Titan Hoppers

Titan Hoppers #1

by Rob J. Hayes

Courage Iro will shatter the Gates of Power to protect his fleet.

Born talentless, Iro has all but resigned himself to a life of drudgery, watching his sister hop across to the massive space titan for supplies. But when the titan explodes and his sister is killed, Iro finds a new determination to take her place. He’s not about to let weakness prevent him.

When the fleet encounters a new titan, filled with powerful monsters, deadly traps, and mysterious cloaked figures, Iro is the first to spontaneously manifest a new talent. Now sent to a different ship, to train with others far beyond his strength, Iro will have to train twice as hard just to catch up.

To protect his fleet, and to uncover the mysteries of the titans, Iro won’t just open the Gates of Power. He’ll break them.

A progression sci-fantasy perfect for fans of Cradle and Iron Prince.

Genres: Science Fiction, Fantasy, Audiobook, Young Adult, Space Opera, Magic, Fiction

476 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 12, 2022

About the author

Winner of Mark Lawrence's 3rd Self Published Fantasy Blog Off (SPFBO) with Where Loyalties Lie

Rob J. Hayes has been a student, a banker, a marine research assistant, a chef, and a keyboard monkey more times than he cares to count. But eventually his love of fantasy and reading drew him to the life of a writer. He’s the author of the Amazon Best Selling The Heresy Within, the SPFBO-winning piratical swashbuckler Where Loyalties Lie, and the critically acclaimed Never Die.

Reviews

[Nick Borrelli · Rating 5 out of 5]

Original review posted on my blog Out of This World SFF:
https://outofthisworldrev.blogspot.co...

Rob J. Hayes is probably my most reviewed author. Part of it is that he's so prolific in his output, I mean the guy churns out books at a pace that would make most writers envious. But part of it is also that I really love his stories and am usually captivated by whatever brilliant tale he conjures up. TITAN HOPPERS is Hayes' latest offering and although slightly different from his past books in setting, it nevertheless filled me with wonder and excitement to the very last page.

This was such an action-packed book from the very beginning with no wasting of time before jumping right into things. If you've never read a Rob J. Hayes book before, he doesn't spend a lot of time info-dumping you to death, but rather reveals the backstory through dialogue and natural flow of the narrative. I prefer this method a lot and it's another reason why I'm just naturally drawn to reading his books.

The main thrust of the story in TITAN HOPPERS is centered on the young protagonist, Iro. Not coincidentally, the word iro or "iros" is the Ancient Greek root for the English word hero. So in this regard, Iro is literally the hero of this story and quite a clever play on words by Hayes. Iro has grown up on the Courage, just one in a fleet of spacefaring ships that traverse the universe raiding humongous titan ships for supplies in order to survive. Problem is these titan ships are populated by some of the most vicious and hideous monsters imaginable throughout their various levels. Questions soon begin to arise about what exactly occurred to put these characters in their present position, who built the giant titans and for what purpose? All of this makes for a tantalizing story that will absolutely keep you glued to every sentence.

As Iro gets "trained up" on his talents, it becomes apparent that this might be an uphill struggle. The reasons are many but the one major hurdle is that he is really hard on himself at times and doesn't believe he has what it takes to be a skillful and powerful titan hopper like his older sister Neya. But he better learn fast because the fleet is in dire need of supplies and food or else their extinction will become a certainty. And it doesn't help that many of those who Iro is training with look down upon him and bully him mercilessly.

Once the true conflict of the story hits this becomes an original and heart-pounding dungeon crawl on a giant spaceship. Need I really to say more than that? I've never read a book quite like this. It combines a variety of different genre elements that you wouldn't normally think would work together, but in the hands of Rob J. Hayes they do so seamlessly. I'm honestly in awe of how he pulled it off actually.

If you are looking for a book that is ridiculously fun, loaded with action, has breakneck pacing, and stands every genre preconception you can think of on its head, TITAN HOPPERS should absolutely be your next read. A pure unadulterated thrill ride is all I can say. I enjoyed every brutal training session, terrifying monster encounter, tense mission, and bloody battle. Pick it up and you won't have a minute's worth of sleep until you are done, it's truly that impressive. Rob J. Hayes you have done it again and as always, I look forward to whatever is next!

[Hamad · Rating 4 out of 5]

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“You can’t win every fight. You are going to lose some. What you can do is survive the losses. Learn from them. Get stronger and don’t lose again.”

I just noticed that this is my 8th ARC by Hayes which means I have been getting the privilege to read his works early on ever since Never Die and I think I may go back to his older books at one point in the future. When I saw the cover of this book (Which I like despite it not being the official cover and I am really curious what the real one will look like) on twitter along with the description and the progression fantasy genre I knew I had to read it and Hayes was nice enough to send me an E-ARC immediately which as usual does not alter my rating or review of the book.

This story is different to everything that I have read by Hayes before. First of all the genre is sci-fi mixed with progression fantasy and then it is kind of a YA story with the potential to progress (See what I did there) into an adult novel with the next entries. It kind of gave me Skyward -By Brandon Sanderson- vibes mixed with Cradle (Which is the first thing that comes to my mind when I hear the word progression) but in Hayes own style.

As most of the sci-fi stories, the story starts with many things that may confuse the reader like what are titans and what is hopping and why are they living in ships and a lot of other questions that we start to get answer to and some of which we don’t currently know yet whether because the author decided to keep a level of suspension or because the characters are still trying to discover the whys.

At the center of the story is Iro who is born talentless (A Bit cliched for a progression fantasy) and then find himself manifesting a new talent which hasn’t happened in a long time which opens the gates of hopes accompanied with a ton of questions that everyone are seeking answers to. I also liked that we follow Iro’s rival story and we see him growing through the story too which I liked.

The story is fast paced but there is a part in the middle where it slows down a bit and I felt it could have been shorter and faster but was still enjoyable. The magic system is not really complicated but I love a simple and well thought of system and that’s exactly what Hayes came up with for this world. The story is predictable but I think it just sets stage for something more epic and I know it has potential that I trust Hayes to harness in the upcoming novels.

Summary: The first entry in a whole new world from Hayes that is unlike anything he has written before. I had a few reservations like the predictability, the tropes used and the pace that slows a bit in the middle. However, I immensely enjoyed the writing, the characters and the magic system and it certainly makes me want to read the next book.

ARC provided by the author in exchange of an honest review.

[Arundeepak J · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5/5

A neatly executed page turner with some well developed progression elements

Titan Hoppers was a fun science -fantasy progression book with intersting characters and Worldbuilding. The plot dragged down a bit in the middle but other than that it was an excellent read.

Looking forward to the sequel.

[Lukasz · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5

It was fun, well-paced, and entertaining. Initially, I wasn't crazy about the characters, but they grew on me. While it relies on tropes and remains predictable throughout, it kept me entertained and intrigued by the world and "magic" system. All in all, I'll definitely read the sequel.

[kartik narayanan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really want to say that I loved Titan Hoppers.

