Wise-cracking, corporate bounty hunter Malcolm Graves has a knack for finding trouble.
After 20 years working for Pervenio Corp chasing bounties and extinguishing rebellions throughout the solar system, he's on a routine pickup job hunting a wealthy offworlder heir who ran away from home. But when a mad scientist gets his hands on the boy, Malcolm finds himself caught up in a twisted plot to develop working androids.
Join Malcolm on a mission gone awry in this prequel novella to Rhett C. Bruno's Children of Titan series.
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Rhett Bruno grew up in Hauppauge, New York, and studied at the Syracuse University School of Architecture where he graduated cum laude.
He has been writing since he can remember, scribbling down what he thought were epic short stories when he was young to show to his parents. When he reached high school he decided to take that a step further and write the “Isinda Trilogy”. After the encouragement of his favorite English teacher he decided to self-publish the “Isinda Trilogy” so that the people closest to him could enjoy his early work.
While studying architecture Rhett continued to write as much as he could, but finding the time during the brutal curriculum proved difficult. It wasn’t until he was a senior that he decided to finally pursue his passion for Science Fiction. After rededicating himself to reading works of the Science Fiction author’s he always loved, (Frank Herbert, Timothy Zahn, Heinlein, etc.) he began writing “The Circuit: Executor Rising”, The first part of what he hopes will be a successful Adult Science Fiction Series.
Since then Rhett has been hired by an Architecture firm in Mount Kisco, NY. But that hasn’t stopped him from continuing to work on “The Circuit” and all of the other stories bouncing around in his head. He is also currently studying at the New School to earn a Certificate in Screenwriting in the hopes of one day writing for TV or Video Games.
This was pretty sweet! Mystery, cool SF elements, and even better world-building for the rest of the Titanborn series.
And, I think it can be read with or without foreknowledge of Titanborn even though the main character from Titanborn is also in this one. Why? Because it brings out some of the most interesting aspects of the corporate world that has made the Collectors a going thing after the destruction on Earth. It also brings out the personal things I loved about the gritty Malcom in Titanborn, too.
And who doesn't like a gritty mystery full of all the things that makes PKD great, all wrapped up in a bow that points a huge arrow at so many of life's injustices?
No spoilers, but this is the kind of thing I wished I saw more of in From Ice to Ashes, the actual sequel to Titanborn. :) It might be a personal preference thing with a bit of attachment to the MC. :)
This is a novella set in the Titanborn universe and featuring Malcolm the Collector. The events take place when Aria is still a little girl and aren't really connected to the novels (other than Malcolm already being employed by Pervenio).
A kid goes missing (actually, he ran away from a privileged life) and Malcolm is supposed to get him back because of the family's influence. However, as it turns out, the stupid kid managed to get himself into more trouble than even Malcolm could have expected.
The story is fast-paced and fun (Malcolm being just as gritty as we already know and love him to be) and gives another look at the great universe the other Titanborn stories take place in. But definitely read this after the first novel.
To be sure, Rhett Bruno, the creator of the Titanborn universe, has already begun this AWESOME series, but in his 2017 novelette / short story The Collector, Bruno has spread the awesomeness into a “prequel” or a short to further expand the work that readers went wild for in Titanborn and From Ice to Ashes.
Bruno fans already know that he can deliver in a shorter format because of his excellent 2015 shorter work This Long Vigil. In The Collector, we follow corporate collector Malcolm Graves through a mission that allows Bruno to further explore this space opera noir experience; Bruno channels PKD and Ridley Scott and brings us a very Bladerunneresque thriller.
The Collector demonstrates Bruno’s ability to expand Titanborn into a seemingly endless variety of different stories. I’m already looking forward to the next Titanborn story.
*** A free copy of this book was provided in exchange for an honest review
This prequel novella is a real treat for fans of the Children of Titan series. It depicts a chapter in Malcolm Graves’ pre-Titanborn life that initially seems to be treading over Blade Runner-ish ground but then turns the whole trope on its head.
I’m about to re-read the whole series and this tale was a great way to take my first steps back on a familiar path. Great fun.
An excellent addition to the Titanborn universe. Some "before the book" adventures of Collector Graves. It definitely fleshes out some of the previously-hinted-at backstory.
Highly recommended for fans of the series, and of gritty sci-fi/noir in general.
Good, pulpy fun, heavy on the action and violence, with a likable, gruff and tough-as-nails corporate enforcer/mercenary with a soft spot for his 10 year old daughter. I had similar impressions from the first novel, Titanborn.
Prequel to the Titanborn series, which I haven‘t read yet. World building and characterizations are ok, although I could have done with more historical background. It worked well enough for this novella.
