What do you think?
Rate this book
Titan's Tears
Unnatural things are happening on an isolated island off the coast of Alaska.
Just when Belle had thought her life couldn’t get any weirder, she finds herself arrested for murder. Only a few months ago, she was living in a peculiar village, cut off from civilization, where she suffered from bizarre hallucinations and nightmares. Then she received a mysterious invitation to work for the world’s most brilliant scientist—the enigmatic Sophia Eccleston. The pay was outstanding. The accommodations, second to none. The catch? Belle had to live on isolated island and follow strict, often bizarre security protocols.
Meanwhile a slaughterhouse worker is declared obsolete, replaced by machines, and becomes a bearded recluse. As he sits in his crumbling manor awaiting the cancer to take him—he too receives an unusual invitation to the strange island, where either his salvation or damnation awaits. Things aren’t going well for Sophia, either. She’s facing the hostile takeover of her life’s work—her company—all while striving to keep the true identity of her eight-year-old daughter a secret.
The three will meet on an isle where murder-machines and transgenic creatures run amok, in a gothic odyssey of technology unleashed.
Just when Belle had thought her life couldn’t get any weirder, she finds herself arrested for murder. Only a few months ago, she was living in a peculiar village, cut off from civilization, where she suffered from bizarre hallucinations and nightmares. Then she received a mysterious invitation to work for the world’s most brilliant scientist—the enigmatic Sophia Eccleston. The pay was outstanding. The accommodations, second to none. The catch? Belle had to live on isolated island and follow strict, often bizarre security protocols.
Meanwhile a slaughterhouse worker is declared obsolete, replaced by machines, and becomes a bearded recluse. As he sits in his crumbling manor awaiting the cancer to take him—he too receives an unusual invitation to the strange island, where either his salvation or damnation awaits. Things aren’t going well for Sophia, either. She’s facing the hostile takeover of her life’s work—her company—all while striving to keep the true identity of her eight-year-old daughter a secret.
The three will meet on an isle where murder-machines and transgenic creatures run amok, in a gothic odyssey of technology unleashed.
- GenresDystopiaScience Fiction
423 pages, Paperback
Published June 30, 2024
About the author
Chad Lester
3 books25 followersChad Lester is the author of the novel 'Titan's Tears' and the short story collection 'Continuum.'
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 87 reviews
May 28, 2024
Unfortunately, this wasn’t for me, and I stopped reading a third of the way through.
I wish I could say what the book was about - but it eludes me, even though I’ve read a full third of it. There are two major threads: Belle has a slightly mysterious background and goes to work for the mysterious Sophia, CEO of the mysterious Ecclestone Evolution, who are doing some mysterious work. It’s a grab-bag of future tech in a callous and unfeeling world: AI that’s “orders of magnitude” more powerful than a human brain, life-extending medical breakthroughs, bringing extinct animals back to life, lack of ethics or any kind of oversight, etc; and then there is Seth, a downtrodden worker just trying to make his way in a callous and unfeeling world, after a string of personal tragedies, while everyone’s jobs are being replaced by machines and there doesn’t appear to be any employment law.
Presumably these two threads come together later in the book.
There were a few reasons why I decided not to continue with this book, but overall it’s because my lack of engagement with any of the characters, coupled with a writing style that I found to be a distracting obstacle to my enjoyment, outweighed my curiosity about what was going on.
The writing style includes a lot of exposition - we’re told about what people are thinking and feeling, rather than allowing it to unfold through the actions and reactions of the characters. For me, this contributed significantly to my lack of engagement. But then suddenly there are pages of unbroken direct dialog between two characters - just line after line of quoted speech for page after page. I lost track of who was speaking several times. Then we’re back to the ponderous exposition again.
The pacing is also extremely inconsistent. The storyline around Belle and Sophia is almost glacially slow. For chapter after chapter very little happens beyond the drip-feed of mysterious goings-on at the mysterious Ecclestone Evolution (did I mention that it was mysterious?). Every so often a nugget of what’s going on is revealed, but this feels like the author is dragging it out, presumably to create suspense and intrigue, but I found it transparent and irritating. And then Seth’s storyline is at express pace - hardly has he navigated one major or traumatic life event, than he’s negotiating the next. And while there is tragedy in his story, the whirlwind of plot doesn’t allow the time or space for any kind of emotional development or engagement.
The author seems to have some broad brush political opinions about corporate behaviour, and society in general, which are ladled on in big dollops in both Seth’s storyline and Belle/Sophia’s - and it’s not clear whether these would have eventually become central to the plot, or whether the author just has a bit of an axe to grind and is using this book as a platform. And at one point, one of the characters who has a history of mental illness is referred to as “backwards” by one of the other characters. So perhaps I’ll take the author’s kind offer to bestow the benefit of his opinions on me, and leave it at the door.
Kthxbye.
Thank you #NetGalley and the author for the free review copy of #TitansTears in exchange for an honest review - for which I also apologise. All opinions are, clearly, my own.
I wish I could say what the book was about - but it eludes me, even though I’ve read a full third of it. There are two major threads: Belle has a slightly mysterious background and goes to work for the mysterious Sophia, CEO of the mysterious Ecclestone Evolution, who are doing some mysterious work. It’s a grab-bag of future tech in a callous and unfeeling world: AI that’s “orders of magnitude” more powerful than a human brain, life-extending medical breakthroughs, bringing extinct animals back to life, lack of ethics or any kind of oversight, etc; and then there is Seth, a downtrodden worker just trying to make his way in a callous and unfeeling world, after a string of personal tragedies, while everyone’s jobs are being replaced by machines and there doesn’t appear to be any employment law.
Presumably these two threads come together later in the book.
There were a few reasons why I decided not to continue with this book, but overall it’s because my lack of engagement with any of the characters, coupled with a writing style that I found to be a distracting obstacle to my enjoyment, outweighed my curiosity about what was going on.
The writing style includes a lot of exposition - we’re told about what people are thinking and feeling, rather than allowing it to unfold through the actions and reactions of the characters. For me, this contributed significantly to my lack of engagement. But then suddenly there are pages of unbroken direct dialog between two characters - just line after line of quoted speech for page after page. I lost track of who was speaking several times. Then we’re back to the ponderous exposition again.
The pacing is also extremely inconsistent. The storyline around Belle and Sophia is almost glacially slow. For chapter after chapter very little happens beyond the drip-feed of mysterious goings-on at the mysterious Ecclestone Evolution (did I mention that it was mysterious?). Every so often a nugget of what’s going on is revealed, but this feels like the author is dragging it out, presumably to create suspense and intrigue, but I found it transparent and irritating. And then Seth’s storyline is at express pace - hardly has he navigated one major or traumatic life event, than he’s negotiating the next. And while there is tragedy in his story, the whirlwind of plot doesn’t allow the time or space for any kind of emotional development or engagement.
The author seems to have some broad brush political opinions about corporate behaviour, and society in general, which are ladled on in big dollops in both Seth’s storyline and Belle/Sophia’s - and it’s not clear whether these would have eventually become central to the plot, or whether the author just has a bit of an axe to grind and is using this book as a platform. And at one point, one of the characters who has a history of mental illness is referred to as “backwards” by one of the other characters. So perhaps I’ll take the author’s kind offer to bestow the benefit of his opinions on me, and leave it at the door.
Kthxbye.
Thank you #NetGalley and the author for the free review copy of #TitansTears in exchange for an honest review - for which I also apologise. All opinions are, clearly, my own.
February 5, 2024
Titan's Tears fancies itself as a pretty serious near-future sci-fi thriller. Each chapter is titled by its lead character, and then a timestamp "Modern Era - Post-Singularity" (or occasionally Twenty-Five Years Earlier), which is to say this is our world but with the trappings of other sci-fi novels thrown in to make it more futuristic. So the tech billionaire genius - Sophie Ecclestone - lives on an island in Alaska full of extinct animals - not like Jurassic Park, but enough like Jurassic Park to make a breathless escape through the woods exciting. Sophie, who is well in her seventies but holds the secret of slowing aging, has hired Belle to be the Nanny for her ten-year-old blind and slightly odd daughter, despite Belle having "a mysterious past", not applying for the job, and being wildly unqualified. Sophie also owns the world's smartest sentient AI (The Augur), and her company board is trying to take her down. It's not easy being Sophie.
Its not easy being Seth too, as Lester takes us back twenty-five years to the life of an online superstore shelf picker. He meets the love of his life and has a kid, but gets involved in an industrial accident that harms his wife's health and kills his child, so he puts his wife in cryogenic stasis and grows embittered off the grid, waiting for more ripped from the headlines satire to happen to him and the to catch up with the rest of the book so he can then get turned into an unstoppable assassin. Its pretty much at this point all bets of this remaining serious fell by the wayside.