The writing is excellent (of course, since its author is Rob Hayes). But I found the story to be a bit bland - a lot of YA tropes, and the world-building is so-so. The characters are average. This book is nowhere close to his other fantasy series. Hopefully, this changes and I am proved wrong.

But, I still like it a fair bit. I will look out for its sequels.

[BookishBenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full disclosure: I was given a copy of this book early in exchange for an honest review. The copy I had was an arc and as such, things may change before release.

I should start by saying that Rob J Hayes is one of my favourite authors. I’ve read everything in the Mortal Techniques series he has penned and absolutely loved it. I am yet to get around to the rest but when a chance came to get ahead of his writing and read his newest work, I hopped at it.

Titan Hoppers is a progression fantasy story which means this story focuses on characters increasing in power and skill over time. It tells the story of seventeen-year-old Iro who lives on a ship in space called The Courage. The Courage is a part of the much larger ‘Home Fleet’ and humans no longer live on Earth (or their original fictional planet) and live in these giant ships. Iro is a technician on the ship and in terms of ranking or hierarchy he is low. The hoppers meanwhile, those that venture out onto the titans to collect water, fuel, food and other valuable resources, are at the top. Iro desperately wants to be a hopper like his older sister and so when he one day displays powers of one of the classes (more on that in a minute), he is transferred to The Eclipse to be with the others.

This is a science fiction story but with fantasy elements smoothly mixed in. Now, I say this because sometimes media tries to mix genres and it just feels like two genres have been forced together. In Titan Hoppers it feels very fluid, natural and normal to have these two genres mashed together. You have the sci-fi element with the ships, space, technicians and you have fantasy elements with monsters, classes, swords and other pieces. It really goes well together but overall feels predominantly like a sci-fi story.

The classes are a really interesting part of this world that Rob is making. There are six classes I counted that each come with different levels (called gates) and from those levels people can unlock abilities. It’s really this class system that is the driving force of the story and you will understand what I mean when you read it. I really liked the classes system. It’s slick and a bit like if you’ve ever watched Pokémon where you’re waiting for Ash to catch a new Pokémon; that build-up is like this story and the classes.

I felt that Iro is really trying to achieve something for himself and at this point I can only guess what Rob is building up to with his story. We do get to learn about some of the other characters further into the story and I did like their parts although one of them was kind of like the angry outcast trope which was a little predictable each time he was on the page. Overall, I liked the interactions although it was slightly frustrating to see Iro being picked on because he is the runt of the litter. I just really wanted him to stand up for himself and fight back. Maybe this is a part of the progression fantasy though.

The Titans themselves are potentially the most interesting part of this story. However, we don’t know much about them. These behemoths left me with so many questions that I’m sure won’t be answered until the final book, in the meantime leaving me to languish in wonder.

The action scenes in this story are well written and easy to follow. They are paced really well and provide enough description that you know what has happened without having to spoon feed you every slash or uppercut. Some of the battles feel like ‘boss battles’ from a character’s point of view which I enjoyed.

This book isn’t without its issues unfortunately. This story is very clearly a set up for whatever is coming next. The bulk of this book is slow paced, maybe the first 50-60% and then the last 30% is where things really ramp up and get exciting. The slow parts are important because they’re the groundwork and I can appreciate this but I just wanted a bit more pace to them. There was a point where I was going to stop reading this because I just thought it wasn’t going anywhere but I am happy I continued because it’s a story that prompts questions and I want to see what the answers are.

Overall, Titan Hoppers is a perfect mix of sci-fi and fantasy that brings fresh ideas. It does take some time to get going but once the story starts you will find yourself eager to see it through to the end.

[Rowena Andrews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Holy scrap on a titan – what a book!

At this point whenever I pick up a book by Rob J. Hayes book, I am certain of two things. One that I will love it, and two that it will be a book that utterly sweeps me away from start to finish, and Titan Hoppers which is rather different fare from Hayes, just reinforces this. Progression fantasy isn’t a subgenre that I am overly familiar with outside of anime, but if there are more like this, then I am more than ready to fall down this rabbit hole. Titan Hoppers is also science-fantasy, and beautifully balances the different elements so that neither one felt overshadowed, also the classes, and some of the beasties on the Titan, as well as the exploration of the Titan feeling a little like a dungeon crawl made my rpg heart incredibly happy. It shouldn’t be defined by them, but I loved the feel of that influence in this world.

In Titan Hoppers, Hayes does what he does best and lets the world speak for itself. You’re dropped not quite in the deepest end of the pool, but close, as the action starts immediately with just enough information to give you context. There is no info-dumping or fully setting the scene, instead, the information is revealed much more organically through dialogue and interactions, and fittingly in this progression fantasy, as the protagonist and other characters learn more, so do we.

The worldbuilding in this book is spectacular, especially with the various fantastical and sci-fi elements that are brought together. The sci-fi elements are on the softer side, we have the ships and the various engineering and technology aspects which are explained in enough detail for us to get a clear image of the world and what they’re dealing with, and what technology they have at their fingertips without getting bogged down in the details. I also really enjoyed the fact that as amazing as some of the technology is, or as commonplace i.e. systems essential to everyday life, it isn’t fully understood by those who rely on it (that aspect gave me some Pern vibes from where the old tech was discovered), and was a clever way of adding another dimension to the worldbuilding and the story with the question of history, and how that knowledge was lost, and where in fact the technology – both on the ships and on the Titan came from.

The fantastical elements were just as well done, and the quasi-magic system of the Gates was fascinating and there was such variety with what the Hoppers could access in terms of abilities, both those that were known and unknown. There was a logical progression in terms of power, but I liked that it wasn’t a simple matter of just levelling up, it felt fitting that achieving the next level was a challenge but also in some cases a choice. It also feels like we’ve only just scratched the surface, especially with the theory given towards the end of the book, and it feels like there is just so much potential with the Gates, and the class system as a whole. The classes were really well defined, and my only minor complaint is that I want to see more of some of the others in action, although the glimpses we got were so tantalizing and fun!

Then there are the monsters. There were a few familiar features here and there, but I think the critters that called the Titan home were some of my favourite elements of the Titan (even beyond my burning curiosity to learn more about the Titan itself), and I really want to get my hands on the bestiary the trainees had. Hayes brought them to life so vividly that it was easy to imagine each monster, and the threat they posed, even in the midst of the chaos of fighting (or running away), and again the variety and levels of threat were so well done.

Beyond the fantastical and sci-fi elements, I have to give plaudits to the societal (and political) aspects of the worldbuilding. Against this backdrop of powers and Titans and space, Titan Hoppers is very much a human story. Life was stratified not just by ability or rank, but also by where you were in the fleet which determined not just the state of the environment and technology, but also rights to resources from the basics of food and water to equipment and technology. The difference between Lower Ships and Mid-ships was striking, and I liked that it had a rolling impact not just on the individual characters, but also on the plot, and the rising feeling of danger for the fleet. I would loved to have seen or heard more about the Upper ships for comparison, but the hints we were given were more than enough to indicate the level of difference. It’s always interesting to see how human society in space is imagined, and here it felt painfully real – and added a very human cost to each step of progress and setback.

