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Caine Black Knife (2008)

by Matthew Woodring Stover(Favorite Author)

4.05 of 5 Votes: 5

ISBN

0345455878 (ISBN13: 9780345455871)

languge

English

genre

Fantasy

publisher

Del Rey Books

series

The Acts of Caine

review 1: So, the third book of Matthew Woodring Stover's series about Caine, a wandering mercenary who in reality is an actor from our world, whose adventures are followed by us, the adoring masses. Acts of Caine, get it? Clever. I first picked up 'Heroes Die' many many years ago, on recommendation by the lovely chaps at the Borderlands bookstore in San Francisco, on my first ever trip there. And absolutely loved it. It's brutal, funny, gripping and a pretty harsh book. But I loved it. Then a couple of years ago, I randomly searched for a sequel and found The Blade of Tyshalle, to my great delight. I did not enjoy that one as much as the first, but enough so that I was still pretty excited to hear that Caine Black Knife was coming out this hear. This is a very different book, howe... morever, and I found it a little abrupt; in fact when I reached the end it completely took me by surprise as I hadn't been expecting it. So, huh. The style is similar but it's mostly done in first person, which was a little difficult to follow (not very bright, me) but somehow it also lacked the special something I loved most about Heroes Die. Ah, well. Still worth reading.
review 2: This is the third book in The Overworld or Acts of Caine series. The writing remains good and the story enthralling and all my warning caveats remain in place. Come to this book understanding that the language, the situations, the graphic descriptions are all decidedly what might be called "R" rated.That being said I say again that these are well written and at times even thought provoking reads.I think that so far as pure storytelling, plotting, characterization and just plain quality goes the first is the best (at least so far). The second novel in the series ratcheted up the adult content just a bit. Here we change the story telling paradigm. With the story picking up from the point events "ended" for us in the last book the novel alternates between Caine's present and "excerpts" from the "master cut" of "Retreat from the Boedecken" which is the adventure in which Caine/Hari became a star. It's also the story of the "demise" of the Black Knives. The ripples of that"adventure" are reaching into the present. It mostly holds up with both stories holding the interest.An aside here, for me anyway will be understood by most anyone who's been in the service. Caine is in the habit of always, that is ALWAYS using the most vile language he can (the writer can) come up with. The thing about crudity, obscenity and blasphemy is that it sort of loses it's punch if it's someone's common mode of speaking (well, okay the blasphemy still makes me cringe). The fact that Caine uses crude words for bodily functions, bodily waste, unusual sex acts and so on has to an extent lost a lot of it's edge. It will still offend many readers of course so go into the book knowing it's there. Still after while it simply leaves most (I think) sighing a bit and thinking, "yeah yeah get on with it I understand your a bad, bad boy". Well, just a side thought.Anyway, good book, well written thought provoking, action filled and holds the interest. I plan to get the next. less

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