Titanborn (Children of Titan, #1) By Rhett C. Bruno

Alejandro

Titanic reading!

The author contacted me and I received an ARC edition of the novel in exchange of a honest review.

CORPORATOCRACY

Do you realize how vast our solar system is?

This novel by Rhett Bruno is an interesting detective story set in a far future when Earth has populated several places in the Solar System, such like Luna (Earth’s moon), the surface of Mars, Europa (one of Jupiter’s moons) and Titan (one of Saturn’s moons), and even sending far beyond of the Solar System, generational arks.

Earth suffered a meteorite hit which almost wiped out humankind, the old governments collapsed and while an United Sol Federation (USF) born, it’s a structure without real power, since now there is a Corporatocracy, in other words, the private companies are the real ones in command of human society, now.

Pervenio Corp and Venta Co. are two of the most powerful companies, but also there are several others trying to grasp all the possible power and control.

While the faith in God after suffering such disastrous event like the meteorite’s fall, the three major religions, Catholicism, Islamism and Judaism, merged into The Church of the Three Messiah.

When the corporations have a problem, a wanted criminal, a hostage situation, a hostile negotiation, etc… they resort to…

…The Collectors.

The Collectors are bounty hunters, guns-for-hire and peacekeeping agents, all in the same profitable package, with authority above USF’s forces.

The setting reminded me, similar scenarios like The Expanse and Blade Runner, but don’t get me wrong, the book possess enough original elements to be seen as a truly original stuff, since hardly anyone can claim the ownership of such sci-fi futuristic scenarios where private corporations took control of humanity. So, always there is space to enjoy another tale in the sub-genre.

MEET MALCOLM GRAVES

People have a way of thinking their mistakes are far more significant than they really are.

Malcolm Graves is a loyal Collector working for Pervenio Corp for several years, and one of the few to survive in his dangerous line of work for so many time.

While it wasn’t his plan, he used to work with a “partner” for some time, Aria, his daughter, but now he hasn’t heard of her in years, and while he prefers to work alone, his new mission will come with a forced new partner, Zhaff, a mysterious special agent of Pervenio Corp from the classified project Cogent Initiative.

The new mission is quite sensitive since involves a terrorist threat against Pervenio Corp, putting in lethal danger several of its operations and properties, including the ambitious generational arks sending chosen people into deep space with the intention to try to populate other alien worlds.

Malcolm Graves will need all his cunning, field experience and combat skills to deal with this particular mission which it’s way more than meets the eye.

Rhett Bruno, the author, brings this sci-fi tale with an engaging narrative, interesting characters and surprising twists.

From ice to ashes!

Lyn

Rhett Bruno should be on a short list of young, new speculative fiction writers fans should be excited about.

Bruno’s work is, like Ann Leckie’s, an evolutionary culmination of decades of science fiction work moving forward and channeling new technological advances and staying edgy and fresh.

Titanborn, his 2016 novel describes a world three hundred years in the future after much of humanity, and the best parts of Earth, have been destroyed by a rogue meteorite. But Bruno eschews a stereotypical post-apocalyptic setting for a forward looking mankind moving on and taking care of business. Here, mankind has spread out from the damaged earth and has populated most of the solar system. Bruno reminds me of Philip K. Dick in his outrageous vision of the future that he sells with a straight face – and makes it work.

But whereas Dick was always on the surrealistic side of the genre, slipping into a drugsy-kooky pseudo reality, Bruno is more of a disciple of Frank Herbert, crafting scenes of stoic and somber importance. Like Herbert, Bruno is able to incorporate elements of politics, economics, sociology and theology into a seamless whole. The world Bruno has described is one reminiscent of Neal Stephenson’s
Snow Crash in that themes of anarcho-capitalism dominate the economics of his creation.

Malcolm Graves is a collector, a kind of corporate bounty hunter and solver of problems. He works for a multi-planet corporation in competition with other interplanetary organizations to provide for humanity on Earth, Luna, Mars and the rings of Titan. The residents of the Rings, “Ringers” in the pejorative, have been separated from the rest of humanity for centuries and are beginning to show distinct characteristics. Bruno takes this setting into a compelling, tight prose ripe with future noir elements.

Reviewers will no doubt draw comparisons with Dick’s brilliant
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? (and by extension Ridley Scott’s 1982 film – told in first person narrative I imagined Harrison Ford’s voice), but Bruno’s writing is also reminiscent of Alistair Reynolds in the darkness of the SF without delving into comic dystopian swill.

There were parts of this that reminded me of The Fifth Element (1997), the 1981 Peter Hyams film Outland, and also, most obscure of all, does anyone remember the OMAC (One Man Army Corps) comics from DC? Because of the mega corporations duking it out.

Very entertaining and very good. Recommended.

*** A free copy of this book was provided in exchange for an honest review

description

Kay

Fun sci-fi thriller! Titanborn takes place 300 years after a moon-sized meteorite hits Earth. Mankind has colonized other planets like Mars and Saturn's moon, Titan.

Luxarn Pervenio of Pervenio Corp is the BIG boss. His Ark sends thousands of lucky lottery winners out to space to find other suitable places and to start a new human colony. Although there is a big government, they have no power.

Pervenio also has Malcolm Graves, one of the best "Collectors" who gets things done for a fee. When a bombing goes off in New London on Earth, Malcolm is assigned a partner, Zhaff to investigate the resistance/terrorist and keep the peace. Having always worked alone, Malcolm wasn't too pleased.

I enjoyed Titanborn because it's not too sciency and is action-packed. Great world-building and imagination on our evolution centuries later on a different planet. The characters and their personalities grew on me. Both bounty hunters are the best part, a veteran and a "newbie" learning from the best. There are subtle underlying themes of estranged families, race/class between the Earther and Ringers, those born on Titan.

