Numerous reviewers commented on Morgan's writing and story. In "The Seattle Times", journalist and science fiction author Nisi Shawl tied the writing quality to the action scenes, "Morgan's talent for tension-building is matched by the clarity with which he describes the sideswiping, rubber-burning, rear-end-ramming, full-contact racing scenes. And both these skills are quietly eclipsed by his word-for-word writing ability. Apt metaphors and similes abound." However, science fiction critic Robert K. J. Killheffer, in "The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction", wrote "it's not his best – it lacks the dense and evocative background of his Takeshi Kovacs books, and Morgan is not as sure-handed with near-future situations and characters – but it takes chances and largely succeeds." Likewise, in the "San Francisco Chronicle" the reviewer wrote "In its present form, the novel feels bloated and obvious, despite the sharpness of the descriptive writing and a couple of first-rate fight sequences. With the right artist, "Market Forces" might still make a compelling—and necessarily shorter—graphic novel." The "Library Journal" review ended with a recommendation: "Morgan's sf suspense belongs in most sf collections." The reviewer in "Booklist" concluded "It's not a particularly pleasant future, but Morgan paints it in broad strokes, drawing us into his future world and making it feel like a natural outgrowth of today's corporate chicanery. The novel might have been unremittingly bleak if it weren't for the moral center provided by Faulkner, who is a genuinely likable guy. Fans of Morgan's gritty, noirish brand of sf will flock to this one."