I received this book for free from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Titanshade by Dan Stout Series: The Carter Archives #1
Published by Daw Books on March 12 2019
Genres: Adult, Urban fantasy
Pages: 407
Format: Finished hardcover
Source: Publisher
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The nitty-gritty: A thoroughly fresh take on urban fantasy noir, with multilayered characters, sleazy and corrupt politicians, murder, magic and mayhem aplenty. In short, this story has a little of everything in just the right amounts.
My initial impression when I saw the cover of Titanshade was that it reminded me of the 80s movie Alien Nation, about human/alien cop partners who solve crimes in a neo-noir Los Angeles. But boy, did I read the cover wrong, because this is not science fiction at all, despite what that tusked, alien-looking creature on the cover is telling you. Stout’s debut is a down-and-dirty urban fantasy about greed, survival, corruption and crime, told by savvy—but disliked—detective Carter and set against the icy backdrop of Titanshade, a city on the brink of financial ruin. And wow was this story a blast! I loved everything about it, from the unconventional world-building to the convoluted and twisty plot, to the earnest but jaded voice of Carter, a cop whose luck is just this side of bad. And did I mention the action? Titanshade is a thrilling story that slows down just enough for Carter to recover from various brutal beatings he seems to attract on a regular basis.
When the story begins, Carter has just been called to the scene of a grisly murder. A Squib—a squat, frog-like creature—has been viciously torn apart in a hotel room, and the murder scene is saturated with the Squib’s potent, cinnamon-scented blood. The Squib, a political delegate named Garson Haberdine, was deep in negotiations to fund a wind farm, an alternate energy source to replace the dwindling oil resources that Titanshade used to be known for. Carter knows his murder will set off a frenzy among the public, since the wind farm would have meant more jobs for the middle class citizens of the city. Carter is paired with a young Mollenkampi named Ajax to investigate the murder, but before they can dig in too deeply, another murder is reported, this time an entire family, brutally slayed in their home. The scene seems eerily familiar to Carter, who is convinced that the two murders are connected.
The police have turned up evidence that a “candy”—a prostitute—might have been involved, and it doesn’t take long before Carter realizes that one of the suspects is none other than his late girlfriend Jenny’s daughter, an activist named Talena Michaels who just happened to be posing as a candy the night of the murder. Carter practically raised Talena, and he will do anything to keep her safe. But there’s pressure to find the killer and wrap up the case quickly, before the citizens of Titanshade lose control. Carter and Ajax are determined to solve the mystery, but getting his boss to listen to him? That’s a hurdle Carter will have to overcome if he wants justice.
I want to start by talking about the world-building, because it was phenomenal! Stout has created a unique setting, a weird mix of the familiar and the unfamiliar that somehow works. It’s got a cool and gritty 70s vibe where pagers, pay phones, disco and 8-track tape players are the norm, juxtaposed against a city located in an Arctic-like setting, where underground thermal vents are the only thing keeping people warm. Humans and other creatures live side by side, including the Mollenkampi, a creature with two mouths, one for biting and eating, and one for speaking (that’s a Mollenkampi on the cover, by the way). There’s also a magic system at play, where sorcerers are able to use a whale blubber-derived substance called manna to communicate with the dead and perform other feats of magic. Some elements that might feel familiar are twisted just enough to make them seem peculiar. For example, churches are called guideposts, and the dead are placed to rest not in the ground, but are whisked away by giant condors in “sky burials.”
Stout has really thought things through and I loved all the details of his world, even though some of them aren’t thoroughly explained. The city of Titanshade grew up around oil drilling, and the business of oil made the owners of those rigs rich members of the Titanshade elite. Carter’s father worked on a rig, so he grew up around the dangers of living on the outskirts of society, further away from the comforts of the city where freezing to death is a real possibility. Stout has also developed a fascinating religion whose members are called Therreaus, which reminded me a lot of the Amish religion. Even Carter, who scoffs at the One True Path, mutters a prayer of thanks to the underground gods who produce heat (or so it’s said) every time he walks over a geovent.
Carter is a suitably misunderstood character, the kind you end up loving even though no one else in the story seems to like him even a little. There’s an incident in Carter’s past that has colored his relationships with everyone in the Titanshade Police Department, so he’s not widely trusted or liked. But I felt bad for the guy. He always seems to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, and even though he’s smart and figures everything out, no one believes him. This leads to Carter having to go rogue and break the rules in order to catch the bad guy, which in turn gets him in more trouble, and…you get the idea. In short, Carter is my favorite kind of character: lovable against all odds, always doing the wrong things for the right reasons, loyal to a fault and driven at times by his emotions. His relationships with some of the other characters give this story unexpected emotion and heart, and just wait for a certain scene at the end that involves Jenny, it might give you goosebumps!
