Like drugs for techno-action junkies,
Richard Morgan did the futuristic, world-weary warrior story well in his
Takeshi Kovacs series. A wild west style of justice continually seeping
through the scenes of blood and gore, he also indicated there may be a little
more on his mind than just action. The nihilism left without an explicit
voice, Morgan set out to rectify this in
his 2007 Black Man (Thirteen in the US). Slowing plot to allow ideological exposition
a place, the novel finds the author highlighting the prevalence of vice in unabashed,
overt style. Thematic content not always
matching character representation and premise, the result is a story with
conflicting agendas.
Black
Man
is the story of Carl Marsalis, a genetically modified British super-soldier
working for the UN’s GLA (like the CIA).
Using his experience as a special forces operative, he travels the world
apprehending criminals, usually rogue thirteens, of which he is one. Called “hyper-males”, thirteens are fueled by
testosterone doses, have been upgraded physically, trained to violence, can be
easily goaded, and yet retain a sense of logic to help them plan their
moves—Conans with guns. Marsalis
himself a thirteen but on the right side of the law, his skills prove
invaluable toward catching those of his kind who disrupt society.