Iro – our protagonist – is an amalgamation of all of these aspects, he worked as a tech before unlocking his talent, and moved from a lower ship to a mid-ship. He is also a fantastic protagonist, although I could see why he might not be everyone’s cup of tea (a type of character that Hayes is blood brilliant at writing. He is certainly the underdog in this fight – having struggled to try and manifest a talent at all so he could follow in his sister’s footsteps, bullied and look down upon for that ‘weakness’ and for his origins on the Courage – a dying, lower ship; and even when he comes into his power, it’s an uphill struggle. Iro and his efforts to train and reach the next level, are really what sold me on the progression element – I always like it when powers or abilities are worked for, but here it was seeing the more emotional and human struggle that invested me in his journey, because it was just skill levels and training that he had to overcome.

While Iro was the main character and it was his progression that was central, the supporting cast were absolutely fantastic. The other trainees might have been more skilled, but they all had their own limitations or difficulties to overcome. Emil was a great foil to Iro, their strengths and weaknesses very different – although there were times, I wanted to give him a good smack, I was just as invested in his story, and it was interested to see how their paths intertwined. Eir and Bjorn were some of my favourites amongst the others, but each one stood for themselves and even those we spent less time with felt clearly defined in my mind. While Iro was fantastic, I think my favourite character had to be Rollo – and my heart was in my mouth about what was happening to him, he was a fantastic example how power and progression was not just hard work and levelling up but choice, and the care he had for his charges was evident and I liked that even in his own way he changed and progressed through the events of the story.

Alfvin…just oh… that’s all I can say without spoiling anything, but I liked and loathed him in equal measures, and worse Hayes does such a good job of giving him reasons for his actions that you can understand.

The action is top-notch and compelling, and I don’t think I will ever tire of how Hayes writes those scenes. He does such an amazing job of capturing the essence of the fight without getting bogged down in details, while zooming in for the key moments, and leaving you feeling as though you are right there in the middle of the chaos and tension, watching and waiting for each blow. Fittingly for a book that has so much action, and a rising tension throughout, the pacing is just as none-stop and there was no part of this book that dragged. I ended up reading it in one go, because I was just so caught up in what was happening.

I was so excited to read Titan Hoppers, and it blew all my expectations out of the water. This book was a non-stop, thrill ride that was just a joy to read; and one of the most compelling books I’ve had the pleasure of picking up lately (and I already want to read it again). This is a fantastic book for anyone who loves science-fantasy, progression fantasy and wants to just loses themselves in richly realised world and story. I can’t recommend Titan Hoppers highly enough, and it is certainly one of my top reads of 2022, and I can’t wait to see what else Hayes will do in this world.

[Akshaya (shae_reads) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks to the author Rob J. Hayes for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review

I read this ARC twice back to back, which is a first for me! Titan Hoppers is the first installment in a progression fantasy series and you can say for sure that the series is going to be great just by reading this book, that’s how well written it is! It has strong world building, intrigue and character work.

I try not to get too technical in my reviews but this book made me think a lot, not just as a reader but as a student of books. I was finding it difficult to write a review till I decided to just dump my inferences and call it one! Here are things that I loved about Titan Hoppers :

Conflict : Iro’s life changes right at the get go. There are two life altering events that happen (not a spoiler, since given in blurb) – the titan from which they stock supplies for their fleet explodes and he loses his sister in the explosion. So right when we meet him, his external world has just turned against him and he’s met with a loss of a loved one. This was such a well written combination of an external and internal struggle placing Iro both in a tough spot (to say the least) and racing against a deadline to survive. The more I think about this, the more I admire it. Right from page 1, there’s a clearly established conflict(s), end goal, timeline and a roadmap of sorts.
Idea or world : I loved the concept of being in space ships and these titans acting as a megastore from which the ships scrounge for all things right from food to mechanical and electronic supplies to most importantly coffee! There’s also a lot of intrigue around the titans and am looking forward to discovering them. Again, a seamless integration of tech and magic! (I don’t want to comment too much on the magic and spoil the fun)
Characters : All the characters we meet are three dimensional, interesting and memorable. They are distinct, easy to latch onto and empathize. I loved how Iro wasn’t just a stereotypical chosen one and how he felt fear, had his doubts and moments of insecurities when faced with challenges. It made him more endearing to journey with, while also perfecting the coming of age arc for him. I also loved seeing strong female characters. A character of highlight for me was Emil! Where Iro’s conflicts were with things that happened to him in the past, the tension with Emil’s thread was with his future choices. The suspense and build up was phenomenal! I enjoyed it a lot! Master Rollo was another delightful addition. All fantasy fans are predisposed to liking him, so that’s a sure shot win! All the characters and their quirks made me feel like am watching anime. I liked it.
Couple of other things :
Tropes – Character arcs, magical academy, master-apprentice, found family, secret backstories, etc. Neatly executed.
Show versus Tell – There was a lot of telling and it was absolutely fine! This was an example in how to tell and do it well!
Humor – Lots of practical and situational humor done really well. I laughed out loud in many places and had fun reading them!
One point that I was constantly thinking about while reading the book and which the author brings up eventually, is about the psychology and behavior of people in this world. This book has a low-key commentary to offer on the subject, but it does it so without spending narrative time on it. I liked it.

There’s just one thing that I am apprehensive about. Titan Hoppers is presented to us as a progression fantasy. And when I think progression fantasy, I think Cradle. With that frame of mind, I felt this book to be formulaic in its approach. Be it characters, tropes or scope of world expansion and such. I wouldn’t go as far as calling it cliched, but it runs the risk of sitting rather too well in its structure. However, I trust the author and am invested in this series, so there’s that.

Without a doubt, Titan Hoppers is worth your time and I whole heartedly recommend it! This is definitely going to be a series to watch out for, so better start following it from the first installment!

[Luke Winch · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was kindly given the ARC for Titan Hoppers to read and give an honest review before it’s release on the 12th July. I am pleased to say I thoroughly enjoyed this mash-up of progression fantasy, science fiction, D&D and coming of age drama.

With all the many different genres and concepts that Rob throws into the proverbial kitchen sink for his new book Titan Hoppers, it should suffocate under its own weight, and yet, with nimble prose, an eclectic mix of colourful characters and a coming-of-age, level-up arc for our main protagonist, he pulls it off with aplomb.

Hayes introduces us to Titan Hopper’s science fiction setting, a civilisation of people who live on a fleet of ships in space, what they call ‘the dark’. The fleet also orbits a gigantic spaceship called a titan. Within the titan are powerful monsters, deadly traps and mysteries that the fleet are only just beginning to discover and understand. To survive and maintain the fleet, to provide food, water and metal for weapons and ships, each ship provides a squadron of Hoppers, warriors with unique talents that they obtain through Gates of Power. Each Gate gives an individual access to more powerful abilities, but opening such Gates requires unique situations and factors to come into play. To level-up challenges must be overcome.

