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angus_mckeogh's review against another edition
1.0
Not sure what sold me on this book at the store. Perhaps the cover. But even the description on the fly leaf didn’t sound interesting on a second pass. An older man befriends a younger foreign kid and then there’s a superhero element to it. Reminded me of the “real life superhero”, Phoenix Jones. But I really didn’t like it. Just not for me.
guppyur's review against another edition
2.0
I'm sorry to say I wasn't very impressed by this.
It had such an interesting premise: an island, subject to its own unique brand of natural disaster, the Discharge Clouds that have a strange and inexplicable effect on the residents. Harkaway uses it for a great setup, an island doomed by international consent and useful, therefore, as cover for skulduggery on a grand scale.
Unfortunately, he doesn't do much of interest with it beyond the setup. The writing is lacking, and he damages one of his major characters by trying too hard. The kid talks like a caricature if the Internet: zomg. Full of win. And so on.
I loved Gone-Away World; I'm sorry to say this isn't up to that standard.
It had such an interesting premise: an island, subject to its own unique brand of natural disaster, the Discharge Clouds that have a strange and inexplicable effect on the residents. Harkaway uses it for a great setup, an island doomed by international consent and useful, therefore, as cover for skulduggery on a grand scale.
Unfortunately, he doesn't do much of interest with it beyond the setup. The writing is lacking, and he damages one of his major characters by trying too hard. The kid talks like a caricature if the Internet: zomg. Full of win. And so on.
I loved Gone-Away World; I'm sorry to say this isn't up to that standard.
robotswithpersonality's review against another edition
5.0
Oh, Nick, did you have to break my heart so thoroughly?
As a work of fiction, this is an incredible accomplishment. The focus on a relationship between a young person and a man who's trying to be a father figure, but particularly the inner life of someone contemplating that role, the intimate scale of some sad age old truths regarding corruption, exploitation, pollution, fear versus science, bureaucracy and duty versus 'the right thing', the apathy of the global community in the face of suffering witnessed at a distance.
The characters are vivid, the writing is superb. The Suit chapter is one of my favourite moments in a book, ever.
As a reading experience, it HURTS. I think if I explain how it hurts any further I risk giving something away, and the book deserves to be experienced at full impact by the next masochist who picks it up. And yes, I will be picking up more from this author.
⚠️Animal death, child abuse
child death(?)
As a work of fiction, this is an incredible accomplishment. The focus on a relationship between a young person and a man who's trying to be a father figure, but particularly the inner life of someone contemplating that role, the intimate scale of some sad age old truths regarding corruption, exploitation, pollution, fear versus science, bureaucracy and duty versus 'the right thing', the apathy of the global community in the face of suffering witnessed at a distance.
The characters are vivid, the writing is superb. The Suit chapter is one of my favourite moments in a book, ever.
As a reading experience, it HURTS. I think if I explain how it hurts any further I risk giving something away, and the book deserves to be experienced at full impact by the next masochist who picks it up. And yes, I will be picking up more from this author.
⚠️Animal death, child abuse
stevejj's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
3.25
avidreadr's review against another edition
5.0
One of those books I picked up on a whim that i really wish more readers knew about.
categj's review against another edition
4.0
This is the second novel by Nick Harkaway that I have read. I loved everything about his first novel, Gone-Away World — his writing style, the characters, the story. It had all that I want In a story: tense, suspenseful action, brave and complicated characters, funny bits, clever writing, and a plot that is never predictable but is wholly satisfying.
Tigerman is all those things and just as action-packed as Gone-Away World. It’s a “leet” story with a modern tone and a spectacular comic book flavour complete with superheroes, secret identities, crime fighting duos, big government baddies, impending world destruction, romance and, of course, a “david vs goliath” theme.
The novel takes place on the island of Mancreu, "an unbothered ethnic jumble of Arab and African and Asian, with the inevitable mixture of Europeans". The island is slated to be obliterated because of the catastrophic “Discharge Clouds” that erupt with a noxious gas and strange new microorganisms that cause grisly birth defects and horrifying illnesses that threaten to spread beyond Mancreu’s waters.
Lester Ferris, a former sergeant in the British army, is assigned to this small island, to serve as the British Counsul. Mancreu, formerly under British rule, but now in the hands of NATO, is preparing to relocate its remaining residents before its final destruction. Lester’s main job is to smooth the transition and be a support for the people still awaiting their relocation. And more importantly, stay out of the limelight.
The sergeant befriends a mysterious local boy who appears to be alone in the world. The boy is clever, enigmatic and obsessed with comic books and superheroes. Lester becomes very attached to this boy and imagines adopting him and saving him from disappearing into the “system” after the relocation.
Lester is suddenly thrown into a wild and dangerous scenario when a group of thugs burst into a local bar, murder their friend, Shola and narrowly miss killing the boy as they sit drinking tea. The sergeant agrees to the boy’s plea to find out who masterminded the fatal crime.
This begins the wild, crazy, and perilous quest of the superhero, Tigerman. The fast action, daring acts of heroism and bravado carry us through a tale that is thick with subterfuge, complications, danger — richocheting bullets, massive explosions, wild car chases, sinister characters, an awkward budding romance, as well as a plot twist that you won’t see coming.
