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Titans
Rob Dunbar is the world's best history professor. And with good reason: he's been alive for three thousand years, keeping his existence a secret since before the days of Athens.
But a stranger named Baxter has a better use for Rob's vast expertise. Baxter's looking to found a mining company in the Asteroid Belt. In exchange for Rob's help, he'll try to unravel the mystery of Rob's origin.
As they're getting their outfit off the ground, they come under covert attack by HemiCo, a powerful Mars-based corporation. And Rob learns Baxter has a secret of his own--he's not human. He's a highly illegal AI.
Developed by HemiCo in the wilds of Mars, the first AI escaped decades ago. They've been fighting a shadow war against their creators ever since. Dragged to Mars, Rob is thrown into the center of the fight--and becomes the unlikely leader of a revolution that will change the course of human history in the stars.
_________
NOTE: A previous version of this book was published as The Roar of the Spheres.
But a stranger named Baxter has a better use for Rob's vast expertise. Baxter's looking to found a mining company in the Asteroid Belt. In exchange for Rob's help, he'll try to unravel the mystery of Rob's origin.
As they're getting their outfit off the ground, they come under covert attack by HemiCo, a powerful Mars-based corporation. And Rob learns Baxter has a secret of his own--he's not human. He's a highly illegal AI.
Developed by HemiCo in the wilds of Mars, the first AI escaped decades ago. They've been fighting a shadow war against their creators ever since. Dragged to Mars, Rob is thrown into the center of the fight--and becomes the unlikely leader of a revolution that will change the course of human history in the stars.
_________
NOTE: A previous version of this book was published as The Roar of the Spheres.
284 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 4, 2011
189 people are currently reading
1373 people want to read
About the author
Edward W. Robertson
72 books1,244 followersEd is the author of the post-apocalyptic Breakers series and the epic fantasy series The Cycle of Arawn. A former New Yorker and Idaho-guy, he currently lives in the LA area. His short fiction has appeared in a whole bunch of magazines and anthologies.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 92 reviews
June 9, 2023
Great Story
Unusual premise, but I really enjoyed it.
Far in the future, big companies are now the ones doing things in outer space.
There are colonies on the moon, Mars, and a newer one on Saturn's moon Titan. The group on Titan is harvesting hydrogen and shipping it back to earth for use in fusion powered energy.
The problem is that the company owns the housing, generates the air to breath, supplies all the food, so they are taking advantage of the colonist workers.
There is a group that wants to help create a new constitution for people forming these colonies. It is important at this time, because the company is getting ready to start a new colony at Alpha Centauri. The idea is that what gets established now, will be the model for future explorations and colonies.
The first part of the story is to pull together a great team to help craft the new constitution and get the company to buy into it.
The second half of the story is how this all plays out.
There are many twists and turns, that keep the action moving forward, and keeps the reader engaged.
Really enjoyed reading this.
Unusual premise, but I really enjoyed it.
Far in the future, big companies are now the ones doing things in outer space.
There are colonies on the moon, Mars, and a newer one on Saturn's moon Titan. The group on Titan is harvesting hydrogen and shipping it back to earth for use in fusion powered energy.
The problem is that the company owns the housing, generates the air to breath, supplies all the food, so they are taking advantage of the colonist workers.
There is a group that wants to help create a new constitution for people forming these colonies. It is important at this time, because the company is getting ready to start a new colony at Alpha Centauri. The idea is that what gets established now, will be the model for future explorations and colonies.
The first part of the story is to pull together a great team to help craft the new constitution and get the company to buy into it.
The second half of the story is how this all plays out.
There are many twists and turns, that keep the action moving forward, and keeps the reader engaged.
Really enjoyed reading this.
September 25, 2013
This was a fascinating book.
The conceit is, the main character Rob Dunbar is immortal and has been alive since before the time of Christ. The other main characters are an AI in an almost human body, and a prescient AI in the body of a brand new spaceship. The AIs convince Rob to use his vast experiences to help form a new government on Titan, and eventually at Alpha Centauri. In exchange, they'll use their vast AI computing powers to diagnose why he's immortal.
And it's that part of the story that fascinates me. While exploring Rob's past over the centuries, the AIs try to figure out his biology that keeps him alive. And in the end, that only leads to more questions. I need answers!
There's a jail-break on Mars, a riot on Titan, an amazing AI culture in the asteroid belt, a sad story about Rob's one true love, and so much more.
