Titanium Noir

Into the world of the noir detective story comes something different. We have the dark mind of the gumshoe who varies from sardonic to sarcastic, but now we have Titans.

Titans are people who have been medically enhanced to be taller, stronger, younger, and seemingly live forever. The procedure is only available to the wealthy and well connected.

A titan has been found dead and Cal Sounder had been hired by the police to solve the politically charged case.

Harkaway takes us on a wild ride to the dark side, weaving a complex narrative that becomes increasingly confused until suddenly we see that he has hoodwinked us. And then he adds a frisson of final twist as he exits stage left grinning to himself.

Sci-Fi Noir with a gumshoe that kicks a** and a great cast of characters. Few twists and turns, and world that is gray, futuristic, but reads like it is a 40's Noir film.

Loved it. Did the audiobook and the narrator gave a fantastic performance. Would love to see this continue as a series, not sure if it will or not (GR is is listing it as Titanium Noir #1, so I guess we will see).

4.5 STARS

Good detective story, and a good Sci Fi story. These two are not usually together, but are with this remarkable novel.

I liked this fun, genre-crossing book. It's weird science combined with a standard noir mystery.

The science fiction part of the book comes into play with a medical treatment that allows an elderly, sick, or injured person to regenerate their bodies to a youthful, healthy state. The side effect is that they restart the growth process and end up larger than the largest humans. Around 7+ feet as a starting point.

Of course it is only the ultra-rich who can afford this treatment, and those that are well connected to the scientific corporation that created it. Generally, if I think about the very rich, I consider the fact that money can't buy you out of the eventual aging, disease, and death which gets everyone at some time. Harkaway has come up with an idea that would remove this great equalizer–with consequences to themselves and the rest of the world.

The plot is average to good with no great surprises or stunning moments. There's a murder and the protagonist, Cal Sounder, is a detective who tries to solve it. If you took away the science fiction elements it would no longer be unique.

I enjoyed reading this a lot. One of the pros is the narrator, Cal “I'm not a cop” Sounder who is empathetic and resourceful and engages the reader with his thought process. His specialty is dealing with the “Titans” who have taken the age-reversing medical treatment and acting as sort of a go between these larger-than-life humans and the law. He is not one of them but knows them on a personal level. Because of this, Sounder is often between a rock and a hard place while trying to solve the mystery, which is how most of these noir detective stories go.

The dynamic and humorous dialogue is my favorite part of the book and, besides the premise, is what makes Titanium Noir stand out.

Harkaway is one of my favorite current authors. Compared to some of his previous work, this was surprisingly economical with words. I really enjoyed [b:The Gone-Away World|3007704|The Gone-Away World|Nick Harkaway|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1328322676l/3007704.SX50.jpg|3038235] and [b:Angelmaker|12266560|Angelmaker|Nick Harkaway|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1326121401l/12266560.SX50.jpg|14751763], but both were twice the length and went into backstory rabbit holes. Titanium Noir he kept it lean and mean.

Clearly there is social commentary going on here with the rich finding a way to escape some of the harsh reality of life and the concern about what this would do to the earth's resources if the treatment became widely available. I do appreciate that Harkaway doesn't demonize the rich completely, though the Titans have lost touch with humanity. All the characters are written with some layers and there isn't a simple morality or message.

Like all the best SF, this works as an interrogation of our present day circumstances. On one hand it's a Chandlerish tale full of menacing thugs with guns and the hero getting banged on the head and waking up somewhere else, on the other it's a commentary on the current sociopolitical state of the West, with the Titans standing in for the billionaires who run our world. It's also pithy on the ongoing consolidation of wealth away from the young towards the older generation:

“As if there can't be new things because the old ones aren't going away”

There's a fair bit to chew on in what's ostensibly a noir romp, but the joy is that it works on both levels, and you can read however much or little as you like into it and still have fun.