OnlineBookClub.org

[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Titan" by Michael Van Cleve.]

There seem to be two major flavors of post-apocalyptic stories - either there are multiple survivors who are trying to create a settlement and live in peace or save humanity, or the world's human population is nearly wiped out and the main character(s) is/are just trying to survive. Titan by Michael Van Cleve ends up feeling like a combination of the two. It's been at least 200 years since a war ruined the world with nuclear weapons, and most everything - and everyone - has become mutated by the radiation.

The main story begins with a family - Paris is giving birth to her second son while Troy tries to keep their first son, Christopher, occupied. The four of them (including the new boy that's only referred to as the Second Son) live alone; Troy is incredibly intelligent and Paris is not only in amazing physical shape, she's an expert marksman. Troy and Christopher are both dying of sickness, however, and it isn't even a week and a half after giving birth that Paris goes out alone for supplies and toward the last city, a place with a giant wall with only the word "return" written in many languages. Their plan to get into the city is an absolutely crazy one, however; can one woman alone gain entry to a giant, technologically-advanced city that wants nothing more than to keep people out? Will she even survive the trip, when there are ruthless, demented humans and mutated animals between her and her destination?

Despite the fact that Paris, Troy, Christopher and the newborn Second Son are a family, this is far from a warm tale. The book is often comprised of single-sentence, very short paragraphs with minimal description. For example...

Paris loads the rounds into the magazine well.

Paris locks and loads the magazine.

Paris resumes a stable firing position.

While the entire book isn't like this, it is semi-frequent. The interesting effect this has is that it makes the book feel cold somehow, which is exactly how the world in Titan is meant to feel. Even when Paris does things for the benefit of others, she isn't a typical hero about it. This is much more realistic in a post-apocalyptic setting, and yet so odd at the same time.

While the lack of descriptiveness at times can be explained away rather well, there are a few other issues that can't. Toward the end of the book, things get a bit crude at times (fitting for the story, but restrictive on reader base) and there are a few places (less than 5) where a bit of editing would have been beneficial. Also, I'm really torn on the story - while it's very unique and raises some interesting points, it does it in a way that really could've used some more fleshing out, the ending especially. The book was short - 88 pages in the PDF I reviewed - and I think adding a dozen or two more pages throughout would have made all the difference in the world.

While I'm hesitant to recommend the book to kids due to some violence and crudeness, I can definitely recommend it to fans of post-apocalyptic stories that want something different. I'd rate the book 2.5 stars if I could, but the fact that I'd recommend this so readily makes me realize I should round it up and give it 3 out of 4 stars.

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Titan
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Interesting quote taken from the book and even more interestingly, you took a second to find the reason for such an oddity. Thanks for the review.

Your 'rounding' of the score at the end cracked me up.
Good review!

Wish it was edited better! Glad you enjoyed the book. Thank you for the review!

This sounds like it could be a really interesting book. It's a shame that it isn't longer and more detailed, but I like how you defended the shortened style of the sentences as attempting to fit into the environment of the story itself. That makes the author a very attentive person to details.

Sounds like it could be an enjoyable read if you can get past the editing, sometimes it's rather difficult. I do like the aspect of Paris being a "more realistic in a post-apocalyptic setting, and yet so odd at the same time" Thanks for sharing.

This sounds really interesting. I don't normally like this type of book, but your review has definitely peaked my interest. Thank you for the great review!

I liked what you had to say about how the writing itself helped turn the atmosphere of the story cold. A kind of unappealing stylistic choice serves a real purpose for the book. I'm glad you pointed that out because it might make a difference when I choose whether or not to invest my time in this book. Thanks!

Thank you for your review...this isn't my typical genre, but I am looki g forward to finding out if Paris makes it inside or if she turns back!:-)

Nice, insightful review! You used some great examples to illustrate the short descriptions in the book. I also liked the fair way you decided on the rating. The book doesn't seem like my cup of tea, but I can see dystopian fans enjoying it.

Fantastic review! I love your commentary on the effectiveness of the writing style and your thoughtful critiques.

Liberty shall not perish from Earth..
Congrats on being BOTD

Great review.

cant wait to read this book.. the review sounds great.
It is a combination of sci fi and fiction

I love the review. The book has a really nice cover, can't wait to read it.