thisotherbookaccount's review against another edition
Two out of three is more than enough. I am never reading a Nick Harkaway book again.
Tigerman is what happens when you take a comic book, adapt it into prose, suck out all the fun and energy, then replace it with neurosis.
Tigerman is what happens when you take a comic book, adapt it into prose, suck out all the fun and energy, then replace it with neurosis.
tacanderson's review against another edition
5.0
I love Nick's writing style. Loved this book. It's just brilliant. Of Nick's three fiction books, this has to be my favorite ending so far.
zanosgood's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
lisa_mc's review against another edition
4.0
Don’t let the superhero name and the comic-booky cover fool you: “Tigerman” is not a pulpy action story; it’s an offbeat human drama that’s far more than capes and primary colors.
The story takes place on the fictional island of Mancreu, a languishing, neglected corner of the British Empire in the Indian Ocean where burned-out soldier Lester Ferris has been sent to rest and maintain a nominal British presence. Part diplomat and part policeman, he spends his time chatting with the locals, drinking tea with a comic-book-loving street boy and keeping an eye on petty crime. The real crime is just out of reach: the “Black Fleet,” ships moored just beyond the border that deal in all manner of illicit goods and services (this is not the focus of the book but would make a fascinating story in its own right). And they tend to stay out of reach.
But the larger problem is that Mancreu has been afflicted with strange toxic gas clouds and serious seismic rumblings after unspecified mineral extraction (this, too, is not the focus of the book but would also make a fascinating story in its own right), and the whole island is set to be evacuated and then destroyed. This, unsurprisingly, has cast a pall of unease over the island. As the TV crews descend, Lester muses, “How often did anyone get to cover an actual apocalypse, however local and small? Crisis was commonplace; endings were not.”
Things begin to devolve into chaos, and Lester tries, with increasing urgency, to determine whether the boy has a family because he has decided to adopt him if he is truly an orphan.
“Tigerman” is a novel that’s hard to categorize: there’s so much going on and author Nick Harkaway takes seemingly independent threads and weaves them together with great skill. There’s action and romance, shattered families and new bonds, science and crime gangs, political drama and all-out battles. But at its core, it’s about people: how desperate ones will react in a crisis, and how broken ones can heal.
The story takes place on the fictional island of Mancreu, a languishing, neglected corner of the British Empire in the Indian Ocean where burned-out soldier Lester Ferris has been sent to rest and maintain a nominal British presence. Part diplomat and part policeman, he spends his time chatting with the locals, drinking tea with a comic-book-loving street boy and keeping an eye on petty crime. The real crime is just out of reach: the “Black Fleet,” ships moored just beyond the border that deal in all manner of illicit goods and services (this is not the focus of the book but would make a fascinating story in its own right). And they tend to stay out of reach.
But the larger problem is that Mancreu has been afflicted with strange toxic gas clouds and serious seismic rumblings after unspecified mineral extraction (this, too, is not the focus of the book but would also make a fascinating story in its own right), and the whole island is set to be evacuated and then destroyed. This, unsurprisingly, has cast a pall of unease over the island. As the TV crews descend, Lester muses, “How often did anyone get to cover an actual apocalypse, however local and small? Crisis was commonplace; endings were not.”
Things begin to devolve into chaos, and Lester tries, with increasing urgency, to determine whether the boy has a family because he has decided to adopt him if he is truly an orphan.
“Tigerman” is a novel that’s hard to categorize: there’s so much going on and author Nick Harkaway takes seemingly independent threads and weaves them together with great skill. There’s action and romance, shattered families and new bonds, science and crime gangs, political drama and all-out battles. But at its core, it’s about people: how desperate ones will react in a crisis, and how broken ones can heal.
rgrigsby80's review against another edition
5.0
I really enjoyed this book. Nick Harkaway knows how to write beautiful prose. This book lacks the absurdist humor found in Angelmaker (the first amazing book I read by the author) but there are still moments of amusement. (Such as the opening sentence: "On the steps of the old mission house, the Sergeant sat with the boy who called himself Robin, and watched a pigeon being swallowed by a pelican." )
It's hard to classify this book - it's pulpy but literary at the same time. It's Mr. Harkaway's take on the super hero/comic book caper. (This description doesn't completely do it justice.) Anyway, it wasn't 100% perfect, but I still consider it one of the best books I've read this year. 4.5 stars.
It's hard to classify this book - it's pulpy but literary at the same time. It's Mr. Harkaway's take on the super hero/comic book caper. (This description doesn't completely do it justice.) Anyway, it wasn't 100% perfect,
Spoiler
I'm still working out my feelings regarding the final twist and the ending...saevers's review against another edition
4.0
This moved a lot more slowly than Goneaway World or Angelmaker, and it took some time to really get going. But the leisurely pace allowed time for the book’s main character to develop, and for the reader to invest in the setting and stakes. The Sergeant is a simple man in a complicated world. He’s noble and pure and just, which makes him easy to love. I also loved the mercurial political status of Mancreau, the atmosphere, and secondary characters.
I agree with others who have suggested that the sleepy pace of the beginning of the novel is a reflection of the sleepy pace of Lester’s own life, but I think the novel might have benefitted from slightly tighter pacing at the outset. It’s not a huge complaint, but I really would have enjoyed having a deeper personal understanding of the other characters. We only ever really see them from Lester’s perspective, and because the world is confusing to him and his knowledge is limited, we only get to know as much as he knows.
I agree with others who have suggested that the sleepy pace of the beginning of the novel is a reflection of the sleepy pace of Lester’s own life, but I think the novel might have benefitted from slightly tighter pacing at the outset. It’s not a huge complaint, but I really would have enjoyed having a deeper personal understanding of the other characters. We only ever really see them from Lester’s perspective, and because the world is confusing to him and his knowledge is limited, we only get to know as much as he knows.
whippycleric's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
This is my third Harkaway novel, and though the world is less fantastical than others the book is as fantastic as ever. The real world vibe of these novels with just a touch of absurdity is like no other author I've read and I'm just sad I only have two more to go before I have to wait for more. I found it very easy to connect with the protagonist despite having very little in common with them, and all the side characters were exceptionally well done. Pacing was great with very little downtime. Not quite a 5 star review, I probably would have liked a slightly different, and maybe prolonged ending, it's also alot shorter than the other Harkaway novels and that's a bit of a shame. Definitely a good one to start with to get into his work though without committing 15 hours of read time.
chamblyman's review against another edition
3.0
7 out of 10 on the I-feel-hemmed-in-by-Goodreads'-5-star-rating-system system.
Fans of Jonathan Lethem's The Fortress of Solitude or Chabon's Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay should enjoy this melancholy mash-up of Graham Greenish post-colonial intrigue and pop culture inflected (surrogate) father-son story.
I have to say that I did miss the more out-there elements, denser plotting, and wilder humor that featured in Harkaway's first two novels, because I think he's really good at pulling that off without slipping into full on wackiness or losing the humanity in his stories.
But Tigerman is definitely a good read.
Fans of Jonathan Lethem's The Fortress of Solitude or Chabon's Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay should enjoy this melancholy mash-up of Graham Greenish post-colonial intrigue and pop culture inflected (surrogate) father-son story.
I have to say that I did miss the more out-there elements, denser plotting, and wilder humor that featured in Harkaway's first two novels, because I think he's really good at pulling that off without slipping into full on wackiness or losing the humanity in his stories.
But Tigerman is definitely a good read.