Titanborn is a buddy read with Jennifer and we both enjoyed this first in the series on Audible read by talented R.C. Bray. The jaw-dropping ending left us both speechless and mixed with emotions.

Melissa ♥ Dog/Wolf Lover ♥ Martin

Are you serious with that ending!

It can't end like that! Where is the next book?

For some reason the main character and the book made me think of two things. Malcolm as Mel Gibson in Mad Max and the story line something like Bladerunner and I have no idea why.

Malcolm has been a collector for the Pervenio Corp for thirty years. They need something or someone gotten, he goes and gets it. There are a lot of different people out there fighting each other for a lot of different reason. I got the gist of most of it but since I have a tiny brain and some books blow my mind, I might have gotten lost in translation. That being said, we have Malcolm and he's asked to go on a big mission because some of the other people from other planets set off a bomb on Earth. Now these are all humans, but some live on Mars, the Moon, Saturn, some other places here and there and when they live in these other places, they sort of change. That's all I can tell you.

Malcolm gets paired up with a partner. He likes to work alone so he's not happy with this and the last partner he had was his daughter Aria. And lets just say things didn't work out too well in that department as he hasn't seen his daughter in a few years. So this new partner is named Zhaff and I swear I thought he was a cyborg until they explained some things in the book. He does remind me of lying cat from the Saga books. He can look at someone and saying lying, telling the truth... you know. He doesn't have humor or anything like that either.

--->EXCERPT<---

"You do have a family, right?" I finally asked.
"I have biological parents if that is what you are implying?"
"Yeah."
"I do. When my abilities were discovered, I was taken from them to be trained in seclusion.
Relationships would have been a distraction." He was being completely sincere. He stepped off the treadmill and dropped into push-ups. His elbows bent to perfect ninety-degree angles.
"Tell me about it. So what are these abilities? If we're going to be working together, I'd rather know something about the man who has my back other than the fact that you're a complete pain in my ass."
"Much of that information is classified."

We hear that a lot from Khaff, everything is classified which earns the eye roll from Malcolm.

I think it's totally cool that they have all of this interaction with the planets and moons and stuff. Even if I might not understand what's going on at all times, it's just awesome.

The reason people live on all of these places is because on Sept. 3, 2034, a meteorite hit Earth and killed billions of people. Therefore, many are spread out in different places as well as Earth. And Luna (our moon) has the largest ship-manufacturing plant in the entire solar system.

Penvernio Corp harvests vital gases on Mars from Saturn if I got that right. And their competitors Venta Co and they mentioned Red Wing Company are trying to say that Jupiter can harvest gases just as good.

There is a lot of fighting, politicking, and wow moments in the book. I really enjoyed it even if my little brain confused a few things!

*I would like to thank Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Hydra for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.*

MY BLOG:
Melissa Martin's Reading List

Tadiana ✩Night Owl☽

3.5 stars. Final review, first posted at
Fantasy Literature :

Titanborn, a future noir tale, follows “collector” Malcolm Graves as he travels around the solar system in the year 2334, resolving problems for his employer in a largely permanent and deadly way. As a collector, Malcolm is a combination of an investigator, bounty hunter and hired gun for Pervenio Corporation, one of the huge corporations that now effectively control Earth’s solar system. Malcolm, who's a veteran of thirty years in the business, travels around taking care of problems like workers' rebellions and incipient revolutions ― usually by assassinating the people causing trouble, with little care for anything but getting the job done.

Three hundred years before, in 2034, a huge meteorite nearly wiped all life off the Earth. Since then, the surviving members of the human race have reached out to other planets and even the stars, sending arks on one-way trips to other star systems. One group, knowing of the meteorite strike to come, left Earth and settled on Titan, one of the moons of Saturn. When their descendants reconnected with the rest of humanity nearly three hundred years later, the Titanborn people not only looked and acted differently from other humans, but also lacked immunity to diseases that Earthborn humans carried with them. As many deathly ill Titanborn are crammed into squalid quarantine areas, the rest of their people grow resentful and restive at being treated as second-class citizens.

In Malcolm’s last job, a few too many people died as he was solving a work shutdown on an asteroid, and now Malcolm has been forced on an unpaid and unwanted vacation. So when a terrorist bombing occurs right where he is taking his enforced rest, it looks like a golden chance for Malcolm to prove to his employers that he’s still on top of his game. It’s especially handy that he just happened to meet the suspected bomber, a Titanborn, in a bar just before the bomb went off. So Malcolm is given the job of chasing down the culprit, with a huge payoff at stake. Though he always works alone, his boss insists that in this case he needs to work with a young and oddly robotic partner who is part of Pervenio Corp’s Cogent Initiative, a secret training program for upcoming collectors. The resentful Malcolm and his extremely capable but socially inept partner Zhaff are off on the chase, trying to stay ahead of others so they can collect the bounty for capturing the bomber alive.

Titanborn is a genre story in the noir vein, with a hard-bitten, cynical protagonist, a fast pace that rarely lets up, lots of action, and a high body count. At the same time, it deals with universal issues: greed, racism, isolation, and even love. Corporate greed is a major theme, aided and abetted by a highly individualistic and extremely flawed protagonist, who is motivated solely by personal gain and the desire to live life in his own way, without interference. But there is moral ambiguity on both sides: while the Titanborn are understandably desperate and angry, they’ve resorted to murder and terrorist acts to achieve their goals.

The mystery element in Titanborn is serviceable, if not particularly deep or surprising. Rhett Bruno doesn’t try to hide the responsibility of the Titanborn for the bombing, but there are other elements of that plot that remain obscure until much later in the story. In the first chapter, Malcolm states:

In a little over two months’ time, I, Malcolm Graves, would help spark a revolution. I didn’t know it at the time.

