''Caine Black Knife'' is a

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

science fantasy Science fantasy is a hybrid genre within speculative fiction that simultaneously draws upon or combines tropes and elements from both science fiction and fantasy. In a conventional science fiction story, the world is presented as being scientif ...

novel by American writer

Matthew Stover Matthew Woodring Stover (born 1962) is an American fantasy and science fiction novelist. He is most well known for his four ''Star Wars'' novels, including the novelization of '' Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith''. He has also writ ...

. It is labeled as the third of the ''Acts of Caine'', and is act one of the ''Atonement'' story arc. It is published by the Ballantine Books division of Del Rey. This is the third book in "The Acts of Caine" series, following '' Heroes Die'' and '' Blade of Tyshalle''.

Setting

The story takes place on a futuristic Earth, and the parallel dimension world called Overworld. The futuristic Earth is a strictly caste-based society, the reason of which is explained in '' Blade of Tyshalle''. After the discovery of Overworld, Actors are sent there to entertain Earth's population, by "putting their lives in danger in interesting ways". Overworld is a fantasy world, featuring an array of Tolkien-inspired races, such as primals/feys (elves), stonebenders (dwarves), ogrilloi (orcs), ogres, and trolls.

Summary

The novel is split between the adventure that made Caine a star (''Retreat from the Boedecken'') and events in the present day. Both events take place in the same area, and both involve the Ogrillo Black Knife clan who roam the Boedecken Wastes. A twenty-five-year gap separates the two timelines. The arc was completed in

Caine's Law Matthew Woodring Stover (born 1962) is an American fantasy and science fiction novelist. He is most well known for his four ''Star Wars'' novels, including the novelization of '' Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith''. He has also writ ...

(earlier working title: "His Father's Fist"), released April 2012.

Reception

Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of B ...

'' gave the novel a somewhat mixed review saying, "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."

References

External links

mwstover.com
American fantasy novels 2008 science fiction novels 2008 American novels Del Rey books Dystopian novels Science fantasy novels {{2000s-fantasy-novel-stub