And so I read one, it became four, and when I went to the store I read more

I am about halfway through Richard Morgan's new one, Thirteen, and it is A+. Now sure, it could crater, but I doubt it. This one stands up to Altered Carbon, and I expect it will exceed it, as it is more a novel of ideas while still retaining the threat and menace we so love. The reactions to threat and menace, or the perceived threats, are at the heart of this book. Its quite good, more on it when I am done.

I am enjoying this one so much that I realize I must go back and read Market Forces, the only other Morgan book I have not yet read. Yesterday, I was discussing the notion of being a book completist. This is a much bigger challenge than being a musical completist. In this day of iTunes and Hype Machine, it is not too hard to find the B-sides which once drove years long record store quests. For example, here is the bonus track to the latest Interpol.

The issue for book completists is less finding a rare book as it is finding time to read them. If you feel the need to read all of Dickens, or heaven help you, Trollope, well I hope you won the lottery or can take a sabbatical, as that is going to take awhile. For the right author, a category in which I certainly include Morgan, reading all of the books is a good idea for a number of reasons. You know you are getting a quality book, reading more of an author often helps you better understand the books you have read and hey, shouldn't you reward the people you think are doing a good job?