But it’s not clear when or how that will happen, or whether it will be through deliberate or inadvertent action ― or inaction ― on Malcolm’s part. I spent most of the novel waiting for the other shoe to drop. And drop it does, although not precisely in the way I had expected. The ending is likely to surprise readers.

Although Malcolm is a hardened loner who doesn’t want to take instructions from or work with anyone, he is haunted by his broken relationship with his illegal daughter Aria, whom he tried to train as another collector before she rebelled against his lifestyle and disappeared. Malcolm is also humanized by his relationship with Zhaff, which slowly thaws over the course of their investigation. While that’s a foreseeable development, a variant on the buddy cop tales, Zhaff slowly becomes an intriguing and unusual character in his own right. He initially seems like a cyborg, but his actual background is much more human, complex and sympathetic. Malcolm’s developing partnership with Zhaff is put to the test as they get closer to solving the mystery.

At times Titanborn is reminiscent of Philip K. Dick’s novelette
We Can Remember It for You Wholesale, which inspired the Total Recall movies, as well as Dick’s novel
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, the basis for the Blade Runner film. It’s a quick and entertaining read, if occasionally predictable. I recommend it for readers who will enjoy a cynical, tough detective type of story in a science fiction setting.

Initial thoughts:
This is a pretty good science fiction yarn about a "collector" (really a hired gun) for one of the big corporations that controls our solar system about 300 years in the future, at the expense of the common people. The world has kind of been a mess since most humans died off in the aftermath of a huge meteorite hitting the Earth in the mid-21st century.

Malcolm, who's been in the business for thirty years, travels around taking care of problems like workers' shutdowns and incipient revolutions -- usually by assassinating the people causing trouble. He's also got a very odd partner who's been foisted on him for the latest job. It's a little bit reminiscent of Total Recall except without the mind-altering plotline.

THAT ENDING. I'm still deciding whether I like it or not (I think I do? it fits the plot), but I admire Rhett Bruno's guts in going there.

Content advisory: Violence with a high body count, scattered F-bombs.

I received a free copy of this ebook from the author in exchange for a review. Thank you!

Reading Corner

Titanborn is a fantastic sci-fi with a great plot and a very unexpected ending.Rhett C. Bruno managed to completely immerse me into the world within Titanborn through his great writing and storytelling.The story was fantastic along with the characters,especially Malcolm Graves as he develops as the novel progressed and proves to be quite complex.

For me,the best part was the story as it constantly keeps you entertained and how certain situations resolve are really interesting, especially the ending.The ending was really unexpected and left me feeling quite sad and shocked at how things turned out.Numerous parts in the story had unpredictable twists or revealed small snippets of information which further enhanced the story.I also loved the background on space and planet development and how the story took place on Earth and on Saturn's moon.

The author,Rhett C. Bruno sent me the e-book version in an exchange for an honest review and I am so glad I received this one.This is a fantastic example of a great sci-fi novel with an engrossing story.

Bradley

By the time I got to the end of the novel, I had Zeppelin's "Immigrant Song" playing in my head. It really sums up the fantastic end perfectly.

I honestly had some weird ideas about what I was going to expect in this novel, from other's reviews, mainly, but in the end, I was very, very happy with what I got.

It began with the feel of a MilSF novel, changed well into a bounty-hunter novel with burgeoning buddy-fic written all over it, and then, surprisingly, it became a character study without a single stitch of purple prose or fluff anywhere to be seen.

I was quite happy to see such a lean and trim tale, let me tell you. Every piece was necessary and played to one hell of a fantastic end.

Mind you, this is NOT a flashy SF thriller. There are thrilling aspects. I wouldn't say this is a world-building masterpiece, either, but what develops is an extremely well thought-out and detailed solar system.

Mal and Zhaff really grew on me, slowly, solidly, through each mission, whether alone with Mal or together to the end. I saw some really nice comparisons to early PKD with Zhaff being "almost" a simulacra in all but the synthetics, and it doesn't overpower the tale. It doesn't hurt that Zhaff's story is just as interesting as Mal's.

I found myself wanting more. I actually thought to myself, before the end, that I'd really enjoy a long series including these two.

Suffice to say, I'm definitely keeping my eye out for more. The story never stalls. Real progression is the novel's strongest resource, and when the hammer hits, it hits hardest in our hearts.

Thanks goes to the author and Netgalley for a copy of this very fine novel!

Trish

Oh you clever, clever man, Mr. Bruno!
First, you give my friends a copy of this book in advance to its publication date, then one to me (thanks again by the way) and OF COURSE I have to read it right away although my TBR is crushing me!

But that was not enough for you, was it?! No, you then had to draw me in with a world that is a mix of "Firefly" (one of the best scifi shows EVER) and "Blade Runner" (one of the best scifi movies EVER) and "Total Recall" (the original, not this shitty modern version)!
I loved the grittiness and dirt as opposed to the shiny stuff one sees in modern scifi. Two sentences and I was hooked; seeing, smelling, tasting, feeling everything and vividly picturing every location the story brought us to.

But that was still not enough for you. You also had to create really compelling characters. Like Malcolm.
I really loved Malcolm. He was no hero, not even an anti-hero. He was just himself. A guy working for as much money as he can make. Yes, he drank too much and wasn't perfect but that is exactly what makes him so human. Also, for all his grumpyness, of course he still had somewhat of a heart!
And Zhaff. *sigh* I really pictured him and Malcolm like the guys from "Almost Human" - and couldn't stop laughing whenever Zhaff's unemotional ways got Malcolm's blood boiling (or even better when ). *lol*
Moreover, it was so nice that he ! That was fantastic!