Titan's Tears (which I can only hear in a Tindersticks way), does its best to tap into a few zeitgeist. Its super-powerful AI is a danger, so is limited by another super-powerful AI. But when it comes to its action, its still people shooting at each other whilst running around an island of saber-toothed tigers. Everything fits together in a preposterous way and even though I had guessed half the twists, there were more for me to slack-jawed laugh at. A little too over-engineered for its own good.
Its not easy being Seth too, as Lester takes us back twenty-five years to the life of an online superstore shelf picker. He meets the love of his life and has a kid, but gets involved in an industrial accident that harms his wife's health and kills his child, so he puts his wife in cryogenic stasis and grows embittered off the grid, waiting for more ripped from the headlines satire to happen to him and the to catch up with the rest of the book so he can then get turned into an unstoppable assassin. Its pretty much at this point all bets of this remaining serious fell by the wayside.
Titan's Tears (which I can only hear in a Tindersticks way), does its best to tap into a few zeitgeist. Its super-powerful AI is a danger, so is limited by another super-powerful AI. But when it comes to its action, its still people shooting at each other whilst running around an island of saber-toothed tigers. Everything fits together in a preposterous way and even though I had guessed half the twists, there were more for me to slack-jawed laugh at. A little too over-engineered for its own good.
June 4, 2024
I was slowly drawn into Chad Lester’s world in Titan’s Tears. A world that was not easy to comprehend, but the more I read, the more familiar I became with the characters and the storyline and I do love when an author unfolds the details in a surprising way.
Science fiction and technology…used in a good and an evil way. Titan’s Tears is one of those thought provoking books that makes me ask…Just because we can do it, should we?
Four characters are drawn together on an isolated island off the coast of Alaska. Robots, and a Jurassic Type jungle are not the only things that are dangerous. Treachery and betrayal are around every corner.
Titan’s Tears and the ending didn’t go the way I thought and I do love when an author is able to surprise me. Great job, Chad. The story may have started slow for me, but as I got familiar with the characters and story I got more involved in the characters lives. I began to feel a sense of urgency. Fiction/Reality, sometimes there is a fine line between the two.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Titan’s Tears by Chad Lester.
See more at http://www.fundinmental.com
Science fiction and technology…used in a good and an evil way. Titan’s Tears is one of those thought provoking books that makes me ask…Just because we can do it, should we?
Four characters are drawn together on an isolated island off the coast of Alaska. Robots, and a Jurassic Type jungle are not the only things that are dangerous. Treachery and betrayal are around every corner.
Titan’s Tears and the ending didn’t go the way I thought and I do love when an author is able to surprise me. Great job, Chad. The story may have started slow for me, but as I got familiar with the characters and story I got more involved in the characters lives. I began to feel a sense of urgency. Fiction/Reality, sometimes there is a fine line between the two.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Titan’s Tears by Chad Lester.
See more at http://www.fundinmental.com
January 15, 2024
I am so floored with this book. It was gripping, such a page turner, and had so many twists and turns I couldn’t believe.
I loved this book, absolutely outstanding. The different perspectives and different characters were great, and everyone was so fleshed out. I cared so much about each of them.
And the story was just incredible, so so so good!!
Thank you to NetGalley for this book, I’m so chuffed I got to read it.
I loved this book, absolutely outstanding. The different perspectives and different characters were great, and everyone was so fleshed out. I cared so much about each of them.
And the story was just incredible, so so so good!!
Thank you to NetGalley for this book, I’m so chuffed I got to read it.
February 29, 2024
Thank you NetGalley and Chad Lester for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Overall Rating: 3.5 Stars
Titan's Tears shows us the pros and cons that can come with a technologically advanced future. It takes place in a dystopian reality where robots are taking the place of workers and human organs can be grown in a matter of minutes. All three protagonists give the reader a different view of the bizarre ways of the world, from Seth being declared obsolete in the workplace to Juno's "Forever Kitten" that seemingly doesn't age.
The buildup was a bit slow, some major events not occurring until more than halfway through the book, but otherwise I really enjoyed the pacing. It gives you plenty of time to learn about and care about each character. I was DEEPLY invested in Belle & Juno's relationship; in one of the first few chapters Belle mentions how much she loves to work with children and always wanted to be a teacher, and that is perfectly conveyed through her interactions with Juno. The author did a good job of show don't tell, but there were a lot of repeated phrases such as nervousness being portrayed by characters "wringing their hands together" multiple times, and I would've liked more variety in that regard.
At times I was confused by the narrator asking rhetorical questions as if they were asked by the character in their own head which didn't make a lot of sense in a third person POV, but I don't think it took away from the overall impact of the story which is where this book shines. It subverted my expectations, and ended in a way that left a bit up to interpretation while still tying up the important loose ends. It's not a story I will be forgetting anytime soon, and one I genuinely enjoyed. I hope to read more books from this author in the future.
Overall Rating: 3.5 Stars
Titan's Tears shows us the pros and cons that can come with a technologically advanced future. It takes place in a dystopian reality where robots are taking the place of workers and human organs can be grown in a matter of minutes. All three protagonists give the reader a different view of the bizarre ways of the world, from Seth being declared obsolete in the workplace to Juno's "Forever Kitten" that seemingly doesn't age.
The buildup was a bit slow, some major events not occurring until more than halfway through the book, but otherwise I really enjoyed the pacing. It gives you plenty of time to learn about and care about each character. I was DEEPLY invested in Belle & Juno's relationship; in one of the first few chapters Belle mentions how much she loves to work with children and always wanted to be a teacher, and that is perfectly conveyed through her interactions with Juno. The author did a good job of show don't tell, but there were a lot of repeated phrases such as nervousness being portrayed by characters "wringing their hands together" multiple times, and I would've liked more variety in that regard.
At times I was confused by the narrator asking rhetorical questions as if they were asked by the character in their own head which didn't make a lot of sense in a third person POV, but I don't think it took away from the overall impact of the story which is where this book shines. It subverted my expectations, and ended in a way that left a bit up to interpretation while still tying up the important loose ends. It's not a story I will be forgetting anytime soon, and one I genuinely enjoyed. I hope to read more books from this author in the future.
March 28, 2024
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, albeit that it required a massive suspension of disbelief as it neared its conclusion. It is a mixture of fantasy, science-fiction and mystery. The set-up is excellent introducing the reader to two of the main characters but giving us no clues as to their linkages and then throwing in a “mad scientist “. There are lots of twists and turns and the characters are well drawn to engage our empathy. I look forward to more books by this writer.
January 14, 2024
The story is set in an unspecified but not very distant future. Some new inventions make life somewhat safer, but not necessarily easier or better. On the job market, people are considered disposable and get replaced by machines whenever possible, and are as a result struggling to make ends meet. At the same time a kind of neural AI interface ensures their mental health and alerts government when someone is showing signs of distress. If your living conditions make you miserable, you get patched up again. In this world we meet Seth, once married to Anna, once father of a baby girl. Seth works in a slaughterhouse and that’s basically all he does. He’s underpaid but has his reasons for trying to earn as much money as possible. We also meet Belle, dropped at a monastery when she was a baby, and now living in a small village that she wants to escape in order not to go mad. To achieve that she needs a job which she seems unable to find. That is, until the immensely rich Sophia Eccleston offers her an overly well paid position as nanny for her eight year old daughter Juno. She’ll have to live on an island and needs to follow a large and strict set of security rules in order to keep Juno safe and secret.
The above matches the book description more or less, and it is repeated during the first quarter of the book with many more details. At that moment the pace of the story is still slow, but nevertheless it’s well written and it’s interesting to read how things evolved. Although you know the gist of what the situation will become, it’s never boring. It’s laid out well with a good mix of explanation and action. After that, the pace of the story goes up and Titan’s Tears becomes an exciting action thriller that remains captivating until the very end. Although fictional, it makes you think about what could become of our world if future inventions, of which some seem not too far away anymore, are made by the wrong people. A book like this is definitely more frightening than interplanetary sci-fi set in a future thousands of years from now. But frightening or not, it’s definitely fun to read.
The second half of the book has a few nice story twists of which some are really surprising, while others are expected, but which were all nice finds. Nearing the end, everything clicks together in a believable and satisfying way. There is a tad of human emotion present as well, which seems a rare thing in this future society that for the most part comes across as cold. These emotions are not too overly present, and therefore will not annoy readers who take up this book for the sci-fi or action parts, but they definitely make the book better. This is one of those books that, once you start reading, keeps pulling at you until you’ve finished. A recommendable read. 4.5 stars.
(Free ARC received from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.)
