Review: TITAN (Mammon, #1) by Robert Kroese

When a billionaire tech genius finds a way to pull mineral-rich asteroids into Earth's orbit, he keeps the U.S. government off his back by letting them in on the operation.

When a billionaire tech genius finds a way to pull mineral-rich asteroids into Earth's orbit, he keeps the U.S. government off his back by letting them in on the operation. The catch: America's debt-laden treasury will tie its currency to the future of the asteroid mining efforts. A saboteur steps in to throw a wrench in the works, and soon the world descends into chaos...

Author's note: I have a short story coming out in a MAMMON anthology later this year. This review reflects my opinion of TITAN independent of my connection to the franchise.

I listened to the audiobook edition.

The Story

Kade Kapur--a man who is not entirely unlike Elon Musk as far as brains, wealth, and ambition are concerned--runs an aerospace company called Ad Astra. He's pushing the known boundaries of human capabilities in space, lassoing asteroids from the cosmos and pulling them into Earth's orbit so that mankind can reap the benefits of space mining.

However, his timing couldn't be worse: the United States Congress just flipped to the asset-grabbing Left, and Kapur's company is at the top of the list for nationalization. In order to hold off the 800-lb gorilla, he pitches a plan to the president: attach the US Treasury's future to a space mining operation that can grab asteroids whenever it wants, guaranteeing an ongoing supply of rare materials like cadmium and iridium.

This is all well and good, however no government likes to be challenged by a power it doesn't control. Kapur is double-crossed in the coming years by a Federal mole, and the "High Frontier Mining" project is thrown into chaos. Without its success the American economy crumbles overnight.

And this is only the first volume in a trilogy. Buckle up kids, things are going to get ugly.

The Characters

Kade Kapur, the son of an American woman and an Indian man who emigrated to the States. He's always had a sharp intellect and, due to his upbringing, an inability to yield to bullies. He gets his start in software and moves into his dream industry: aerospace engineering.

Rami Essak is an Egyptian hacker who crosses paths with Kapur, and though they are different in several key ways, they share a similar drive and ideology. Essak becomes a key player in the success of Kapur's ventures over the years.

Valerie Munoz, a childhood friend of Kapur who held a torch for him throughout her life, and comes to his rescue decades later when he needs her the most.

Davis Christopher, an early investor in Kapur's genius, though he regularly warns him of the potential pitfalls of his ambitions. Through Davis we get a breakdown of the historic "Mississippi Scheme" that bankrupted several investors in 1720. Kapur's "High Frontier Mining" plan is scarily similar to it, and of great interest to the reader as well.

There are several other important characters, but these ones form the focal core. Overall Kroese manages to keep about twenty different people in the spotlight, and makes them distinct enough that they don't get mixed up in the complexity of it.

The World

The key events of the story start some 10 years ahead of the current day, though we get regular flashbacks to Kade Kapur's childhood in the early 2000's. Federal spending and the national debt continue to explode, to the point where the US Treasury is on the verge of insolvency. If it cannot meet its bond obligations, the American experiment is over--especially with China and Russia waiting in the wings.

This is a world that is maybe 10% different from ours, due largely to time and technology. While the companies and people in the story are fictional, pretty much everything else is real and current.

And that oughtta scare you.

The Politics

Again, realistic to our world. Kroese doesn't mix metaphors or use euphemisms for Republicans and Democrats. There are definitely more collectivists than conservatives in power, and they control the culture even more than they do now.

As for the protagonists, the reader ends up cheering on the individualists who want to keep what they make. The enemy is the statist thief. We're treated to frequent monologues (though not so preachy) by characters who understand the mechanisms of the economic collapse, and how to lessen the impact that it has on those around them.

Many times this book shows itself to be an informative lecture on various topics like finance and public policy, and then it puts on a fake nose and glasses to carry on with the entertainment.

Content Warning

"R" rating for language, and while there's some violence, it's not excessive or graphic. We see some deaths and some mobs. There are allusions and references to sensual scenes, but we're never "in the room" when it happens.

Who is it for?

Personally I recommended it to a friend who's much more familiar with cryptocurrency and blockchain than I am. What I know of these things comes from a series of Internet lectures, and while it all lines up with what I've heard, I'm sure someone who deals with it daily might have a different opinion on the details. Nevertheless if you've got any interest in crypto, finance, resisting government overreach, space navigation, or high-orbit mining, this book has plenty for you.

There's also a bit of "how to survive an economic collapse" to it, as Valerie takes her daughter Sophie across the country once the dollar falls apart. The third act of the book was perhaps the most tense, but instead of devolving into a blackpill narrative, the story remained hopeful against staggering odds.

Why read it?

Because it's highly relevant and informative. It takes a great deal of information that would otherwise be too dry to read, and wraps it up in these characters that are admirable, characters you root for and want to see win.

I'll admit it got my blood pressure up a little bit at times, only because I listened to it the same day that Russia invaded Ukraine and Biden announced we were throwing our hat into the ring. Everything happening in our economy today could easily be a prelude to Kroese's Mammon timeline, and that's not the happiest thought in the world. Hopefully Elon Musk starts roping space rocks soon...