The Bookwyrm's Review of Rematch of the Titans by Samuel Gately

 

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Rating: 9.5/10 Stars

Synopsis

In a world where a titan is worth only his latest victory in the ring, Scott Flawless is the envy of them all. He’s dominant, fearless, and remarkably good-looking, at least according to him. But his self-proclaimed perfection will be challenged when he is dragged off to a far corner of the Open Nations. Here he’ll battle a new host of dangers as he squares off with a ruthless syndicate run by his late father and an unscrupulous manager with a predilection towards chains. In a city where the dead refuse to stay that way, being Flawless may not be enough to survive.

Rematch of the Titans is part of a complete two-book arc within the Titan Wars series along with its sequel The Jaws of Hell. Readers can begin the Titan Wars series with The Headlock of Destiny or dive in right here.

Review

I am a huge fan of the first two books in this series, the Headlock of Destiny and The Piledriver of Doom which focus on the rise of Van the Beer Man from beer warehouse laborer to Headlock of Destiny Titan Wrestling champion and then savior of the Open Nations. Rematch of the Titans is part of a separate arc in that universe, following Scott Flawless, six time Valley of the Sevens champion and perennial contender for the Headlock of Destiny title. This is his journey as he has a huge setback, and his climb back to where he once was.

The world building focuses on a new corner of the Open Nations, Stillwater. The city of Stillwater is kind of like a medieval Gotham city, run by corrupt politicians and gangs, most notably the Crosstrees Syndicate, of whom Scott's father, Jesler Gillum was a founding member. It's a great setting, really stratified by walls and gates to separate the rich and the poor, to the point where internal gates to various levels of the city require passes to get through, meaning the riff-raff are kept away from the rich and powerful. It's a seedy, rough city, not nearly as polished as the other cities in the Open Nations, and proud of it. There is an interesting blend of the magical and the scientific, somewhat along the line of Amanda King and Michael Swanson's Ismae books, and to me, that's a good thing. There is a distinctly darker tone in this book, with the shift from a rise from obscurity to success story of the first books to a fall from grace and rise to redemption, with a side order of vengeance, in this story.

The characters are the usual colorful assortment you would expect in a book like this. The story centers around Scott Flawless, a true big time Titan wrestler. He has all the skills to succeed, and the arrogance that goes with it. Handsome and built like a Greek god on steroids, he is the Champion of the Valley of the Sevens and a threat to win the top crown annually. When he learns his long gone father has died, he goes into a funk in his life and career, and this is where his story takes off. We get to see Scott have to return to Stillwater and deal with the ghosts of his past, including his father's business partner Morris and a titan protégé of his father with major beef with Scott. Coming back to the place that set him on the path to becoming Scott Flawless, he goes through a great arc in this, with some flashbacks showing how Scott got to where he is today. The characters that starts the book is very different from the one that finishes.

The secondary characters are interesting. There's Nat, an orphan girl Scott meets on his way to Stillwater, who's defining traits are quick hands and quick wits, all turned toward driving Scott nuts. There's Asa, a female bard with a beautiful voice, who is determined to write the ballad of Scott Flawless. Dremmel is an interesting character, since he is looking to bring the Syndicate down for the murder of his girlfriend, and is willing to do anything to see that accomplished. Avery and Gabriel are a couple of foreign Titan sailors that have interesting ideas about honor and dignity, and how people should treat each other, to the point that Avery gives a valuable lesson to one of the villains in this regard.

The villains are very well done. Morris is the main villain, a gang leader with big dreams, who can be charming and ruthless in turn. He is as ruthless as his former partner Jessler, and has big plans for Scott, whether Scott likes them or not. He employs the other villain, Whammer Largo, a nasty piece of work who has hated Scott for years, and takes every chance he gets to sucker punch Scott. He is just an evil turd, a bully and a psycho, but he does get a lesson in manners at one point, which surely didn't hurt. All in all, definitely solid villains for this story.

I really enjoyed reading this. It took a distinctly darker turn than the first books, but still had plenty of the humor and warmth of them as well. I really got invested with the characters, and found myself rooting for Scott, even though I wasn't sure I would. He goes through some real growth, and I like the place he ended up in. This is a book that will appeal to fans of fantasy, and even has some stuff for fans of wrestling as well. Two genres you'd never expect to mix, but it's done so well you can't help but like it. I highly recommend this book, and the series as a whole.