The above matches the book description more or less, and it is repeated during the first quarter of the book with many more details. At that moment the pace of the story is still slow, but nevertheless it’s well written and it’s interesting to read how things evolved. Although you know the gist of what the situation will become, it’s never boring. It’s laid out well with a good mix of explanation and action. After that, the pace of the story goes up and Titan’s Tears becomes an exciting action thriller that remains captivating until the very end. Although fictional, it makes you think about what could become of our world if future inventions, of which some seem not too far away anymore, are made by the wrong people. A book like this is definitely more frightening than interplanetary sci-fi set in a future thousands of years from now. But frightening or not, it’s definitely fun to read.
The second half of the book has a few nice story twists of which some are really surprising, while others are expected, but which were all nice finds. Nearing the end, everything clicks together in a believable and satisfying way. There is a tad of human emotion present as well, which seems a rare thing in this future society that for the most part comes across as cold. These emotions are not too overly present, and therefore will not annoy readers who take up this book for the sci-fi or action parts, but they definitely make the book better. This is one of those books that, once you start reading, keeps pulling at you until you’ve finished. A recommendable read. 4.5 stars.
(Free ARC received from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.)
January 23, 2024
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC. Titan's Tears gripped me from start to finish. It offers a hellish vision of a dystopian future where AI runs amok, seemingly intent on taking over humanity's functions. The scary thing is this might not be particularly far from the truth. In this scenario, we have secretive entrepreneur billionaires like Sophia Eccleston, who runs her mega corporation from a remote facility off Alaska, offering procedures that are supposedly for the betterment of humanity such as artificially extending aging. She hires Belle, jobless and sequestered in a tiny village in the wilderness, as a nanny for her eight-year-old daughter Juno, a precocious child genius who apparently only has one defect: she's blind.
At the same time, we meet Seth, who also gets called to the island in a strange sort of hero's mission after suffering devastating personal tragedies, which form the basis of how he gets lured there. The intersections of all these characters' stories give the second half of the book its impetus, and the pace ratchets up into a pretty effective techno-thriller after the slow world building of the book's beginning. It could be said that the pace is quite uneven, but I think it works, allowing the reader to get to grips with this nightmarish setup before hitting them with a nifty series of twists (not all of which I saw coming).
What really marks this book out is that at the heart of it, despite all the soulless technological trappings, is a story of real human love and affection. It's nicely done, and not necessarily what I expected going into it. The reader's sympathies are built in the right places, and for the right people. This is an author to watch out for. Recommended.
At the same time, we meet Seth, who also gets called to the island in a strange sort of hero's mission after suffering devastating personal tragedies, which form the basis of how he gets lured there. The intersections of all these characters' stories give the second half of the book its impetus, and the pace ratchets up into a pretty effective techno-thriller after the slow world building of the book's beginning. It could be said that the pace is quite uneven, but I think it works, allowing the reader to get to grips with this nightmarish setup before hitting them with a nifty series of twists (not all of which I saw coming).
What really marks this book out is that at the heart of it, despite all the soulless technological trappings, is a story of real human love and affection. It's nicely done, and not necessarily what I expected going into it. The reader's sympathies are built in the right places, and for the right people. This is an author to watch out for. Recommended.
February 15, 2024
*** I received an e-ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review***
I typically books very quickly and I struggled with this one. I could not get into it, and the story line seemed jumbled. It is set in the unspecified future where AI has a heavy presence in the world. The premise and cast of characters did not seem to mesh well and it seemed like too many elements were thrown into the plot to try and make it more interesting. This one was not for me, but I would try reading something else by Chad Lester.
Thank you NetGalley.
I typically books very quickly and I struggled with this one. I could not get into it, and the story line seemed jumbled. It is set in the unspecified future where AI has a heavy presence in the world. The premise and cast of characters did not seem to mesh well and it seemed like too many elements were thrown into the plot to try and make it more interesting. This one was not for me, but I would try reading something else by Chad Lester.
Thank you NetGalley.
April 8, 2024
Titan's Tears is a futuristic tale of how far some people are willing to go to push the boundaries of science and what it means to be human. Is AI evil, or is it humankind?
The book follows Belle, who is an orphan but has limited memories of her past. She is offered the job opportunity of a lifetime, acting as a nanny to Juno. The daughter of the worlds most powerful and rich women, Sophia Eccleston. This makes no sense to Belle as she has not applied for the job, nor does she have any particular experience that would set her up for such an opportunity. It all seems too good to be true.
Alongside Belle's story, we get Seth's. Seth's story starts 25 years in the past and then quickly catches up to the current events. Both stories intertwine in a cat and mouse chase where it is unclear just whose side you need to be on.
I really enjoyed this book. Yes, some aspects are far-fetched, but it is science fiction, not reality, so I am happy to suspend belief! I liked the different viewpoints, and they way it all came together and made sense at the end. The story kept me engaged, and I wanted to know what was going to happen. I will definitely look out for more books by this author.
Thanks to NetGalley and the author Chad Lester for providing an ARC copy for an honest review.
The book follows Belle, who is an orphan but has limited memories of her past. She is offered the job opportunity of a lifetime, acting as a nanny to Juno. The daughter of the worlds most powerful and rich women, Sophia Eccleston. This makes no sense to Belle as she has not applied for the job, nor does she have any particular experience that would set her up for such an opportunity. It all seems too good to be true.
Alongside Belle's story, we get Seth's. Seth's story starts 25 years in the past and then quickly catches up to the current events. Both stories intertwine in a cat and mouse chase where it is unclear just whose side you need to be on.
I really enjoyed this book. Yes, some aspects are far-fetched, but it is science fiction, not reality, so I am happy to suspend belief! I liked the different viewpoints, and they way it all came together and made sense at the end. The story kept me engaged, and I wanted to know what was going to happen. I will definitely look out for more books by this author.
Thanks to NetGalley and the author Chad Lester for providing an ARC copy for an honest review.
January 28, 2024
This book was in my opinion Slow yet well written. He book is set in some time in a dystopian future . We are following Sophia the CEO of an advanced computer/AI and bio engineering company. Her 8 year old daughter Juno
Juno’s nanny and a miserable old man named Seth. Even though we are following four different characters they are so different in their perspective and their ages, and they are such well-developed characters that it was very easy to follow along and if you didn’t see whose name was at the beginning of each chapter you would still know we were in.
There was so much action packed into this pretty short book. It was only 298 pages, but there was so much happening yet it was easy to follow along, and all of the scientific terms were well explained, Reading this book made me feel like I was watching an epic sci-fi movie
Maybe I’ve read too many similar books but a couple of twists were predictable but the last one had me.
I will admit that when I first started reading, I didn’t think that I would enjoy the book as much as I did. I would definitely recommend this book to other readers if they like sci-fi, or dystopian novels.
There was one other thing that I noticed about this art, which was that there were a lot of grammatical mistakes. There are added words, missing words, punctuation, not present where it was needed, and there was repetition of certain phrases as well so I do think that the novel does need further editing before it is fully released.
.
ARC received by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
Juno’s nanny and a miserable old man named Seth. Even though we are following four different characters they are so different in their perspective and their ages, and they are such well-developed characters that it was very easy to follow along and if you didn’t see whose name was at the beginning of each chapter you would still know we were in.
There was so much action packed into this pretty short book. It was only 298 pages, but there was so much happening yet it was easy to follow along, and all of the scientific terms were well explained, Reading this book made me feel like I was watching an epic sci-fi movie
Maybe I’ve read too many similar books but a couple of twists were predictable but the last one had me.
I will admit that when I first started reading, I didn’t think that I would enjoy the book as much as I did. I would definitely recommend this book to other readers if they like sci-fi, or dystopian novels.
There was one other thing that I noticed about this art, which was that there were a lot of grammatical mistakes. There are added words, missing words, punctuation, not present where it was needed, and there was repetition of certain phrases as well so I do think that the novel does need further editing before it is fully released.
.
ARC received by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
June 21, 2024
Disclaimer: Thanks to NetGalley & the author Chad Lester for providing a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Rating: 3.5 / 5 Stars
Wow, where do I start? This review will be spoiler-free, so if you want plot details, this one might not be what you're looking for. Here, I'll focus on the book's vibe and my thoughts on certain aspects.
The story is unlike anything I've read before, blending sci-fi themes like AI and technological advances with multiple main characters and mysteries. Initially, the plot feels very disjointed, but it surprisingly comes together very well by the end. The intriguing ideas kept me hooked. And I personally very much love being able to predict some twists while being surprised by others & for me this book kept the perfect balance of that.
However, I didn't vibe too much with the writing. At times, it felt confusing, requiring multiple rereads to grasp the scenes. Another thing is the overuse of coincidences. That really broke my immersion at a certain point as I just became too aware of the frequency. While some can be explained away after finishing the book, I feel like there could have been more creative options.
Overall, I recommend the book, though it can be a slog at times. The payoff was worth it for me, and I look forward to seeing the author’s improvements and future ideas!