The only obvious thing in the story was
But I never expected which is why I can't forgive you. You just broke my heart!
And yes, Zhaff somehow looks like this (minus one eye and with a yellow lense over the other):

I want that series back by the way, somebody make it happen!

Anyway. This story has many layers and so much social and political criticism!
We have the definite hint at corporations being the ones truly in power, not the governments; we have the typical propaganda theme about "moving to a better world/life"; we have the (unfortunately) very typical mind-set of "them" vs. "us", which is especially ridiculous considering the history of Earthers and off-worlders here; we have religious fanatics and the future of religion (I agree with Malcolm about faith in case anyone was wondering); we have the not very creative names of cities on Mars such as New Beijing - definitely deliberate, just look at the names given to many US towns after Europeans settled there ... It's all so damn realistic!
That's what I loved. This could so definitely be our future. These intricate, realistic details are what made the story come to life so much.

On a side note: Rhett (after everything you've put me through I'll call you by your first name, you owe me that!), did you have to make that meteorite crash into Earth on my mother's 73rd birthday?! I mean, considering what Earth will look like afterwards, I guess I'll abandon my plans to survive it by being off-planet and just enjoy a last delicious meal (and think of the fireworks my mom will be getting), but it's not very nice. ;P

Now there's only one thing left for me to do: I'm begging that there will be sequels!!!
xD

P.S.: Usual disclaimer => I received this advance copy in exchange for an honest review - I don't think it gets much more honest than this. ;P

Paul

I grew up reading the science fiction stories of my own 'holy trinity': Arthur C. Clark, Isaac Asimov and Robert Heinlein. I loved nothing more than lying on my bed and being transported halfway across the universe by one of these giants of the field. Reading Rhett C. Bruno's Titanborn, which is a really nice mix of speculative fiction and space opera, took me back to those younger days.

This great little slice of SF takes the reader on a journey that spans the Solar System in the company of one Malcolm Graves, a kind of bounty hunter working solely for one mega-corporation. Graves is an engaging, entertaining, flawed protagonist; there are no square-jawed Roger Ramjets to be found in this novel. These characters feel so real you can almost smell their breath.

The seeming reality of the players probably has a lot to do with the great stage the author has provided them with. The world-building in this book is top-notch; I could really believe that this future could come to pass (be warned, though, it's not the most desirable future for humanity).

While the grittiness of this future society reminded me of some of Heinlein's darker works, the relationships between some of the characters reminded me fondly of Elijah Baley and R. Daneel Olivaw in Asimov's robot detective books. Not in a derivative way, you understand; I mean that it reminded me of the feel of those old stories and enhanced my enjoyment immensely.

Titanborn isn't a long novel but it's a damned good one! I recommend it to fans of classic science fiction and great adventure stories.

Montzalee Wittmann

Titanborn by Rhett C. Bruno and narrated by the wonderful R.C. Bray. This audible book has the best characters! I really became attached to a couple of them quite quickly. The plot is unpredictable and totally surprised me at the end 😢. Lots of action, great world building, or universe building lol, and it made me feel like I was there.
The narration was terrific as expected by Me Bray! He always performs so wonderfully!

Jane

Oh dear. This was really not a great one for me, and it's a real shame, because this looked like it was going to be a lot of fun! Do note that I'm in the real minority here, so chances are very good that you (yes, you!) will enjoy this much more than I did!

I listened to the audiobook as read by R.C. Bray who I adored reading
The Martian. I didn't love this voice work quite as much as his work on The Martian, but it was still a very solid narration.

Titanborn takes place about 300 years in the future after Earth is almost annihilated by a meteor. We follow Malcolm Graves who is a Collector (bounty hunter) for one of the biggest corporations in Sol (I think this is the same as the solar system).

The story opens in the middle of some action as Malcolm is doing what he does to try to end a strike for his bosses. This part is a lot of fun, and set me up to think that this was going to be everything I'd expected
The Singularity Trap to be. (It was not.)

But then things slow down. Waaaaay down. Things eventually pick back up, then slow right back down again. For me this reads a lot like 3 action-packed novellas that are stitched together with a bunch of kinda boring middle bits.

Exacerbating this for me is the utter lack of any real female characters. There are flashback scenes that include some women, and those scenes seem to foreshadow some soon-to-come parts that will feature what should be some pretty strong female characters. But by the time we do get to the point where any women are involved in the story at all, it's far too little and far, far too late.

I *do* really like the world building in this book -- it's very complex and consistent. This could be an interesting universe to explore, but I won't be in any rush to pick up more books in this series.

Badass Female Character score: 1/5 -- The women in this story are pretty tough, but they're simply not given enough time to count for much of much.

A big thanks to Aethon Books for providing me with a review copy of this audiobook.

Gary

This short, noir-ish sci-fi thriller finds a middle ground between being almost mediocre and almost great. On one hand, the author's investment in the characters and wordbuilding definitely shows; it is easier for a reader to care about the goings-on when the author clearly does as well. The drawback is that none of it is terribly original or surprising. That doesn't necessarily mean "bad" in this case, it just means "shrug." The story's final twist is rendered well, but still manages to feel a little forced.
This author's got skills, for sure; there is a solid feel for action, setting, environment, etc. Titanborn is good, light entertainment. Your enjoyment will depend on your tolerance level for the action movie clichés that keep things humming along.

The Shayne-Train

What an engaging and entertaining piece of sci-fi this was!

Part post-Armageddon dystopia, part space opera, part police procedural, with a big ol' chunk of buddy cop movie thrown in.

description

The main character is a bad-ass spacer problem-solver (called a 'Collector' here.) He's getting too old for this shit (see above gif), but can't imagine any other life, so he keeps on keepin' on. Now, on the biggest case of his life, he gets paired with a new rookie half-cyborg to avoid forced retirement.

