To buy the books or to not buy the books? It seems to be a common dilemma among fans of the series.
In a Reddit thread entitled, "Is it worth buying the Altered Carbon novels?," a user named thelifeof-ryan ponders purchasing the paperback versions of Altered Carbon. "Season 1 was everything I could have wished for in a sci-fi thriller," the user wrote. "It was gritty, it was violent, it was emotional, it was deep and so unapologetic! But obviously Season 2 was seriously lacking with its terrible screen writing, storyline and lead character. It seemed so dumbed down too and was closer to a typical by-the-book young adult series. So are the books worth buying? Because I really want to continue the story in some format the way it was meant to be."
Getting straight to the point, another user responded, "Absolutely yes, they are unflinching, so much more depth to the books." However, other users made it clear that the novels have different aspects: For starters, Takeshi is more human, as opposed to being virtually unstoppable on the screen. Morgan also switches genres with each book, according to user CapnZapp. "So if it was the dystopia, the film noir, the cyberpunk you loved about Altered Carbon (book #1) then you won't be getting that in Broken Angels (book #2). Personally I highly recommend Altered Carbon. As for Broken Angels and Woken Furies, I found them much less compelling and definitely 'try before you buy.'"
Whether fans decide to purchase the books comes down to a decision that each individual needs to make. In the meantime, you can always watch a similar sci-fi show, or, of course, binge both chapters of Altered Carbon on Netflix yet again.
