Caine Black Knife (Acts of Caine) (Paperback)

by MATTHEW STOVER (Author)
Key Phrases: fighting claws, vertical city, Black Knives, Matthew Stover, Black Knife (more...)

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


From the Trade Paperback edition. --This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Del Rey (October 14, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345455878
• ISBN-13: 978-0345455871
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #92,067 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

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

By	Nathan Blumenfeld "mastadge" (Wilmington, DE United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

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 CBK baby, CBK, November 9, 2008

By	Freddy "thevomitcomit" (detroit) - See all my reviews

This is the best fantasy series being produced now. The Caine stories have not deteriorated into utter nonsense (see Robert Jordan / Terry Goodkind) but advanced with philosophical nuances and bone splitting action scenes. It does get a little graphic at times, so it isn't for my 9 year old nephew. I just finished the 3rd book tonight and I think I might have to reread the series yet again because I'm already missing it.
This is a huge addition to fantasy genre. I can't wait for the next book.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Stover Strikes Again!, October 14, 2008

By	G. Elswick - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I'm a huge fan of Matt Stover. He's a great guy, and a brilliant person. Above all else, however, he is an unequalled author.

CBK is a bit different than his other works. It is a bit shorter, and stays in the first person pretty much the whole book.

As far as the content, I'm not really going to say much, other than it is a great story. It goes into the adventure that made Caine a superstar, and the past and present intermingle. Its fun seeing Caine at two different periods in his life.

Anyways, GET THIS BOOK!