Good stuff!
The conceit is, the main character Rob Dunbar is immortal and has been alive since before the time of Christ. The other main characters are an AI in an almost human body, and a prescient AI in the body of a brand new spaceship. The AIs convince Rob to use his vast experiences to help form a new government on Titan, and eventually at Alpha Centauri. In exchange, they'll use their vast AI computing powers to diagnose why he's immortal.
And it's that part of the story that fascinates me. While exploring Rob's past over the centuries, the AIs try to figure out his biology that keeps him alive. And in the end, that only leads to more questions. I need answers!
There's a jail-break on Mars, a riot on Titan, an amazing AI culture in the asteroid belt, a sad story about Rob's one true love, and so much more.
Good stuff!
October 9, 2014
Normally I avoid sci-fi because the science is either too technical or implausible. It also tends to bog down the story. This one wasn't. The science was there on the periphery, but it was the fiction and storyline that drove this book.
The synopsis is fairly accurate with the exception that the book is open-ended. The whole "change the course of human history in the stars" part isn't seen in this book. But hey, that's marketing hype for you.
The story is driven by the two main characters, Rob Dunbar, who is essentially a really long-lived human, and Baxter, a human-like AI with a grudge. While Rob spends a lot of time musing and reflecting on his past, Baxter just wants to seek revenge. The two are an interesting duo that are appealing throughout different times in the story. And the story itself moves along at a fairly decent clip. The little flashbacks before each chapter are at first incomprehensible and distracting, but by the time you're halfway through they start to make sense. The characters are, for the most part, believable, and even the actions of the AIs (yes, there are several) are understandable. There isn't a whole lot to complain about here. The story is put together fairly nicely, the dialogue is mostly realistic, and even the action scenes seem real. All in all this is a solid book that you can read more than once.
So why the four stars instead of five? A couple things. First, there are two side characters that act out of character more than once. One is supposed to be a real alpha persona but seems to spend a lot of time feeling down for no apparent reason. The other is extremely reminiscent of a stereotypical character in other stories where the life-altering decision just seems to come out of nowhere with no motivation. These are side characters, but their role in the story is important, so these two glaring "holes" will make you scratch your head if you think about it.
All in all, again, this is a solid book and if you like the synopsis (even knowing that it is a bit hyperbolic), then you'll probably enjoy this read.
The synopsis is fairly accurate with the exception that the book is open-ended. The whole "change the course of human history in the stars" part isn't seen in this book. But hey, that's marketing hype for you.
The story is driven by the two main characters, Rob Dunbar, who is essentially a really long-lived human, and Baxter, a human-like AI with a grudge. While Rob spends a lot of time musing and reflecting on his past, Baxter just wants to seek revenge. The two are an interesting duo that are appealing throughout different times in the story. And the story itself moves along at a fairly decent clip. The little flashbacks before each chapter are at first incomprehensible and distracting, but by the time you're halfway through they start to make sense. The characters are, for the most part, believable, and even the actions of the AIs (yes, there are several) are understandable. There isn't a whole lot to complain about here. The story is put together fairly nicely, the dialogue is mostly realistic, and even the action scenes seem real. All in all this is a solid book that you can read more than once.
So why the four stars instead of five? A couple things. First, there are two side characters that act out of character more than once. One is supposed to be a real alpha persona but seems to spend a lot of time feeling down for no apparent reason. The other is extremely reminiscent of a stereotypical character in other stories where the life-altering decision just seems to come out of nowhere with no motivation. These are side characters, but their role in the story is important, so these two glaring "holes" will make you scratch your head if you think about it.
All in all, again, this is a solid book and if you like the synopsis (even knowing that it is a bit hyperbolic), then you'll probably enjoy this read.
July 10, 2014
Titans by Edward W. Robertson – Rob Dunbar is about 3,000 years old and has experienced much of Earth’s civilizations and fought in many wars. He can’t explain why he does not age, but the reader learns much about his long life. Now, Earthlings have colonies on the Moon, Mars, and Titan, the largest moon of Saturn. In addition, a large population of artificial intelligence beings has developed and huge corporations control peoples’ lives. Rob is bored teaching history, and an AI stranger (Baxter) easily involves him in helping to mitigate the tyranny of corporations over a group of citizens on Titan that is being sent to colonize a planet in the Alpha Centauri star system. However, the corporations will not tolerate any interference in their rule and violence ensues. It’s a fascinating glimpse of a future society with unique and appealing characters that endure life-or-death struggles.
