This noir fantasy thriller from a debut author introduces the gritty town of Titanshade, where danger lurks around every corner.“Take a little Mickey Spillane, some Dashiell Hammet, a bit of Raymond Chandler, and mix it with Phillip K. Dick’s Blade Runner; add a taste of CJ Box, and Craig Johnson, and you’ve got a masterpiece of a first novel.” —W. Michael Gear, New York Times bestselling author… York Times bestselling author
Carter’s a homicide cop in Titanshade, an oil boomtown where 8-tracks are state of the art, disco rules the radio, and all the best sorcerers wear designer labels. It’s also a metropolis teetering on the edge of disaster. As its oil reserves run dry, the city’s future hangs on a possible investment from the reclusive amphibians known as Squibs.
But now negotiations have been derailed by the horrific murder of a Squib diplomat. The pressure’s never been higher to make a quick arrest, even as Carter’s investigation leads him into conflict with the city’s elite. Undermined by corrupt coworkers and falsified evidence, and with a suspect list that includes power-hungry politicians, oil magnates, and mad scientists, Carter must find the killer before the investigation turns into a witch-hunt and those closest to him pay the ultimate price on the filthy streets of Titanshade.
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I had high expectations for this book based on the cover alone, and it delivered! White collar crime meets the gritty streets of Titanshade in this fantasy noir executed brilliantly.
Quiet social commentary, morally gray characters, and vivid descriptions make the world jump off the page, and the noir vibe is on-point.
If you like Dresden Files and other fantasy/crime overs, you’ll love the super strong debut that is Titanshade!
I noticed reviewers elsewhere have mentioned Titan Shade’s cover. I’m going to ditto them. This is one time when the cover and blurb really are a way to judge if you’ll love this novel. As the cover suggests, Titan Shade is a gritty, 1970’s cop novel set in a pulpy sci-fi metropolis. From the first page, I was hooked and submerged into the novel’s fast-paced, noir world. The characters have tons of depth, with problems and lives that feel real. Rich, gritty, fast-paced and immersive—and just freaking fun—this was one of the best novels I’ve read in a while.
This sounds like your basic noir story, and it is in its own way. It’s just also absolutely not able to be pigeonholed. The characters are interesting. I initially didn’t find myself liking the MC, his partner seemed the better guy initially, but as time went by he definitely grew on me. He seems to grow on a lot of people. He’s got a victim complex that should make him completely miserable to be around, and he initially comes across that way. You learn why he feels that way after a while and realize that even when he is disliked, it’s not for the reason he thinks.
There’s a lot happening in this book, even when it seems like there isn’t. There are numerous storylines that merge and split only to merge again later, repeating until you find yourself doubting everyone and everything. I mean, until the MC does. But I digress.
By the time you get to the end of the book, you think you’ve been put through the ringer. But it was what happened after the story was over that really sealed how amazing this story is, at least in my opinion. It won’t make sense if you skip ahead. It’s something that slowly unfolds within the story.
This is a standalone novel that is thankfully the beginning of a series. You can read this novel and walk away and know exactly what the story was and how everything worked together in the end. And you’ll still be delighted when you realize the sequel is out.
I can’t recommend this enough if you’re a fan of sci-fi, a similar and then totally different (at the same time) world that you can slip into fairly seamlessly, mystery, adventure, fist fights where the hero doesn’t come out unscathed, rich worldbuilding that never feels forced or dumped on you, strong female secondary characters that aren’t interested in the MC, a very very very mild romance that might be more confusing banter than romance, and being able to practically feel the world as you read it. I got this at a discount and I almost feel like I cheated the author. I pre-ordered the second book within minutes of finishing.
It’s that good.
Gritty urban noir, interesting plot and characters.
Wow. This book is the Gumshoe trope, with a twist. But its the characters that carry this book all the way to the finish.
Film noir characters in space – a good read.
This book reminded me strongly of The original Alien Nation movie in the early stages of the book. Later that feeling dropped off. I liked the world the author constructed. It is clearly the first book in a series, but it does not suffer from this. I got this book a a very reasonable price from BookBub, but I have seen it in the bookstore at full price. It was more than worth the price I paid, and might well have been worth the full price. When I see the second book in the series I will decide at that time whether to buy the next book. Overall rating, worth the cost.
Although this world relies on low-tech – no cell phones, just pagers, no clever gadgets – and has very little actual magic the world it is still interesting. The characters are so absolutely “human” and therefore relatable, that despite the number of alien species (that beg the question “just how did they get to this world?”) whose presence on this rather inhospitable world are not explained that the reader is drawn in and all this doesn’t matter. Involvement in what becomes the central plot is almost immediate and the protagonists character is unfolded and revealed so naturally that the book becomes an enjoyable read! It certainly left me hoping this author has or will write sequels!
I have been on a roll with great books lately with this debut author being one of the best. I was a little hesitant about this book because it seemed maybe a bit too sci-fi for me, but I was so glad I did dive into it: exceptional writing, unique universe, and intriguing characters. This author did a wonderful job at keeping me entertained from start to finish. Yes, it isn’t really that hard to keep me entertained as I love reading so much, I will read just about anything I can get my hands on. However, this book was really a step above and I think this author will go far. I for one can’t wait to read the next book in the series (I hope it comes out soon)! Give this book a try if you like urban fantasy with unique universes. Frog people! I highly recommend this book! I was provided the e-book which I voluntarily reviewed.