Black Man by Richard Morgan: The Best SF Novel of 2007?

Richard Morgan's latest novel, Black Man, is an precursor of sorts to his Takeshi Kovacs trilogy, set 400 years before those novels in a United States torn apart by religious, political and sociological strife. It is simultaneously a mystery novel, a high-octane action story and a deep examination of character and motive. It is incendiary stuff that will no doubt deeply offend a lot of people (particularly those on the extreme right living in the southern United States), but it is also brilliantly written, deeply compelling and at times tremendously emotionally affecting. It is one of the most intense books I've read in a long time. It also by far the best thing that Morgan has ever done (and his earlier books weren't exactly poor either).

The book has been renamed (with good reason) Thirteen for the US market, where it will be published at the end of June (it's out in the UK in May). A more in-depth review of the book can be found at my blog.

Unless Peter F. Hamilton really pulls out all the stops for The Dreaming Void or Ian MacDonald makes Brasyl the worldbeater it could be, we already have the Best SF Novel of the Year. And it's only March!