Black Man
Author	Richard Morgan
Country	Great Britain
Language	English
Genre(s)	Science fiction novel
Publisher	Victor Gollancz Ltd
Publication date	17 May 2007
Media type	Print (Hardcover & Paperback)
Pages	560 pp (Hardcover) 546 pp (Paperback)
ISBN	ISBN 0-575-07513-9 (UK Hardcover) ISBN 0-575-07813-8 (UK Paperback) ISBN 0-345-48525-0 (US Hardcover)

Black Man is a 2007 science fiction novel by Richard Morgan. It won the 2008 Arthur C Clarke Award. It was published as Thirteen in the United States.

It is not part of the well known Takeshi Kovacs universe by the same author.^[1]

Plot introduction

The 'Black Man' of the title is Carl Marsalis, a genetic variant, known as a 'thirteen', of high aggression and low sociability. Bred to serve in a military capacity, thirteens were later confined earthside on reservations or exiled to Mars. Carl, having won by lottery the right to return from Mars, works covertly, tracking down renegade thirteens. The novel concerns Carl's attempts to apprehend a Mars escapee on a murder spree and uncover the forces shielding his quarry.

Explanation of the novel's title

Both the UK and American titles reference the lead character in the book. 'Black Man' in the context of the book is a covert operator, as well as arguably being a reference to the theme of prejudice that runs throughout the novel; 'Thirteen' is the genetic alteration the protagonist has received.

Characters in Black Man/Thirteen

• Carl Marsalis, the eponymous 'Black Man', genetic variant thirteen, former Osprey operative, freelance UNGLA operative.
• Ethan Conrad, deceased, renegade genetic variant thirteen, NYPD detective.
• Sevgi Ertekin, former NYPD detective, COLIN Security agent.
• Tom Norton, brother to Jeff, COLIN Security agent.
• Alicia Rovayo, partial genetic variant bonobo, RimSec agent.
• Roy Coyle, RimSec agent.
• Scott Osborne, Jesusland fence-hopper, Ward BioSupply employee.
• Carmen Ren, former Department Two operative, renegade genetic variant thirteen, Ward BioSupply employee.
• Jeff Norton, brother to Tom, former Scorpion Response operations coordinator, Human Cost Foundation director.
• Alvaro Ortiz, former Scorpion Response director, COLIN director.
• Greta Jurgens, genetic variant hibernoid, familias andinas operative.
• Manco Bambarén, Peruvian familias andinas chief.
• Allen Merrin, twin to Onbekend, former Project Lawman operative, renegade genetic variant thirteen.
• Onbekend, twin to Allen Merrin, former Project Lawman operative, renegade genetic variant thirteen.

Literary Allusions

Part of the action in ‘Black Man’ takes place on a semi-sovereign floating island called Bulgakov’s Cat, an oblique reference to Mickhail Bulgakov’s novel The Master and Margarita, in which Satan (in the guise of Woland or Voland) is accompanied by a mischievous and violent black cat called Behemoth, drawing obvious literary parallels.

References

1. http://www.uksfbooknews.net/2007/03/19/richard-morgan-on-new-novel-black-man/ Richard Morgan interview, accessed 2 February, 2008.

Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia; from the article "Black Man". Image Credit.

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