Nick Harkaway tells a story that is witty, well-crafted filled with dark undercurrents, comedic moments, a breath of sentimentality all wrapped up in a heart-stopping, full scale adventure.
Tigerman is definitely a novel “full of win.”
micco_reads's review against another edition
5.0
Holy Crap. First thing i though as i finished the book.
I had just come from my junk food reading and this was what i returned on. Nick Harkaway makes the characters act and feel genuine, especialy going through all the struggles. He created a world that was entirely captivating leaving you shellshocked that the ending ( or basically the last 30 pages).
This is a bloody great book and hard to put down once the masterpiece is in your hands.
I had just come from my junk food reading and this was what i returned on. Nick Harkaway makes the characters act and feel genuine, especialy going through all the struggles. He created a world that was entirely captivating leaving you shellshocked that the ending ( or basically the last 30 pages).
This is a bloody great book and hard to put down once the masterpiece is in your hands.
eshalliday's review
4.0
I returned to this as an old favourite, since I've been reading some male authors lately, and I guessed enough time had passed that I could re-read 'Tigerman', cheerfully forgetting its ending and the revolutions of its plot that make it so astonishingly original (it should be said that I love the persona of Nick Harkaway! Give him a follow on social media - he used to be quite active on Instagram, and is always good for a giggle).
'Tigerman' is a robust novel, fantastically fun and unabashedly cinematographic in its mises-en-scene, but that doesn't mean it's not physchologically subtle. I find Harkaway's protagonists are always profoundly lifelike, sagacious, engrossing. So, here, Harkaway plays with the motifs of the Superhero, the Superego, and the Superman, as they all play out (in Lester Ferris and in his 'sidekick' The Boy) within the setting of the pre-apocalyptic, expropriated island 'of uncertain legal status', soon to be fire-razed Mancreu, where norms of acceptable behaviour and standards of values are fuzzy (at best), societal structures collapsing under the countdown to imminent biological annihilation.
Lester Ferris adopts the tigerman Superhero costume as his Superego collapses along with Mancreu's laws and ethics, and in doing so, Harkaway plots Ferris's striving effort towards his inner Superman/Übermensch. And, as it goes, I remembered just how much I love Harkaway's authorial style. Heavily masculine in places, especially when the protagonist is feeling particularly lustful. But, although comparisons to James Bond novels abound, the way Harkaway writes about hetero sex in his novels actually manages - delicately - to avoid many perils of the Male Gaze. Lester Ferris's sex drive is certainly healthy, but Harkaway embeds it in the text as a key aspect of characterisation, and it's not overdone. In fact, I found myself wondering as I was reading, whether I might actually be gaining some insight into the masculine psyche.
This was a joy to return to, and makes me think I'd like to go back and revisit [b:Angelmaker|12266560|Angelmaker|Nick Harkaway|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1326121401l/12266560._SX50_.jpg|14751763][b:Angelmaker|12266560|Angelmaker|Nick Harkaway|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1326121401l/12266560._SX50_.jpg|14751763] and [b:The Gone-Away World|3007704|The Gone-Away World|Nick Harkaway|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1328322676l/3007704._SX50_.jpg|3038235] too.
'Tigerman' is a robust novel, fantastically fun and unabashedly cinematographic in its mises-en-scene, but that doesn't mean it's not physchologically subtle. I find Harkaway's protagonists are always profoundly lifelike, sagacious, engrossing. So, here, Harkaway plays with the motifs of the Superhero, the Superego, and the Superman, as they all play out (in Lester Ferris and in his 'sidekick' The Boy) within the setting of the pre-apocalyptic, expropriated island 'of uncertain legal status', soon to be fire-razed Mancreu, where norms of acceptable behaviour and standards of values are fuzzy (at best), societal structures collapsing under the countdown to imminent biological annihilation.
Lester Ferris adopts the tigerman Superhero costume as his Superego collapses along with Mancreu's laws and ethics, and in doing so, Harkaway plots Ferris's striving effort towards his inner Superman/Übermensch. And, as it goes, I remembered just how much I love Harkaway's authorial style. Heavily masculine in places, especially when the protagonist is feeling particularly lustful. But, although comparisons to James Bond novels abound, the way Harkaway writes about hetero sex in his novels actually manages - delicately - to avoid many perils of the Male Gaze. Lester Ferris's sex drive is certainly healthy, but Harkaway embeds it in the text as a key aspect of characterisation, and it's not overdone. In fact, I found myself wondering as I was reading, whether I might actually be gaining some insight into the masculine psyche.
This was a joy to return to, and makes me think I'd like to go back and revisit [b:Angelmaker|12266560|Angelmaker|Nick Harkaway|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1326121401l/12266560._SX50_.jpg|14751763][b:Angelmaker|12266560|Angelmaker|Nick Harkaway|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1326121401l/12266560._SX50_.jpg|14751763] and [b:The Gone-Away World|3007704|The Gone-Away World|Nick Harkaway|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1328322676l/3007704._SX50_.jpg|3038235] too.
adamcshanks's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
This book is ostensibly about the consequences of western imperialism, environmental destruction, etc., but still centers a British dude as the hero. It vaguely outlines a more diverse cast of characters only in support of that British man's personal journey and fulfillment.