Rating: 3.5 / 5 Stars
Wow, where do I start? This review will be spoiler-free, so if you want plot details, this one might not be what you're looking for. Here, I'll focus on the book's vibe and my thoughts on certain aspects.
The story is unlike anything I've read before, blending sci-fi themes like AI and technological advances with multiple main characters and mysteries. Initially, the plot feels very disjointed, but it surprisingly comes together very well by the end. The intriguing ideas kept me hooked. And I personally very much love being able to predict some twists while being surprised by others & for me this book kept the perfect balance of that.
However, I didn't vibe too much with the writing. At times, it felt confusing, requiring multiple rereads to grasp the scenes. Another thing is the overuse of coincidences. That really broke my immersion at a certain point as I just became too aware of the frequency. While some can be explained away after finishing the book, I feel like there could have been more creative options.
Overall, I recommend the book, though it can be a slog at times. The payoff was worth it for me, and I look forward to seeing the author’s improvements and future ideas!
March 24, 2024
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.I enjoyed the plot behind this story. There were some ah ha moments with the characters and story as well. To have given that 5 th star I felt that there were some slow parts in the book that bogged this reader down a little. I stayed with it and finished the over 400 pages. This book makes the reader think that this is something in the future waiting in the lower classes for those that do not make the cut. All in all it was worth the time it took me to complete this story.
January 20, 2024
I found it hard to connect with the book, too many things in the beginning were tropes I don't particularly enjoy, the orphanage, the aggressive mega-company takeover, the unreliable psychologist, the unexpected amazing job... it was just too much the same in too short a span. Everything kept pulling me out, so I found it hard to actually read and found myself skimming through the book.
It's fast-paced and I'm sure many won't mind the re-hash as it serves its emotional anchor purpose. But I think I like my techno-warnings with a slice of humour, and this just isn't the style. Also, I'm very character driven, and we were definitely told too much how to feel about them.
It's ok, the writing style is fine, even if not overly personal and a little distant, this wasn't for me.
It's fast-paced and I'm sure many won't mind the re-hash as it serves its emotional anchor purpose. But I think I like my techno-warnings with a slice of humour, and this just isn't the style. Also, I'm very character driven, and we were definitely told too much how to feel about them.
It's ok, the writing style is fine, even if not overly personal and a little distant, this wasn't for me.
February 23, 2024
Such a fabulous read, I’m not usually fan sci-fi but this book had me frantically turning pages wanting to find out what happens next, there was a lot of plot twists that I didn’t expect. The different characters and their development was excellent and unique.
The parallels we get between AI technology and the interactions between characters is something special I didn’t pick up on at first but on reflection is quite impressive.
Although the book takes a while to get started and doesn’t particularly create an atmosphere like some books do, I still found it enjoyable.
Thankyou to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me the chance to read this book ahead of time!
The parallels we get between AI technology and the interactions between characters is something special I didn’t pick up on at first but on reflection is quite impressive.
Although the book takes a while to get started and doesn’t particularly create an atmosphere like some books do, I still found it enjoyable.
Thankyou to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me the chance to read this book ahead of time!
March 14, 2024
I was really intrigued by the concept of this book: just a little way into the future, the potential of science versus the dangers, differing perspectives based on class...
That was all there, but I sadly did not make it to the end. Because the first half is so slow, I wasn't looking forward to picking up the book again.
The characters are odd. They speak as if their words are generated by AI; their reactions are also somehow inhuman, unrealistic, without social awareness at all. If there's a twist that they are all AI then I didn't get that far, but I wouldn't be surprised! But it meant I didn't relate to any of them.
The scenarios seemed overly fictional. 'Jurassic Park' is lampshaded, but it reminded me more of 'The Incredibles', with setups specifically created for the events the book needs to happen.
I know it will entice and engage some readers - sadly not me.
That was all there, but I sadly did not make it to the end. Because the first half is so slow, I wasn't looking forward to picking up the book again.
The characters are odd. They speak as if their words are generated by AI; their reactions are also somehow inhuman, unrealistic, without social awareness at all. If there's a twist that they are all AI then I didn't get that far, but I wouldn't be surprised! But it meant I didn't relate to any of them.
The scenarios seemed overly fictional. 'Jurassic Park' is lampshaded, but it reminded me more of 'The Incredibles', with setups specifically created for the events the book needs to happen.
I know it will entice and engage some readers - sadly not me.
June 25, 2024
A singularity is any unique event; THE SINGULARITY is the near future point where technological progress becomes irreversible, mainly due to AI becoming cleverer than people. This book centres around four people who, in time order, are Seth, Sofia, Belle and Juno.
Seth is a manual worker in a factory, date unspecified but around NOW, when he is replaced by a machine. He becomes a slaughterhouse operative, but eventually a machine replaces him once more. He needs a job to maintain his wife, Anna, who is technically dead and in stasis pending new technology allowing her to be revived and cured. The Singularity arrived but Anna didn’t return.
Sophia is CEO of Ecclestone Evolution, the world’s top tech company, with major interests in AI but also in biological engineering, especially genetics, extra-utero biosynthesis, and the reverse evolution of extinct species. Headquarters is based on one of the many island off the West coast of Alaska, and is surrounded by a temperate rainforest, including a fenced off reserve full of previously extinct species, most of which seem to be vicious carnivores. She has a Nobel Prize for “The Unified Theory” and is a multibillionaire. The company is one of the main reasons why The Singularity happened.
Belle was a foundling left at a Monastery in Alaska. Her memories of childhood and early adulthood are scrambled or absent. The Singularity happened after which she found herself in a backwoods town, with no idea why and developed a small talent as a carer for small children, especially those with physical problems. Unexpectedly, she is offered the post of Nanny to Sophia’s ten-year-old daughter, Juno who lives with her mother inside the Headquarters.
Juno was born around the point where the company’s work has possibly tipped the world from pre- to post- The Singularity. She is a beautiful, precocious genius and polymath, who is blind.
The company has developed a super AI which might become omniscient, and is under threat of takeover, which Sophia is fighting. Juno is under threat of being kidnapped or used as weapon against her mother. Seth, under guidance from an AI, has been trained and targeted to infiltrate the Headquarters (which is an almost impregnable fortress). He doesn’t really know why but has been promised the restoration of Anna as a reward so doesn’t hold back. Belle spends all her time with Juno but realises the dangers and is poised to protect her at all cost.
And so the stage is set.
Unfortunately, this clearcut scenario is very messily handled. Large chunks of the text are expositional, and often borderline polemical. It is clear that the writer has deep concerns about the problems of unfettered progress, and lets his personal political opinions overwhelm the narrative. The writing is rather erratic, feeling like it was written at speed, plot tumbling out and not well edited, with some excessive description and some unnecessary action. The final resolution makes sense, of a sort, but the whole thing could have been much better constructed. I’m giving it 2.5 stars.
I would like to thank NetGalley, the publishers and the author for providing me with a draft proof copy for the purpose of this review.
Seth is a manual worker in a factory, date unspecified but around NOW, when he is replaced by a machine. He becomes a slaughterhouse operative, but eventually a machine replaces him once more. He needs a job to maintain his wife, Anna, who is technically dead and in stasis pending new technology allowing her to be revived and cured. The Singularity arrived but Anna didn’t return.
Sophia is CEO of Ecclestone Evolution, the world’s top tech company, with major interests in AI but also in biological engineering, especially genetics, extra-utero biosynthesis, and the reverse evolution of extinct species. Headquarters is based on one of the many island off the West coast of Alaska, and is surrounded by a temperate rainforest, including a fenced off reserve full of previously extinct species, most of which seem to be vicious carnivores. She has a Nobel Prize for “The Unified Theory” and is a multibillionaire. The company is one of the main reasons why The Singularity happened.
Belle was a foundling left at a Monastery in Alaska. Her memories of childhood and early adulthood are scrambled or absent. The Singularity happened after which she found herself in a backwoods town, with no idea why and developed a small talent as a carer for small children, especially those with physical problems. Unexpectedly, she is offered the post of Nanny to Sophia’s ten-year-old daughter, Juno who lives with her mother inside the Headquarters.
Juno was born around the point where the company’s work has possibly tipped the world from pre- to post- The Singularity. She is a beautiful, precocious genius and polymath, who is blind.
The company has developed a super AI which might become omniscient, and is under threat of takeover, which Sophia is fighting. Juno is under threat of being kidnapped or used as weapon against her mother. Seth, under guidance from an AI, has been trained and targeted to infiltrate the Headquarters (which is an almost impregnable fortress). He doesn’t really know why but has been promised the restoration of Anna as a reward so doesn’t hold back. Belle spends all her time with Juno but realises the dangers and is poised to protect her at all cost.
And so the stage is set.