Another reviewer called this a „space opera noir experience“, which is an excellent summary of a pretty classic mystery plot in an SF setting. A bit of a Frankenstein theme. Bladerunner comes to mind, too. I liked the story.
The last sentence had me a bit stumped. Inappropriate humour or am I just not getting it?
My e-copy had some errors, mostly missing words, but it was a free copy provided by the author, so I don‘t know at what editing stage this was. Based on this novella I would pick up something else by the author.
The Collector (Children of Titan 0.5) by Rhett C. Bruno is a story of Malcolm on a collector's run 10 yrs before book 1. His daughter is only 10 at the time. This run is to return a wealthy runaway kid to his family. Not Malcolm 's usual run but it certainly turns out as memorable!
Highly entertaining sci-fi novella and a great start to the series. It had a pretty creepy scene towards the end that is going to stick with me for a bit. Malcolm Graves is a great mix of tough bounty hunter and caring Dad. It reminds me slightly of The Expanse series which I absolutely love so I am sure I will be reading more of this series.
Review of THE COLLECTOR by Rhett Bruno (TITANBORN UNIVERSE Book 0)
THE COLLECTOR is an excitingly-paced science fiction thriller featuring Malcolm Graves, an aging private Collector for a massive corporation. Set 300 years after a meteorite impacted Earth, Malcolm is a glorified bounty hunter, very talented and experienced after two decades. He also has a ten-year-old daughter he conceals, as the United Sol Federation only allows procreation by permit, and only within a recognised clan-family.
When he stumbles unexpectedly on a beyond-black-market robotics experimentation and development orbiting station while trying to recover a runaway corporation heir, Graves opens more than a can of worms, and finds when there is no registration of a space station, absolutely anything can—and will—occur.
Reading the novella THE COLLECTOR has inspired my interest in author Rhett Bruno's TITANBORN UNIVERSE series.
I lost interest around the point he'd shut his child up in a cargo hold whilst a 'robot' tried to seduce him. Finally deciding to finish it he does the right thing and turns her down, leading to a hostage situation and murder. It was alright but not one I could handle if it as any longer.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Ahh! Malcolm Graves. (Think: Harrison Ford in 'Blade Runner') The grizzled old boozer of a Collector has Pervenio Corp.'s orders to recover fugitive baby gangster Jimmy Fring. Then an easy nab-and-nip-out goes sideways, Fring gets grabbed by a bigger fish further up the food chain, and Malcom, whose bloodshot eyes and creaking joints belie his resourcefulness, has a collateral mission. I don't do spoilers, but I promise that readers will get sucked in to the story, and blown away by Rhett C. Bruno's tight plotting, cinematically described action, and gritty characterization of the Collector, Malcolm Graves. Don't miss this fabulous little prequel to the Titanborn world.
The Collector is a prequel novella set in the Titanborn series. While this book can be read as a standalone and it does not end with a cliffhanger. There is violence.
The book blurb adequately describes the storyline so I'm not going to repeat that all of that info here. I really enjoy this series and look forward to the next book.
Malcolm Graves worked as a Corporate Collector for Pervenio Corp as sort of a detective/bounty hunter. He was usually contracted for less mundane jobs, but this time the son of a wealthy businessman Pervenio might want to do business with ran away and needed to be brought back. What should have been a simple job, returning Jimmy Fring home, was getting more complicated.
Malcolm finally tracked Jimmy down and was moving in for the capture. A man in a white lab coat and an exceptional looking guard were ushering a few people into a transport ship. To bide his time questioning the official who was apparently selling them, he had to allow the transport to escape. But what he learns is that they are from a robotics firm experimenting on test subjects provided by the corrupt official! Will Malcolm find Jimmy in time to save his life? Or will he be too late this time?
This was an enjoyable book. The snarky attitude of Malcolm Graves made it a fun read! The story line moved along rapidly, suspense lurking on every page! I immediately sought out the other two books in this series because it was that good! Highly recommended, and enough here to convince the reader that it’s worth picking up a copy to see where this story is headed!
This is great addition to the Titanborn universe of books ... which I have read and thoroughly enjoyed . In this prequel novella we find Malcom Graves, center-stage, performing his job as a "Collector" ( an intergalactic "bounty hunter") .... he is a 20 year veteran of the Pervenio Corp ... and is known for his guile and cunning on the job .... which he performs in a somewhat cantankerous and sarcastic manor. He is instructed to search out and return "run-away" Jimmy Fring , heir of an extremely wealthy and influential family. His journey to the fringes of space, results in an encounter with multiple nefarious characters . Hot on his trail, he ends up on an uncharted Space station ... where the unsavory Dr Lucas Manniken is apparently creating Synthetic Humanoids .... this evolves into Malcolm searching for Jimmy and "overcoming" a seduction by gorgeous android: Rebecca ... who he slugs into submission. As with all of Rhett Bruno books that I have read ... there are wonderful fleshed out unusual characters AND a narrative that insists you finish the book as fast as possible. I can hardly wait for the next adventure in the Titanborn Universe
The Collector is another great short in the Children of Titan series! This gives a little side story about Malcolm Graves, the collector. After listening to this, I understood a short conversation Malcolm had in book 3. Definitely an excellent addition to the series! As always, Mr Bray does a fantastic job with the narration!
