Richard Morgan
Encyclopedia
Richard K. Morgan is a British
science fiction
author.
Morgan studied history at Queens' College, Cambridge
. After graduating he started teaching English
in order to travel the world. After fourteen years and a post at Strathclyde University, his first novel was published and he became a full-time writer.
The common theme
to Morgan's books is that they take place in a dystopia
. His attitude is summed up by the following statement: "Society is, always has been and always will be a structure for the exploitation and oppression of the majority through systems of political force dictated by an élite, enforced by thugs, uniformed or not, and upheld by a willful ignorance and stupidity on the part of the very majority whom the system oppresses."
was published, combining elements of cyberpunk
and hardboiled
detective fiction
and featuring the anti-hero
Takeshi Kovacs
. The film rights for the book sold for a reported figure of $1,000,000 to film producer
Joel Silver
, enabling Morgan to become a full-time writer. In 2003 the U.S. edition received the Philip K. Dick Award.
In 2003 Broken Angels
was published, the sequel to Altered Carbon, again featuring Takeshi Kovacs and blending science fiction and war fiction
in a similar way to his cross-genre
début.
Market Forces
, Morgan's first non-Kovacs novel, is set in the not too distant future. It was originally written as a short story, then as a screenplay (both unpublished). After the success of his first two works, it was released as a novel and has also been optioned as a film.
Morgan's third, and he has stated final, Kovacs novel Woken Furies
was released in the UK in March 2005 and in the U.S. in September 2005.
Morgan wrote two six issue miniseries for Marvel Comics
under the Marvel Knights
imprint. His first story, Black Widow: Homecoming published monthly in 2004 was followed by a second, Black Widow: The Things They Say About Her published monthly in 2005; both are now available in collected editions. According to Morgan's official website the series was "an artefact of limited appeal" and is unlikely to be continued, although he has other comic projects in development.
Black Man
(known in the USA as 'Thirteen') was released in May 2007 in the UK and June 2007 in the USA. According to the author, the book is about the constraints of physicality and the fact that you are locked into who you are and there's not a whole lot you can do about that. These are things he could not deal with in the Kovacs universe, because for Kovacs and people like him mortality is avoidable: you just skip into a new body. The novel subsequently won the 2008 Arthur C Clarke Award.
Morgan's current project is a fantasy trilogy, A Land Fit for Heroes, the first volume of which has the title The Steel Remains
and was published in August 2008 in the UK and on January 20, 2009 in the United States. Additionally, Morgan worked with Electronic Arts and Crytek as 'Lead Writer' for their 2011 video game, Crysis 2
.
Currently, working with Starbreeze to be a writer for their 2011 re-imagining of the original Syndicate (video game) .
His current writings feature heavily on the theme of autonomy in science fiction and escapism in fantasy.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
author.
Morgan studied history at Queens' College, Cambridge
Queens' College, Cambridge
Queens' College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England.The college was founded in 1448 by Margaret of Anjou , and refounded in 1465 by Elizabeth Woodville...
. After graduating he started teaching English
Teaching English as a Foreign Language
Teaching English as a foreign language refers to teaching English to students whose first language is not English. TEFL usually occurs in the student's own country, either within the state school system, or privately, e.g., in an after-hours language school or with a tutor...
in order to travel the world. After fourteen years and a post at Strathclyde University, his first novel was published and he became a full-time writer.
The common theme
Theme (literature)
A theme is a broad, message, or moral of a story. The message may be about life, society, or human nature. Themes often explore timeless and universal ideas and are almost always implied rather than stated explicitly. Along with plot, character,...
to Morgan's books is that they take place in a dystopia
Dystopia
A dystopia is the idea of a society in a repressive and controlled state, often under the guise of being utopian, as characterized in books like Brave New World and Nineteen Eighty-Four...
. His attitude is summed up by the following statement: "Society is, always has been and always will be a structure for the exploitation and oppression of the majority through systems of political force dictated by an élite, enforced by thugs, uniformed or not, and upheld by a willful ignorance and stupidity on the part of the very majority whom the system oppresses."
Literary career
In 2002 Morgan's first novel Altered CarbonAltered Carbon
Altered Carbon is a hardboiled science fiction novel by Richard K. Morgan. Set some five hundred years in the future in a universe in which the United Nations Protectorate oversees a number of extrasolar planets settled by human beings, it features protagonist Takeshi Kovacs...
was published, combining elements of cyberpunk
Cyberpunk
Cyberpunk is a postmodern and science fiction genre noted for its focus on "high tech and low life." The name is a portmanteau of cybernetics and punk, and was originally coined by Bruce Bethke as the title of his short story "Cyberpunk," published in 1983...
and hardboiled
Hardboiled
Hardboiled crime fiction is a literary style, most commonly associated with detective stories, distinguished by the unsentimental portrayal of violence and sex. The style was pioneered by Carroll John Daly in the mid-1920s, popularized by Dashiell Hammett over the course of the decade, and refined...
detective fiction
Detective fiction
Detective fiction is a sub-genre of crime fiction and mystery fiction in which an investigator , either professional or amateur, investigates a crime, often murder.-In ancient literature:...
and featuring the anti-hero
Anti-hero
In fiction, an antihero is generally considered to be a protagonist whose character is at least in some regards conspicuously contrary to that of the archetypal hero, and is in some instances its antithesis in which the character is generally useless at being a hero or heroine when they're...