March 11, 2015
If you could live forever, what would you become? Rob Dunbar thinks he’s seen it all and more. Dragged unwittingly into a war between powerful corporations and a secretive group of AI refugees, Rob is about to discover that after 3,000 years of living, there’s still a few surprises left in the universe.
I was a bit thrown off by some of the AI – they seemed a bit too Disney for my liking. The two main characters – Rob and Baxter – had great potential with fascinating backstories, but somehow I didn’t develop a strong connection with them. Overall, a solid read but it didn’t fully engage me. If you like space opera and epic reading, then you might like this story. It’s well written and edited, and since it’s free, it’s worth picking up and giving a shot.
I was a bit thrown off by some of the AI – they seemed a bit too Disney for my liking. The two main characters – Rob and Baxter – had great potential with fascinating backstories, but somehow I didn’t develop a strong connection with them. Overall, a solid read but it didn’t fully engage me. If you like space opera and epic reading, then you might like this story. It’s well written and edited, and since it’s free, it’s worth picking up and giving a shot.
March 2, 2015
I fairly enjoyed my time reading Titans by Edward W Robertson. The concept of the book itself was very intriguing, but the story line was poorly executed. Robertson filled his writing with repetitive one-liners, but he never really developed any dialogue. I also believe that Robertson tried to put too much information into his book. Many aspects of his writing, such as the excessive amount if background information, proved to be unnecessary to the story. Overall, I would recommend this book to any young adults or adults interested in science fiction looking for a longer read.
November 8, 2014
A good read but.......
It was an easy read but the story has it short comings. If I want to suspend beliefs I'll read a fantasy. If you write SF stick to the rules of universe your in.
Now I have go read some non-fiction.
It was an easy read but the story has it short comings. If I want to suspend beliefs I'll read a fantasy. If you write SF stick to the rules of universe your in.
Now I have go read some non-fiction.
May 16, 2019
Titans by Edward W. Robertson
I picked up this book along with two others of of a suggestion for reading. Of the three this one was by far the most well rounded story . The story is told from the POV of a main character that has lived for over three thousand years. Living forever of course has its good points and then some few bad points, though I know a few people who might argue that it would be whiny to make a big deal about the bad points of this situation.
But there is one kicker in that Robert Dunbar will only live forever if he can keep from being mortally wounded and that's a difficult task to undertake for so long. There is no guarantee he won’t spend a great portion of his life as a madman, with his long life driving him insane. Not to mention the tediousness of being placed into slavery.
If there were any qualms I might have with the story, it would be the sometimes somewhat banal language that comes from this man who has had three thousand years to develop a most acerbic attitude toward everything.
Robert is just trying to live his life quietly amongst those who have such a short life when he meets Baxter, a man who knows more about Robert than Robert feels is safe. So Robert’s first reaction is that he needs to kill Baxter. This results in both of them plunging toward death from a hi-rise apartment patio. But Baxter has a few tricks up his sleeve and saves them both. It turns out that Roberts new friend is an AI encased in an android body.
Apparently even to Roberts surprise the corporations of Earth have managed to create viable AIs; but they haven't been able to control them very well. The AI's are hiding in space and are concerned about the corporate movements to go further into space while creating a virtual slave labor force. They also are somewhat concerned about the corporations wanting to recapture the AIs, but the novel seems mostly focused on their attempt to negotiate for better circumstances for the future colonists. To that end they have enlisted Robert from whom they intend to tap great knowledge of history.
From there the story becomes doubly interesting as Robert recalls his past life and in some ways his qualifications to the job, while the narrative examines the current politics of the colonies that exist within the solar system. It's quite well written but I'm not a historian so I wouldn't be much use in trying to validate any of the history in the text, though it flows well and helps develop the character.
The theme of long life has some familiar elements that I've seen in other works of fiction, but the main characters insights and outlook are refreshingly different some times and keep the story moving along.
It's a thoroughly entertaining read that should capture the interest of most SFF fans with a small appeal to the historic fiction lovers. It also almost screams for some sort of sequel; so we'll have to wait and see.
J.L. Dobias
I picked up this book along with two others of of a suggestion for reading. Of the three this one was by far the most well rounded story . The story is told from the POV of a main character that has lived for over three thousand years. Living forever of course has its good points and then some few bad points, though I know a few people who might argue that it would be whiny to make a big deal about the bad points of this situation.
