Thin Air

A Novel

By: Richard K. Morgan

Narrated by: Colin Mace

An atmospheric tale of corruption and abduction set on Mars, from the author of the award-winning science fiction novel Altered Carbon, now an exciting new series from Netflix.

NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY THE GUARDIAN

Hakan Veil is an ex–corporate enforcer equipped with military-grade body tech that’s made him a human killing machine. His former employers have abandoned him on a turbulent Mars where Earth-based overlords battle for profits and power amid a homegrown independence movement. But he’s had enough of the red planet, and all he wants is a ticket back home—which is just what he’s offered by the Earth Oversight organization, in exchange for being the bodyguard for an EO investigator. It’s a beyond-easy gig for a heavy hitter like Veil . . . until it isn’t.

When Veil’s charge starts looking into the mysterious disappearance of a lottery winner, it stirs up a hornet’s nest of intrigue and murder. And the deeper Veil is drawn into the game, the more long-buried secrets claw their way to the Martian surface. Now it’s the expert assassin poised against powerful enemies hellbent on taking him down—by any means necessary.

Praise for Thin Air

“Kick-ass . . . Mixed in with the thriller-esque action and cyberpunk backdrop is a hard-boiled noir story complete with a twisting and turning plot that keeps readers on their toes.”—Los Angeles Times

“Richard K. Morgan wants to destroy your Mars fantasies. . . . It’s a grim vision, but one that Morgan finds far more plausible than the cheerful visions of plucky Mars colonists common in sci-fi.”—Wired

“A robotically enhanced Jack Reacher [in a] dazzlingly intricate game of political double- and triple-cross, spiced with tastily kinetic battle sequences.”—The Guardian

“If you ever imagined that the core esthetics and themes of cyberpunk—lowlifes and high tech; corporate dominance; future noir; post-human evolution and cyborg adaptations; hardscrabble urban environments—were played out, Thin Air will set you straight, and kick your butt in the process. . . . Both kinematic and cinematic, [Thin Air is] limned by Morgan with balletic precision and smashmouth grace.”—Paul Di Filippo, Locus

Critic reviews

“Kick-ass . . . Mixed in with the thriller-esque action and cyberpunk backdrop is a hard-boiled noir story (think Philip Marlowe or Sam Spade) complete with a twisting and turning plot that keeps readers on their toes.”—Los Angeles Times

“If you ever imagined that the core esthetics and themes of cyberpunk—lowlifes and high tech; corporate dominance; future noir; post-human evolution and cyborg adaptations; hardscrabble urban environments—were played out, Thin Air will set you straight, and kick your butt in the process. . . . Both kinematic and cinematic, [Thin Air is] limned by Morgan with balletic precision and smashmouth grace.”—Paul Di Filippo, Locus

“Morgan really makes this version of Mars come to life. . . . As realistic and vibrant as anything I’ve read in the genre.”—Tordotcom

“A robotically enhanced Jack Reacher [in] a dazzlingly intricate game of political double- and triple-cross, spiced with tastily kinetic battle sequences.”—The Guardian

“Author Richard K. Morgan wants to destroy your Mars fantasies. . . . It’s a grim vision, but one that Morgan finds far more plausible than the cheerful visions of plucky Mars colonists common in sci-fi.”—WIRED

“Scintillating, imaginative . . . This is science-fiction as neo-noir thriller, with gunfights, multiple shadowy agendas, and blood on the floor.”—Sci-fi and Fantasy Reviews

Brain Spinach Saves the Day!

The tendency to judge a book against its author's prior work is tempting. In this case, it's better just to forget Takeshi Kovacs and go with the flow. Thin Air is an enjoyable fast paced SF thriller. The characters are interesting enough to keep you going and the plot sort of makes sense.
In the contemporary Sci Fi world that will have to do. While Altered Carbon was a whole new direction, this book seems like paint by numbers in a lot of places. Superhuman fighter always kills everyone in the room, with a little help from spinach- wait, no, that was Popeye. Veil uses built in systems that seem prepared for any eventuality. Convenient, to say the least.
Thrown in here and there are gratuitous sex interludes that will thrill the 14 year old male reader, I guess, but seem to have no other reason to intrude. Things just sort of happen, and miraculous escapes just sort of show up on schedule.
Anyway, I still enjoyed it. There is an originality to the book that is way ahead of the stamp it out by formula writers that dominate Sci Fi- I'm looking at you, B.V. Larson. I'm not sure if Morgan will ever be as good as he was with Altered Carbon, but that is a high bar, and this book makes a valiant effort at it.
It's possible that every writer has a few good books in them, and the other ones are the price you pay to get to those books. I'm happy to do that, with the hope that Morgan is just getting a started.

Fun cyberpunk story with a very good performance!

So, do you like cyberpunk stories? Well then you will enjoy this story from the modern-day cyberpunk master Richard K. Morgan.

excellent book

fantastic! hopefully a noir style space opera in the works. peter hamilton fans should give this one a listen.

Essential fiction - 11/10

Morgan has an incredible ability to weave a dense, interleaved and highly believable World for his characters to play (and suffer) in. He also writes some of the most impossible-to-stop-reading prose I’ve ever encountered. This isn’t just essential sci fi- It’s one of the best books of any kind that I’ve ever read. 11/10.

Gritty, well-paced, noir cyberpunk thriller

Richard K. Morgan delivers again in this well written cyberpunk thriller. Enjoyable characters (I particularly enjoyed the "goat god"), wild technology, and a fast paced, but not over the top story all work together to deliver yet another excellent cyberpunk novel. Narration is very good as well and does a great job of adding some color to the world and characters. Definitely worth a listen. I hope we see more of Veil and 'Ris in the future.