like (2 people liked it)

Aug 03, 2011

Enrique028 added it

I have to say that between all things, it took me a long time to finish this book. I probably read other in the time I was suppose to read this one and the reason for this is that the first half of The Steel Remains is so slow and hardly anything happen. Yes, it sets the background for the final half but it makes for difficult reading and you really only want to get to the action point. Action which it is not as abundant as you might think in the book. It is quite graphic thou, sex-wise and bloo More...

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Feb 18, 2009

Michael rated it:

Richard K. Morgan turns from tales of violent masculinity in sci-fi settings to... bland fantasy. The Steel Remains was a let-down.

Remains follows the stories of three heroes of a past war, now each finding themselves uncomfortable in civilian life, as they discover a new threat to their shared society. I got the impression that the book was designed to shock what it presumed to be the fragile sensibilities of fantasy fans by presenting queer protagonists who are not accepted for w More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jan 06, 2012

Tal rated it:

When a man you know to be of sound mind tells you his recently deceased mother has just tried to climb in his bedroom window and eat him, you have two options. You can smell his breath, take his pulse and check his pupils to see if he's ingested anything nasty, or you can believe him. Ringil Angeleyes had already tried the first course of action with Bashka the Schoolmaster to no avail, so he put down his pint with an elaborate sigh and went to get his broadsword. And he's not the only one to be More...

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Jan 05, 2012

Ruth rated it:

c2008. Hard core and disturbing - but I loved it. As mentioned in the acknowledgments at the end of the book, this is certainly a tip of the cap to the fantasy writers of yore. Having starting to read this book straight after a favourite urban fantasy, I was not certain whether or not I would enjoy this story...I should not have worried. From the opening line to the end line, I was hooked -reading and rereading certain lines just to savour the wonderful wordcraft on show. It did feel at times th More...

0 comments like

Oct 16, 2011

Megan rated it:

(Re-posted from http://theturnedbrain.blogspot.com)

An alternate title for this book would be: Back Story: How to do it right! Somewhat less catchy than The Steel Remains, to be sure. But very, very true. I can’t think of any other books that fills in the back story of it’s characters as seamlessly as this one does. And guys, there’s a lot of back story.

The book is set a decade or so after a huge war, in which previously antagonistic nations had to band together to best an ext More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Aug 07, 2011

Neil rated it:

Unsurprisingly, Morgan's harsh, bleak and extreme writing style makes the transition from sci-fi to fantasy with ease. In fact things aren't really that different, especially with the strong suggestion that magic and monsters are merely science and "aliens". The monsters and particularly grim action/torture are the highlights of this novel, whereas the characters are the weak point. The main character Ringil is your typical Morgan tough guy, while the other two characters don't really More...

0 comments like

May 16, 2011

Lars J. rated it:

I had high hopes for this novel. I loved Altered Carbon and thought that if Morgan could live up to half of that book, but in a fantasy setting I'd be very happy. Unfortunately, he's not up to the job. In fact I'd go so far as to say that the book feels forced, driven by a few ideas clearly meant by the author to be "controversial" in the fantasy genre, creating a work which feels rather contrived. Let's see...

Sex. Homosexual sex. And heterosexual sex. I applaud introducing More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Mar 20, 2011

Mark rated it:

My respect for Richard Morgan as a writer increases. In a way he’s taking the piss. I always thought the body ‘sleeves’ in the Kovacs novels were treated in a very unlikely manner, and in Market Forces the main conceit of the novel is a joke. But he gets away with because his writing is so gripping. The Steel Remains is a further extension: it’s almost as if he’s doing everything he can to annoy a huge section of the readership of sword and sorcery novels. While at the same time following all th More...

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Feb 10, 2011

Wendy rated it:

This is one of the new wave of fantasy books, also known in my world as 'fantasy grows up', and oh boy it's a good one, flawed heroes, swearing, sex scenes and all. It's a book 1, so a lot of it is set up, but there's also a decent stand-alone story focusing on three heroes of a vicious war and their deep disillusionment [is that even a word?] with life post-war and post-heroics, a kind of coming to terms with life among people who are not heroes, who are conniving and greedy and decadent and wh More...

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Jan 13, 2011

Joe rated it:

I really enjoyed this. Highly recommended for fantasy fans who like Richard Morgan's sci-fi and for anyone who liked Joe Abercrombie's The First Law trilogy and subsequent books. This one is a fast read and the protagonist (even though there are multiple "main characters") is more of an interesting noir-esque* character (per Morgan's style) than one of Abercrombie's fatally flawed people - but the comparison is natural.

A lot of reviews talk about the violence or gay sex More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Nov 07, 2010

Adam rated it:

This book was somewhat of a disappointment - it's not a bad book, by any means. I'm not sure if Morgan can write a REALLY bad book - he'd probably have to put some effort into it. But The Steel Remains seemed to be unfocused and, for lack of a better term, unfinished - and I don't say that simply because its the first book of a trilogy.