I know what you're thinking: look at all those tropes and clichés. Well, au contraire mon frere. Sometimes the best writing is the kind that's done with such deftness and style that it breathes new life into tired old conventions you're used to. That's what this is. Well-written, pulse-pounding, genre-redefining.

Vivian

The measure of man is by his actions.

Malcolm Graves is a collector. Think bounty hunter and problem solver. Been at it for decades, working for the Pervenio Corporation. Some things go down less than ideally and next thing he knows he's got a shadow. Veteran mentoring his rookie partner setup, I'll admit is a trope I love. Zhaff is the eager, emotionally unconnected understudy, textbook perfect, and naive.

They're working the case, a terrorist plot spanning Earth to Titan. Chasing into the hinterlands and the underworld areas, they court danger. If the environment doesn't get them, their opponents may. The conflict between Ringers and mud stompers is a replay of colonial power grabs, but here corporations hold the reins. Corporations fund passage off Earth for cheap and captive labor. There's also a great deal of expansionist rhetoric playing in the post meteor impact human psyche.

Three hundred years after a meteor strike Earthlings have colonized various places include the moon Titan and Mars. Ringer, is an outsider derogatory term for Titanborn persons. Environmental conditions have affected their development. The issues of subjugation and oppression regarding Titanborn rights are center stage as they're denied or undercut for their own good.

The world building and technology were good. Developed, believable, and solid background for the action. On the other hand, I'm not a fan of flashbacks, and used multiple times is a clumsy device for relaying backstory. Honestly, the information given while critical was unsuccessful and slowed the story down. The pace wasn't that fast that I wanted a breather. It felt like an interruption every time. The character development that needed to happen with them was unsuccessful.

Frankly, the ending sucked. It was very dramatic, borderline emo, and convenient. Overly so, and while I understand the decision I didn't buy into it because I was unconvinced by the characters. The characterizations that worked and were developed, which I had bought into ended up ignored, and I was disappointed. Man, I love that cover though. Even better in the context of the story.

Overall, fun partner chase story that implodes at the end.

~~ARC provided by Netgalley~~

Adam

Review of the audiobook narrated by RC Bray.

Set 300 years in the future, Bruno realizes an intriguing future setting where humans were forced to settle elsewhere in the solar system due to a near-extinction event that changed the face of the Earth and have sent colonization ships to distant stars with no knowledge or their ultimate success. While I sometimes found the physics of zero gravity to be portrayed inconsistently, it didn't ultimately detract from my enjoyment of the action sequences, which were well done. The book finished strong, with an ending that I didn't see coming. One of the best tests for if I like a book is how interested I am in continuing the series, and in this case it's a thumbs up as I did like the story and do want to know what's going to happen to the characters.

RC Bray is a deservedly big name narrator, especially in this genre, and having him as the narrator is a great way to get more interest in your book. I probably wouldn't have been interested in reading if it was a narrator I wasn't familiar with. He's great as usually here, although I didn't love his voice for Zhaff.

Final verdict: 4 star story, 4.5 star narration, 4 stars overall

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review

A.P. Taber

Wow! Rhett Bruno’s Titanborn was a real breath of fresh air for me. After having gone through a series of fiction and mystery books, I had forgotten how much I love a good Sci-Fi book. Titanborn begins with a post-apocalyptic future where long ago a meteorite hit Earth leaving humans nearly extinct and forcing them to colonize other planets and solar systems. Malcolm Graves is a bounty-hunter, or collector, who spends his days collecting bounties and controlling rebellious activities throughout the solar system. Most of the plot surrounds a rebellious group from Titan, one of Saturn’s moons and one of the places humans (earthers) colonized after the meteorite hit. This rebellious group is made up of decedents of the original settlers, or Titanborn, who seek independence from human control of Titan.

“Titan, the orange moon of Saturn… the most promising celestial body in all of Sol for human expansion due to the resources offered…a pale-orange orb dappled with pockets of shadow that gave it the appearance of a windswept skull. I found it fitting for a place where the locals were as icy as the temperature.”
I absolutely loved the way Bruno constructed this world. The narrative is fast-paced, action-packed and smart. Malcolm is a character that reminded me of a cross between Hans Solo and Dick Deckard. He is sarcastic, smart, and believable. I also liked his side-kick, Zhaff. This is a high-speed, thrilling novel that is really going to appeal to fans of the genre as well as people who don’t necessarily read Sci-Fi novels. I felt the ending left me hanging a bit and that might be due to a possible sequel. If that is the case, I’ll be anxiously waiting for book number two.

The author has provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Daniel

Well this was a fun little read. A pseudo detective story set in a blade runner/the expanse future with two main leads who are nicely developed and a bunch of stereotypical hanger ones. The clip of the story is fast (if a bit lose), with no slow or boring parts. Sadly not overly original although there were couple of surprises that caught me of guard (well maybe, we will see what the sequel does).

The writing was a bit rough and some transitions feel a bit jarring, especially when the main character gets a flashback or we go into expository territory. But as the story advanced it got better and since this is an ARC hopefully it'll get ironed out till then.

But anyway i had fun reading it so i'll keep a lookout on the sequel.

3.5/5

PS: Received the ARC for FREE from the author in exchange for a honest review.

Guillermo

I really enjoyed Bruno's The Circuit series, but I think I may like this Titanborn series even more. Titanborn takes us 300 years in the future after a meteorite has devastated the Earth. In order to avoid this catastrophe, a segment the population colonized Titan and the reprocussions of that colonization echo loudly through the centuries.

But this is not a post-apocalyptic tale. Like the ecological catastrophe that mankind has largely moved on from in Alastair Reynold's Blue Remembered Earth, we see in Titanborn how the species has moved on and has tried to spread itself as much as possible so that another catastrophe can't wipe out the species.

