Caine Black Knife (Acts of Caine) [Paperback]

MATTHEW STOVER (Author)

Book Description

Series: Acts of Caine | Publication Date: October 14, 2008

In Heroes Die and Blade of Tyshalle, Matthew Stover created a new kind of fantasy novel, and a new kind of hero to go with it: Caine, a street thug turned superstar, battling in a future where reality shows take place in another dimension, on a world where magic exists and gods are up close and personal. In that beautiful, savage land, Caine is an assassin without peer, a living legend born from one of the highest-rated reality shows ever made. That season, Caine almost single-handedly defeated–and all but exterminated–the fiercest of all tribes: the Black Knives. But the shocking truth of what really took place during that blood-drenched adventure has never been revealed . . . until now.

Thirty years later, Caine returns to the scene of his greatest triumph–some would say greatest crime–at the request of his adopted brother Orbek, the last of the true Black Knives. But where Caine goes, danger follows, and he soon finds himself back in familiar territory: fighting for his life against impossible odds, with the fate of two worlds hanging in the balance.

Just the way Caine likes it.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Stover's third Caine novel (after 2001's Blade of Tyshalle) mixes a twisty plot with intense violence and a strong narrative voice. Caine—an otherworld warrior played by professional actor Hari Michaelson in a far-future reality show beamed home to entertain fans on Earth—returns to the Boedecken, the site of the battle that made his career. As he makes his way through the city, encountering spies, warrior-priests and assassins, he also wades through memories of the fight. The political machinations of the present-day story tend to detract from the tight, well-choreographed flashbacks. Stover has a gift for brutal, detailed action sequences, and Caine is at his most enthralling when he's fighting or discussing tactics, but the high levels of (occasionally creative) profanity and the cliffhanger ending may put off some readers. (Oct.)
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Review

“Stover has conjured up a future out of the darkest dreams of Philip K. Dick. . . . The wildest sword and sorcery adventuring since Robert E. Howard’s mighty Cimmerian laid down his sword.”
–Christopher Rowley, author of the Bazil Broketail series, on Heroes Die

“Blends science, magic, and martial arts into an action-packed tale of adventure and heroism.”
–Library Journal, on Blade of Tyshalle

“Marvelous . . . Day of the Jackal meets Lord of the Rings.”
–Simon R. Green, author of The Unnatural Inquirer, on Heroes Die

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Del Rey (October 14, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345455878
• ISBN-13: 978-0345455871
• Product Dimensions: 6.1 x 0.8 x 9.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #509,153 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Caine Strikes Again -- and Again!, October 15, 2008

By 

Nathan (Wilmington, DE United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Caine Black Knife (Acts of Caine) (Paperback)

Caine Black Knife is the third book in Matthew Stover's exceptional Acts of Caine series, following Heroes Die and Blade of Tyshalle. The premise of the series is that a couple hundred years in the future, earth's primary entertainment is the ultimate in reality programming: people live and experience the exploits of "actors" who are transferred to another dimension that is, essentially, your standard fantasy world. Caine was an immensely popular actor, smart and violent; the first two books dealt with one of his Adventures and its fallout on both worlds.

Caine Black Knife picks up several years later, and treats us to two intertwined stories: Now, Caine is older, maybe a bit wiser, maybe a bit more mellow, but no less intelligent and no less dangerous. As he ends up involved in danger and intrigues in new settings, we flash back to the Adventure that made him a star: we see a younger, more narcissistic, self-absorbed and violent Caine making a name for himself, setting the stage for events to come. Caine runs into some characters we've met before and plenty of new ones, comes up against new threats from two worlds and makes a few new friends along the way. It's fascinating to see this character at two very different stages of his life, unmistakably himself in each, yet incredibly different in outlook, in the choices he makes.

Matthew Stover is a great writer of intelligent, exciting fiction that refuses to be confined to a single genre, stories that engage your imagination and make you think even as they provide nearly non-stop action, and make no mistake: Stover's action sequences are nonpareil, brutal and detailed without losing coherence or energy. Every book in this series is fresh and new; Stover never settles for offering just more of the same, and Caine Black Knife stands proudly by its predecessors as a great novel and part of one of the finest sff series on shelves today.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Caine's Back!, November 23, 2008

By 

Kory R. Miron - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Caine Black Knife (Acts of Caine) (Paperback)

In Caine Black Knife, Caine's thrown back into the festering mess that is the conflict between his homeworld, Earth, and the mythic-like Overworld. At the same time, we are given snips of the adventure that made him a super-star "Retreat from the Boedeken." The contrast between the young and old versions of Caine are remarkably noticable, and at the same time, they are obviously the same man. It really provides a nice effect.
I'm a longtime fan of Mr. Stover's work, and in all honesty, have absurdly high expectations for the quality of his books. Caine Black Knife meets my expectations 100%. My only question, now is, when's the next one coming out?

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Violent and Profound, October 27, 2008

By 

Scott Masterton (Blaine, MN USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Caine Black Knife (Acts of Caine) (Paperback)

Matthew Stover's third book in the "Acts of Caine" series is a good one. Stover does an impressive job of aging Caine and demonstrating the difference in perspective between the character at 25 and the character now in his middle fifties.

Hari/Caine is in Overworld to aid his Ogrillo blood brother (sort of a cross between a gorilla and an Ogre)Orbek. Orbek has been imprisoned and is sentenced to death for defying his "betters" and Caine feels it is his duty to save the life of the young Ogrillo as a younger Caine was responsible for the downfall of the Ogrilloi and the Black Knife clan in particular. There are really two stories going on here: one in "real" time and the other in the form of a recording of "Escape from the Boedecken" (mentioned in "Heroes Die" but never fully explained); this is the adventure that made a young Hari Michaelson (Caine) a star and also the Genesis of the current problems that a mature Hari must now try to fix.

The Caine novels are heavy with extreme violence and gore and liberally peppered with (ahem) very "adult" language. But the novels are also heavy with insightful social commentary on the nature of government, freedom and caste. This is thinking persons Fantasy/science fiction and there is no way to read these books without asking questions about the state of our own freedoms and the world around us. Stover's fiction is eye opening, but it's also great entertainment. The end of "Caine Black Knife" leaves us with a promise of more Caine to come. I hope that it's true.

Buy this one and read it.