The main character, Ringol is your traditional swords-and-sorcery warrior hero - with his own sorcerous, inhuman blade - except with a thing for guys, More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Nov 02, 2010

Ethan rated it:

Entertaining, hack-and-slash, pretty much nonstop action. The characters are interesting and compelling (in their own ways), the world seems well-realized, with some interesting quirks (the concept of the Kiriath race is pretty cool). The dialogue is good, snappy, and there is pretty much conflict on every page, which keeps things interesting. Lots of tension and all that.

BUT...a few buts....

I like the idea of a homosexual 'hero'. However, I do not like the gratuitous More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jul 16, 2010

Amanda rated it:

I have read a large number of reviews that indicate Richard Morgan is doing something fresh and new with this, his first book in a fantasy trilogy. However, I would respectfully disagree. I could see elements of David Gemmell and Michael Moorcock in the writing. Before his untimely death, Gemmell handled the creating of characters that are drawn from shades of grey - anti-heros and fighters held up to be heros but have the morals of the worst kind of human beings. Ringil, Archeth and Egar are ch More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Apr 17, 2010

Viridian5 rated it:

The Steel Remains by Richard Morgan kind of frustrated me. Much of it is good and interesting and different, and I appreciated that two of the main protagonists are queer, but for me the plot started to lose steam about 75% of the way through, around the Seethlaw section, and finally ended in an underwhelming way. The narrative tells you that it's tragic and all, but my response was basically, "Well. Okay, then." I wasn't feeling it. What makes it even more frustrating is that the book More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Mar 23, 2010

Resonance rated it:

A decidedly cyberpunk-edged fantasy tale that deliberately does away with the standard heroic-fantasy tone possessed by most such tales in favor of the sort of gritty action, character flaws and dispositions, raw language and venal plot devices that Morgan does very well. Morgan gets points for daring -- the main character is a definite anti-hero, and what's more, he's quite explicitly gay. In most fantasy stories where a character is gay, it often is announced fairly subtly and not dwelled upon More...

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Dec 11, 2009

Ceridwen rated it:

If what you feel has been missing from your average Tolkien-clone is hot, gay sex, then this is the book for you.

No, j/k, I'm being immature, and I've never been one to let a one-liner lie. What I have been missing from your average Tolkien-clone is hot, gay sex. While I love Tolkien, his far-reaching over-shadowing influence on later fantasists results in an awful lot of heraldic bullshit and courtly fol-de-rol, with wide-eyed teenage boys who are Ken-like from the waist down pining More...

59 comments like (41 people liked it)

Nov 10, 2009

Angelsouth rated it:

I note that the Amazon reviews are particularly concerned with how "dark" this novel is. I would agree - to a point. It's not really any darker than any other fantasy novel although there are a few moments of genuine horror. The writing is engaging, certainly, though more reminiscent of sword-and-sorcery or adventure than high fantasy which is where the narrative seems to be. I think this is a strength in Morgan's writing. The formal tone of high fantasy does tend to make novels sound More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Sep 22, 2009

Ryun rated it:

Swords-and-sorcery fantasy is hot right now. Anyone who’s anyone in the cool science-fiction crowd is writing at least one fantasy book, if not a trilogy. Richard K. Morgan’s THE STEEL REMAINS is on the forefront of this fantasy resurgence, and it’s near the top of the heap, though it’s obvious by about the halfway point that this novel is merely the setup to a much more epic story, part of a planned trilogy.

The trifurcated story follows a trio of veterans — Ringil, Archeth and Egar More...

0 comments like

Aug 28, 2009

Alan rated it:

Warning: This review contains offensive language, though not nearly so much so as the book itself. Do not read below the fold if this is a problem for you.

I'm still ambivalent about this one. On one hand, I really like Morgan's hard-bitten style in general; Altered Carbon, his debut, was a remarkable tale (soon to be a Major Motion Picture, perhaps) whose callous style was perfect for a world where minds and bodies are easily separated, and made much less precious in so doing. This n More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jun 29, 2009

Howard rated it:

I usually hesitate to criticize writers who I think might actually read these things, but Richard Morgan is so good at what he does, so talented, that I figure he could absorb a little criticism.

So, the thing that leaped out at me in a bothersome way is that in creating a more realistic fantasy world, making characters react more the way people would and less like characters, he gives all the main characters the same verbal habits, which is to say that everyone, whether the Conan he More...

3 comments like

Apr 15, 2009

Robin rated it:

This was my first experience with Richard Morgan, so I have nothing else to compare it to. Reading some of the other reviews on GoodReads, I see that many people prefer his straight Science Fiction works to his new Fantasy series.

I thought this was an excellent book. It started with action, and it rarely let up. Yet, it was had complex plotting, intrigue, and the most realistic characters I've seen in a book in a long time. All of the characters in this book, even the characters More...

0 comments like