Titanshade by Dan Stout is a noir mystery with science fiction, fantasy, magic, and other elements mixed into the plot. Filled with clichés that are taken in new ways, the read is very well written and works on all levels.
This is a world
where disco and rotary phones are common place alongside aliens and magic. This
is a world where the main focus is on a city run by corporate elite living off
of oil money that operates on the border of various powers. Land is scarce and
the dead are driven up to the top of a mountain and left as “sky burials” where
they are eaten by the resident birds. The local police force wears crimson
uniforms and operates out of “The Bunker” while trying to keep the peace
between humans and aliens.
The main character is a homicide detective named Carter. After a series of tragedies that has caused
him to lose faith in humanity, he is a bitter and sarcastic jerk with a heart
of gold. He is a pariah among his fellow cops because of politics. His new
partner named Ajax is an alien who is a rookie, a college graduate, and is religious
and optimistic. Ajax has been assigned to Cart not only to learn, but to
hopefully mitigate some of Carter’s behaviors especially in public. While the setup is clichéd and the usual deal
happens where they rub off on each other and grow on each other over time, the
read works and I really liked both of the characters.
The case sounds
simple at first. Someone has torn apart one of the ambassadors for a peace
delegation that was supposed to bring wind farm technology to the dying city of
Titanshade. The city needs wind farms since their oil reserves are running dry.
If the deal fails the city will total economic collapse. There are plenty of
suspects and motivations among the aliens as well as the human population.
Add in the fact
that the ambassador is a member of the frog like race known as the “Squibs.” They
are a reclusive race that does not like humans.
Part of that is because for a small percentage of humanity if they are
exposed to a reclusive race they become blood thirty monsters. Their blood can
turn a normal loving family man into a wild man who would tear apart his own
family.
It would not be a
noir style mystery without multiple conspiracies, prostitutes called “Candies”
which can be human or alien, dirty cops, politics, and more, and what started
out as a simple case becomes very complicated. While much of the read uses clichéd
elements familiar to readers of mysteries and other genres, it is how they are
used and built upn as a foundation makes Titanshade well worth reading.
Titanshade by Dan Stout is
very well written and the start of a new series. The sequel, Titan’s
Day, is scheduled to be released late this year in April.
My reading copy
came from the Downtown Branch of the Dallas Public Library System.
Scott A. Tipple ©2020
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