Rob Hayes does an excellent job of helping us understand how much this civilisation relies on the titan’s resources, and how dangerous each hop is to gather them. There is a prevailing mystery surrounding the origin of the fleet and the titans, even the fleets smartest engineers still don’t know what much of the machinery and components does, and this mystery bubbles to the surface every now and then, giving the readers, and the characters, scintillating clues and theories.

There is a fantastic mesh of high tech and fantastical magic that works together so well in this world and mixed with the progressive elements we are given a fantastic dungeon crawling RPG in book form.

What I really loved about Titan Hoppers though, are the characters and their dynamics and relationships. The main protagonist is Courage Iro, who is born talentless and idolises his older sister Neya, who is a hopper. After certain events occur on a mission, Iro is sent to a different ship to a training school for potential hoppers, to learn and develop the necessary skills and talents required to fight and defeat the many monsters that roam the titan.

This is where he meets his academy friends and there is some wonderful character dynamics here; a lot of fun dialogue, some kindling of a possible romance and some simmering tension between Iro and his shipmate Emil. Both boys trying to prove themselves the strongest, the best. It makes for some great drama that results in some brilliant character moments towards the end.

Rob Hayes has always been a master of writing action scenes and he does it once again in Titan Hoppers. Kinetic, visceral, immersive and at times breath-taking, Hayes brings the action to life with his words. The clang of steel, the gargantuan size of the monsters, the balletic nature of movement, the pain of a broken bone or a slice of flesh, its an absolute joy to read his battle scenes.

A good third of the book is paced relatively slow, but the story needs this time and space, to establish Iro’s relationship with his fellow classmates and Emil in order for there to be any emotional weight and story significance in the latter parts of the book. And believe me the latter part of the book zips along at quite a pace and makes for an intense read.

Roby Hayes has managed to to give us an exciting, fun and kinetic, progressive science-fantasy story with engaging character dynamics, a dangerous and challenging world and action scenes that spring from the page. One of the best pick-me-ups I have read in a long while 5/5.

Go read this now!

[Isabelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

The whole team was abuzz when this title was part of our slush pile. Having only read one of his short stories but owning a bunch of his other books, I was excited for it too. Everyone wanted to read it. Sadly, while I can see this working for readers that enjoy this subgenre, it didn’t quite hit the spot for me.

I’m not much of a gamer aside from a couple of GameBoy or Switch games but this progression sci-fi fantasy definitely reminded me of playing games. I can see the appeal in wanting to read books like that also as it sets clear goals and challenges for characters and can be fun to follow along and celebrate with them. While I’m not someone that needs a hard magic system in all of my books, I do like for them to feel natural to the world and I just struggled to get that here. Parts of that did feel smoother towards the end of the book but some parts still felt too silly and reminiscent of gaming for me personally. This setup also lends itself to repetitiveness as well.

In a recent conversation I listened to about suspension of belief in books, it was mentioned that readers often are a lot more willing to go along with hard-to-believe details in books if they’re invested in the characters and that may have been the biggest reason I struggled so much here. For the majority of the book I was just so annoyed by almost the entire cast. I double-checked the entry details for Titan Hoppers before writing this review and the audience was marked as 18+. The angst and jealousy and childishness of the main cast may have been more appropriate for YA but it just didn’t work for me in an adult book. There were one or two female characters that I liked but they weren’t part of the POVs so we didn’t get as much insight to them as the other characters. I was excited to see where this was going when some characters started to reach their goal towards the end of the book but then was disappointed again because it didn’t actually seem like they learned the lesson this book set them up for. They still behaved pretty much the same as before towards each other instead of developing the growth I was hoping for.

My last major gripe is about the unknown. I’m a sucker for details. I loved hearing about the different kinds of monsters, about the things the trainees were learning about, and exploring the titans. But there were still so many things that nobody seemed to know about, not just the reader but the characters, no matter how much experience they already had. This probably wouldn’t have stuck out to me as much if it hadn’t been mentioned again and again throughout the book. I don’t mind mystery but if you make a point of bringing it up repeatedly, I also expect at least a couple of those things to be answered before the end of the book or for it to feel as if someone is on the way to gaining some more knowledge about it.

Speaking of that knowledge though, I did enjoy the details we got thanks to the MC’s experience from his prior job. That was a neat way of allowing him to solve issues the other characters wouldn’t be able to in the same way or speed. I also really enjoyed the theories that sprang up at the end of the book as that ties in well to things that I do enjoy in my books. I don’t want to go into that in more detail though as that would be too spoilery. The writing itself also had a smoothness that not all of our entries possessed, making it feel as if the author was more comfortable with his own writing, which probably comes with the experience of having quite a catalogue of titles to your name already.

So sadly, this title didn’t quite hit the spot for me though I could see at least some of my issues being resolved in later books of the series. It did pick up towards the end for me a bit and I can see why readers that don’t focus on the same things that I do would enjoy this story.

[Steve Kimmins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rob Hayes is a favourite author of mine. I’ve particularly enjoyed his recent Wuxia themed fantasies. This one is very different indeed, and there were moments when I had my doubts about it. But I think the ending rescued it big time.

The aspect I especially enjoyed all the way through is the world building. This is an unusual mix of science fiction and fantasy. A fleet of space ships drifts across space, barely surviving for provisions. These come from large space ships they encounter, bizarrely full of monsters of the type one finds in classic fantasy. Well, rather more fearsome in general.
Why this unusual scenario? The author is clearly going to reveal this further as the series progresses. We get hints, and it’s possible to make some guesses how and why this set up exists. The participants from the fleet have no idea, with only fragmentary historical records. Missions are required to obtain provisions from the large ships and this is where fantasy heroics, or death, can happen. There’s something like an unusual magic system involved too which helps the fighters on their missions. I absolutely loved this imaginative scenario and the mystery surrounding it.

The human aspect centres on young trainees who will specialise in fighting the monsters during visits to the larger ships for provisions. One major downside for me, and it’s personal I’m sure, is the YA theme to the storyline. Really, I know some teenagers, and like many of them, so it’s not a dislike of youth on my part! But sometimes YA tropes in fantasy can be revisited just a bit too frequently; inadequacy, bullying, etc. I won’t go into details but I recall a recent fantasy, Dragon Mage, which featured a YA hero who for much of the story wasn’t just nervous, bullied and shy, but crushingly cowardly! I didn’t enjoy that story for that reason. I did feel the main character here could, for some of the story, have been a close cousin!
Just as I felt conflicted with the story - great scenario, but a lead character I found hard to empathise with - I think the author rescued it towards the end of the book. Find out if you agree with me or not.

This could have been an easy 5* for me, but I’ll knock it back to 4* because of how the author tortured me with a lead character who didn’t work for me, for much of the story - and then did!
I’m certain however that this series is going to be excellent. The space fleet and provision ships, the monsters on them, the talents developed by those fighting the monsters, another human fleet too about which we know little. All this has plenty of room for further exploration and revelations.
Well worth a read even with my caveats.

[Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first book by Rob J. Hayes that I've read and after finishing Titan Hoppers I can't wait to read more of his books. This was fun from start to finish and I didn't want to put the book down.
Personally, the most intriguing part of the story was the worldbuilding. I can't wait to know more about the titans and the magic system in particular. It feels like we've only scratched the surface.
The combat was entertaining, I never felt lost while reading it and it didn't overstay it's welcome to give us breathing room between action scenes.
I was pleasantly surprised by the political subplot going on in the background which promised interesting development in the future books.
I would definitely recommend this to fans of progression fantasy or anyone who is interested in entering the harsh world of Titan Hoppers.

I received an ARC by the author in exchange for an honest review.

[A Reading · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sensational, I blitzed through this book!

Firstly, fight scene (about 60% in) just awesome – it's not huge, but it is beautiful. There are a number of fights throughout this book, mostly with terrifying beasts and all very well done, but this one in particular was an absolute joy to read.

Rob Hayes is a master at characterisation. While there is also plenty of plot to keep a plot-whore like me thoroughly enthralled, the characters are so deep and lifelike, I feel like I can almost guess their next moves based on having read only the first book.

I love the world – it's a fascinating construct. Shrouded in mystery (even to the characters) there are questions about how and why everything is the way it is, and how everybody got there. For the most part, survival is predicated on scavenging, and scavenging is often a deadly undertaking.

I'm not a gamer, and while this book has a strong "game" feel, it reads entirely like a regular novel. It's awesome, I'm eagerly looking forward the next book.

[Rebecca Crunden]

“A dull blade should never blame the whetstone.”

Titan Hoppers is a fast-paced, action packed, highly immersive epic sci-fi novel and showcases Hayes' impressive world-building talents. I've been meaning to read more of his works after really enjoying The Century Blade: A Mortal Techniques short story a while back and I'm glad I picked up another one! (The epic grimdarks are next!)

Final RTC

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[Zamil Akhtar · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a well-told story. It keeps its focus on the progression, action, and growth of the POV characters. My favorite thing about it is the space setting, with the incredible titan acting as a giant dungeon. It really captured my imagination and I am hyped for book 2!

[Mihir · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full review over at Fantasy Book Critic

OVERVIEW/ANALYSIS: The Titan Hopper series is a brand new series from one of most brilliant minds writing currently in the Indie fantasy scene. So it was a tad surprising when this series turned out to be set in a SF universe but with some fantasy elements. Rob J. Hayes once again pleasantly surprises with this new world and it is one filled with a multitude of secrets & mysteries.

The prologue and first chapter introduce us to Iro and his residential generational spaceship Courage which along with the rest of his home fleet, is always in search of these gigantic titans in space from wherein they can scavenge parts and supplies so as to sustain the humans aboard. Iro and the rest of the fleet are barely are hanging on when the discovery of a new & significantly bigger titan fuels new energy in the entire fleet. Nobody or at least neither of our protagonists know where they came from. One can assume that it could be from Earth but I think that is one of the mysteries for the future books. It has been around fifty generations of humankind surviving in these ships and so that information is just not common knowledge.

In addition, no one quite knows what the titans are or where they came from. They are miles long and full of futuristic tech and weird and highly dangerous creatures. There are levels to mine and get more fantastic technology but as with the increased rewards so does the danger increase exponentially. Another tricky scenario is that no has any clear idea about the titans and their origins which is a tad surprising but understandable. Thus we find our two protagonists Iro and Emil who are similar as chalk and cheese, trying to find their feet.

Iro is the main focus and is a bit Harry Potter like protagonist who is forced to find his feet as he finds out about his powers. Emil is a person who has been looked down upon and especially by his father. Both of them have a point to prove but will they be able to overcome their differences and learn is one of the key aspects of the story.

The world/universe of this story is the highlight of the story IMHO. Space faring generational ships, massive titans lurking in space, who are also filled with creatures and futuristic tech are the absolute crown jewels of the worldbuilding section. I have to give props to the author for coming up with it. Knowing Rob, I have to say that there is a plan in place and there will be massive revelations about the origins of it all. I for one cannot wait to read them

This Science fantasy progression hybrid was a bit of a strange adventure for me. I’m not well read in This sub-genre to recognize its tropes but this story was a nice introduction to it. One thing is clear though that readers expect a lot of cool action and fights and they will get that in spades within this story. The monsters are really creepy and cool, the mysteries about Iro, the ships, the Titans are very beguiling and aren’t answered fully in this opening volume. The characters as always with any Rob J. Hayes story are very well etched. In this new sub-genre however because of the narrow POV focus, we only get to know Iro and Emil intimately but it to the author’s credit that he does a lovely job with the supporting character cast (though again anyone who has read any of Rob J. Hayes’ previous work won’t be surprised here).

I really enjoyed Master Rollo and his laidback teaching style and it is very evident that there’s more to him and his relaxed persona but again we will have to read the sequels to know more. Similar to Rollo, there's Iro's mother Serah & his previous master Tannow who will have larger roles to play as well. There are many secrets within this book and it really strings the readers along as we get a small dosage of answers from time to time to further the journey. This approach was a new one for me and I’m not sure if it’s an aspect of progression fantasy or just something new that Rob tried within this story.

Lastly I have to make a mention of the action and the magic system within this volume which was cool to read and also discover simultaneously with Courage Iro. I’m not a gamer but a lot of gamers would love the power increases that occurs for the character when they open the gates. This was fun to read and the author made sure to not overdo the stats and all. I really appreciated this.

Now going on to the drawbacks for this book, the primary one is that while the story has a climax. The plot does not get a proper resolution. There are just too many mysteries that we as the reader aren’t privy to. I understand this is just the first book but it felt like a lot of setup for the overall series. Again this could be a sub-genre feature and not really a negative if one knows about this particular sub-genre. I for one found it to be just too many secrets that were left unanswered. I have no doubt that the author will be tackling them in the sequels but I wish to point it out. Besides this, I didn’t have any complaints.

CONCLUSION: Titan Hoppers is a strange & intriguing amalgamation of Sci-Fi and progression fantasy and it is absolutely unique in this regards. This combination works splendidly because of the author’s amazing writing skills. Titan Hoppers is a unique attempt at progression fantasy and one that I would heartily recommend for everyone to checkout.

[Ronit J. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I signed up to receive an e-ARC when I saw Rob J Hayes’ tweet. I mean, it’s Rob J Hayes, why wouldn’t I sign up for an e-ARC. I love the guy’s work, and when I saw he’s sending out e-ARCs for this one, I jumped on the adventure blind. All I knew about this book before reading was that it was SFF progression fantasy.

So here’s my review.