The story is told first-person through the eyes of a collector (a kind of bounty hunter) sent to investigate a mysterious bombing on Earth. Anything else about the plot I think may ruin the suspense.

Bruno does supporting characters very well, and I must say that one of my favorite parts of this story was the banter between the protagonist and his partner. I actually laughed out loud several times. This levity works surprisingly well in this noirish thriller.

Titanborn is a fast paced thrilling introduction into a fascinating futuristic world of competing factions and characters with extremely complex and satisfying motivations. Fantastic ending which I unfortunately don't see enough in many of the science fiction books I read. Titanborn is highly recommended.

Stephanie (Bookfever)

This review copy was provided in exchange for an honest review.

I knew that after reading This Long Vigil (which is a short story that takes place 100 years later) that Titanborn would be amazing. It was every bit as spectacular as I had hoped it would be and more so.

I absolutely loved the main character Malcolm Graves. Aside from having a badass name, he was pretty badass himself. After a bombing on earth, the people Malcolm works for team him up with a new partner to hunt down the terrorists behind it.

The world and character building in this book was topnotch. I loved the dazzling action, too There was never a boring moment, not even for a second. And as this book is a science fiction thriller, there was a lot of space travel involved, which as a huge sci-fi fan I also loved.

The ending was really unexpected to me and quite shocking. I hadn't expected all that to happen, which makes this book even greater. It also has me wondering if that was it, or if there will be another book. I really need one, that's for sure.

Overall, Titanborn by Rhett C. Bruno was fantastic. I literally have nothing negative to say about this story. I loved the story, the characters, the nonstop action and the the author's writing. I would very highly recommend this book.

Per Gunnar

This review is based on a eARC copy that the author graciously provided to me in exchange for a fair review. Normally I am a bit hesitant when it comes to reading eARCs since they are sometimes a bit too unfinished and rough around the edges for my taste. This author however (I really do not know the guy apart from a few interactions on Goodreads) has surprised me by providing eARCs that are actually of better quality than some of the released works out there so I felt reasonably safe to jump into this particular eARC. The author did not disappoint this time either.

This is a quite good adventure story. A crime / thriller story set in a post-apocalyptic setting in our own solar system. If you are looking for a space opera with space ships travelling huge distances and armadas of space ships slugging it out then this book is not for you.

This book is about the characters, the interaction between them and the development of both the story and the characters. As far as the characters goes the author have created quite a few (very) interesting characters which compels you (me at least) to want to read the next page in order to get to know what happens, perhaps not so much as far as the story goes which is sometimes a wee bit predictable. Nothing wrong with that though, I rather have a wee bit predictable story than one that splatters the book with ludicrous twists in each chapter. However the main interest to me was rather the characters themselves and what they are about to do next.

I quite liked the main character as well as his, forced upon him, somewhat bizarre, sidekick. I think this relation was my main enjoyment of this book. It was really fun to read and the few pages where both of these colleagues/antagonists where not present felt that they were actually missing something. There are a few other characters as well which has a rather profound impact on the events but I will let you discover that for yourself in order not to spoil the book.

The book also delves into a few subjects like big corporations, class systems, life after the apocalypse etc. All of these subjects are threated quite well although, to me, whether it was intentional or not they were overshadowed by the actual crime plot and the character interaction. I am not complaining though since this is how I like it. These things provided a nice backdrop to the story but they did not overwhelm the “good stuff” in it.

Now we come my main gripe about this book. The ending. Those of you who have read my previous reviews knows that I am a bit particular about my endings. I am especially getting a wee bit upset about tragic endings. Now, as I have pointed out several times before I am not a professional reviewer so I allow myself to let my reviews be coloured by personal preferences. I also would like to point out that it is not at all a bad ending but a wee bit tragic one. I am especially, shall we say upset, about the ending since I had hoped that there would be a continuation of all the relations that was built up between the various characters and now I have some difficulty seeing how that could happen.

As with the books in The Circuit series this one is not the longest one around weighing in at 246 pages. What is there is good quality though and well worth reading. It is only personal bias/preference (the ending) that prevents me from giving it another star.

Sade

It's years into the future, Earth has survived an apocalypse but civilisation and society as we know it is dead. We've evolved and conquered space.
It was definitely fascinating to read a world where humans have evolved beyond Earth.

✏️✏️✏️
This book for all it's talk, devolves into a trite plot and contrived shocker - because honestly who did not see that coming?- I think in all honesty, book 1 could have benefitted from having the titanborns as active characters in the book- yes i know from the blurb of book 2 it possibly handles this but why couldn't we have had both views and made up our minds?- as it is, i feel the plot all but delibritely works to shove sympathy for the titans and Malcom Graves down your throats. Aww poor dude he's in an impossible situation what could he have done??

At some point in this book, it felt like Graves character starts going through some frankly fast changes. All of a sudden he's this 'oh so sympathetic, my lawd people are really suffering, i've been blind all my life' person. Dude you've been a collector for freaking years, you have seen the most terrible shit and all of a sudden in the space of what days? you just begin to thaw like that? Miss me with that.

Also can i just say that this book did Ugh!!!!!

Anyways, not a bad book really, i did enjoy it especially when Zhaff came into the scene + it wasn't so sciency that you wouldn't be able to grab what ws been said.

This book was almost amazing.

Jim

02/28/16

This is a detective story set in a science fiction venue. That’s all it is. If you like detective stories, then you’ll like this book. I don’t find these kind of stories that appealing because they seem to be obvious in who done what. The character descriptions in this book is pretty good. I especially liked Zhaff; even the name is interesting and I’d like to know how the author picked it for one of his characters.

