Scott's Take: Titan Song (The Carter Archives: Book Three) by Dan Stout

Titan Song (The Carter Archives: Book Three) by Dan Stout is heavily based on the idea that readers have read the previous two books before picking up this read. This time Carter and Ajax are investigating a series of gruesome murders. The first murder occurs at a multi-day concert out in the ice plains (think Lollapalooza). As they investigate, Carter tries to keep secret his new ability to manipulate magic.

 

The above plot blurb barely touches what is going on in the very complicated read. If anything, the book is too complicated as there are so many factions and conflicting motives, one could use a diagram or chart explaining all of it. The book has so many characters that some characters get the short end of the stick such as Carter’s adopted daughter. There are so many characters with their own agendas that several antagonistic characters with a lot of storytelling potential end up getting very little page time. There is a lot of set up for the next book in this book.

 

It is very similar to the first two books so, if you liked the first two books, you will like this one too. Personally, I found it to be the weakest of this book series. This was true throughout the read but was really brought home with the ending as that fundamentally changed this series from what I expected. As the murders are based in magic and there is little evidence, Carter and Ajax sit around discussing theories for much of the book with little action.

 

While I still enjoyed Titan Song (The Carter Archives: Book Three), it was not nearly as good as the first two. Interested readers should definitely read the first two books in the series before attempting to read this one and should be prepared for an ending here that changes the series to something different than what readers would expect based on the other books.

 

The books in the series and my reviews:

Scott's Take: Titanshade by Dan Stout (March 2020)

Scott's Take: Titan’s Shade (The Carter Archives Book 2) by Dan Stout (January 2021)

 

Titan Song (The Carter Archives: Book Three)

Dan Stout

https://www.danstout.com/

Daw Books (Penguin Random House)

https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/663065/titan-song-by-dan-stout/9780756417468

April 2021

ISBN# 978-0756417468 

Hardback (also available in eBook and Paperback formats)

384 Pages 

 

 

My reading copy came by way of the Skillman Southwestern Branch of the Dallas Public Library System.

 

Scott A. Tipple ©2021

Scott's Take: Titan’s Shade (The Carter Archives Book 2) by Dan Stout

Titan’s Day by Dan Stout is the second book in the series that began with Titanshade. This book continues The Carter Archives which features Carter and Ajax who are a human and alien crime fighting duo that investigate murders on Titan. After the events of the first book, things should be way better for the locals. Except things are never as simple as they should be. Set six weeks after the first book Carter and Ajax have finally gotten off desk duty and back to work. Carter is still dealing with lingering problems thanks to events in the first book while there is a growing anti federal movement.

 

A young girl is murdered in an alley and her body is then horribly mutilated. It is up to Ajax and Carter to figure out who killed her while facing constant interference by the media, politics, and bureaucracy. Everyone has an agenda in this novel. The only ones who seem to care that a girl was murdered is Ajax and Carter. Everyone else seems to want to use the fact that Ajax and Carter are now considered heroes for their own uses and seemingly do not care about the murder. The city is on edge and Titan’s Day is coming up which is the biggest holiday for everyone on Titan.

 

One of the best parts of this book is that everything good about the first book continues here and is built upon in this read. There are connections between the first book and this one that cover big things as well as little things. Because so much is going on here based on events of the first book, it makes going into detail here problematic without creating spoilers. Suffice it to say, Carter is fundamentally changed by the first book and he is not the only one as characters evolve and relationships change. What remains constant across the series is the fact that there is plenty of action, humor, and mystery.

 

The third book in the series is titled Titan’s Day and is scheduled for publication on April 6, 2021.

 

 

Titan’s Shade (The Carter Archives Book 2)

Dan Stout

https://www.danstout.com/

Daw Books (Penguin Random House)

https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/588910/titans-day-by-dan-stout/9780756414894

April 2020

ISBN# 978-0-7564-1489-4

Hardback

432 Pages (also available in eBook and paperback formats)

 

 

Material supplied by the good folks of our branch, Lochwood Library, of the Dallas Public Library System. 

 

Scott A. Tipple ©2021

Scott's Take: Titanshade by Dan Stout

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