The prologue left me a little confused, to be honest. A brand new world, a lot of in-world jargon, and a protagonist who’s a loser and a wee bit unlikeable. Yeah, I really didn’t like Iro in the prologue, or chapter 1, or chapter 2. The only thing that kept me going was the writing. Rob J Hayes knows how to keep the reader hooked, whether it’s his colourful characters, gripping plot or magical world-building. Maybe a mix of all 3 was what kept me going.
By the end of chapter 3, the book was almost un-put-down-able. I especially loved the video-game-like world-building and progression. The idea of a massive Titan full of resources, and Hoppers from a space fleet scavenging from it while fighting monsters was super fun. I won’t be surprised if this series gets made into a game. Hell, I’d even buy that game just cause of how much fun the magic system is. In many ways, this book has everything you’d expect from a science-fantasy game.
Another interesting aspect was the magic system. It was weird but intriguing. Weird because the suspension of disbelief was stretched a bit too far, but it’s not entirely unfathomable. I mean, if this system existed in a game, I wouldn’t second guess it, so I didn’t question its believability much. Besides, it’s just book 1. There’s so much still left to explore, I’m certain we’re going to learn a lot more about what the Gates of Power are, and how the Titans even came into being.
This was my first progression fantasy, so I’m no expert. But I have some cursory knowledge of the genre. And if this is what progression fantasy is like, well sign me up for more. *eyes the Cradle series*

The book does well on several aspects, but it isn’t without its issues.

My biggest problem with the book was that I wasn’t a big fan of the protagonist, Iro. I found him a whiny, weak loser. I mean, if this entire book were from Emil’s perspective, I would’ve loved it so much more. It’s not that Iro isn’t a great character, it’s that he only shines in the last 10-15% of the book. The other characters, however, are actually more likeable and real. In comparison to them, Iro felt a little unworthy.
Another issue I found with the book was that it feels incomplete. It’s more like Act I of a larger story, meaning it’s still building up. That, for many readers, can make the book slow, even underwhelming. Having read some of Rob’s works before, I know he’ll take the series in the right direction, and use all this build-up to give us a thrilling experience. But that’s all speculation. What we have in our hands is still only book 1. If I had book 2 in my hands, I’d probably pick it up right away, but sadly book 2 hasn’t been written yet (if Rob is to be believed). So I guess we’ll just have to wait and see what’s in store. For now, this is it.

Overall, a fun, exciting weekend read.

TL;DR:
WHAT I LIKED: The world-building, magic system, characters (especially the side characters), video-game-like storytelling and progression
WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE: The protagonist, the fact that this book is mostly a build-up

[Lorraine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review originally posted on Geeky Galaxy.

Just want to start by saying a massive thank you to Rob for sending across the e-ARC of Titan Hoppers. The synopsis makes it sound good, but this book is freaking amazing and I don’t think I was prepared for how much I was going to enjoy this. Friends have been bothering me to read some of Rob’s other books, and I’ve been meaning to and just haven’t gotten around to it. If they’re close to as awesome as Titan Hoppers is, then I should probably listen to people more!

Titan Hoppers starts as it means to go on, drama, action and a heavy focus on characters. If you’ve read a review from me before, you’ll know I value characterisation above anything else when reading. And Titan Hoppers excels in it’s characterisation. Not only in the main character, Iro, but also Iro’s sister and mother. Not only their family, but also the other trainee Hoppers, especially Emil, who is arguably the character with the best arc. And Rollo! Honestly, you’ve got to meet these characters to understand how unique they are, how their voices ring out loudly from the pages and the important part they all play in this story.

Speaking of the story… I need more of it. There’s plenty going on and Titan Hoppers does have a complete story, but also so much depth and so many little hooks to draw you into the next book. This is the problem with reading ARCs (and I say that in the nicest way possible!). The earlier you read a book, the longer you have to wait until the next one! I was so engrossed in this story, the exploration of these Titans, the mysteries of who else might have laid claim, the purpose of the Titans and so many other questions. This first book only just scratches the surface, but it does it in such a way that it’s enough information to intrigue you, but not too much to overwhelm. If I had to say one negative thing about this book, it’s that it’s almost too much build-up. I understand why Rob ended it where he did, it does feel like a natural break in the story, but it also felt like the story was just beginning to ramp up. But maybe I’m just impatient for the next book.

Do you know what I haven’t even mentioned yet? The idea that this book is a “progression fantasy” and it 100% is. The Hoppers are so chosen because they exhibit powers, or talents. Each Hopper generally has a class that is the same as their parents before them (if it manifests at all). They’re reasonably familiar to anyone that has read (or played) any class-based fantasy with classes like Paladin, Vanguard, Corsair and more. The talents they develop then give them abilities which aids them in “hopping” to the Titans, exploring and fighting monsters. It’s a mechanic that has it’s intricacies, but was actually remarkably easy to understand and follow whilst reading. When is there going to be an online quiz that tells you which you are? That’s got to happen, right?

[Cameron Johnston · Rating 4 out of 5]

I blitzed through this book, and that's a great thing. The Hoppers (or adventurers) are essentially dungeon delving titanic and mysterious ancient spacecraft to obtain parts and materials to keep their decrepit space fleet from falling apart. Armed with a mix of high-tech arms and armour and quasi-mystical abilities, they are all that stops their civilisation dying out, starving and exposed to the cold void of space...you know, unless you are a supposedly talentless low-rank engineer like the main character...

It's a great idea to mix a progression fantasy with something a little like a mix of Space Hulk, Space Crusade and Aliens. If that doesn't sell you on a book, what will? If you enjoyed Cradle, Iron Prince, Bastion, or Mage Errant then take a look at this.

[Adah Udechukwu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Titan Hoppers is a worthwhile read. I loved every moment of it and I fully anticipate book 2.

[Nina · Rating 5 out of 5]

i did not know what to expect really and was greatly surprised at how much I loved this book.
characters, friendships, family, action scenes (Rob is one masterful action scene writer!), the atmosphere - all in combination was fantastic.
i could imagine the ships and the titan in my mind and like a great movie, all played out amazingly in my head.
it was like reading a phenomenal,exciting movie!
hoping there is more in store for Iro and his Squad as well as Emil.

[Andrew Hindle · Rating 4 out of 5]

What an excellent book this was! Having read some of Hayes’ fantasy and finding it enjoyable in a dark sort of way, I was keen to see his take on sci-fi. So let me get right to it by saying this is a hearty recommendation from your old pal Edpool. Titan Hoppers is a “progression fantasy”, a subgenre I hadn’t heard of before but I assure you is a thing. A thing like a video game power-up sequence, where the character gets in situations and then unlocks different skills and power levels as they go. Fascinating stuff.

Humanity has faced a mysterious calamity and the survivors are tooling around out in space. Their only source of resources – food and water and fuel – is the Titan: a huge alien vehicle crammed with weird tech, trap-filled labyrinths, massive facilities and just a fucking country ton of monsters. So that’s the premise. They fly their clapped-out ships up to the giant haunted space house, and loot it.