Unfortunately, this clearcut scenario is very messily handled. Large chunks of the text are expositional, and often borderline polemical. It is clear that the writer has deep concerns about the problems of unfettered progress, and lets his personal political opinions overwhelm the narrative. The writing is rather erratic, feeling like it was written at speed, plot tumbling out and not well edited, with some excessive description and some unnecessary action. The final resolution makes sense, of a sort, but the whole thing could have been much better constructed. I’m giving it 2.5 stars.
I would like to thank NetGalley, the publishers and the author for providing me with a draft proof copy for the purpose of this review.
June 24, 2024
3.5 rounded up to 4
Living in the arctic, Belle is cut off from society. Then she gets a mysterious reply to her jo application from the renowned scientist Sophie Eccleston.
She is mysteriously whisked away to the island retreat of the reclusive scientist and receives a request to effectively be a governess for her secret daughter.
Amid this, there is a company man, Silas, a slaughterhouse worker who after experiencing tragedy has become a recluse. He also receives a strange invitation to go to the island. However, his motives are very different.
Titan’s Tears is an enjoyable sci fi thriller set in an indeterminate future. The book spends a good portion of the story setting up the events and getting the characters to the right place for the action to take place.
A lot of readers may find this initial set up to be slow at first. However, I found this to be the most interesting aspect of the book, particularly when we get glimpses of the world in which the book is set. Without incessant description and exposition, Chad Lester gives the impression that the world is quite dystopian with corporations being the main powers. However, this lack of focus on the world gives the impression that the background to which the book is set is not as important as the character and the plot.
I am not going to go into character and plot so much as I think that the best way to experience this book is not knowing much about it as I feel it would lessen the impact. What I will say though is that for me, I found the ‘thriller’ aspect of this book to be quite generic, and I wasn’t really that intrigued by the constant running about etc. However, it was the beginning and the end that I found the most intriguing. As I have said earlier, a lot of readers may find the initial set up quite slow, but I found it quite intriguing. And when it comes to the end, Lester ties it up quite neatly, and whilst I did have some inkling of how some aspects would play out, there were other aspects that completely took me by surprise and ultimately made things a lot clearer.
Speaking of the characters, I did find most of them to be quite generic and a little one dimensional for most of the book, but I could live with that to be honest.
All in all, I ended up enjoying this book and found it to be quite enjoyable.
Living in the arctic, Belle is cut off from society. Then she gets a mysterious reply to her jo application from the renowned scientist Sophie Eccleston.
She is mysteriously whisked away to the island retreat of the reclusive scientist and receives a request to effectively be a governess for her secret daughter.
Amid this, there is a company man, Silas, a slaughterhouse worker who after experiencing tragedy has become a recluse. He also receives a strange invitation to go to the island. However, his motives are very different.
Titan’s Tears is an enjoyable sci fi thriller set in an indeterminate future. The book spends a good portion of the story setting up the events and getting the characters to the right place for the action to take place.
A lot of readers may find this initial set up to be slow at first. However, I found this to be the most interesting aspect of the book, particularly when we get glimpses of the world in which the book is set. Without incessant description and exposition, Chad Lester gives the impression that the world is quite dystopian with corporations being the main powers. However, this lack of focus on the world gives the impression that the background to which the book is set is not as important as the character and the plot.
I am not going to go into character and plot so much as I think that the best way to experience this book is not knowing much about it as I feel it would lessen the impact. What I will say though is that for me, I found the ‘thriller’ aspect of this book to be quite generic, and I wasn’t really that intrigued by the constant running about etc. However, it was the beginning and the end that I found the most intriguing. As I have said earlier, a lot of readers may find the initial set up quite slow, but I found it quite intriguing. And when it comes to the end, Lester ties it up quite neatly, and whilst I did have some inkling of how some aspects would play out, there were other aspects that completely took me by surprise and ultimately made things a lot clearer.
Speaking of the characters, I did find most of them to be quite generic and a little one dimensional for most of the book, but I could live with that to be honest.
All in all, I ended up enjoying this book and found it to be quite enjoyable.
March 11, 2024
I devoured Titan’s Tears in only a couple of days. Although it starts off on the slower side, taking its time to set up the scene and characters, it’s worth sticking with it because it really picks up. It’s like diving into a future that feels familiar yet is laced with the kind of sci-fi elements that make you do a double take. Sophie Ecclestone is a tech genius living on an Alaskan island that’s like a toned-down version of “Jurassic Park,” and dealing with boardroom drama. She mysteriously hires Belle as a nanny for her gifted daughter. The story also introduces Seth, whose past brings a gritty, real-world edge to the mix, showing just how rough things can get.
I thought the book played well with the theme of “being careful what you wish for”, especially with the current buzz around AI. It’s this mix of thrilling storyline and a thought-provoking message that kept me turning pages. The chapters are titled by character and time which helped me to navigate through the twists and turns of the characters lives in a world that’s feels familiar but fully embraces the sci-fi genre. Even though it begins leisurely, the action ramps up, delivering excitement and some great twists—some predictable, others surprising. The balance between action and the exploration of themes like human ambition vs. technological overreach is well-handled, and really got me thinking whilst being fully entertained.
Despite a start that requires a bit of patience, “Titan’s Tears” evolves into a compelling read that’s a mix of action, speculative fiction, and commentary on our potential future. The blend of character-driven stories with a backdrop of technological intrigue makes for a unique tale. Some parts might feel overdone (the Pleistocene Park), and you might guess a few plot points, but the entire book is packed with enough surprises and depth to make it worth your while. I’m giving it a solid 4 stars for managing to both entertain me and provoke my thoughts, it’s a recommendation for those who like their sci-fi with a side order of introspection on where we might be headed under the gaze of Artificial Intelligence- well done.
I thought the book played well with the theme of “being careful what you wish for”, especially with the current buzz around AI. It’s this mix of thrilling storyline and a thought-provoking message that kept me turning pages. The chapters are titled by character and time which helped me to navigate through the twists and turns of the characters lives in a world that’s feels familiar but fully embraces the sci-fi genre. Even though it begins leisurely, the action ramps up, delivering excitement and some great twists—some predictable, others surprising. The balance between action and the exploration of themes like human ambition vs. technological overreach is well-handled, and really got me thinking whilst being fully entertained.
Despite a start that requires a bit of patience, “Titan’s Tears” evolves into a compelling read that’s a mix of action, speculative fiction, and commentary on our potential future. The blend of character-driven stories with a backdrop of technological intrigue makes for a unique tale. Some parts might feel overdone (the Pleistocene Park), and you might guess a few plot points, but the entire book is packed with enough surprises and depth to make it worth your while. I’m giving it a solid 4 stars for managing to both entertain me and provoke my thoughts, it’s a recommendation for those who like their sci-fi with a side order of introspection on where we might be headed under the gaze of Artificial Intelligence- well done.
June 24, 2024
This novel had so much potential, but unfortunately it just fell short in so many areas. Titan's Tears follows the story of Seth and Belle who both find themselves at the headquarters of the world's most innovative scientist, for very different reasons. Mystery, action, mad science, heartbreak and found families, this story seemed to have everything, which was one of its downfalls.
The first half of this novel was a struggle to read for me. It moved extremely slow, the timelines were confusing for the most part and the world building was not written very well. The universe and time period that this story was set in was not described in the most informative way. I found myself with more questions than answers around the science and society that this novel takes place in.
Regardless of the lack of information around the sci-fi aspects, this novel often suffered with providing too much unnecessary information or descriptive text where it was not needed. I found myself bored several times throughout and had to push through to finish. The lengthy chapters on Seth's travels through what can only be described as a mini Jurassic Park were completely unnecessary. These chapters felt as if they were included as filler as they had no real impact on the storyline itself. (Also who dragged Seth and placed him against the tree out of safety? A monkey, a droid?? and how??)
The character development and interactions between characters just did not seem natural or fluid. I felt like the character's were very 2D and it was impossible to find some connection to them. Sophie's character had so much potential and it was just cut short.
The final third of the book was extremely enjoyable and the plot twists genuinely took me by surprise! I loved the concept of this book and was upset that it was executed so poorly. I feel as if there were too many themes and ideas all at play at once which resulted in the reading of this novel to become quite overwhelming and messy.
I wanted to love this story so much, but regardless, I would love to check out more of the author's works!
Thank you so much to Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
The first half of this novel was a struggle to read for me. It moved extremely slow, the timelines were confusing for the most part and the world building was not written very well. The universe and time period that this story was set in was not described in the most informative way. I found myself with more questions than answers around the science and society that this novel takes place in.