The whole story-line involves a “Collector” who works for a large corporation that is heavy into mining the asteroids around Saturn. They have bases/mines on Titan, the largest of the Saturn moons and that’s were the latter parts of the story take place. The author paints a pretty descriptive society of those that have and those that have not. If you were born on Earth and survived the Meteorite crash of 3 Sept 2034, now three centuries ago, then you were probably pretty well off or at least had a decent job. If you were unfortunate to have been one of the early families that left Earth for the moons of Saturn to avoid the destruction of Earth’s ecosystem, then you were probably born on Titan. That comes with a lot of problems. For one, your Titan environment was probably pretty sterile since you had to stay indoors all the time. As long as only those of Titan were around, you were just fine. Then the Earthers came. As a “Ringer of Saturn”, you did not have the natural immunities to many diseases that are common on Earth. Therefore, as an already frail human, you quickly succumb to a great many contagions. And that meant you needed medicine.

So, medicine and drugs were controlled by the great corporations. They shipped the medicine and drugs to their buyers and got paid big money for doing so. Unfortunately, the Ringers are not wealthy and they need a lot of these drugs and medicine. So, they set up a tiny terrorist group to steal what they needed. Your job as a Collector, is to find out who is in charge of the terrorist and get the stolen property back. Any means available is you guidance. And you have a new partner named Zhaff. Now the detective work starts.

The book was easy to read. The plot seemed logical and believable. It was hard to believe that Zhaff wasn’t an Android; he reminded me of Data on Star Trek Generations. I liked his character. I think you’ll like the book if you like murder mysteries and detective stories. I don’t believe there will be a sequel. The ending seems to make that impossible, but you never know what these authors are thinking.

Ralph

This review is based on an ARC provided to me.

"It's not a collector's job to ask questions. I did what was asked of me and made a good living doing it." -- Malcolm Graves

Malcolm Graves is a Collector for the Pervenio Corporation. For the past thirty years, he has settled uprisings and rounded up criminals, malcontents, and terrorists. He is very good at his job. After a terrorist attack on Earth, he is paired with a new and mysterious partner, Zhaff, to find the perpetrators of the attack. During their investigation, Malcolm and Zhaff travel to Mars and the mining colony on Titan and encounter the hostility that exists between the Earthers, Ringers (Titanborns), and the powerful corporations.

Titanborn's universe is well conceived and immersive. The story moves along at a good pace with a number of thrilling moments along with a surprise or two along the way. What I like the most about Titanborn is the way that it illuminates issues that are part of our present such as the rise of corporations as the centers of power, the animosity between class systems, and how those dynamics could play out over time and space.

odedo1 Audio book worm.

Excellent!
This is what they mean when they say time flies because those eight hours where gone way to fast, in fact Einstein have proved that time is not a constant and now I’m sure about it to.
Truly a beautiful beginning for an excellent series, I’ve enjoyed this audiobook so much that now I fear of disappointment as I move to audiobook two which came out today of this series.
So, I’ve already said that this audiobook is excellent about choosing R.C. Bray for narration? Also excellent he totally nailed it!

I absolutely recommend this Audiobook.
And I hope that in time I’ll be recommending the whole series.

Scott Whitmore

A fast-paced and satisfying sci-fi adventure, Titanborn by Rhett Bruno (@rcbruno44) includes a lot of familiar elements that are elevated through the author’s confident execution. This review is based on an advance copy of the book provided by the author for that purpose. The book is slated for release on June 21, 2016.

After thirty years roaming the solar system as a collector for the Pervenio Corporation — a sort of enforcer-slash-security consultant — Malcom Graves is starting to worry about his ability to do the job. More to the point: Malcom is worried that his employer, the system’s richest man, thinks he is no longer up to it.

So when Malcom just happens to be nearly at ground-zero for a terrorist bombing on Earth, he sees the opportunity to demonstrate to his employers that he hasn’t lost anything over the years. Then his boss saddles him with a partner — the socially-challenged top graduate of the corporation’s special development program named Zhaff — and though he prefers to work alone, Malcom has no choice but to grit his teeth and try to keep the rookie from screwing up his big chance.

The action takes place on Earth, 300 years after a meteorite strike decimated the planet and spurred colonization of the solar system, and beyond. The terrorist group wants independence for Saturn’s moon Titan, which is controlled by Malcom’s employer. Descendants of the moon’s original settlers — hence, Titanborn — who arrived before the meteorite strike, they’re tired of the second-class status afforded them by the Earthers who came later. Earthers also brought diseases the Titanborn were no longer immune to after decades of living in sterile environments, and have set up quarantine camps that function as hospices, not hospitals.

A lot of the ideas in Titanborn are familiar, but the author does a great job executing a quick-moving plot that includes a few well-placed twists. The pairing of Malcom and Zhaff is straight out of the ‘mis-matched buddy cop’ school of TV/movies — i.e., Lethal Weapon or Will Ferrell’s The Other Guys — but even so I really enjoyed their interactions. Zhaff is the young gun, with a nifty high-tech eye-lens and a data-based approach, while Malcom is the grizzled veteran who prefers following his gut. There is some mystery to Zhaff’s background and the biggest twists revolve around him.

One concept that really struck me was the idea that in rebuilding Earth after the devastating meteorite strike, people would settle in long, narrow “strings” parallel to high-speed transit lines along the highest parts of continents. There are miles and miles of continuous urban sprawl but get too far away from the transit line and you’re in an untamed wilderness. A neat notion.

Titanborn’s author indicated the book is a standalone, but the conclusion is open-ended and there are plans for more stories set in this universe. Sign me up.

For more about this book, visit
the author's website

Oh My Bookness

Titanborn by Rhett C. Bruno is a science-fiction novel, based around a character named Malcolm who works for a corporation called the Collectors.
In a game hiring bounty hunters to collect on their runaway profit, you still can't help to wonder with a name like the Collectors what else do they have their hands into? Whatever it maybe is, can't be good.