This is a nice intro to the Titanborn Universe. I like the look of a "duster", not sure how practical they would be in space; of course the action takes place in part planetside and in part on a space station. Plan to check out other books by Bruno.
Pervenio Corp. Collector, Malcolm Graves must find the son of the company owner. Jimmy Fring. A rebellious heir. On the way he uncovers an android maker with the perfect androids. But not.
Hey there, book lovers! It’s your old pal, Ninetoes, coming to you from Ninetoes Loves Books Headquarters. Today, I am looking at Rhett C. Bruno’s The Collector. I have coffee in my system and my thinking cap on, so let’s get to it!
Malcolm Graves is a corporate collector, basically a bounty hunter. He is the best in the business, and he works for the Pervenio Corporation. His next mission is a milk run. All he has to do is locate a runaway and bring him back to his ultra-wealthy family. The kid wants to experience “real life”, but he may have bitten off more than he can chew. He falls into a madman’s clutches, and he is next up on the experimentation table. Can Malcolm get him in time?
There is good and bad to this book. I want to start with the bad…it ended. Not how it ended, just the fact that it had to end. I WANT MORE!!! Thankfully, there are five full-length books to follow this one. Yes, that is the good; I get to read five more books in the Titan Series, and I cannot wait!
The five remaining books are:
Titanborn Titan’s Son Titan’s Rise Titan’s Fury Titan’s Legacy The writing in this book is as sharp as a razor blade. The pace is established from the first word and does not let up until the last. The character development is fantastic. I rooted for the good guys and wanted to see the bad guys get theirs. The story is entertaining and a great foothold for what I hope will be a great series.
If you are looking for great science fiction, look no further!
This book is perfect for fans of space opera, cyberpunk, and adventure.
When I was going through my Audible library looking for a short book to listen to on a shopping expedition, I came across The Collector. The first thing that caught my attention was the author Rhett C Bruno and then when I saw it was part of his Children of Titan stories, I knew I couldn’t go wrong. If nothing else the shopping expedition would be entertaining. Then I saw a third piece of information, the narrator’s name. I’m a sucker for R.C. Bray’s narration, I could listen to him read the dictionary, so I figured I had just hit a homerun.
I was right, this story kept me fully entertained as I traveled thought store after store looking at nothing I was interested in. While this is a short story, Mr. Bruno didn’t skimp on character development or story development. Along the way he threw in several “red herrings” that kept me off balance until he finally allowed me to look behind the curtain and see where the story was headed. Even then the ending of the story was not as I expected.
Of course, R.C. Bray provided his exceptional narration of the story and brought each of the characters to life with unique voices.
This read like one of those old time detective novels. The detective was no nonsense and cynical as could be.
The story: Malcolm Graves is searching for the son of a client and tracks him down to a company that is making androids. The scientist running the company believes that Graves is simply checking the company out for an investor, but something strange and wrong is going on there and Graves as walked right into it.
Any problems with this story? It seems kind of campy and quite violent. Otherwise, pretty good.
Any modesty issues? Yes. All over the place. The language was vulgar although it fit with the character. There was sex involved as an enticement for Graves to do business with the company or to bribe him to look the other way or something like that.
A fun little space romp. Not really remarkable and the main character is painfully stupid at times. At one point overhearing that the bad guys goons talking about how stupid it is they need to cover up that androids arent actually robots but just people who were butchered. Immediately after our main character is like "hmmm how strange what is going on with these robots, where are the people I came to find?" Like come on dude he just said that they were turning those people into the fake robots how are you this dense
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Malcom Graves is an aging futuristic bounty hunter (collector) traveling through space collecting bounties for the Pervenio Corp with his 10 year old daughter in tow.
Graves is after a runaway & comes across a disturbing situation involving a mad scientist & androids.
This gritty Children of Titan prequel (The Collector) has me wanting to read the 1st book (tagged) that’s been on my TBR for years.
Corporate bounty hunter is on a routine job of finding a wealthy off-worlder who ran away from home , but things are not going to all that easy when it turns out they have been taken by someone who is developing working androids. This is the short intro to his ‘Children of Titan’ series and it turns out to be an interesting and entertaining read. This kind of series is not my usual fare but I am now tempted to read book one. We’ll see.