Tigerman

Starred review from May 19, 2014
All his tours of duty can’t prepare British army Sgt. Lester Ferris, a veteran of the War in Afghanistan, for life on an island facing certain ecological destruction, in Harkaway’s poignant morality tale, equally fueled by emotion and adrenaline. Though the fictional island of Mancreu, located somewhere in the Arabian sea, is no longer officially under the thumb of the British government—the Brits ceded control to an international peacekeeping force—Ferris is appointed brevet-consul, a largely ceremonial post that’s supposedly a last stop for him before he can leave army life behind for good. Mancreu is anything but an island paradise. Long exposed to harsh mining involving the island’s volcano, it’s a ticking time bomb, with the residents waiting for the next in a string of toxic events, known as “Clouds.” The sergeant’s only real friend, and surrogate son, is a comic-book-loving, Internet-slang-spouting teenage boy he calls Robin (think Batman), who helps him navigate Mancreu’s social and political intricacies. With a mishmash of countries all fighting for a piece of the island, either under the auspices of national pride or scientific experimentation, it’s no surprise that Mancreu has a thriving black market, operating out of a flotilla of ships moored just outside the harbor. The murder of one of Ferris’s acquaintances sets off a chain of increasingly violent events that coincide with an incoming Cloud, all of which threaten to destroy not only the bodies but the minds of Mancreu’s inhabitants. Harkaway (Angelmaker) adroitly explores the lengths one man will go to save what he’s come to love, even in the face of almost-certain failure.

Matt Bates is the voice of this story about heroes--and the need for them. The lackluster former British colony of Mancreu is scheduled for demolition; its active volcano is releasing deadly bacteria into the atmosphere. In addition, an international criminal ring known as the Black Fleet is anchored off its coast. Lester Ferris, a nearly retired Army sergeant, is now Great Britain's representative in Mancreu. There he meets an Internet-savvy, comic-book-loving orphan who needs the guidance of a father. Bates imbues Ferris with all the weariness of a veteran marking time to his pension. He also provides a quick staccato delivery for the fast-talking boy who urges Ferris to be the hero he needs. Even the American character is given a voice that fits him to a tee. M.C. © AudioFile 2014, Portland, Maine