Angelmaker, and The Gone Away World, by Nick Harkaway, are among my favourite books ever, so I’m always excited by a new novel of his.
As I’ve mentioned in a few of my recent reviews, I travelled to Japan in May to visit my son, Danny who lives in Tokyo. To get from Ireland to Japan is a lot of travelling (between cars, flights, trains and time in airports, it took about 27 hours each way). I listened to this book while travelling, and therefore some of it at least hit my mind as a sort of lucid dream in my sleep deprived madness, and some bits I probably full on slept through since (in the first half of the book at least) I had several ‘hang on, what’s going on here? Who’s he again?’ kind of moments! So with that proviso, here’s my review:
Titanium Noir is both nostalgic and futuristic and manages to carry the two seamlessly together (as implied by the title!). It’s a murder mystery, and the investigator is invested (as is often the case) by more than just professional interest.
Set in a future where people who can afford it can be genetically enhanced – a procedure which can cure injury and some disease and also make the patient stronger and as a side effect bigger – producing giant titans, and also carrying some other side effects.
There is lust for love and lust for power, there are mobsters and beautiful people, twists and turns and layers of reveals which mostly made sense to me in the end. Not my favourite Nick Harkaway book, but that could at least partly be due to my not having my full wits about me while listening!
Sarah Wray Writer 