I also loved many of the side characters, including Ajax, Carter’s partner; Simon, his confidential informant; the gruff and tough-as-nails Captain Bryyh, his boss; and even Flanagan, a fellow cop who plays a big part in that oh-so-mysterious event in Carter’s past and is a prime suspect in the Squib murder. I’m hoping to get to know these characters even more in the next book.
And boy does Carter take a beating in this story! If you love action, you won’t be disappointed. This is a cop story and there are guns and knives and plenty of hand-to-hand fighting. One of my favorite scenes takes place at a secret research facility between Carter and a security guard and they nearly kill each other! Good stuff.
Perfectly paced and tightly written, Titanshade has everything I look for in a book and more, and I can enthusiastically tell you that this is one of the happiest surprises of the year so far. Luckily Stout is hard at work on the sequel (although there’s nothing on Goodreads as of yet), and you can bet that I’ll be first in line to read it. Highly recommended!
Big thanks to the publisher for supplying a review copy.
Ha- the world building sounds pretty cool. Definitely not something that you see every day!
The world building was pretty unique, I love finding books that don’t do the same things over and over:-)
The worldbuilding sounds so great. I love the 70s vibe.
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The 70s stuff was so much fun, also no cell phones which I really enjoyed!
Yay! I’m glad you loved it! I’m dying for the sequel.
Me too! I wish it would pop up on GR so I can officially add it to my TBR:-)
Once more, I’ve adding this book to my ‘Want to Read’ pile – thank you for a fabulous review! I do love SFF crime adventures – they are such fun when done well… And this one sounds huge fun:).
This was sooo well done, this guy can WRITE:-)
Great review and it sounds like there definitely are some interesting “beings” in this one. I’ve got this one on reserve at the library and after seeing you gave it 5/5, I’m even more anxious for it to arrive. And the cover! Glad this is going to be a series.
Me too, Goodreads doesn’t mention it being part of a series, but I saw an interview with the author and he mentioned working on book two, so I really can’t wait!
😀 Glad you enjoyed it!
Yes, sooo good!
Wow, Tammy, I love how you’ve described this and seeing those five stars. I don’t think I’ve read any urban fantasty noir and now I want to try this one!
It’s a great genre mash up, and now I need to find more books like this:-)
This is very much up my alley!
Starting from the cover, which i agree looks proper 80’s 😀
Carter sounds like a character i’d defo take a liking to for sure.
He’s such a great character, I love when authors can make you love someone who the other characters don’t love at all!
Oh, this sounds pretty good. I’m a fan of UF so maybe I’ll check this one out if I can squeeze it in. 🙂
It’s definitely on the “gritty” side of UF, but you’ll definitely have fun:-)
I love the cover! :O And wow, if you gave it five stars, it means I have to read it! 😀
Yes, everyone has to read it!
Before I started reading your review I thought that the cover reminded me of Alien Nation as well! 🙂
But this story sounds not only quite different but very, very intriguing and the title is going straight to my “wanted” list.
Thanks for sharing!
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I’m glad I’m not the only one who saw the resemblance in the cover;-)
Interesting cover and now I am intrigued enough to see if my library has it or will be getting it. 🙂
I hope your library gets it, more people need to read this:-)
Still haven’t gotten a chance to check this one out yet, but I want to so badly! It’s been getting some great reviews, for a book flying under the radar.
Oh WOW, okay then. I was expecting it to be interesting and fun, but I didn’t think it’d be THIS good! The worldbuilding sounds amazing and Carter sounds right up my alley. I’ll try to squeeze it into my schedule next week! 🙂
I love the sound of this book and I want it in my life – NOW.
Great review, I’m thoroughly intrigued and must read this.
Lynn 😀
I have to admit, the cover weirds me out a bit lol. Glad this is so good though! The world building and setting does sound cool, and I’ve definitely never read another book where they get their magic from whale blubber. Aww, poor misunderstood character lol. Great review!
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OMG, I recommended this last week on my Monday post and said EXACTLY the same thing about the cover reminding me of Alien Nation! But as it turns out, I was far off base in terms of what this is about! Brilliant review Tammy, you made me want to read this all the more!
It’s been so long since I’ve read a good urban fantasy noir. This is sorta giving me Sandman Slim vibes, which is one of my favourite urban fantasy series.
Yes, it definitely does sound more like film noir than science fiction, although a few aliens definitely enhance a story!
I bet you can’t wait for the sequel! 🙂
This just sounds immensely cool.