Thirteen
by Richard K. Morgan
Del Rey Hardback $24.95

I was very ambivalent about this book to start with - the topic and themes of the novel-race, genetics, and the roles they play in society, interested me greatly, but the only other Richard Morgan book I had read, Market Forces, I disliked intensely. However, once I began reading it, it was obvious that Morgan had learned a lot since then. Genetic engineering is commonplace - governments use it all the time to create people to fulfill specific tasks. Carl Marsalis is one of these. Carl, in fact, is that most dreaded engineered variant type of all - a Thirteen. Thirteens are supersoldiers, created to be superstrong sociopaths, many of them, out of governmental control, have wreaked so much havoc that they have been largely exiled to Mars. Oh, and Thirteens have one other thing in common: they are all Black (the U.K. Title was Black Man). Carl Marsalis is an exception. He has been working as a hit man, quietly trying to become something other than the monster he has been labeled. When a rogue Thirteen escapes from Martian exile, he is hired to find and kill him. This novel works very well in some ways, not so well in others. Carl Marsalis' character is one of the best things about the novel; his biology has, literally been his destiny. His struggle against that is well-written and very moving at times. The book is also great at forcing the reader to examine his own prejudices and ideas. It lights up some fairly grubby corners in First World attitudes, and it does so very well. Morgan has also learned a lot about writing effective prose; the clunkiness and cliches that I remembered from Market Forces were largely gone, and the first chapter is amazing; you are sucked right in to the story from the get-go. His plotting, however, still leaves something to be desired. Effective thrillers are not easy to write, and this one bogs down at the end. It seems as though Morgan got to a certain point in the story, and just couldn't figure out how to make all the misdirection work for him. But, I still recommend this book pretty highly. It tackles some difficult issues head-on, effectively and with grace and it gets props for that. It also has some great characters, aside from Carl. The science is also quite good. If you're looking for a hard SF thriller, or for a book that takes a good look at topical issues, or you're looking for something with a different kind of main character, pick this up. - Nadine Armstrong