Regardless of the lack of information around the sci-fi aspects, this novel often suffered with providing too much unnecessary information or descriptive text where it was not needed. I found myself bored several times throughout and had to push through to finish. The lengthy chapters on Seth's travels through what can only be described as a mini Jurassic Park were completely unnecessary. These chapters felt as if they were included as filler as they had no real impact on the storyline itself. (Also who dragged Seth and placed him against the tree out of safety? A monkey, a droid?? and how??)
The character development and interactions between characters just did not seem natural or fluid. I felt like the character's were very 2D and it was impossible to find some connection to them. Sophie's character had so much potential and it was just cut short.
The final third of the book was extremely enjoyable and the plot twists genuinely took me by surprise! I loved the concept of this book and was upset that it was executed so poorly. I feel as if there were too many themes and ideas all at play at once which resulted in the reading of this novel to become quite overwhelming and messy.
I wanted to love this story so much, but regardless, I would love to check out more of the author's works!
Thank you so much to Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
May 21, 2024
I received a copy of this from NetGalley in return for an honest review.
I liked the idea of this book more than I enjoyed the reading experience. It seemed to suffer from the same thing I find a lot of near-future sci-fi's do. Too many ideas with none of them executed to their full potential. This book had a super AI, currently extinct animals, a genius and reclusive scientist, a mysterious child, and more. Nothing was really explained science-wise and it did require a massive suspension of disbelief when it came to certain aspects of how things happened. It relied often on "The super AI did it", rather than coming up with actual explanations.
The characters also weren't the most compelling to read about. The main character, Belle, was a nanny with a past that wasn't given, so she didn't feel very well fleshed out. Yes, that was purposeful, but it meant that she became a background character in her own story. She felt like everything was happening to her, rather than her doing anything to further her own plot. The more compelling character was Seth. He at least had a backstory so I grew to somewhat care about him. But even then it felt like he had very little agency. He just did what he was told and never really seemed to control his own life. Reading about these character felt like reading about dolls, if that makes any sense.
The world itself was also confusing. The island this is set on was built somewhat like a theme park with no tourists. There was a whole escape scene where characters are running through the forest and the encounter every possible dangerous extinct animal. That scene felt like what this whole book felt like, very choppy, predictable, incomplete, and overwritten.
Now, I did dislike this book, as it may come across so far. There was some really cool ideas, I just wished they would have been explored more. There was an Amazon-like company that was overly controlling, ranked their workers, and performed massive layoffs so AI's could do things faster and cheaper. That scene was maybe five pages until we went back to a slow paced style. There were definitely sprinkles of really compelling stuff in this book. I think if Lester would have narrowed his focus, I would have enjoyed this much more. The length and sheer amount of ideas inside this book were overwhelming when paired with the pacing and characters that weren't enjoyable to read about.
I liked the idea of this book more than I enjoyed the reading experience. It seemed to suffer from the same thing I find a lot of near-future sci-fi's do. Too many ideas with none of them executed to their full potential. This book had a super AI, currently extinct animals, a genius and reclusive scientist, a mysterious child, and more. Nothing was really explained science-wise and it did require a massive suspension of disbelief when it came to certain aspects of how things happened. It relied often on "The super AI did it", rather than coming up with actual explanations.
The characters also weren't the most compelling to read about. The main character, Belle, was a nanny with a past that wasn't given, so she didn't feel very well fleshed out. Yes, that was purposeful, but it meant that she became a background character in her own story. She felt like everything was happening to her, rather than her doing anything to further her own plot. The more compelling character was Seth. He at least had a backstory so I grew to somewhat care about him. But even then it felt like he had very little agency. He just did what he was told and never really seemed to control his own life. Reading about these character felt like reading about dolls, if that makes any sense.
The world itself was also confusing. The island this is set on was built somewhat like a theme park with no tourists. There was a whole escape scene where characters are running through the forest and the encounter every possible dangerous extinct animal. That scene felt like what this whole book felt like, very choppy, predictable, incomplete, and overwritten.
Now, I did dislike this book, as it may come across so far. There was some really cool ideas, I just wished they would have been explored more. There was an Amazon-like company that was overly controlling, ranked their workers, and performed massive layoffs so AI's could do things faster and cheaper. That scene was maybe five pages until we went back to a slow paced style. There were definitely sprinkles of really compelling stuff in this book. I think if Lester would have narrowed his focus, I would have enjoyed this much more. The length and sheer amount of ideas inside this book were overwhelming when paired with the pacing and characters that weren't enjoyable to read about.
June 22, 2024
When Belle gets a job working for CEO and tech giant Sophia Eccleston, she is excited for the new direction in her life, but things on the mysterious island the company is located on, are not what they appear.
Titan’s Tears was a book of two halves for me – the first half is a thriller, there’s 3 central characters – Belle the Nanny, Sophia the Tech CEO and Seth, a factory worker who is slowly being made redundant due to technology. We are introduced to these characters in a way that kept my interest and each character is well defined and is different from the other two. Although Belle and Sophia’s perspectives cross together fairly early on, it’s more difficult to see how Seth fits into the picture until later. I didn’t feel like we learnt anything from Sophia’s narrative chapters, although she was keeping a lot of secrets, they weren’t really revealed until later in other characters chapters, so hers just felt a little dull when no new information was given to the reader, and it was frustratingly clear she was holding things back.
The latter half of the book is more of an action-packed techno-thriller, full of AI and murder-bots and Jurassic Park style once-extinct animals. This part wasn’t as interesting for me and a lot of it felt convenient to the plot, rather than fully formed world-building. The extinct animals park in particular, felt very underused and just thrown in to be able to compare it to Jurassic Park. The world at large was a little confusing, the ‘Modern Era – Post Singularity’ which heads up each chapter is confusing as this never changes, despite a few time-jumps in the narrative.
Overall, Titan’s Tears could do with a bit more of a stiff edit to tie it together to a cohesive story, but I thought there were some great ideas in there. Thank you to NetGalley and the author Chad Lester for the chance to read the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
For more of my reviews check out www.kindig.co.uk
Titan’s Tears was a book of two halves for me – the first half is a thriller, there’s 3 central characters – Belle the Nanny, Sophia the Tech CEO and Seth, a factory worker who is slowly being made redundant due to technology. We are introduced to these characters in a way that kept my interest and each character is well defined and is different from the other two. Although Belle and Sophia’s perspectives cross together fairly early on, it’s more difficult to see how Seth fits into the picture until later. I didn’t feel like we learnt anything from Sophia’s narrative chapters, although she was keeping a lot of secrets, they weren’t really revealed until later in other characters chapters, so hers just felt a little dull when no new information was given to the reader, and it was frustratingly clear she was holding things back.
The latter half of the book is more of an action-packed techno-thriller, full of AI and murder-bots and Jurassic Park style once-extinct animals. This part wasn’t as interesting for me and a lot of it felt convenient to the plot, rather than fully formed world-building. The extinct animals park in particular, felt very underused and just thrown in to be able to compare it to Jurassic Park. The world at large was a little confusing, the ‘Modern Era – Post Singularity’ which heads up each chapter is confusing as this never changes, despite a few time-jumps in the narrative.
Overall, Titan’s Tears could do with a bit more of a stiff edit to tie it together to a cohesive story, but I thought there were some great ideas in there. Thank you to NetGalley and the author Chad Lester for the chance to read the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
For more of my reviews check out www.kindig.co.uk
July 1, 2024
I will admit that it started a little slow as we were introduced to the characters, and the author began laying the groundwork, but once it all started coming together, it packed a punch. This is my first sci-fi novel, and I found it easy to follow. It wasn't overly complicated, and there was so much that kept me interested, especially regarding Sophia's projects.
The way the characters were slowly connected and brought together was written so well, and I became more invested in their story about a third of the way through when it all started coming together. The relationship between Belle and Juno was lovely to see develop as Juno really needed someone to see her for who she was and give her the love she was craving.
I started making some connections together early on in the book, but not all of my suspicions were correct. This book kept me on the edge of my seat and had me second-guessing everything in the best way possible. That plot twists at the end with Sophia's project (trying not to spoil it..), shocked me as I was expecting it to go another way.
While reading this book I imagined how much easier life would be with these technological advancements, especially when it comes to health, but the author did a great job showcasing the negative effects it could have on the world. It left me wondering if I would be willing to pay the price regardless of the consequences.
If there was one criticism, I would say it was the ending. It was a nice ending, and it wrapped the story up well, but I feel it went from intense showdown to relaxing farm life very quickly, so it did feel a little underwhelming.
There was a lot of action in this book as well, which helped make it more fast-paced . It reminded me of Jurassic Park at the beginning with a couple of similarities with Sophia's projects throughout the book and gave me Terminator vibes after it all went down, but it was very much its own story.
The way the characters were slowly connected and brought together was written so well, and I became more invested in their story about a third of the way through when it all started coming together. The relationship between Belle and Juno was lovely to see develop as Juno really needed someone to see her for who she was and give her the love she was craving.
