Tigerman

By: Nick Harkaway

Narrated by: Matt Bates

Length: 13 hrs and 51 mins

Publisher's summary

Lester Ferris needs a rest. He's spent his life being shot at, and Afghanistan was the last stop on his road to exhaustion. Mancreu is the ideal place for Lester to relax. A former British colony, soon to be destroyed because of its very special version of toxic pollution. But Lester Ferris makes a friend: a street kid with a comicbook fixation who will need a home - who might, Lester hopes, become an adopted son. But in a place like Mancreu, just what sort of hero will the boy need?

©2014 Nick Harkaway (P)2014 W F Howes Ltd

Critic reviews

"[O]ne of the most enjoyable books I've read in ages… brilliantly entertaining… What a splendid ride." ( Guardian on Angelmaker)

"An entertaining tour-de-force that demands to be adored." ( Independent on Sunday)

Powerful and accessible

Harkaway's gonzo sci-fi can be daunting; here he balances his P.K. Dick surreal lunacy with a storyline that follows a more straightforward track than most, blending deluberate Marvel, DC, and gaming influences with a legally invisible island perched on a caldera of impending ecological disaster, haven of Byzantine intrigues. What can save the day but a superhero? A reluctant post-colonial administrator and an imaginative, resourceful street kid create a plan that probably only Harkaway could craft into an honest story that would move me, at various times, to both laughter and tears.

A different story in excellent writing

The book is different from any book I have read. The plot weeds together superheroes, comments on government, and a sensitive relationship between a man and a young boy. The book gets better and better and better climaxing in a perfect ending.

Another Harkaway home run

My only complaint with any of Nick Harkaway’s worlds is that there are not dozens more of them waiting for us to discover.

Slow start - but very touching

Any additional comments?

First of all, the narration is really, really great.

The story starts out really slow as it eases its way under your skin. At some point it just grabs you and at times is very touching. It gets increasingly hard to put down. I can see why other reviewers might give up before that happens. If you are looking for a "slam-bang roller coaster ride" - skip this one.

Immediately after finishing, I had to go back and listen to the first hour or so again to put everything in context. It made so much more sense the second time through that part.

This story will be stuck in my head for quite some time to come. I'm looking forward to the next Nick Harkaway book already (whatever that might be).

Another success

Nick Harkaway has his first book bend and twist through this magical and tropical comic book spectacularama

Harkaway Man Makes Massive Win!

Third novel by Nick Harkaway, & he is 3 for 3, by my lights. I will read everything he writes. The deliberate (maybe even somewhat slow) start is important, as it sets the stage for a grand tale on a world stage, while its characters remain small, self contained. Bittersweet, but that rarest of contemporary works- it makes you want to be a better person, & to live up to the ideals of the two main characters. Ironic to be reading this after the Brits voted to leave the EU & my own country has elected a misogynistic , racist snake oil salesman as our next commander in chief. Hopefully Mr Harkaway will have the time to keep writing excellent stories...

Not as good as his other books, but has merit

Would you try another book from Nick Harkaway and/or Matt Bates?

I've read all of Harkaway's other books and love them. I can't wait for the next one.

If you’ve listened to books by Nick Harkaway before, how does this one compare?

This one isn't as good as the others, but to be honest that's a pretty high bar to reach. I did find the characters in this one a little more juvenile--like the Jungian archetypes of a wounded solider trying to make good running around with his side kick. It did have its moments though and is still worth a read if you like his other work.

What is a Super Hero?

Ultimately a heart-wrenching story of a British Sergeant in search of a son, and a boy who needs a father, but angles for a superhero to play out his game plan. In this puzzle, the pieces can't fit, but in the end there is still love and hope. Harkaway has a knack for quirky characters who twist the heart with bravery and loneliness.

Colonialism and theater warfare.

Nick Harkaway has written a powerful fiction illuminating the very real crimes committed on the world stage by foreign national superpwers.
He has woven a remarkable tale around a veteran suffering PTSD, a doomed island with a rich history of colonization, and a young boy steeped in modern social media and superhero worship.
This novel has a deep richness that will adeptly change your understanding of things from minute to minute and, then to prove that you were easily distracted, it will do it again.
Having read the novel twice before listening to this performance, I am quite happy with the narrator's interpretations.
This novel is not light. It is not happy. It is all too real. And yet, we must believe in heroes.

Entertaining as always but perhaps not Harksway's best

Harkaway steps back from science-fiction and fantasy to something that could be contemporary reality. He writes literary thrillers that are always entertaining. The book has lots of exciting twists and good character development but I found the ad somewhat unsatisfying. It might work better in a movie.