But there is one kicker in that Robert Dunbar will only live forever if he can keep from being mortally wounded and that's a difficult task to undertake for so long. There is no guarantee he won’t spend a great portion of his life as a madman, with his long life driving him insane. Not to mention the tediousness of being placed into slavery.
If there were any qualms I might have with the story, it would be the sometimes somewhat banal language that comes from this man who has had three thousand years to develop a most acerbic attitude toward everything.
Robert is just trying to live his life quietly amongst those who have such a short life when he meets Baxter, a man who knows more about Robert than Robert feels is safe. So Robert’s first reaction is that he needs to kill Baxter. This results in both of them plunging toward death from a hi-rise apartment patio. But Baxter has a few tricks up his sleeve and saves them both. It turns out that Roberts new friend is an AI encased in an android body.
Apparently even to Roberts surprise the corporations of Earth have managed to create viable AIs; but they haven't been able to control them very well. The AI's are hiding in space and are concerned about the corporate movements to go further into space while creating a virtual slave labor force. They also are somewhat concerned about the corporations wanting to recapture the AIs, but the novel seems mostly focused on their attempt to negotiate for better circumstances for the future colonists. To that end they have enlisted Robert from whom they intend to tap great knowledge of history.
From there the story becomes doubly interesting as Robert recalls his past life and in some ways his qualifications to the job, while the narrative examines the current politics of the colonies that exist within the solar system. It's quite well written but I'm not a historian so I wouldn't be much use in trying to validate any of the history in the text, though it flows well and helps develop the character.
The theme of long life has some familiar elements that I've seen in other works of fiction, but the main characters insights and outlook are refreshingly different some times and keep the story moving along.
It's a thoroughly entertaining read that should capture the interest of most SFF fans with a small appeal to the historic fiction lovers. It also almost screams for some sort of sequel; so we'll have to wait and see.
J.L. Dobias
July 17, 2019
There's some cool stuff in here. Secretly created AIs that escape and are now working against the corporation that made them? Nice! Oppressed workers on Saturn's moon Titan, with environmental hazards? Sounds good. Three thousand year old main character who appears to be living forever? Coo- wait, what?
It's a good idea, but the guy living forever ends up just being a gimmick. It's the explanation for why he got chosen to work with the AIs, but it doesn't really amount to anything. The AIs promise him that they'll try to figure out his origin, but there is some well-thought-out "you have a fortunate collection of genetic anomalies that make it so you're disease resistant and heal quickly in addition to not aging and being sterile" talk and that's it. A person that effectively lives forever? That should be its own book! It's too much to pack into one.
There's a running timeline for the main character's own history with the woman he fell in love with 2,000 years ago and how that didn't work out, which works for the story. Another running timeline for the original AIs that escaped is less compelling. Both of them probably could have been told just fine in a chapter or two and didn't need to be interspersed throughout the book.
A person who lived for thousands of years and has no reason to believe they will die any time soon is going to have a very different perspective on life and how & when to act than normal people. Similarly AIs, who aren't going to die automatically, will think much differently from humans, differently even than an immortal human. There's some accounting for this difference in the story, but not nearly as much as I would expect.
One last good thing: this book stands alone! It's not trying to suck me into a series, thank goodness :)
It's a good idea, but the guy living forever ends up just being a gimmick. It's the explanation for why he got chosen to work with the AIs, but it doesn't really amount to anything. The AIs promise him that they'll try to figure out his origin, but there is some well-thought-out "you have a fortunate collection of genetic anomalies that make it so you're disease resistant and heal quickly in addition to not aging and being sterile" talk and that's it. A person that effectively lives forever? That should be its own book! It's too much to pack into one.
There's a running timeline for the main character's own history with the woman he fell in love with 2,000 years ago and how that didn't work out, which works for the story. Another running timeline for the original AIs that escaped is less compelling. Both of them probably could have been told just fine in a chapter or two and didn't need to be interspersed throughout the book.
A person who lived for thousands of years and has no reason to believe they will die any time soon is going to have a very different perspective on life and how & when to act than normal people. Similarly AIs, who aren't going to die automatically, will think much differently from humans, differently even than an immortal human. There's some accounting for this difference in the story, but not nearly as much as I would expect.
One last good thing: this book stands alone! It's not trying to suck me into a series, thank goodness :)
October 28, 2016
I picked this book up a while ago for free after listening to a podcast with the author and liking it. After finishing up Dark Matter season two I wanted some more space stuff and decided this would fit the bill.