That’s not all the Titan provides, though – it also gives the human intruders powers. Some of them anyway. Society is divided into the techs (who weren’t granted powers), the Hoppers (who were), and the officers (who are generally former or failed Hoppers … I think). But there is a lot more to fleet society than meets the eye – and a lot of human history that has been forgotten … or erased.

So. The Hoppers go aboard the Titan in pods to collect stuff and fight the monsters that swarm to any human intrusion or expression of magic. The Hoppers, and the fleet in general, are divided into different types – Paladins and Corsairs are the main ones here – as well as being divided between the lower, mid and upper ships, in terms of economies and resources and political power. The upper ships and the quasi-noble legacy families rule the fleet in a sort of double-axis of class disparity that makes for a volatile mixture of injustice, inequality and simmering resentment.

Into this bubbling mixture we sprinkle a generous seasoning of Iro, a wannabe Paladin on one of the poorest ships. Having lost his big sister, a heroic bay leaf of – look, I’m just going to abandon the culinary metaphor at this point. When the Titan explodes, taking Iro’s sister and many more fine Hoppers with it, the fleet limps off into space looking for … another Titan, maybe, or just some other source of materials. Aren’t there planets in space? It doesn’t seem like that’s how space works in this story. Not this part of space anyway.

Still, Iro has more or less given up on his dreams of levelling up, and the fleet is running on fumes when they arrive at another Titan. A whole new Titan, and a whole lot of new humans in a whole separate fleet. They don’t have the energy or capacity to contact them, which is a bit weird, but they settle down to attempting to harvest the massive alien derelict for parts. And that’s when things really start to get exciting!

This is a page-turnin’, space-adventurin’, science-magickin’ bit of fun and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Hayes has done it again.

Sex-o-meter

With mainly teenage or otherwise young adult protagonists, there’s some Drama and Feelings™ here but not really any sex. We’re probably heading that way but for now our young heroes are just getting themselves set up. There’s too much salvaging and monster fighting and magic training to do, really, to worry about all that. A Nice Guy passport with a single stamp in it out of a possible One Sex.

Gore-o-meter

Plenty of gore! We have a big old alien behemoth filled with vicious and weird traps, and masses of horrible bloodthirsty monsters. The gore levels could actually be higher than it ended up, given the setting. Room for improvement, but I was well satisfied with the three flesh-gobbets out of a possible five for this one.

WTF-o-meter

It’s left tantalisingly unclear how the first Titan was found, how they knew there’d be another one, and lots of other things. The stalling question, and the un-stalling question, don’t even get me started. There’s so much lovely WTF to play with here. Things go from weird to weirder as the denizens of the new Titan reveal themselves, and we’re left with a cliffhanger and a whole lot of unanswered questions. And now we have to wait for Hayes to write the next one! Gaaaaah… anyway, according to the WTF-o-meter, Titan Hoppers gets a Diablo 2 skill tree with a partridge in it out of a possible Skyrim skill tree with a couple of Odins in it.

Final Verdict

Amazing setting and premise, and great characters make this story well worth picking up. Okay, Emil is just a little bit too much of a shitbird to be sympathetic, but I guess you have to make allowances for a rough upbringing. And Alfvin is just weapons-grade crazy. Four stars on the Amazon / Goodreads scale.

[Julia Sarene · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a bit of a mixed bag for me. Overall I enjoyed it a lot!

* I adore the setting, the mystery, the world, the monsters, ...
* I really like the progression and magic system.
* I liked some of the characters, but...

And this really is all my problems with this book - the characters. I'm used I credibly three dimensional and well developed characters from Hayes, but in this book a lot of them felt quite flat. It might be a conscious decision with a reason, but most of them felt like they were one character trait vamped up, instead of a mix.
Instead of feeling with and for them, I did get annoyed and just wanted them to "get their scrap together" more than once. Real teenagers can be just that stubborn and annoying, so it might not be unrealistic...

While we're at scrap - even though there's a lot of blood, monsters, and important character deaths, this definitely had a very strong YA feel to me. Due to the gruesomeness definitely the upper range, but I'd compare it to Hunger Games in that. There's no actual cursing, but the words used instead felt well chosen and for the world building.

For me the amazing world and blend of progression and sci-fi made up for that, and the action and training sequences kept me hooked early on, even if it was all a bit predictable (which this sort of story usually is though.)

I'm definitely hooked to find out more about the titans, the fleets, the history, the new gates and the whole story! And I do hope with the next installment the characters all grow a little bit more depth.

[Wendy Mui · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting start

Intriguing start to a a.space magic coming of age story. Seems a little slow start as we get.glimpses.of the society they live in. Fights are somewhat underwhelming though. Hopefully they will get.better.

[Miriam Michalak · Rating 4 out of 5]

Note: I received an e-ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review.

Progression Sci-fi/Science-fantasy is not top of my favourite genre list, however as Titan Hoppers is written by Rob J. Hayes (who has yet to disappoint) and I was lucky enough to get an ARC it would be rude not to read & review it :).

In Titan Hoppers Iro is our protagonist. When we first meet him he's an overworked tech trying to help maintain a dying ship that no-one really understands. He hero worships his sister who is a "Hopper". Hoppers hop across to a nearby Titan to gather supplies whilst fighting off any number of weird & wonderful monsters. Hoppers have various different abilities/skills, seemingly gifted to them through intensive training and spending time on a Titan. Without them, the fleet of ships would not survive.

After Iro's sister dies when their Titan explodes, Iro takes up her sword and, through being a bit of an inept tech, accidently gets hopped to the new Titan where he gains a skill. He can now start training as a Hopper.

What I really liked about this book was that there was more attention paid to the characters - a team of trainee Hoppers and to the World/Titan building than to the "levelling up", so when it happened it felt natural and integral to the plot. The Titans are fascinating places, I'm really hoping for more books in this series to discover more about them.

I also liked that the abilities gained by our trainee's are based on their character, I think this will get more and more interesting as the series progresses and the characters develop.

So all in all a very enjoyable read.

[Bibek Dhakal · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was provided an eARC by author in exchange of an honest review.

If you love Rage of Dragons, Iron Prince, Bastion and Cradle then I highly recommend this book.

Usually when I am starting a book what keeps me interested from beginning to the end is the setting of tone, and overall ambience of the story. These things are almost abstract part of the story sometimes even indescribable. And from the prologue of this book, I was drawn-in by that tone which is maintained throughout the book. It is just an amazing book. One of the best progression fantasy books I’ve ever read in my life! It’s just that that good.
The book focuses more on the characters more than the power system, which most of the other progression fantasy tend to do. I would go as far to say that the power system itself is the based on each character’s identity and who they are as a person.
As for the plot of the book it is basically a dungeon adventure that is if you can consider a giant spaceship filled with monsters and other resources as a dungeon.

[Mel Lenore · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a progression sci-fi with a fantasy blend. Not usually my buzzwords, but thought I would give it a go. The beginning read very YA to me, and the complete "teenagerness" of it really put me off for a while. Not that there is anything wrong with YA but these kids acted like such stereotypical kids. Fortunately, the second half picked up and they seemed to grow up, so I am looking forward to book 2! The world building and creatures were probably my favorite part of this story.