I started making some connections together early on in the book, but not all of my suspicions were correct. This book kept me on the edge of my seat and had me second-guessing everything in the best way possible. That plot twists at the end with Sophia's project (trying not to spoil it..), shocked me as I was expecting it to go another way.
While reading this book I imagined how much easier life would be with these technological advancements, especially when it comes to health, but the author did a great job showcasing the negative effects it could have on the world. It left me wondering if I would be willing to pay the price regardless of the consequences.
If there was one criticism, I would say it was the ending. It was a nice ending, and it wrapped the story up well, but I feel it went from intense showdown to relaxing farm life very quickly, so it did feel a little underwhelming.
There was a lot of action in this book as well, which helped make it more fast-paced . It reminded me of Jurassic Park at the beginning with a couple of similarities with Sophia's projects throughout the book and gave me Terminator vibes after it all went down, but it was very much its own story.
February 12, 2024
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC. Titan's Tears gripped me from start to finish. It offers a hellish vision of a dystopian future where AI runs amok, seemingly intent on taking over humanity's functions. The scary thing is this might not be particularly far from the truth. In this scenario, we have secretive entrepreneur billionaires like Sophia Eccleston, who runs her mega corporation from a remote facility off Alaska, offering procedures that are supposedly for the betterment of humanity such as artificially extending aging. She hires Belle, jobless and sequestered in a tiny village in the wilderness, as a nanny for her eight-year-old daughter Juno, a precocious child genius who apparently only has one defect: she's blind.
At the same time, we meet Seth, who also gets called to the island in a strange sort of hero's mission after suffering devastating personal tragedies, which form the basis of how he gets lured there. The intersections of all these characters' stories give the second half of the book its impetus, and the pace ratchets up into a pretty effective techno-thriller after the slow world building of the book's beginning. It could be said that the pace is quite uneven, but I think it works, allowing the reader to get to grips with this nightmarish setup before hitting them with a nifty series of twists (not all of which I saw coming).
What really marks this book out is that at the heart of it, despite all the soulless technological trappings, is a story of real human love and affection. It's nicely done, and not necessarily what I expected going into it. The reader's sympathies are built in the right places, and for the right people. This is an author to watch out for. Recommended.
At the same time, we meet Seth, who also gets called to the island in a strange sort of hero's mission after suffering devastating personal tragedies, which form the basis of how he gets lured there. The intersections of all these characters' stories give the second half of the book its impetus, and the pace ratchets up into a pretty effective techno-thriller after the slow world building of the book's beginning. It could be said that the pace is quite uneven, but I think it works, allowing the reader to get to grips with this nightmarish setup before hitting them with a nifty series of twists (not all of which I saw coming).
What really marks this book out is that at the heart of it, despite all the soulless technological trappings, is a story of real human love and affection. It's nicely done, and not necessarily what I expected going into it. The reader's sympathies are built in the right places, and for the right people. This is an author to watch out for. Recommended.
February 19, 2024
As a reader, I am really enjoying how there is a strong trend toward speculative fiction/ Dystopic Fiction combined with Sci-Fi and it's becoming a more and more plausible concept (which in turn places it firmly into the thriller/psych thriller genre also)
Belle receives a once-in a lifetime offer to go and work for Sophia Eccleston, the number one scientist in the world. This was an offer that was impossible to refuse; a remote Alaskan island, opulent (if a little strict on the security front - strict could not be more of an understatement at this point) Everything is bliss, if a little, strange, until, she is arrested for murder and her life begins to spiral out of control
Titan's Tears explores how AI and Robots begin to take overhuman roles, beginning with simple tasks and becoming more and more prolific, making human life more and more obsolete.
This book begins steady away but as Lester builds the world, leads into a powerful crescendo. The second half of the book is fast-paced, intricately woven and demonstrates a powerful insight into the human psyche as it adapts to an ever-decreasing role in the world while trying to survive against a seemingly unstoppable force hell bent on taking over life as we know it
A phenomenal novel that is as captivating and intriguing as it is chilling. Chad Lester artfully combines genres and insodoing, creates a novel that is a real powerhouse of a read and could match War of the Worlds (HG Wells) and Asimov's Robot series in it's insight of human nature in the face of non-human dominance/ evolution of AI and I would highly recommend it
Thank you to Netgalley and Chad Lester for the opportunity to read this incredible ARC. My review is lef tvoluntarily and all opinions are my own
Belle receives a once-in a lifetime offer to go and work for Sophia Eccleston, the number one scientist in the world. This was an offer that was impossible to refuse; a remote Alaskan island, opulent (if a little strict on the security front - strict could not be more of an understatement at this point) Everything is bliss, if a little, strange, until, she is arrested for murder and her life begins to spiral out of control
Titan's Tears explores how AI and Robots begin to take overhuman roles, beginning with simple tasks and becoming more and more prolific, making human life more and more obsolete.
This book begins steady away but as Lester builds the world, leads into a powerful crescendo. The second half of the book is fast-paced, intricately woven and demonstrates a powerful insight into the human psyche as it adapts to an ever-decreasing role in the world while trying to survive against a seemingly unstoppable force hell bent on taking over life as we know it
A phenomenal novel that is as captivating and intriguing as it is chilling. Chad Lester artfully combines genres and insodoing, creates a novel that is a real powerhouse of a read and could match War of the Worlds (HG Wells) and Asimov's Robot series in it's insight of human nature in the face of non-human dominance/ evolution of AI and I would highly recommend it
Thank you to Netgalley and Chad Lester for the opportunity to read this incredible ARC. My review is lef tvoluntarily and all opinions are my own
February 4, 2024
Thanks to NetGalley for providing this ARC.
What I liked most about this book is the pacing. It does a great job setting up the key players in the first half of the book. I'm wondering how/ when they are going to meet while immersing myself in a setting in a not so distant future. Then the second half of the book ramps up with twists and turns sprinkled throughout. They were well timed too because I would realize what the twist could be a page before it happened. It was truly a rewarding reading experience. The twists were really well done. I enjoyed the characters and following them through the events they are thrust into.
As for some cons
The blurb could be improved because it’s not really intriguing. The arrest itself is the midpoint so having it in the description is misleading because there is no mention of it in the first few chapters. Together with the question posed as the end makes it read goofy and awkward and this book is not that. Say who the characters are when you first see them and then the thing that launches them into the unknown. Why mention Sophie at the end of the description when it would have made more sense to mention her plight after she is introduced? Weird. I don’t think I would have given this book a chance if it wasn’t an automatic acceptance on NetGalley. Also
I prefer characters with more depth that these characters didn’t satisfy but it didn’t take away from the story. They served the story well and that’s what matters despite my preference. There were a few pieces of dialogue that felt cartoonish and a tad bit too long.
Overall the book was enjoyable and I have recommended it to friends who enjoy the genre.
What I liked most about this book is the pacing. It does a great job setting up the key players in the first half of the book. I'm wondering how/ when they are going to meet while immersing myself in a setting in a not so distant future. Then the second half of the book ramps up with twists and turns sprinkled throughout. They were well timed too because I would realize what the twist could be a page before it happened. It was truly a rewarding reading experience. The twists were really well done. I enjoyed the characters and following them through the events they are thrust into.
As for some cons
The blurb could be improved because it’s not really intriguing. The arrest itself is the midpoint so having it in the description is misleading because there is no mention of it in the first few chapters. Together with the question posed as the end makes it read goofy and awkward and this book is not that. Say who the characters are when you first see them and then the thing that launches them into the unknown. Why mention Sophie at the end of the description when it would have made more sense to mention her plight after she is introduced? Weird. I don’t think I would have given this book a chance if it wasn’t an automatic acceptance on NetGalley. Also
I prefer characters with more depth that these characters didn’t satisfy but it didn’t take away from the story. They served the story well and that’s what matters despite my preference. There were a few pieces of dialogue that felt cartoonish and a tad bit too long.
Overall the book was enjoyable and I have recommended it to friends who enjoy the genre.
April 19, 2024
WOW I really enjoyed Titan's Tears by Chad Lester it was my first time reading a book by this author. This is a sci-fi thriller which made me think that this content could well be the future outcome for ourselves and is actually happening in some parts of the world as we speak.
This was a time when a third of the population were human and the rest android/bots. Sophia became the CEO of her own company called Eccleston Evolution where she has created the Dream Maker/Darwinisim.
Seth is an employee who worked in a warehouse and later a slaughter house to provide for his family Anna and baby girl Joan. Nobody warned the employees that they would be working with hazardous material and a lot left or went off sick and some tried to warn Seth not to work there but to no avail as he wanted to make a better life for Anna and Joan no matter what it cost.