Malcom, who works for the Collectors, his job is to travel through the solar system as a bounty hunter not caring or wanting to know why. For Malcom it's about collecting his checks and moving on to the next criminal, his next check.Then Malcolm gets a mission that will lead him to a more challenging and complicated job, but what?

When the Earth gets attacked by terrorists, answers must be found. The Collectors are looking for answers to the terrorist attack, and that means partnering reluctant Malcolm up with Zhaff. What is the Collectors in the attack? Pulrley money or something else.Zhaff is a mysterious and creative character and Malcolm a more complex type who keeps you guessing. Making you wonder at what exciting turn the story will take next. The Corporation sends the duo to Titan where humans have been living for centuries. Malcolm will later find out that there is more of a personal issue waiting for him.Will it affect his work? From completing the task assigned to him? What is it? To find out what is in store for Malcolm, you will just have to read to find out.

The story overall will have you sitting at the edge of your seat, keeping you entwined and embroiled, wanting know what is going to happen next. Full of twist and turns that just may leave you feeling dizzy leading up to a ending you will never expect.

Eamon Ambrose

In the distant future, man has moved to the outer planets after a catastrophic meteor impact on Earth three hundred years previously. Many settled on Titan, with the new atmosphere and conditions gradually changing the settlers over time. Now known as Ringers, they eke out an existence on Titan, treated as second class citizens, prone to sickness brought by incoming earth settlers.

Malcolm Graves is a collector, a bounty hunter of sorts, paid to do the bidding of a large corporation, who finds himself embroiled in a bitter struggle when, while visiting Earth terrorists bomb a commemoration of M-Day, the day the meteorite struck.

Called back to duty and paired with a strange new partner, Zhaff, he must find answers, but is he ready for the real answers?

Titanborn is fast-paced, giving little time for dallying, save some back story concerning Malcolm's estranged daughter and as the plot develops, we are given enough insight into his character to take his side, even though he may not be the most appropriate hero, given his past actions.

There's an interesting dynamic between Zhaff and Malcolm, which although introduced fairly late in the story gives them just enough time together to fall short of being a typical "buddy" relationship, but there is plenty of interaction between them to keep the plot buoyant enough to reach the shocking conclusion.

The back drop is well crafted and believable, with Bruno once again displaying his considerable world building skills, and there are important themes explored throughout, making this not only an entertaining, but thought provoking read. There are noir-ish shades of some of Philip K. Dick's works which add a lot of atmosphere and mystery, and enough tense action sequences to keep the reader hooked.

Peter Roland

Author Rhett Bruno first came to my attention after reading his very clever short story "This Long Vigil!"
*available Amazon for .99¢
It was so well written, & moving, I decided to contact the author to praise his effort, & encourage him to continue with possibly something longer in the future!
To my surprise, Mr Bruno contacted me immediately, thanked me & asked if I'd be interested in reading & reviewing a copy of the same book idea I was suggesting he should write?
*Apparently, my "Atta-Boy" was shared by many others, & by coincidence; he had just finished a full version (of) the inspiring short story I had enjoyed reading so much!
How could I Refuse?
*& Boy oh Boy, am I glad I accepted!
"TitanBorn" is an absolutely Brilliant Science Fiction Adventure Story that's filled with action, mystery, intrigue that is a must read for those who enjoy intelligent literature. Although set in a futuristic society, it contains many similarities to the problems facing all of us today, and are brilliantly expressed by the unforgettable cast of characters who I'm certain; every reader will be able to associate with!
You'll understand exactly what I mean, as soon as you read the first chapter, & join them in this Great Adventure, "Titanborn!"
P.S.
I suggest reading the author's short story first, it's not expensive, & can be read in a short time, but it's unforgettable!
Moreover, it fills in a lot of the information that connect the two stories perfectly!
Peter Anthony Roland
February 2016

Lena

Now Available!!!

"It’s not a collector’s job to ask questions. I did what was asked of me and made a good living doing it."

Damn but this was some solid straight up scifi! It's The Expanse meets Bladerunner, a police procedural with cop buddy moments, a galactic political drama and an intimate family tale. Malcolm Graves is a collector, bounty hunter/special police, facing the threat of retirement when he gets one last chance by agreeing to partner with/train a teenage Cogent, Zhaff. A cybernetically enhanced offworlder, Zhaff is highly intelligent but lacks social skills. Just as in Lethal Weapon and Rush Hour, the oddball partnership works. I liked them both! Between the action, scenery, and the characters I found the story cinematic. I hope this will become a series!

Todd Emerson

Titanborn is exactly what a good science fiction novel should be...fast paced, exciting, intelligent, witty, and just a wee bit twisted! I was fortunate once again to get an ARC and once again Bruno doesn't disappoint, especially the ending since couldn't see that type of ending coming...bravo to an author that has the guts to end his book in such a way instead of taking an easier route. I cannot wait to see his next installment of the Titanborn Universe. I wish a could write more of a review but I really don't want to give any spoilers to those who will immerse themselves in this novel.

Highly recommend not only Titanborn but all of Rhett Bruno's work to any science fiction fan out there or anyone who enjoys a great story!

Title	:	Titanborn (Children of Titan, #1)
Author	:	Rhett C. Bruno
Rating	:
ISBN	:	-
Language	:	English
Format Type	:	Kindle Edition
Number of Pages	:	282
Publication	:	First published June 21, 2016
Awards	:	Best Indie Book Award Science Fiction (2019)

Titanborn (Children of Titan, #1) by Rhett C. Bruno

Titanborn (Children of Titan, #1) Reviews

Titanborn (Children of Titan, #1) Reviews

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