Thirteen - by Richard K Morgan (Paperback)

About the Book

From the award-winning author of "Altered Carbon, Broken Angels," and "Market Forces" comes this near-future thriller featuring a hit man who has lost his desire to kill. Unfortunately, certain government officials don't want to let him off the hook that easily.

Book Synopsis

In Thirteen, Richard K. Morgan radically reshapes and recharges science fiction yet again, with a new and unforgettable hero in Carl Marsalis: hybrid, hired gun, and a man without a country . . . or a planet.

Marsalis is one of a new breed. Literally. Genetically engineered by the U.S. government to embody the naked aggression and primal survival skills that centuries of civilization have erased from humankind, Thirteens were intended to be the ultimate military fighting force. The project was scuttled, however, when a fearful public branded the supersoldiers dangerous mutants, dooming the Thirteens to forced exile on Earth's distant, desolate Mars colony. But Marsalis found a way to slip back-and into a lucrative living as a bounty hunter and hit man before a police sting landed him in prison-a fate worse than Mars, and much more dangerous.

Luckily, his "enhanced" life also seems to be a charmed one. A new chance at freedom beckons, courtesy of the government. All Marsalis has to do is use his superior skills to bring in another fugitive. But this one is no common criminal. He's another Thirteen-one who's already shanghaied a space shuttle, butchered its crew, and left a trail of bodies in his wake on a bloody cross-country spree. And like his pursuer, he was bred to fight to the death. Still, there's no question Marsalis will take the job. Though it will draw him deep into violence, treachery, corruption, and painful confrontation with himself, anything is better than remaining a prisoner. The real question is: can he remain sane-and alive-long enough to succeed?

Review Quotes

Praise for Richard K. Morgan

Market Forces

"Morgan is one of science fiction's bright young lights, a crisp stylist who demonstrates equal facility with action scenes and angst."--The New York Times Book Review

"Forces is turbo-injected with moral ambiguity, Wag the Dog political scenarios, and action sequences fit for a Bruckheimer movie. [Grade: ] A."--Entertainment Weekly

Altered Carbon

"Compelling . . . immensely entertaining . . . full of duplicitous characters, murky motives, and a detective who's as tough as he looks."--The Philadelphia Inquirer

"Gritty and vivid . . . Looks as if we have another interstellar hero on our hands."--USA Today

Broken Angels

"Clearly the work of a gifted, ambitious story teller."--The Washington Post Book World

"A superior, satisfying cyberpunk noir adventure."--Publishers Weekly

Woken Furies

"[A] fiercely intelligent new cyber-noir thriller."--The Washington Examiner

"Breathtaking suspense and action."--SF Reviews

About the Author

Richard K. Morgan is the acclaimed author of The Cold Commands, The Steel Remains, Thirteen, Woken Furies, Market Forces, Broken Angels, and Altered Carbon, a New York Times Notable Book that also won the Philip K. Dick Award in 2003. The movie rights to Altered Carbon were optioned by Joel Silver and Warner Bros on publication, and a film version is currently in development with Mythology Entertainment. Market Forces was also optioned to Warner Bros, before it was even published, and it won the John W. Campbell Award in 2005. Thirteen won the Arthur C. Clarke Award in 2007 and is currently under movie option to Straight Up films. The Steel Remains won the Gaylactic Spectrum Award in 2010, and its sequel, The Cold Commands, appeared in both Kirkus Reviews' and NPR's Best Science Fiction/Fantasy Books of the Year lists. Morgan is a fluent Spanish speaker and has lived and worked in Madrid, Istanbul, Ankara, and London, as well as having traveled extensively in the Americas, Africa, and Australia. He now lives in Scotland with his wife, Virginia, and son, Daniel.