If you want my full thoughts, check out this vlog on my YT channel!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I4TAG...

[Junior · Rating 3 out of 5]

--this-- close to a 2-star rating. No idea why this book has so many good ratings. The writing is pretty decent, and only a couple editing errors throwing me out of the narrative. However, I despised most of the characters for most of the book. They are written as if they have lived through hardship and should have perspective, but are invariably whiny and/or petulant like a young child would be. It just felt terribly inconsistent.

No intention of continuing the series.

[Mike Voss · Rating 5 out of 5]

Courage Iro, the young protagonist of Rob Hayes’s science fantasy progression novel, is unfit to be a hero in the eyes of his fellow Hopper trainees. Only fit to repair the aging innards of the Courage itself, a tiny ship in a huge fleet, or the pods the Courage relies upon to ferry its tiny complement of Hoppers to the Titan that supplies them with nearly everything they need to live, Iro can do no more than observe those exciting forays into danger. Through his older sister’s eyes and an illegal radio he cobbled together with his skills as a maintainance worker, he has catalogued every monster known to the Titan Hoppers. For the Titan, a vast “mothership” that could swallow their fleet whole, never gives up its seemingly abandoned treasures easily: traps are numerous, monsters even more so, from the moment the Hoppers penetrate its outer hull and as far inside as any have gone. But without the fuel, water, and food the drifting Titan’s mass conceals the fleet would die, and quickly.

The opening events of Titan Hoppers will put the fleet to just such a test. Courage stares out the little window in his room in disbelief and horror, listening on his radio, as calamity unfolds for the Hoppers aboard the Titan - including his sister - when something far worse than a mere trap or deadly monster threatens all their lives. The Titan, their only source of life-sustaining goods and the center of their world, suddenly explodes. And then the pieces explode. The fleet must flee or be bombarded with pieces of the huge ship that once kept them alive.

This is the world Hayes drops us into in Titan Hoppers, maybe struggling a bit to understand what’s happening and why. The why may take some time, as this is the first in a series, but most of the what is eventually revealed as, years after his sister’s loss, the exploded Titan behind them, Courage, lacking the talent that Hoppers require to explore the leviathan sized ships, is relegated to fixing the target dummies  the Hopper trainees use to practice. Barely able to raise his sister’s old sword, the socially superior trainees treat him like dirt and name him Useless. It never dims his admiration for what they can - and he cannot - do, and Iro is nearly as hard on himself for being nothing in the eyes of his ship and his fleet.

The trainees have their own woes, however. Without a Titan to Hop to, their lives are nearly as meaningless as they deem Iro’s. The Titans not only are the only source of nonrenewable goods in the fleet - they are the only place a trainee Hopper can open up and discover their powers properly. I’ll leave the details of that for Hayes to explain, other than to say that the trainees are given a new lease on life when the fleet encounters a new, intact, Titan to harvest. Another, formerly unknown, fleet has arrived just in time to complicate matters, and a malfunctioning Hopper door Iro is trying to fix at the last moment traps Iro inside with one of the trainees, so he finally gets his greatest wish. To board a real Titan. What happens after, as Iro’s innate power finally reveals itself, is a long, frustrating, exciting story full of action and surprises as Iro, now part of a trainee Hopper team on a new ship, struggles to advance under a demanding teacher who looks down on them all as “idiots”. But they do progress under his tutelage – and later under an even crueler leader, for if they don’t, their fleet as it is will never survive.

If you like your space adventures full of action, and you like space monsters and mysterious artifacts equally well, Titan Hoppers won’t fail to disappoint!

I received a complimentary advance reader copy of this book to review, but if I hadn’t I’d be buying it on release day, just as you should! You won’t want to put it down! Hop to it!

    

[Wolfmantula · Rating 5 out of 5]

Follow me on Twitter: Twitter.com/wolfmantula
For more reviews, go to: https://wolfmantula.com/recent-posts/

MY ⭐️ RATING: 4.75/5
FORMAT: Kindle Whispersync

One thing Rob has always done masterfully is having a cover that grabs, because like it or not, we judge books by their covers. This beautiful work of art from Yang Mansik & STK Kreations does exactly that, it sinks it’s claws into your head and just makes you want to know what is inside! I’ve been a fan of Rob’s since I first read his Mortal Techniques series two years ago, which is easily one of my all time favorite series. While Titan Hoppers is something completely different in terms of genre, his ability to tell a captivating story and create unforgettable characters, is why I loved that series and am already in love with this series, after just one book. So to say he hit this out of the park may be an understatement.

Titan Hoppers is a captivating progression sci-fantasy adventure filled with exotic monsters straight out of your nightmares, Titans, spaceships and magic! I loved the dark tone that made it feel as if every situation that Iro and company got into was actually a dire situation, because, it was. The pacing of the story and the action was perfect, it has a somewhat slow and methodical build-up that helped get to know all the characters and the world while never feeling like the info was just being dropped. Then it would ramp up the intensity when action scenes took place, creating some truly gripping scenes that were masterfully done leaving my jaw dropped at times and actually saying “NO WAY!” I also loved the mysteriousness around their history, this was a nice touch to be able to focus more on the now and slowly integrate more information as the story goes on. It really opens your mind as to what could be going on, why is it being hidden and what will eventually be found out.

“history is as important as the future. You have to know the mistakes you’ve made in the past, so you don’t repeat them in the future.”

All the characters were fantastic, but it’s really hard not to like any of the other characters more than the main character Iro, who comes off as very relatable with his issues and the way he dealt with them. Also reading this on Mother’s Day, there was a scene with his mom where I just said, I picked the right time to read this! It was great to see that and made me like him even more. There were other many characters that Rob did such a fantastic job of building each one up and showing their flaws, while also gradually working in some development that will keep progressing as the story continues. One of the things I really like is Rob’s use of names and how they fit the characters personalities. One iteration of Iro’s name means “peace” which perfectly fits his personality, another character is Emil, his name means “one who tries to excel” and “one who rivals successfully” which I thought was a perfect fit as well, though he is a bit more angry about it. I thought this touch to the depth of the characters was spot on.

The beginning of the story almost reminded me a bit of the way Attack on Titan starts, and I thought it was very cool to see that in a different type of situation. The more I sit to think about this story, the more I feel sad that I finished it so quickly, and the reason I finished it as fast as I did was not only Rob’s incredible writing, but the narration by Michael Gallagher which was superb! The characters voices were so distinct from one another, so I always knew who was talking. Not only that, but his ability to make me feel the emotion or intensity of every single scene kept my eyes and ears glued wanting to know what would happen next. The only time I felt like there could’ve been more, was during a scene where someone was yelling and he held back. I really wanted to feel that anger from the character, and when he used his inside voice to do the yell, I was a bit sad. Aside from that one little thing, it was near perfection.