I have read all of Richard Morgan's books with the exception of Market Forces which I started but could not get on with and tossed it.

If I had read it first I wonder whether I would have picked up any of his other books.

It makes me wonder how many other authors I have missed out on because having read one of their books I didn't get on with I haven't bothered to read any of their other books.

I've read most of his books and am about half way through Woken Furies. The first one I read was Market Forces and was hooked form there. I bought The Steel Remains when it came out and enjoyed immensely. To read a fantasy book written in the style that is typical of science fiction was a breath of fresh air. I loved it.

He's definitely one of my favourite sci-fi authors.

I just went through the archives of the old Yahoo group to copy some of Richard K. Morgan's messages - he joined us there in April 2008 when Thirteen was our Book of the Month. This was also when The Steel Remains was just coming out, so someone asked about his switch to fantasy. Richard's answer:

> Did you find writing Fantasy to be significantly different to writing Science
Fiction?

I think it's very important as a writer to try to stay fresh, and to be honest I'm prepared to have a shot at anything that facilitates that. I never exactly intended to "change direction"; I just had these character vignettes for a fanasy context and I showed them to my UK editor one day and he just said "okay, how many books is this?" At the time, it wasn't even one book, just some vague ideas for a transfer of noirish tendency over into fantasy. As much as anything, this was about the challenge of whether that could be done or not. I'd been talking a good fight about it on messageboards and at conventions for a while, and it finally seemed time to put my keyboard where my mouth was. And both my UK and US publishers were kind enough to - quite literally! - buy into the idea, so here we are....

As to the differences, there were some, of course, but it wasn't that much more difficult than, say, the switch from the several-centuries-hence Kovacs universe to the almost contemporary world of Market Forces. You just talk to a few people who have significant insight; for Market Forces, I talked to friends who are economics consultants of one sort or
another; for The Steel Remains, I hung out with a bunch of Viking re-enactment guys for a bit and talked to a couple of people I know who know their way around horses. That's how you glean the little bits of telling detail, the tiny fragments of realism
you embed to give the writing the authority it needs.

I too have read all his books except Market Forces. I got Altered Carbon out from the library when it was first out in paperback. After finishing it I passed it onto my husband to read. I then got the sequels from the library as they came out but didn't read them myself.
It was when Richard Morgan was on the group that I decided to go back to his books. But I picked up Market Forces and ended up tossing it fairly early on. But then my husband bought a copy of Black Man, mainly because I had pointed him in the direction of the group discussion. I read it after him and ended up going out and getting all his other books in softback and reading them one after another.
Sometimes good authors do not stand up to back to back reading of their novels. But in this case I just wished he had written more. Luckly I didn't have long to wait for "The Steel Remains.." and then I had a new dilemma.
Did I want the next book Richard Morgan wrote to be more sci fi or fantasy

I've read all of his books aside from Market Forces. They were all, without exception, excellent, as far as I'm concerned. Very dark and violent, but powerfully so. I consider him one of the strongest new SF writers of the last decade or so.

I have to say that I only started reading his books after reading the author's posts, when he joined the Beyond Reality group on Yahoo a few years back. The way he articulated his opinions and philosophy, and explained the reason behind the darkness in his books, motivated me to find and read his books. I may see if I can track down some of those posts and cut and paste them here, for anyone who wasn't in the Yahoo group at the time.

I emailed Richard yesterday to let him know that we're discussion The Steel Remains now. He remembers the group and said he might drop by to answer questions later on, but he's up against a deadline right now so it might be more sporadic than last time.

Altered Carbon, Broken Angels and Woken Furies are Awesome. Great narratives.

I have read Thirteen and Altered Carbon, both of which immediately shot to the top of my favorite books list. Both very violent, but it did not feel gratuitous. I loved the concepts - transhumanism is one of my favorite scifi tropes. I can't wait to read The Steel Remains.

I have read Altered Carbon and Broken Angels and enjoyed them immensely. A bit violent, but it was never a big problem with me. I have all the rest of his books in my TBR pile.
Unfortunately I wassnt able to read Steel cause I am a strange fellow and only read Mass Market paperbacks in the summer. The larger books are just to unwieldy to have in my bag while I ride my bicycle around.

I've read Thirteen and Altered Carbon. I thought they were both great. I loved the concepts, the story lines, the characters and the pacing. I will definitely read more of his science fiction. I wish I could say that I felt the same about his fantasy.

Have you read any other novels by Richard K. Morgan? How did you like them?