A strong sci-fi thriller from one of the best new voices in science fiction. Part space opera, part thriller, Titanborn was a great read on its own and promising start to a new series.
Malcolm Graves is a collector, a combination bounty hunter, detective, and assassin. After a major terrorist attack on Earth, Graves is tasked with tracking down and eliminating the perpetrators. With him is his new partner Zhaff, a conditioned human with incredible combat skills and intelligence but zero social skills, just like an android. They discover that the attack is just the beginning of what could be a much broader conflict that could tear the Solar System apart.
Graves and Zhaff live in a future where Earth was struck by a meteor nearly wiping out the species. One small group of brave souls escaped to the Saturn moon of Titan, while the rest endured, survived, and rebuilt on Earth as well as Mars and other celestial bodies of the solar system. The great reunification of the Earth survivors and the people of Titan is not a happy one, creating an ethnic friction between the two peoples.
Graves is a noir detective of the future, employed by a major corporation but with all the authority and immunities of a government agent. Graves and his apprehension of getting a new partner was reminiscent of those classic detective stories, police procedurals, and shoot'em ups from back in the day.
The terrorist pursuit is pretty exciting, although takes a little bit of time to develop. The first 30-45 pages are pretty slow, taking time to set the stage rather than advance the story. After that, the pace is more than adequate. It doesn't have the great twist at the end that many noir mysteries have but there are a few surprises.
A note on the world-building: A growing number of sci-fi authors love using mega-corporations as the powerful, authoritarian entities in the future rather than governments. I am not sure why, especially since many of the novels do not touch on economics, cronyism, or any of the other elements that usually come with the "evil corporations" theme. Instead, it is more like what puppet Tim Robbins said in Team America "The corporations are greedy and act all corporationy, and they make money..."
Titanborn does not bother with the economic inequality or corruption themes, instead sticking with the bounty hunter/detective angle. Very smart in my opinion. I don't think most sci-fi readers want to read about economics. At the same time, some may be disappointed the book does not dwell on any social commentary.
Titanborn takes place in a very detailed and well-developed future. The world-building, technology, and physical descriptions are all excellent. You get a real strong sense of the Earther-Ringer tensions and can easily understand the animosity and bitterness that emerges between the two.
While most elements of the book are compelling, there is no particular part that really blew me away, aside from the world-building. I enjoyed reading it but it didn't quite leave that powerful lasting impression. Even so, I recommend it for readers who love thrillers and space operas, as well as general sci-fi readers.
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Top reviews from other countries
Ziggy Nixon
solid, traditional sci-fi at its best, a TON of fun!
Reviewed in France on April 1, 2020
Norma Miles
"A pretty decent team. "
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 22, 2019
AgainstTheWInd
Loved this! Another fun great read/listen combo.
Reviewed in Australia on September 9, 2019