I'll explain the elements of the story, then I'd like to hear your suggestions for a title. The setting is near future to middle future sci fi. So basically, you have range of energy weapons, although the're not common, ships but nothing like a Hyperdrive to an early hyperdrive, shields are non existant. The main character is a bounty hunter, former special forces trooper. He was a member of a unit of Phoenixes or pirate hunters, when the ship he was in was ambushed, boarded and then destroyed, he survived by boarding the pirate ship and stealing it. He is on a mission of revenge, taking contracts on pirate gangs, returning kidnappee's, destroying ships or just killing them. Current contract has him rescuing the children of a high ranking military officer. The story is a character based story, following the man as he returns two kidnapped children to their father which is a long voyage.
I've seen similar themed stories with the main character's name in the title. Is there anything specific your looking for?
Something to do with the name of the unit he was with really. Phoenix 'something' or something similar I guess. Perhaps Wanderer's 'something' as well. Editm if you're wondering what I am trying to get at I went classical, as in BC. There is a story of two Greek soldiers taking the long way home after a campaign. Basically they were so far inside enemy territory all of the drect paths were blocked so they turned around and marched the opposite way.
I would call it "Ash to Ash" as Phoenixes rise from ashes and if you add the rest (dust to dust), you have a funeral saying.
He's not very 'knightly' although Ashes to Ashes does work. Catcher in the Sky makes me think of Catcher in Rye, was that intentional Cogito? Actually, I was wrong with the tale, it's the Anabasis by Xenephon.
I've been a bit spoiled for "Catcher in the..." titles. (I read fanfiction from time to time, and a substantial amount of it is slash--i.e., homosexually-oriented fiction. "Catcher" has another meaning in the gay community, and a fair few fanfiction titles explore the punning possibilities there.)
Sigh - I remember a time when "gay" was an adjective that no one snickered at. Now "catcher" gets a nod and a wink? Language is being hijacked.
Hasn't it alwas ended up being hijacked to a degree? I believe the 'pitcher and catcher' reference faded from common useage a while back. Yes, I know some gay people, doesn't bother me either way. Well, I had to be sure, but I don't think a Rye reference is just quite what suits this tale.
I didn't think that one would really take, but I still had to throw it out there. A pun, or a turn on a phrase, I simply can't resist And no, I have no problems with gay people either. I just get a bit irked when perfectly good words can no longer be used because some group or other has given them meanings that completely overshadow their traditional definitions. Written works can persist for centuries. Slang often comes and goes within a few years or decades. But while slang that redefines common words is in effect, it twists the meaning of writing that was written long before, or at least twists the perceived meaning.
Sorry, didn't mean that you were homophobic or anything, just was saying I don't care either way Cogito. I believe that 'Sky Catcher' could work, although I would like something with a little more bite, the main bounty hunter is a rather vicious person, if you are an enemy. He's about as malignant as a melonoma.
Good man? For some reason that conflicts rather strongly with the character. Melonoma's are the worst from of skin cancer, and they can kill you rather quickly in the scheme of things as far as cancers go. I'm not having a go at anyone, especially not only2minaway, but I'll try to give you some info about the character at the end of the post. Cogito, hmm, plenty of good ideas, but Razing Hell? That's seem too mythological/fantasy. Wild fire, maybe, but that seems to have a rather destructive edge, after all doesn't fire destory all it touches? The main character, currently known as Hayabusa, is a vindictive vicious, sociopathic person. He is always armed, anything from knives to a modular rifle he can set up to an assault rifle or some type of marksman/sniper rifle. He is a military man who knows nothing but fighting, so he has a set of strong values, ie civilians are sacred, as are certain things and buildings. He will shoot you first, and not ask any questions if he feels you are enough of a threat. He is like a hair trigger, you don't need to do much to set it off, when the release trigger is pulled, but if you don't pull that release, he is just malignant, think of a cat, you don't know if it will try to claw your arm off, or welcome the attention and you would be getting close. This man is a weapon, he can kill you in so many ways I'm running out of ideas. I'm a martialist, I know how to kill people, after all that is the point of martial arts, to have the power, but the respect and ability to choose not to. Good is not exactly a word you could use to describe him. He's really started to turn black, if you want to go by the good old knight example.
That was what I had in mind when I came up with this crop of titles. Razing Hell (burning Hell to the ground) just seemed like a suitably destructive image, and Wild Fire was aimed at the same kind of runaway destruction. Ex Igneo (out of the fire) was focused more on the Phoenix aspect. Fire Serpent?
Out of Fire I like, which suits him, this is the part where he does calm down, you know what children can do to some people. I guess I went with a phoenix type of title due to the character's rebirth in the fires of combat.
