Caine Black Knife: The Third of the Acts of Caine: Act of Atonement: Book One

By Matthew Woodring Stover

Book Overview

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.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0345455878
• ISBN13: 9780345455871
• Release Date: October 2008
• Publisher: Random House Worlds
• Length: 368 Pages
• Weight: 0.90 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 6.1" x 9.1"

Customer Reviews

Take a look into the adventure that made Caine a Superstar

Fills in a lot of previously mentioned past adventures and sets the stage for an epic conclusion

Caine's Back!

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?

CBK baby, CBK

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.

An Amazing Return of Caine

When I found there to be a third book by Stover following the story of Caine I counted the moments until this book was in my had. Having read the other two books and suggested it to every friend I had most of which now own their own copies. I finally picked it up and instantly was returned to the worlds that are Caine. Not only are we returned. But the story has a fresh new feel to it, a new adventure and not to mention just enough tie ins to make it so that if you hadn't read the other books no big deal. But if you had, it was full of even more surprises. Not only do we get to see how Caine Became a star and more of the people who were in his life before he was huge. But we also in the current get to see how those decisions have effected his current situations and thought processes. This book is nothing short of a miracle, and I highly anticipate the release "His Father's Fist"

Caine Strikes Again -- and Again!

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.

Stover Strikes Again!

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!