Caine Black Knife

Fantastic. The third Act of Caine contains two intertwining narratives: one replays the events from Retreat From the Boedecken, the Adventure that launched Caine's career 25 years ago and made him a star. The other plotline revolves around Caine returning to the Boedecken, three years after events from the previous book. There's a couple of mysteries rolling around, involving Caine's adopted brother Orbek, something called the Smoke Hunt, and a gate back to Earth. Unlike earlier volumes, this book is told entirely from Caine's perspective, which naturally means the language is even cruder than previous books -- or, perhaps, just as crude, but more concentrated. The other consequence of the limited POV is the fact that when Caine doesn't show more know what's going on, neither does the reader. This makes for some enjoyable segments of 'unreliable narration', but it also makes understanding the mystery plot more difficult -- especially considering the sometimes-unreliable narrator Caine doesn't always announce to the reader when he's made a connection toward solving the case. Having said all that, despite starting out a bit slowly, the book really picks up in the second half, and is altogether a fantastic addition to the Acts. What's really amazing is how seamlessly the additional backstory provided here fits into that given in the earlier books; one becomes convinced that this character and his history, and that of his two worlds, is real; that Stover figured all of this out years ago, is only slowly letting us peek in on the worlds he's created. One last comment, and that's that book is only part one of two. It doesn't really end on a cliffhanger, per se, but it is a definite To Be Continued moment... I can't wait to read the further Acts of Caine. show less

Harsh. Brutal. Unflinching. Matthew Stover’s Caine Black Knife is like getting zapped with a defibrillator when you aren’t arresting. A hell of a jolt that knocks the life out of you instead of back in you. Leaving you to wake up scarred and in a puddle of drool you can only hope is your own, the stench of burning hair wafting. Sizzling.

Other fantasy novels claim they’re brutal and gritty. But you might as well put a bow in their hair. They’re playacting. Badly. Like William Shatner trying to do The Sound of Music. If that’s brutality, then Caine Black Knife is the biggest, meanest boy on the block. That guy that had a mustache in elementary school who’d slap you silly for your lunch money while giving you the stink-eye. And show more pick his teeth with a shiv in class.

Stover’s novel doesn’t just live. It snarls and growls. Like its main character Caine, it’s a testament to all that’s antisocial, always taking its bad self to anywhere that’s not here. Because with Caine, where he’s at usually isn’t a good place to be. Bad things get worse. Worse things get downright rotten. Downright rotten things get…well, normal for him. He’s a negative ion attracting a positive amount of crap, a fecal matter magnet always knee-deep in some cesspool.

And he’s dropped more bodies than the Bubonic Plague. An assassin without peer.

Deadly. Calculating. An Interstellar Rock Star. He’s all of this, and more. But if you’d ask Caine, he’d just tell you he’s lucky.

Caine returns to the Boedecken, twenty-five years after a brutal battle there transformed him into a reality TV superstar. Older now, maybe wiser, he re-discovers the face of Hell. A Hell he changed into an oasis. Barren ground he turned fertile, irrigating it with the blood of the Black Knives.

The Black Knives. A name synonymous with terror. An ogrilloi clan known for their unparalleled brutality. For their inventive tortures. Better to do yourself than let a Black Knife catch you alive. Because then you’ll wish you were dead.

But there aren’t many Black Knives now. Caine made sure of that. He got genocidal on their ass, exterminating them to the brink of extinction. Twenty-five long years ago.

Then he got adopted by his brother Orbek, an ogrilloi. A Black Knife. Making Caine a part of the clan. Caine Black Knife.

Now Orbek is up to his tusks in trouble, imprisoned by the Knights of Khryl, a death sentence hanging over his head. So Caine must return to save his brother. Back to the Boedecken. A blast from the past.

