“What do I do? I am a Christian but I love the hard and uncompromising intelligence that I find in the writings of the likes of Iain M. Banks, China Mieville, and Richard K. Morgan. Now these are unlikely bedfellows - two for sure are atheists and the third is a radical socialist (and for all I know an atheist as well)
And yet...
In Richard Morgan's 'Black Man' we find a picture of a nightmare future, made believable in the story by Morgan's uncompromising familiarity, his descriptions of character and action are pitched to perfection, and the plot peels back layer after layer, giving a satisfying complexity without the irritation of leaving the reader bewildered.
Morgan at his best also retains a kind of fierce determination for justice, a rage against hypocrisy and an acknowledgment of value of encouragement and support. The tribute to his late mother, and also the acknowledgments at the back of the book tell us about the man, and perhaps his own opinion of his story.
In between is the story itself. A mix of, social religious and political commentary, and o deftly handled, precise violence.
I have enjoyed all of Morgan's work, even Market Forces, which received a lukewarm reception and suffered from the fact that it asked too much of the reader to believe in the world in which it was set.
So, 'Black Man' has a precision and insight about it which warrants praise. The problem with the book is that Morgan, as with so many of the more vocal atheists of the day wants to preach his theology through the characters. Now some of the characters in Black Man would certainly share Morgans outlook, but taking a very didactic approach in any storytelling is not a good idea - the characters lose coherence if they are made to stand alone or in pairs on their soapboxes.
Allied to this is the tired old propaganda that Christians are all racist country hicks who combine stupidity with prejudice in generous measures. One imagines Morgan's "Jesusland" believers sharing an average IQ of about 80 and sitting around saying things like:
"Weull, Jaysus is ma sayvior brother"
"An' he's mine too brother, hey hee's even the Sayvior of all them black folks there!"
etc. etc.
Tired nonsense and a distraction, especially when the characters have to take a detour from their reality to play the part.
But if you bare with this propaganda (for that is what it is in part) and look beyond it you find some engaging characters, some thoughtful stories, and a writing style that hits the spot almost all of the time.
I like reading the work of excellent writers whose views are at odds with mine - and so I am looking forward to Morgans next work. ”
Andy C wrote this review Friday, February 22 2008.
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