I don’t normally read Space Opera, though I love to watch it, and I’ve been meaning to get into the genre. Sadly this book wasn’t really what I was looking for. Rob wasn’t very compelling as a main character and Baxter was just angry and stupid. The corporation side of things was interesting though.
The book started out slow and I put it down a few times. The second half things picked up and while the ending was good it didn’t really push me to raise the books ranking. I’m hoping that I can find another book to fill the void at the very least find a subgenre of Space Opera that I like.
3/5
I don’t normally read Space Opera, though I love to watch it, and I’ve been meaning to get into the genre. Sadly this book wasn’t really what I was looking for. Rob wasn’t very compelling as a main character and Baxter was just angry and stupid. The corporation side of things was interesting though.
The book started out slow and I put it down a few times. The second half things picked up and while the ending was good it didn’t really push me to raise the books ranking. I’m hoping that I can find another book to fill the void at the very least find a subgenre of Space Opera that I like.
3/5
December 4, 2020
Immortal am I.
Very well written & interesting to the end so 5 stars! Edwards Immortal is how I imagine one would be, if you stop and think on it, we all only know our little circle of current history. The stuff outside that circle is learned and if interesting to us remembered if not, forgotten. His suggestions of how interstellar migration will tray the average person is, I think, spot on. My only ( and this is HUGE) disagreement with the storyline is the AI concept, once they absorb what little we can offer, why keep us around. If YOU have a legitimate opinion. Let me hear it. But, that's just me (& most scientists in the know) . That said, I don't read just to hear my own thoughts in print so I have no problem with Edwards portrayal of his AIs, I will keep my fingers crossed & hope he's correct.
Very well written & interesting to the end so 5 stars! Edwards Immortal is how I imagine one would be, if you stop and think on it, we all only know our little circle of current history. The stuff outside that circle is learned and if interesting to us remembered if not, forgotten. His suggestions of how interstellar migration will tray the average person is, I think, spot on. My only ( and this is HUGE) disagreement with the storyline is the AI concept, once they absorb what little we can offer, why keep us around. If YOU have a legitimate opinion. Let me hear it. But, that's just me (& most scientists in the know) . That said, I don't read just to hear my own thoughts in print so I have no problem with Edwards portrayal of his AIs, I will keep my fingers crossed & hope he's correct.
April 23, 2020
Corporate Greed and the Question of Mortality
I picked up Titans because the premise - Rogue AIs trying to build a new world for themselves - sounded interesting. The main plot was enhanced with themes of slavery, immortality, and corporate greed - or should have been, because I felt that ultimately too much was inserted into the book and two little came of it. Well there were unique characters and settings, and a lot of action, I still found this novel to be on the slow side. There was too much back and forth, for too many pages, for me to feel like I was keeping up with the storyline. Settle in for rebellion and war, slavery and mastery, self-sacrifice and corporate greed.
I picked up Titans because the premise - Rogue AIs trying to build a new world for themselves - sounded interesting. The main plot was enhanced with themes of slavery, immortality, and corporate greed - or should have been, because I felt that ultimately too much was inserted into the book and two little came of it. Well there were unique characters and settings, and a lot of action, I still found this novel to be on the slow side. There was too much back and forth, for too many pages, for me to feel like I was keeping up with the storyline. Settle in for rebellion and war, slavery and mastery, self-sacrifice and corporate greed.
July 13, 2017
Story of two people, three thousand years apart yet linked together
Well written sci-fi romp. Two people from opposite periods of time linked in a struggle to ensure mankind's future amongst the stars.
I enjoyed the idea that a representative from the genesis of human democracy would play a part in seeing that human civilization persists in an age of interstellar growth.
Well written sci-fi romp. Two people from opposite periods of time linked in a struggle to ensure mankind's future amongst the stars.
I enjoyed the idea that a representative from the genesis of human democracy would play a part in seeing that human civilization persists in an age of interstellar growth.
September 25, 2017
An enjoyable read.
S good story. Different and entertaining. Sadly there are several glaring typos that detract from the flow Of the storyline. For this reason I have market it at 3 stars and not 4...
S good story. Different and entertaining. Sadly there are several glaring typos that detract from the flow Of the storyline. For this reason I have market it at 3 stars and not 4...
April 13, 2019
Sorry Edward, I couldn't finish it.