Belle who was adopted from a convent by a couple who loved her like she was their own flesh and blood. Belle became a Nanny to disabled children but wanted badly to leave the village she lived in as life was so monotonous as the majority of the villagers were not socialble and she felt like she was being watched.
One day out of the blue Belle gets an invitation to leave the village and work for an inventor, Sophia as Nanny to Juno who is her daughter.
Belle remembers her adoptive parents telling her "Love is blood sweat, and tears and it's both an agony and the highest form of beauty.
Parts of this sci fi reminded me of Jurassic Park and is jam packed with plenty of chases, danger, murder and also a beautiful love story.
This was a time when a third of the population were human and the rest android/bots. Sophia became the CEO of her own company called Eccleston Evolution where she has created the Dream Maker/Darwinisim.
Seth is an employee who worked in a warehouse and later a slaughter house to provide for his family Anna and baby girl Joan. Nobody warned the employees that they would be working with hazardous material and a lot left or went off sick and some tried to warn Seth not to work there but to no avail as he wanted to make a better life for Anna and Joan no matter what it cost.
Belle who was adopted from a convent by a couple who loved her like she was their own flesh and blood. Belle became a Nanny to disabled children but wanted badly to leave the village she lived in as life was so monotonous as the majority of the villagers were not socialble and she felt like she was being watched.
One day out of the blue Belle gets an invitation to leave the village and work for an inventor, Sophia as Nanny to Juno who is her daughter.
Belle remembers her adoptive parents telling her "Love is blood sweat, and tears and it's both an agony and the highest form of beauty.
Parts of this sci fi reminded me of Jurassic Park and is jam packed with plenty of chases, danger, murder and also a beautiful love story.
June 19, 2024
3.5* rounded up
Dystopian Science-Fiction is one of my favourite sub-genres of SF and I will always take a chance on an intriguing premise which Titan's Tear really has!
In this novel we follow Belle, Sophia and Seth all connected by Eccleston Evolution, and their mysterious campus. Belle is seeking a better life and is offered the opportunity to be a nanny for Juno, Sophia's daughter. The catch, she must live under strict and bizarre security protocols on an isolated island. Sophia, as head of Eccleston Evolution is facing a hostile takeover and she will do anything to avert it and Seth is declared obsolete, replaced by machines, at the slaughterhouse and becomes a bearded recluse but also received an unusual invitation to the island where either his salvation or damnation awaits.
What follows is an initially slow paced and disjointed tale but with some great world building that bring a real sense of place to the story. Despite the pace and a little bit of confusion it kept me intrigued as to what would come next and at about the 50% mark it really took off and the build up paid off.
The various strands all came together with a mix of AI and androids involved. The whole book had a sense of foreboding to it and several ominous aspects including how much potential there is for some of the story elements to become real world reality. I wanted to keep reading to see what twists would unravel and secrets revealed.
Overall an enjoyable read and readers of technological thrillers/science-fiction will likely enjoy this book.
Thank you to NetGalley and Chad Lester for a digital review copy of "Titan's Tears" in exchange for my honest and voluntary review.
Dystopian Science-Fiction is one of my favourite sub-genres of SF and I will always take a chance on an intriguing premise which Titan's Tear really has!
In this novel we follow Belle, Sophia and Seth all connected by Eccleston Evolution, and their mysterious campus. Belle is seeking a better life and is offered the opportunity to be a nanny for Juno, Sophia's daughter. The catch, she must live under strict and bizarre security protocols on an isolated island. Sophia, as head of Eccleston Evolution is facing a hostile takeover and she will do anything to avert it and Seth is declared obsolete, replaced by machines, at the slaughterhouse and becomes a bearded recluse but also received an unusual invitation to the island where either his salvation or damnation awaits.
What follows is an initially slow paced and disjointed tale but with some great world building that bring a real sense of place to the story. Despite the pace and a little bit of confusion it kept me intrigued as to what would come next and at about the 50% mark it really took off and the build up paid off.
The various strands all came together with a mix of AI and androids involved. The whole book had a sense of foreboding to it and several ominous aspects including how much potential there is for some of the story elements to become real world reality. I wanted to keep reading to see what twists would unravel and secrets revealed.
Overall an enjoyable read and readers of technological thrillers/science-fiction will likely enjoy this book.
Thank you to NetGalley and Chad Lester for a digital review copy of "Titan's Tears" in exchange for my honest and voluntary review.
January 28, 2024
This book was in my opinion Slow yet well written. He book is set in some time in a dystopian future . We are following Sophia the CEO of an advanced computer/AI and bio engineering company. Her 8 year old daughter Juno
Juno’s nanny and a miserable old man named Seth. Even though we are following four different characters they are so different in their perspective and their ages, and they are such well-developed characters that it was very easy to follow along and if you didn’t see whose name was at the beginning of each chapter you would still know we were in.
There was so much action packed into this pretty short book. It was only 298 pages, but there was so much happening yet it was easy to follow along, and all of the scientific terms were well explained, Reading this book made me feel like I was watching an epic sci-fi movie
Maybe I’ve read too many similar books but a couple of twists were predictable but the last one had me.
I will admit that when I first started reading, I didn’t think that I would enjoy the book as much as I did. I would definitely recommend this book to other readers if they like sci-fi, or dystopian novels.
There was one other thing that I noticed about this art, which was that there were a lot of grammatical mistakes. There are added words, missing words, punctuation, not present where it was needed, and there was repetition of certain phrases as well so I do think that the novel does need further editing before it is fully released.
.
ARC received by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
Juno’s nanny and a miserable old man named Seth. Even though we are following four different characters they are so different in their perspective and their ages, and they are such well-developed characters that it was very easy to follow along and if you didn’t see whose name was at the beginning of each chapter you would still know we were in.
There was so much action packed into this pretty short book. It was only 298 pages, but there was so much happening yet it was easy to follow along, and all of the scientific terms were well explained, Reading this book made me feel like I was watching an epic sci-fi movie
Maybe I’ve read too many similar books but a couple of twists were predictable but the last one had me.
I will admit that when I first started reading, I didn’t think that I would enjoy the book as much as I did. I would definitely recommend this book to other readers if they like sci-fi, or dystopian novels.
There was one other thing that I noticed about this art, which was that there were a lot of grammatical mistakes. There are added words, missing words, punctuation, not present where it was needed, and there was repetition of certain phrases as well so I do think that the novel does need further editing before it is fully released.
.
ARC received by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
May 31, 2024
Review of eBook
An obviously desperate young mother stumbles through the snow to leave her infant daughter at the remote Oregon convent of the Carmelites. Thirty years later, Belle has survived a difficult childhood and now finds herself in the small Alaskan village of Kobuksville. Despite her best efforts, Belle’s job-searching has proven futile.
When she receives a strange offer for a job interview, she is whisked away on a private jet for a meeting with a brilliant scientist, Sophia Eccleston, the chief executive officer of Eccleston Evolution, the company she’d founded. It seems that Sophia needs a nanny for her eight-year-old blind daughter, Juno.
And she needs to fight the hostile takeover of Eccleston Evolution.
=========
This dystopian science fiction story focuses its terrifying tale on the potential dangers of both technology and Artificial Intelligence. The plot offers readers some unexpected twists as the unfolding narrative reveals some surprising facts.
Strong characters and an inventive plot pull readers into the telling of this near future tale from the outset. As the unfolding story reveals long-held secrets, readers discover the pitfalls of the technology that has been unleashed on humanity.
Readers who enjoy technological thrillers and/or science fiction will find much to appreciate in this intriguing tale.
Recommended.
I received a free copy of this book from Chad Lester and NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.
#TitansTears #NetGalley
An obviously desperate young mother stumbles through the snow to leave her infant daughter at the remote Oregon convent of the Carmelites. Thirty years later, Belle has survived a difficult childhood and now finds herself in the small Alaskan village of Kobuksville. Despite her best efforts, Belle’s job-searching has proven futile.
When she receives a strange offer for a job interview, she is whisked away on a private jet for a meeting with a brilliant scientist, Sophia Eccleston, the chief executive officer of Eccleston Evolution, the company she’d founded. It seems that Sophia needs a nanny for her eight-year-old blind daughter, Juno.
And she needs to fight the hostile takeover of Eccleston Evolution.
=========
This dystopian science fiction story focuses its terrifying tale on the potential dangers of both technology and Artificial Intelligence. The plot offers readers some unexpected twists as the unfolding narrative reveals some surprising facts.
Strong characters and an inventive plot pull readers into the telling of this near future tale from the outset. As the unfolding story reveals long-held secrets, readers discover the pitfalls of the technology that has been unleashed on humanity.
Readers who enjoy technological thrillers and/or science fiction will find much to appreciate in this intriguing tale.
Recommended.
I received a free copy of this book from Chad Lester and NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.
#TitansTears #NetGalley
Displaying 1 - 30 of 87 reviews