Altered Carbon Review

I’m going to kick this thing off by quoting part of book review I did for Altered Carbon way back in 2015:

“Altered Carbon has absolutely everything you could want out of a futuristic cyber-punk, mystery thriller. A compelling lead character not so dissimilar from Han Solo, a murder mystery that’ll leave you scratching your head until the very end, action and suspense up, and then out, the wazoo, and worldbuilding of the sort you would expect in a Brandon Sanderson novel.

Simply put, if you’re a fan of cyberpunk there are three authors you really need to read: William Gibson (Neuromancer), Neal Stephenson (Snow Crash), and Richard K. Morgan (Altered Carbon). Do it now. you won’t regret it.” – Me (circa 2015)

It’s hard to overstate just how impactful Altered Carbon was to the cyberpunk genre (and to my writing in particular). I’m sad that it took me over a decade after its initial release to finally pick up a copy of Altered Carbon, but I’m thankful I didn’t actually dive between the pages until almost a year after Time Heist was released.

Had I read Altered Carbon sooner, it’s likely Time Heist would not exist in its current form. I won’t dive into that particular can of worms here, but suffice it to say, Altered Carbon is one of my all-time favorite books within the sci-fi genre.

So when Netflix announced way-back-when that they were adapting Altered Carbon to a 10 episode television series…well, I may or may not have tinkled a little with sheer unbridled excitement.

I dove into the series today and I’ve still got a couple episodes left, but I wanted to drop in and give some of my initial thoughts on the show. Let’s judge the show against the criteria I established in that 2015 review of the book for fairness sake.

Compelling Lead Character

Takeshi Kovacs is played by two actors (Joel Kinnaman and Byron Mann). We spend the majority of our time looking over Kinnaman’s shoulder (as his is the present day storyline), and for the most part he plays the physical side of Kovacs well enough. Problem is, there’s just something about Kinnaman and his delivery that feels stale and a bit boring.

Let’s just say: Kinnaman has yet to steal any scenes.

Byron Mann, by comparison, is excellent and I’ve more-or-less enjoyed every scene with him.

For me, Takeshi Kovacs is an preeminently intriguing character, but for reasons of casting, I think he doesn’t live up to his full potential in the show.

Compelling Lead Character Score: 5/10

Murder Mystery

The murder mystery in the book is quite complex. There are many moving parts and Richard K. Morgan spends the better part of 500 pages flushing it all out.

All that is to say, there’s a lot of story to cram into 10 episodes of television.

For the most part, I think the show has actually done a fantastic job weaving this intricate story-line. At times you are left scratching your head wondering who so-and-so is, and why Kovacs is pursuing that particular lead, but I don’t really blame the show for this as there is, simply put, a lot of story to cram in.

All told I think Netflix did a bang-up job staying faithful to the detective mystery angle without watering anything down, or leaving any significant portions of story on the cutting room floor for the sake of simplicity and ease of audience viewability.

Kudos.

Murder Mystery Score: 8/10

Action and Suspense Out the Wazoo

Yes.

Simply put, yes.

The action in this show is top notch (with the exception of one awkward zero-g knife fight). I’ve yet to feel that the action was over-the-top, or gratuitous (though that’s not to suggest it isn’t graphic). There are extended torture scenes, but these are not gory for the sake of gore, but rather to highlight the depravity of this future nihilistic world.

Action and Suspense Out the Wazoo Score: Definitely Out the Wazoo

Worldbuilding On Par With Sanderson

I’m super impressed with how Netflix has crammed so much worldbuilding into only 10 episodes. Truly.

There is a staggering amount of detail there for the discerning eye, but the viewer is never smacked across the face with it in a way that feels tedious.

Seriously, the show juggles the technocratic stratification of the Altered Carbon universe superbly. Whether we’re talking about the cultural implications of immortality, the ethical implications of consensual death for entertainment, or the spiritual ramifications of a digitized soul, there’s a lot of information to consume in this show.

Thankfully, gobbling up the oodles of world building never leaves you feel bloated, nor does it deter from the underlying story (which, at its heart is a detective murder mystery).

Worldbuilding Score: One Tier Below Sanderson Level

Final Verdict

I’ve still got two episodes left so there is still room for the show to stumble across the finish line, but so far, I’ve got to say, I’m really impressed with what Netflix was able to put together here. Kudos to them and Richard K. Morgan from bringing to life one of my all-time favorite stories, in a way that is both faithful to the original, and a marvel in its own right.

If you’re a fan of science fiction, cyberpunk, or anything I’ve ever written, I highly recommend you check out Altered Carbon on Netflix.

[box] Have you read the book or seen the show? Get down to the comments and let me know what you thought.[/box]