Takeshi Kovacs
Takeshi Kovacs
Takeshi Lev Kovacs is the protagonist of the books Altered Carbon, Broken Angels, and Woken Furies by Richard K. Morgan, which take place several centuries in the future....
. The film rights for the book sold for a reported figure of $1,000,000 to film producer
Film producer
A film producer oversees and delivers a film project to all relevant parties while preserving the integrity, voice and vision of the film. They will also often take on some financial risk by using their own money, especially during the pre-production period, before a film is fully financed.The...
Joel Silver
Joel Silver
Joel Silver is an American Hollywood film producer, co-creator of the sport of Ultimate, co-founder of Dark Castle Entertainment and owner of Silver Pictures.-Life and career:...
, enabling Morgan to become a full-time writer. In 2003 the U.S. edition received the Philip K. Dick Award.
In 2003 Broken Angels
Broken Angels
Broken Angels is a military science fiction novel by Richard Morgan. It is the sequel to Altered Carbon, and is followed by Woken Furies.- Plot :...
was published, the sequel to Altered Carbon, again featuring Takeshi Kovacs and blending science fiction and war fiction
War novel
A war novel is a novel in which the primary action takes place in a field of armed combat, or in a domestic setting where the characters are preoccupied with the preparations for, or recovery from, war...
in a similar way to his cross-genre
Genre
Genre , Greek: genos, γένος) is the term for any category of literature or other forms of art or culture, e.g. music, and in general, any type of discourse, whether written or spoken, audial or visual, based on some set of stylistic criteria. Genres are formed by conventions that change over time...
début.
Market Forces
Market Forces
Market Forces is a science fiction novel by Richard Morgan, first published in 2004.Set in 2049 in the wake of a global economic downturn called the Domino Recessions, it follows up-and-coming executive Chris as he plunges into the profitable field of Conflict Investment...
, Morgan's first non-Kovacs novel, is set in the not too distant future. It was originally written as a short story, then as a screenplay (both unpublished). After the success of his first two works, it was released as a novel and has also been optioned as a film.
Morgan's third, and he has stated final, Kovacs novel Woken Furies
Woken Furies
Woken Furies is the fourth published science fiction novel by Richard Morgan. It is a sequel to Broken Angels, and features the anti-hero Takeshi Kovacs....
was released in the UK in March 2005 and in the U.S. in September 2005.
Morgan wrote two six issue miniseries for Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
under the Marvel Knights
Marvel Knights
Marvel Knights is an imprint of Marvel Worldwide, Inc. that contains material taking place within the mainstream Marvel Universe .-Production:...
imprint. His first story, Black Widow: Homecoming published monthly in 2004 was followed by a second, Black Widow: The Things They Say About Her published monthly in 2005; both are now available in collected editions. According to Morgan's official website the series was "an artefact of limited appeal" and is unlikely to be continued, although he has other comic projects in development.
Black Man
Black Man
Black Man is a 2007 science fiction novel by Richard Morgan. It won the 2008 Arthur C Clarke Award. It was published as Thirteen in North America. It is not part of the Takeshi Kovacs universe by the same author....
(known in the USA as 'Thirteen') was released in May 2007 in the UK and June 2007 in the USA. According to the author, the book is about the constraints of physicality and the fact that you are locked into who you are and there's not a whole lot you can do about that. These are things he could not deal with in the Kovacs universe, because for Kovacs and people like him mortality is avoidable: you just skip into a new body. The novel subsequently won the 2008 Arthur C Clarke Award.
Morgan's current project is a fantasy trilogy, A Land Fit for Heroes, the first volume of which has the title The Steel Remains
The Steel Remains
The Steel Remains is a fantasy novel by Richard K. Morgan. It is the first fantasy book by Morgan, a noted science fiction author known for the Takeshi Kovacs trilogy and the standalone novels Market Forces and Black Man....
and was published in August 2008 in the UK and on January 20, 2009 in the United States. Additionally, Morgan worked with Electronic Arts and Crytek as 'Lead Writer' for their 2011 video game, Crysis 2
Crysis 2
Crysis 2 is a first-person shooter video game developed by Crytek, published by Electronic Arts and released in North America, Australia, and Europe in March 2011 for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360...
.
Currently, working with Starbreeze to be a writer for their 2011 re-imagining of the original Syndicate (video game) .
His current writings feature heavily on the theme of autonomy in science fiction and escapism in fantasy.
External links
- Science Fiction Weekly interview
- JIVE Magazine interview
- InfinityPlus interview
- Morgan Week interviews and reviews
- An interview for the Italian fans
- Interview at Clarkesworld MagazineClarkesworld MagazineClarkesworld Magazine is an American online fantasy and science fiction magazine. The first issue was published October 1, 2006 and it has maintained a regular monthly schedule since, publishing fiction by authors such as Sarah Monette, Catherynne Valente, Elizabeth Bear, Caitlin R...
, September 2008 - Interview on the SciFiDimensions Podcast