Lawrence reviews: Black Man by Richard K. Morgan
Black Man is British science fiction author Richard Morgan's fifth novel and is set in the aftermath of a century of ill-advised and poorly regulated genetic experimentation. Both in the US and the UK special projects have been developed to create so called "variant thirteen". As a result of political and religious violence, the nation has split up in three independent 'countries'. Although the setting is still futuristic, it actually poses us questions in a more intense manner because in a way the future cannot be so easily dismissed.
Richard Morgan certainly knows how to write a compelling novel, which resulted in an unpredictable plot that never failed to excite me. With the gritty, noir-esque setting, full of dubious loyalties and conflicting morals, the novel had indeed every key to a successful science fiction thriller. I should warn any Morgan novice this effort is not for the faint of heart, violent confrontation is one of the aspects that drive Morgan's novels. Reading the first couple of chapters, you would suspect Black Man to be an action-packed science fiction novel. Indeed, there is no shortages of blood flowing, people are killed in cold-blooded style; it's raw and gritty. That doesn't mean the rest of the book continues in the same vein. Rather, the action-packed scenes are coated with a layer of mystery, instead of moving from action scene to action scene. Besides these elements of 'violent mystery', Black Man also tries to examine character and motive in-depth.
The protagonist, Carl Marsalis, is a genetically engineered black-skinned variant thirteen. He makes a living out of searching and killing the remaining variant thirteens. Marsalis originates from a special variant thirteen experiments designed genetically engineered alpha males, who would fight the century's wars. However, with no wars to fight anymore, these alpha males considered dangerous to have around. Morgan frequently challenges our assumptions by illustrating how Carl handles these situations making him an engrossing character.
Black Man confronts the reader with some interesting issues and satisfies on multiple levels. On one end, it satisfies in telling a compelling story that sticks, but on another also satisfies by digging deeper in character and motive. Either way, you are in for a treat!