Not many authors can write an immersive first person perspective like this. It’s phenomenal. Caine doesn’t just narrate, he lives. This isn’t reading, it’s rafting down the river of Caine’s consciousness. A dark, disturbing stream-of-conscious narration unapologetically filled with ugly thoughts. Caine’s a dick, as unlikeable a character as you’ll ever find. Dishonorable and a downright villain to some. Most writers would try to find something redeeming about him. Something that takes off the harsh, ugly edges. Something that says he’s not all bad. Maybe his secret love of puppies, or working the local soup kitchen on Sundays. Stover never succumbs, instead always embracing Caine’s dickheaded-ness. Glorifying it. Caine doesn’t care about being liked. Being liked only gets you killed. And being dead is butt.

And it’s this unflinching nature, this refusal to kneel and submit which makes Caine Black Knife so fascinating. Caine is an indomitable force of nature. The perfect storm. A tornado of terror that can’t be stopped. Can’t be appeased. Can’t be bargained with.

Chapters are split into a now-and-then format. Now following Caine’s quest to save his brother Orbek. Then focusing on Caine’s annihilation of the Black Knives. Both storylines are one sensational scene after another, a machine gun pacing burping out nonstop action. Rat-a-tat-tats serving as the soundtrack for Caine’s memorable sequences.

The storylines alternate by chapter, always ending on high notes. You finish each chapter, dying to know what happens next. So you turn the page, start a new chapter. Only to find the other plotline. Then rinse. Repeat. So it’s always one more page, one more chapter. Until you reach the back cover, dawn peeking over the horizon. Stover’s a master angler, always in control. He’ll hook you, string you along, and then gut you as you’re flopping around on the bank gasping for air. A stone-cold writer. Don’t even bother staring at him with pleading guppy eyes.

Last Word:
Books like Caine Black Knife don’t come around often. Loud, obnoxious and wanting to punch your face in. Brutal as a brain aneurysm, Matthew Stover’s ode to orneriness has one of the most disreputable main characters ever. And also one of the most thrilling. Riding around in Caine’s head feels so dirty. So voyeuristic. Like piggybacking on a coal black heart. It makes an impression.

It leaves its indelible mark. show less

I have nothing bad to say about this novel except that it is a scaled down and streamlined version of the previous two novels. Assume you're taking our favorite badass, Caine, and developing a subplot that was teased in the previous novel about the Black Knife Clans, where Caine was made a blood-brother to a bunch of orcs, and run with it.

We've got the backstory where he made enemies of them when he was just starting out as as an Actir making huge ratings and long after that, indeed, several years after the events of the previous novel, where he takes on yet another god while being hounded by another that *loves* him. *shudder*

It's quick and it's fun and it has everything we love while reading Caine, including a bit more of him from show more first person, of which we had a taste in the previous, but not a lot. That means we can get lied to. A lot. Which is fine, because we can always fall back on Caine's Laws to know exactly where he stands.

Some characters are so well known that they become a force of nature. That's where Caine stands for me, too. I know I'm not alone.

This novel is a straight character novel, so don't expect huge revelations and twists like in the previous two. The scale is much, much reduced, but that doesn't mean it isn't fun. It's more in the nature of a great action novel with a beloved character we all know well, doing what he does best.

Kick-ass.

The best part is, for all it's apparent normalcy in a fantasy field that is full of similar feels, it's *still* better than most. I could read this stuff forever. It's just that good. :) show less

A bit different to the earlier two books and maybe not quite as good. Certainly far more dark in tone and content with a baffling nothing has been resolved but tune in next time cliff hanger ending. I still like the series but I can't help but take away a star just for whatever publisher decision cut the book in two.

Caine is thrown into another plot, this time one that builds off a minor plot point from the second book. He finds himself in the middle of a mystery concerning Knights of Khyrl, the Black Knives orgillo clan, a strange Shadow Hunt, a city of slavery, and a hidden stone of power. And obviously since he's now been adopted into the Black Knives, there's nothing to do but to stick his nose and, of course, his fists into the fight.