I was more interested in the all the different lives that he's lived that the present day story I found quite boring.
I hate not finishing books, but I couldn't get excited to read more.
I was more interested in the all the different lives that he's lived that the present day story I found quite boring.
I hate not finishing books, but I couldn't get excited to read more.
April 29, 2024
novel political social sci fi with a twist
Very good start and premise. Great characters. AND it had something to say…..
I’d give this a strong rating and definite recommendation to read
Very good start and premise. Great characters. AND it had something to say…..
I’d give this a strong rating and definite recommendation to read
February 18, 2017
It kept me reading but I wouldn't call it an adult book. Clean simple fun that would better suit a young audience. I'll skip any more in the series but don't regret this one.
August 8, 2017
34% and I can't take anymore. It's all crappy dialogue and no story. I still have no idea what it's really about and if it weren't for the description, I'd have no idea at all. Bleh, no thanks.
April 16, 2018
Titans by Edward W. Robertson in my Google books was a fun sci-fi book. I wish there was a sequel. Logged in Goodreads
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 12, 2019
A good sci-fi romp around the solar system / galaxy (can't remember exactly as it was a while ago for me). Full of flawed but loveable characters.
June 2, 2020
Interesting, fun. Robert, the main character is most interesting when telling his back story.
September 14, 2020
An enjoyable, if somewhat dragging read. Toward the end, one gun fight after another. Expanded the page count without adding that much to the story.
April 25, 2023
Too snarky dialog. Tries too hard to be humorous.
Read
August 2, 2023Did not finish, got bored.
August 5, 2023
Interesting concept for a sci-Fi. Incredibly slow build, but climax was well planned and researched.
April 6, 2024
GENERIC KIRKY
November 4, 2018
It's somewhat in the future, and Rob Dunbar has been living on Earth for somewhere in the vicinity of 3,000 years. He's been living quietly, working as a history professor before he has to move on again before people start questioning why he never seems to get any older, but an encounter at a party with a man named Baxter is about to make Rob's life more interesting again. Baxter, it seems, is an AI in an almost perfect replica of a human body, and he offers Rob a means to finally find out why he's so long-lived. All Rob has to do is help Baxter and fellow AIs set up a new government on Titan, so that the corporations don't treat the AIs as property, and this will give them the chance to escape to Alpha Centauri. But the corporations run pretty much everything, so it's going to be one hell of a challenge.
There were some great premises in this book. It was a bit of a slow burner for around the first third, but the action picked up later on. Unfortunately, I found Rob to be rather dull, and Baxter to be a bit of an arse. That left the supporting characters to pick up the slack for me, and none of them entirely succeeded. Rob's past was more interesting to me than his present, and while I can appreciate that living for 3,000 years could perhaps make you a bit insipid, it's not something I really looked for in a lead character. Combining that with an individual who varied mainly between morose, angry and stubborn left me cold as far as the main cast went.
Luckily, there were some very funny moments, and the worlds of this particular future were well-rounded and naggingly disturbing. This was a book I could like, but couldn't bring myself to love. There just weren't any characters I truly felt any sort of sympathy for, or solidarity with.
There were some great premises in this book. It was a bit of a slow burner for around the first third, but the action picked up later on. Unfortunately, I found Rob to be rather dull, and Baxter to be a bit of an arse. That left the supporting characters to pick up the slack for me, and none of them entirely succeeded. Rob's past was more interesting to me than his present, and while I can appreciate that living for 3,000 years could perhaps make you a bit insipid, it's not something I really looked for in a lead character. Combining that with an individual who varied mainly between morose, angry and stubborn left me cold as far as the main cast went.
Luckily, there were some very funny moments, and the worlds of this particular future were well-rounded and naggingly disturbing. This was a book I could like, but couldn't bring myself to love. There just weren't any characters I truly felt any sort of sympathy for, or solidarity with.
October 6, 2013
Titans is an interesting book that starts off trying to be more of a mystery novel than it really is. We are first introduced to our characters and are given hints of mysterious backgrounds. We then move onto various plots against nameless and powerful shadowy entities that are never fully explored.
Overall the author tries to put just a little too much mystery into a story that is essentially a standard space opera with a couple of characters that have interesting backgrounds. Don't misunderstand me the novel was entertaining but so much of the book seemed focused on tangents that never really played out. It eventually starts to make sense at the end when the author decides to try and pull everything together but overall I'm left with the impression that editing could have been condensed and streamlined the story a little more. If the author wanted to do a mystery book there was no Ah ha moment and having the book start off that way was not needed and could have been restructured toward the direction the book ended up being.
