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The Acts of Caine by Matt Woodring Stover


Larry.

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I wrote a rather long review with two long passages cited, so I'll just cut those here and give a few excerpts:
 

Matthew Stover in his first two The Acts of Caine novels, Heroes Die (1998) and Blade of Tyshalle (2001) created a brutal, violent, sadistic futuristic society in which a secular caste system controls life on Earth. Akin to the Roman gladiators, many lower-caste men and women found themselves agreeing to become Actors in a hyper-reality show in which they would be transported to an alternate dimension and their exploits (carefully edited, of course) would be beamed back to Earth. Each grunt, each slash of the knife would be felt in the homes of millions as if they were participating alongside the Actors. The most famous Actor, Caine (played by the formerly upcaste - before his father was demoted to Laborer caste for espousing dangerous ideas - Hari Michaelson), was the most famous Actor of them all, one whose blood-and-vomit filled adventures entranced millions and made him a star.

In the first two novels, Stover explores several thematic issues revolving around a Bread and Circuses-oriented totalitarian state, what "honor" means to someone who is smart but held down, how desire can create both opportunity and destruction, as well as exploring how religious/philosophical ideals evolve out of expediency. Caine's attitude, expressed in the passage quoted above, pervades virtually every single page of these three novels.

For Caine Black Knife, Stover had the difficult task of addressing the question of "Now that you've saved the world from outside imperial aggression, what do you do for an encore?" He chose a very complex story of atonement, showing Caine/Hari at the beginning of his Actor career making a name for himself by practically annihilating the fearsome Black Knife clan (and later being adopted by one of them, Orbek) despite the long odds depicted in the scene I quoted above, before then switching to the literary present, thirty years later. There Caine is not as brash or as eager to spit in the eye of Death; he has become worn down by age, injuries, and the knowledge that he is little more than a harbinger of destruction.

The "now" sections of the novel revolve around Caine's return to the Boedecken, the scene of his legend-creating adventures escaping the Black Knife clan. He is haunted by memories of the people he abandoned there, the hurt that the survivors told, although he also realizes that he did what he felt was necessary at the time to survive. Stover utilizes first-person accounts for both the "then" and "now" segments to construct a very complex composite character image. Caine's travails have altered him and while Stover does have Caine acknowledge this explicitly, more often this paradigm shift is shown in scenes such as this one, where a few snotty Artan/Earth rich kids have managed to get around the blocks on interdimensional travel and have appeared in simulated form:


...
 

Much of the character interaction follows this basic path - people who know of Caine, but who do not understand him, despite their beliefs that they do. People who idolize his violence (while often secretly being terrified of being in a similar situation) but who fail to understand that he doesn't take pride in his violent, sometimes "evil" ways; he has tried to move on and wishes others would accept that as well. But his past still haunts him and as the novel progresses, he is forced into a confrontation with a ghost from his past, one that haunts him as this volume concludes on a cliffhanger.

Compared to the first two Caine novels, Caine Black Knife is just as intelligently plotted and written. Caine's character, strong as it is, never verges toward sanctimoniousness nor caricature. He remains a complex, dynamic character whose development makes for a fascinating read. Stover's use of the "then" and "now" chapters serves to highlight this shift in Caine's personality, creating a narrative tension that drives this novel towards a strong cliffhanger ending. Caine Black Knife is one of the best character-driven fantasy/SF novels that I have read this year and now I resume my wait for the final Caine novel, My Father's Fist.


Anyone else who's read this novel want to comment? I ought to add here that although a reading of the first two Caine novels is helpful, the way Stover structured this tale allows for those who've never read a Caine novel to grasp virtually everything that is going on, as there are only minor allusions to events from those two novels.

 

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Good questions/answers, although I still think [url="http://www.wotmania.net/fantasymessageboardshowmessage.asp?MessageID=214350"]Stover copying Python[/url] would have made for a hilarious Q&A :P
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[quote name='Dylanfanatic' post='1559741' date='Oct 17 2008, 12.52']Good questions/answers, although I still think [url="http://www.wotmania.net/fantasymessageboardshowmessage.asp?MessageID=214350"]Stover copying Python[/url] would have made for a hilarious Q&A :P[/quote]

I think we can work something out.
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Cool, because there are some meaty questions that can be asked of him. I wonder if any of the forum regulars here might try to think of something to supplement what we'd ask him.
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I'm sure - so, Stover has indicated that he's receptive to a more in-depth interview than my typical, not-so-serious, five questions. Suggest a few questions and I'll consider sending them along.
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[quote name='Dylanfanatic' post='1559536' date='Oct 17 2008, 13.43']I ought to add here that although a reading of the first two Caine novels is helpful, the way Stover structured this tale allows for those who've never read a Caine novel to grasp virtually everything that is going on, as there are only minor allusions to events from those two novels.[/quote]

I'm glad you mentioned this as I've been wondering whether to start on this or hold off until I've found the other two books, I reckon I'll give it a go first...
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I knew of people who read [i]Blade of Tyshalle[/i] first and while that book referenced events from [i]Heroes Die[/i] much more than [i]Caine Black Knife[/i] references these two books, it too worked as a stand-alone tale. That being said, with half of the book being set before the events of [i]Heroes Die[/i] and the other half dealing with Caine/Hari returning to the scene of that particular event, it's hard to reference things from those two novels.

