We all have our tipping points for brutality, points in literature past which the drama and the tension of a piece are drowned out by orgies of gunfire. Though Altered Carbon came close to pushing me off that cliff, particularly Kovacs's flashbacks to his gruesome missions, the violence always seemed to be rooted in a character's painful endurance of a gritty world. But without the detective's mystery to connect us to the veneer of Kovacs's integrity, to connect us to a shred of his morality, Broken Angels leaves us unanchored in a world of barbarity and cruelty that, particularly near the end of the novel, proves difficult to stomach.
It is not at all surprising to find the Takeshi Kovacs of this second novel firmly imbedded in a mercenary company contracted to help mercilessly suppress a rebellion on a colony world. He's always been a hired hand, the only difference being the varying degrees of legitimacy granted to his activities by the various organizations who've employed him. But after an especially bloody engagement, a wrench is thrown into Kovacs's exercise in personal nihilism when he's approached by one of his fellow mercenaries to take on a private mission, to retrieve an artifact from an archaeological site smack dab in the middle of the war zone. Kovacs's job will be to provide hired muscled for the mission, in the event it is necessary, and so he is directed to assemble a team of toughs willing to endure radiation and worse for what could be, for some anyway, the score of the century. It doesn't take long for the mission to go awry when other interests stick their noses in and ruin the plan, but the one thing we know about Mr. Kovacs is that he'll never run from danger and that's as true now as it's ever been. In trying to find some way to a conclusion for his mission, Kovacs journeys from radiation-riddled islands to majestic ships floating in the dead of space. The only guarantee? That With Kovacs near, a trail of death and destruction is not far off.
Broken Angels presents us a host of new characters which provide ample support for Kovacs who, again, shines. Mr. Morgan is never negligent in his duty to flesh out even the most minor of characters. But while the scenery is as vivid as ever, and while the personalities of the participants at times amuse and horrify, there's just too much pointless bloodshed splattered over the plot to fully enjoy it. Mr. Morgan is best when his cruelty is surgical, not atavistic which is why the barbarism here just doesn't quite click. Also, the archaeology here, while interesting, feels a bit forced, a bit too operatic for my tastes. But perhaps you'll feel differently. (3/5 Stars)
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