Something weird in your neighbourhood? You better call Tigerman. Or possibly just Nick Harkaway

What is the connection between Twitter, the CIA, Graham Greene, crowdsourced space elevators and superheroes with secret identities?

The answer is author Nick Harkaway, who was a guest in Abingdon on Wednesday, and who took us on a prodigiously entertaining journey between how all these links led up to his latest book ‘Tigerman’.

The evening felt like being taken on rollercoaster of thoughts and ideas, but then so does reading his books.

‘Tigerman’ is an impressively intelligent novel of big thinking, search for purpose, international shenaningans, multiple identities, fatherhood and explosive action.

It is the story of burnt-out soldier Lester Ferris, sent to the ends of the earth and the island of Mancreu, who may possibly oversee the end of the world.

Nick was a screenwriter for ten years before becoming a novelist – and the restriction of screenwriting led almost directly to the delight of him being able to give full reign to his imagination in writing in a medium where nothing is impossible to film or to find a budget for.

Perhaps no surprise then that his first two books were packed full of breakneck plotting, shadow worlds, ninjas, mechanical bees and near-planetary destruction. He doesn't so much push the boundaries of genre, he kind of bends them to his will, moving between science fiction and literary fiction. In doing so, his novel ‘Angelmaker’ won him the Kitschies Red Tentacle award (which goes to books that "elevate the tone" of genre fiction) –  for the most intelligent, progressive and entertaining speculative novel of the year.

‘Tigerman’ is placed more firmly in reality, which, in a way, makes it more frightening. Set in a post-colonial world and an island on the verge of environmental collapse, Mancreu has become home to all the worst things in the world: the notorious, the powerful, the criminal – the natural home of everything from drug barons to extraordinary rendition and torture.

International forces agree that the best solution for Mancreu is obliteration, but when Lester teams up with a small local boy it becomes as much a novel about the need to humanise and our responsibilities to the next generation, as it does about power and the price of eternal vigilance.

It's a joyous rollercoaster for the reader, but - as Nick tells it - probably way more fun to write. ‘Tigerman’ is a seriously impressive novel. A sincere 'thank you' to Nick for making our evening just as seriously impressive - and a great deal of fun. As one of our audience said '"I fell like my brain has been given a massage - and I mean that in a good way".

During the evening we managed a big discussion about the joys - and horrors - of social media, particularly Twitter. Via plenty of commentary on technology - and his book 'The Blind Giant' - Nick explained his accessibility online, and his love of the micro-blogging world (the power of now - 'hey, let's crowdsource a space elevator'). We talked about power, its ludicrousness, and how Nick's experience of firing a handgun for the first time led him to think 'this is too easy to be this powerful and dangerous'. As we had a father's day theme, we touched very briefly on his famous father (and we were secretly delighted at how many of the audience didn't know) and ended up on a nice discussion about how he does a nice line in romance - and love - which runs subtly through all his writing.

This was our first event in the newly refurbished Crown and Thistle in Abingdon, and a huge thank you to them for looking after us brilliantly - we will definitely be doing more events here. It was a sublime venue for such a thrilling rollercoaster of an evening.

Tigerman: An Evening with Nick Harkaway

On Wednesday, June 11 at 7pm we are delighted to welcome author Nick Harkaway (author of Angelmaker and The Blind Giant) to a special evening event at The Crown and Thistle, Abingdon to talk about his new latest novel Tigerman.

We think it's going to be a fabulous evening, and you should definitely come along, and Mark is going to explain exactly why:

"As an indie bookseller, there are plenty of authors you discover, enjoy and recommend. But then there are those authors where readers rush back into the shop thanking you for helping them make a marvellous discovery. You want everyone to discover these authors, and tell their friends. These are the authors that remind you why you chose the path of being an indie bookseller in the first place, that caused your mother to weep, your bank manager to sorrowfully shake his head. The authors that get you up in the morning despite the tiredness and bad dreams (particularly that one of Jeff Bezos emerging from the sea off Toyko).

"Nick Harkaway is one of those authors. And I'm delighted he's coming to Abingdon for what promises to be a fantastic book event. And the fact that it's taking place in Abingdon's newest, most splendid venue where they serve good beer is an added bonus."

Nick will be in conversation with Mark, talking about his new novel Tigerman. Tickets cost £4, the entire ticket is redeemable against a purchase of Tigerman on the night, there will be a dedicated real-ale bar, you'll have a chance to meet Nick and get your book signed. It's four days before Father's Day, which is a fabulous excuse to be at The Crown and Thistle on a school night.

Here's a bit more stuff about the author:

Nick Harkaway is the author of two previous novels and a non-fiction book about technology and how it affects us. Tigerman is his third novel. He won the Oxfam Emerging Writer prize at the Hay Festival in 2012 for Angelmaker and The Blind Giant, and Angelmaker was recently awarded the Red Tentacle at the Kitschies (awarded for the most intelligent, progressive and entertaining novel); and was also shortlisted for the Clarke Award and the LA Times Book Prize.

This is what it says on his publisher's page:

He is a skier, a geek, a father and a husband, a failed martial artist (across a wide range of pugilistic disciplines), and wants to be like a cross between Stewart Brand and Jorge Luis Borges when he grows up. He is mildly noted for sartorial bravery and for his outrageous eyebrows.

He writes and commentates a lot about what technology means for us as humans (which are collected in his book 'The Blind Giant') and these themes permeate his novels, which feature ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances, often up against powerful, unaccountable, shadowy organisations, sometimes involving kick-ass 90 year old female superspies...and ninjas.

'Tigerman' is the story of Lester Ferris, exhausted soldier, considered a safe pair of hands to wind down British interests in the post-colonial territory of Mancreu, with a frightening toxic industrial legacy, now under UN-control, ahead of its being wiped from the face of the Earth. But when Lester develops a strong bond with a mysterious street-kid, steeped in Internet jargon and comic-book ideas, and when dark forces threaten the boy, Lester must - reluctantly, inevitably - take a heroic path, and the way he does this is both unexpected and utterly thrilling.

Exploring the machinations of power, the possibilities (good and ill) of technology and the real responsibilities and challenges of parenthood - this is intellectual entertainment of the highest order.

So. Just to recap. Wednesday, June 11 at 7pm (for a 7.15pm start to let you get some drinks in). Nick Harkaway. The Crown and Thistle. Father's Day shennanigans. A fabulous evening. Be there. Tell your friends. Tweet them. Reserve your tickets here. Thank you.