So yeah, that's the long way of saying knock yerself out :P
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I just finished this book and really enjoyed it despite not having read the first two. I think that I would have enjoyed the book even more however if I HAD read the others. Many events and items are mentioned in the story from (I assume) the previous books, and I think the book would have grabbed me even more if I had that backround information.

Still, the plot is understandable without that info, and Caine is a VERY interesting character. I am not sure if I love him or loathe him.

I am looking forward to finding Stover's earlier works in the series, and to the sequal for this book.
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I finished this over the weekend and it just further amazes me that Matt isn't more well-known and well-liked than he is. The book is much more focused on Caine than the previous ones and it shows off a lot more of Caine's personality and how he got to be who he is. Don't expect to walk away from the book feeling sympathy for Caine, or even feeling nicely towards him. He's still the same bastard he always was, but now you get to see how he got to be that way.

It's definitely not for the weak of heart or stomach, there's a slightly humorous warning at the beginning of the book about the scenes of violence and torture (and some lightly done sex) that is well-deserved. But if you can handle that, it's a brilliantly written book that should be considered as a highlight of the fantasy genre (along witht he previous 2 books).


[quote name='Astra' post='1561435' date='Oct 20 2008, 10.28']Is it a trilogy and Caine Black Knife is the last book in the series or there will be more?[/quote]
There's one more book in the works, "His Father's Fist", and he's mentioned that if he can get someone to pay him to write them he could do more in an "Acts of Faith" series.

[quote name='AprilFool']Still, the plot is understandable without that info, and Caine is a VERY interesting character. I am not sure if I love him or loathe him.[/quote]
Which is exactly how you should feel. :)

It's been commented on before that if you look at it objectively Richard Rahl and Cine have very similar outlooks on life. They both tend to have an attitude of "I am going to do as I see fit, and the hell with anyone who gets in my way." But where Richard definitely draws a "Love him or hate him" reaction, the reaction to Caine tends to be much more ambiguous.
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[quote name='Rakehell' post='1561484' date='Oct 20 2008, 16.08']There's one more book in the works, "His Father's Fist", and he's mentioned that if he can get someone to pay him to write them he could do more in an "Acts of Faith" series.[/quote]
OK. Then I am off the hook until he finishes the series :)
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I would not advise waiting for the series to be finished. For one, it took 6 years for this book to come out, and it's not that big a book. For two, he commented on SFFworld that he has not started [i]His Father's Fist [/i]and that he will first write books that pay the bills ( read: Star Wars). It is dubious if another Caine book will be written at all.
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[quote name='Calibandar' post='1562453' date='Oct 21 2008, 12.12']I would not advise waiting for the series to be finished. For one, it took 6 years for this book to come out, and it's not that big a book. For two, he commented on SFFworld that he has not started [i]His Father's Fist [/i]and that he will first write books that pay the bills ( read: Star Wars). It is dubious if another Caine book will be written at all.[/quote]

All the more reason not to waste my time on series that might never be finished :)
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[quote name='Astra' post='1562461' date='Oct 21 2008, 04.21']All the more reason not to waste my time on series that might never be finished :)[/quote]

since they all stand-alone, I recommend at least giving one a shot. IMO, you're missing out by not reading these.
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[quote name='kcf' post='1562572' date='Oct 21 2008, 08.43']since they all stand-alone, I recommend at least giving one a shot. IMO, you're missing out by not reading these.[/quote]

oh yeah you'd miss something that shouldn't be missed. As it's been underlined, all 3 books are stand-alone

Stover is talking about Caine on [url="http://whatever.scalzi.com/2008/10/14/tgbstover/"]Scalzi's blog[/url] and he's doing a pretty good job at it, you should feel the need to read those afterwards :)
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I'd never heard of this series until a few days ago, but I'm *really* interested by now. Unfortunately there seems to be no way to get the second book at a reasonable price anymore. A reprint seems unlikely, as far as I've learned from Stovers Blog, but BoT is at least going to be available as an e-book. Better than nothing, I guess, but I'd prefer a physical version by far...

Oh yeah, my first post, hi everybody! Nice board, cost me a lot of money already... :)
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[i]His Father's Fist[/i] is the final book on the current Caine contract. It's going to be released. And yeah, like others have said, this isn't your typical series of numbered installments. I remember reading a quote where Stover said he had no interest in writing the same book twice, and the Caine books certainly read that way. The three books play off of one another at times, but in such a way that you could get away with reading them in any order.

As far as the writing of [i]His Father's Fist[/i], I imagine that at worst Stover will work on it in between his "paying" projects, which at the moment consist of a Star Wars novel that should be wrapped up given its December release date, and an unnamed media tie-in in that Stover mentioned on theforce.net (after which he also mentioned a slight hold up on that front). It still might be a bit of a wait, but I have no problem waiting for quality. As long as I get to re-read [i]Blade of Tyshalle[/i] in the interim.
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