I really liked the ending of the book but looking back I'm not really sure "Rob" needed to have his special background in order to carry the story as it was. I think that it obviously sets up a further novel that Mr. Robertson has in mind but I can't help but wonder if the overall story idea would have benefited from just leaving him as an extraordinary every-man.
I will be keeping my eye out for the next novel but I'm hoping that Mr. Robertson tries to focus his talents into a specific type of story than trying to tell us 2 different ones forced into one novel.
gallandro
Overall the author tries to put just a little too much mystery into a story that is essentially a standard space opera with a couple of characters that have interesting backgrounds. Don't misunderstand me the novel was entertaining but so much of the book seemed focused on tangents that never really played out. It eventually starts to make sense at the end when the author decides to try and pull everything together but overall I'm left with the impression that editing could have been condensed and streamlined the story a little more. If the author wanted to do a mystery book there was no Ah ha moment and having the book start off that way was not needed and could have been restructured toward the direction the book ended up being.
I really liked the ending of the book but looking back I'm not really sure "Rob" needed to have his special background in order to carry the story as it was. I think that it obviously sets up a further novel that Mr. Robertson has in mind but I can't help but wonder if the overall story idea would have benefited from just leaving him as an extraordinary every-man.
I will be keeping my eye out for the next novel but I'm hoping that Mr. Robertson tries to focus his talents into a specific type of story than trying to tell us 2 different ones forced into one novel.
gallandro
April 17, 2014
I did enjoy this book quite a bit, so maybe I'm being harsh with a 3/5? the parts I liked: the 3000 year old guy mixed with AIs without a thought to justifying the juxtaposition or even really dealing with a creation mythos. inexplicably, this is one of the things that I thought worked very well. also, the backstory of said 3000 year old guy was also very well done, timely and dramatic.
but alas, all good things must end, so on to the bad things. the back story on the android Baxter was patchy and unmoving, and it's crescendo didn't really move me. perhaps more words spent on building this would have changed that? also, the actual climax for the Robs regretful moment with Demostrate seemed either clipped or somehow insignificant. there was good foreshadowing, but the actual reveal was footnote-ish in my opinion. and my final complaint is some of the plot movements related to what the good guys could anticipate vs not anticipate (like the level of surveillance they were subject to) seemed disingenuous. for example, after they first figure out how much the other side is watching them in Mars, they still assume they can launch shuttles from titan unnoticed.
but, overrall, I did enjoy it, and would recommend to you AI lovers out there.
but alas, all good things must end, so on to the bad things. the back story on the android Baxter was patchy and unmoving, and it's crescendo didn't really move me. perhaps more words spent on building this would have changed that? also, the actual climax for the Robs regretful moment with Demostrate seemed either clipped or somehow insignificant. there was good foreshadowing, but the actual reveal was footnote-ish in my opinion. and my final complaint is some of the plot movements related to what the good guys could anticipate vs not anticipate (like the level of surveillance they were subject to) seemed disingenuous. for example, after they first figure out how much the other side is watching them in Mars, they still assume they can launch shuttles from titan unnoticed.
but, overrall, I did enjoy it, and would recommend to you AI lovers out there.
January 27, 2016
One of the big challenges in SF is creating realistic aliens: another, very similar challenge is creating realistic AI's. This fast paced and well plotted story has lots of them, and my biggest problem was that I couldn't take them seriously. I was OK with Baxter, the AI in human form, and with FAY, the AI spaceship, but the asteroid full of intelligent bowling balls, all with the personalities of precocious kids - that just didn't work for me. I can't really say that they were unrealistic, since there aren't any real AIs to define what is realistic, but for me they seemed to belong in a kiddy cartoon series. I was also mildly irritated by some awkward phrasing, missing words or even missing letters that broke the otherwise smooth flow of the writing. However, the rest of the book mostly made up for these problems. I especially like the way it was structured, with flash-backs to Baxter's history, and even further back to ancient Greece (the main character, Rob Dunbar, having been alive for 3000 years) that integrated smoothly with the main story. The characters were all well developed, the interactions between them realistic, and the outcome satisfying, though leaving plenty of scope for more stories. Which I'd be happy to read, but I hope for more work on the AIs!
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