Okay. First off, I just have to say that I'm always a little scared reading the next book of this series because the past two books could have been a stand alone or just a two-book series. They both end well, wrapping up everything in the book without leaving any cliffhangers. But I guess I'm pleasantly show more surprised, or at least mostly. This book does a good job of exploring more of Caine's past. We don't really quite see him grow or change anymore like the last two books, but we do get a peek into how Caine became an internationally famous Actor. It's quite interesting and Stover does very well alternating back and forth between the past and the present.

This book was a lot shorter than the other two books. However, maybe it's because it is part of a two-part series within this Caine series. So there is a bit of a cliffhanger at the end, be forewarned.

I think the main weakness Stover has in all of his books (because I've sort of written about this before) is that he can't seem to make his plots and plot resolutions clear. He write action and characters superbly, but the resolutions of his plots and the way these plots come to fruition just seem to lack clarity of exactly what happened. I think mostly it's because we can't trust Caine as a narrator as he doesn't always tell the reader when he's lying. It's a great technique for surprise and plot twists, but I think it happens a little too often without enough reveal of the true plot.

Also a random thing... it's a little weird, but sometimes I find myself comparing the world to Terry Pratchett's Discworld. Maybe because both worlds have a large city with "Ankh" in its name...

Three stars because I liked it. Not two and half because I did think it was interesting and it kept me intrigued. But this book isn't very memorable except for knowing Caine's past. The overall plot is actually rather dull (besides learning what happened in the aftermath of book 2). This book doesn't have enough impact - or as much impact as the other two. Still a good book, but only worth three stars.

Recommended for those who have read books 1 and 2 (obviously). It's good enough to keep reading, but don't expect as much as the first two. show less

Caine is thrown into another plot, this time one that builds off a minor plot point from the second book. He finds himself in the middle of a mystery concerning Knights of Khyrl, the Black Knives orgillo clan, a strange Shadow Hunt, a city of slavery, and a hidden stone of power. And obviously since he's now been adopted into the Black Knives, there's nothing to do but to stick his nose and, of course, his fists into the fight.

Okay. First off, I just have to say that I'm always a little scared reading the next book of this series because the past two books could have been a stand alone or just a two-book series. They both end well, wrapping up everything in the book without leaving any cliffhangers. But I guess I'm pleasantly show more surprised, or at least mostly. This book does a good job of exploring more of Caine's past. We don't really quite see him grow or change anymore like the last two books, but we do get a peek into how Caine became an internationally famous Actor. It's quite interesting and Stover does very well alternating back and forth between the past and the present.

This book was a lot shorter than the other two books. However, maybe it's because it is part of a two-part series within this Caine series. So there is a bit of a cliffhanger at the end, be forewarned.

I think the main weakness Stover has in all of his books (because I've sort of written about this before) is that he can't seem to make his plots and plot resolutions clear. He write action and characters superbly, but the resolutions of his plots and the way these plots come to fruition just seem to lack clarity of exactly what happened. I think mostly it's because we can't trust Caine as a narrator as he doesn't always tell the reader when he's lying. It's a great technique for surprise and plot twists, but I think it happens a little too often without enough reveal of the true plot.

Also a random thing... it's a little weird, but sometimes I find myself comparing the world to Terry Pratchett's Discworld. Maybe because both worlds have a large city with "Ankh" in its name...

Three stars because I liked it. Not two and half because I did think it was interesting and it kept me intrigued. But this book isn't very memorable except for knowing Caine's past. The overall plot is actually rather dull (besides learning what happened in the aftermath of book 2). This book doesn't have enough impact - or as much impact as the other two. Still a good book, but only worth three stars.

Recommended for those who have read books 1 and 2 (obviously). It's good enough to keep reading, but don't expect as much as the first two. show less

This is pretty great. It's a good first half of the final act of Caine.

The book still has the same hardcore noir/fantasy feel as the preceding two books. Start fast and keeps ratcheting up the stakes. Gives us a good glimpse into the story that started Caine's legendary career.