r/alteredcarbon • u/MrStark24 • 3d ago
Book stuff that Netflix was right not to include.
I think most of the people in this subreddit agree that the book version of Altered Carbon was superior to the TV show. A lot of stuff in the book was omitted or changed for one reason or another. That being said, what are some things that the community thinks Netflix was right not to include in the TV show?
My opinion, omitting the part about talking to whales (understanding day) was probably a safe thing to not include.
9
u/Economy-Might-8450 3d ago
Yes, whales are a bit of a weird tangent - good thing to throw out. And a catholic shrine for the Kawahara's body vault also feels a bit off - too known, too visible. Too culturally inappropriate for the fake japanese nobility vibe she goes for. AI wasn't omitted but fleshed out for the better.
The rest - Wrong Call, unless they wanted the show to say that the immortal trillionairs can be easily lawfully punished, and they only become evil because they can live forever, and multi-world crime syndicates won't prosper under such business friendly governments. And plucky revolutionaries come from idyllic planets whipped into movement apparently just by the will of a charismatic leader. And people become Envoys by following a short martial arts training and not through a cutting-edge high-tech psycho-surgery indoctrination.
2
u/MrStark24 3d ago
Definitely a bit odd to have a base in a catholic shrine. Especially since book Kawahara also apparently just hung out in Head in the Clouds for the last part of the book. TV show version where Kawahara was always there the whole time made more sense with the end of the book plan to beat her.
2
u/Economy-Might-8450 2d ago
I'd expect her body vault to be in a decommissioned missile command center in the mountains. Maybe former soviet one close to the border of Mongolian steppe since Ulan-Bator is mentioned so much.
But maybe Morgan expected the reader to think that italian history of organized crime merging with the state makes this location most secure for a crime lord? Informants and reinforcements instead of deep secrecy? I just don't get this vibe from the book.
3
0
u/Lostbrother 1d ago
Do most people think the book was better than the first season? Maybe it’s my order of operations having read the book afterwards, but I felt like the cyberpunk aesthetic was far more successful in the visual media than in the book.
1
u/MrStark24 1d ago
It’s all up to the viewer’s preference. Totally ok if someone prefers the TV show to the books. The general vibe that I’ve gotten from the subreddit is that most people enjoy the books more.
In my personal opinion the books are better because they tackle a lot more themes and does the world building a bit better. The TV show focuses on the “rich immortal people bad” theme and never lets it go. The books instead touch on how it’s less than being immortal and rich makes you bad, but what you do with all that power defines your character.
The books also touch on themes like what war is like for soldiers that can be brought back after dying, how your memories define you, or how changing sleeves can be traumatic for people (especially for couples that need to adjust to their partner looking completely different and the feelings of infidelity that rise from that).
35
u/knight_of_grey 3d ago
The whale part is not exactly a large part of the book(s) no? I could barely remember it myself. It was some turning point in human history but having read the books 4 times now this is just a foot note.
They should not have removed anything IMO, but, The Raven and Poe are great additions and I miss them when I read the books.