Hello everyone. This review is from a different genre. I warned you in my last post and here it is. Heroes Die… Oh but first, please get past the cheesy cover, please. Trust me.
I found the recently released Caine: Black Knife at one of my beloved bookstores and was enthralled. Stover’s writing has a gritty edge to it that I like. It’s kind of like mine, but his is very male in perspective. For me, that’s actually a nice change. I’ve been reading tons from the female perspective.
Oh yeah, review.
Anyway, I picked up dude, liked it and of course it was the third book of our hero, Caine. That pissed me off. Nah, not really, it was an excuse to buy more books, but you know the first two in this story arc are out of print. They shouldn’t be and I’m willing to bet they will see a reprint.
So, I bought the first two books, Heroes Die and Blade of Thyshalle just so I could read Caine: Black Knife. I’ve never read anything else by Stover and purchasing Heroes Die wasn’t a feat. You can still get it for $7.99. Book two though….is a flippin $35.00 used and that’s a minimum price.
S’okay though. I have my needs and I met them. Admittedly, I was taking a chance because for all I knew, Stover just got good; he could have sucked ass years ago. To my delight, he doesn’t, err uh, didn’t. How’s that grammar go?
Heroes Die is set in an alternate universe. It’s a little sci-fi. It’s a little fantasy. It’s not paranormal in any other way than there’s magic involved. You and I know though, that magic in and of itself isn’t paranormal. Hmmm, I guess I’m trying to defend the genre here. I forgot I don’t need to. My blog. My rules. My god-damned Universe. So screw that and let’s get on with it.
Hari Michaelson is an Actor, not an "actor" as you and I know it, though. In this world, Actors are transported to another world and “act” out missions and so forth. The people at home get hooked up to these thingys and can feel and experience those Adventures first hand, if they’re lucky. Second-handers are more common since they cost less. Anywho, it’s way cool. Can you imagine feeling what Harrison Ford feels as he’s hopping through the jungle? His adrenaline’s spiking. He’s full of fear, full of confidence, full of…fuck, full of life.
Imagine that. Imagine you knowing what it feels like to snap the whip, take the hit, over come an opponent. Ever wonder what it’s like to kill a man? Hell, I’d like to ride in a man’s pants once, from the other side. What does that feel like?
The people in this world know. First-hand.
So there’s your little sci-fi. The fantasy is where they go. They go to Overworld or Ankhana as the inhabitants know it. That’s were all the action is. There’s thrones to be overthrown, emperors to be killed, thieves to be tricked, rivals to be thwarted.
Really it’s a great Sunday afternoon read.
Oh there’s a bit of love story here. You romancey types are gonna love that piece of the pie. You get the super alpha hero on top off all the other yummy stuff because while Hari/Caine is contracted to kill an Emperor and may be god, he really wants to save his wife from death. (Estranged wife.) She’s stuck there and if she can’t get back to their rightful world she goes splodey, in an utmost icky way.
The story is quite more complicated than all that, but I gave you enough to take a look-see right? You gotta read it. It’s gritty. It’s intelligent. It takes a little from ancient governing concepts, tosses it into an alternate future and wraps it all in a heated, action filled, fast pace, adventure that leaves you wanting more.
You’ll pay $35 for book two. Screw dinner for the kids. You’ll want the high.
© 2009
Stover’s blog: http://mattstover.blogspot.com/
Anyway, I picked up dude, liked it and of course it was the third book of our hero, Caine. That pissed me off. Nah, not really, it was an excuse to buy more books, but you know the first two in this story arc are out of print. They shouldn’t be and I’m willing to bet they will see a reprint.
So, I bought the first two books, Heroes Die and Blade of Thyshalle just so I could read Caine: Black Knife. I’ve never read anything else by Stover and purchasing Heroes Die wasn’t a feat. You can still get it for $7.99. Book two though….is a flippin $35.00 used and that’s a minimum price.
S’okay though. I have my needs and I met them. Admittedly, I was taking a chance because for all I knew, Stover just got good; he could have sucked ass years ago. To my delight, he doesn’t, err uh, didn’t. How’s that grammar go?
Heroes Die is set in an alternate universe. It’s a little sci-fi. It’s a little fantasy. It’s not paranormal in any other way than there’s magic involved. You and I know though, that magic in and of itself isn’t paranormal. Hmmm, I guess I’m trying to defend the genre here. I forgot I don’t need to. My blog. My rules. My god-damned Universe. So screw that and let’s get on with it.
Hari Michaelson is an Actor, not an "actor" as you and I know it, though. In this world, Actors are transported to another world and “act” out missions and so forth. The people at home get hooked up to these thingys and can feel and experience those Adventures first hand, if they’re lucky. Second-handers are more common since they cost less. Anywho, it’s way cool. Can you imagine feeling what Harrison Ford feels as he’s hopping through the jungle? His adrenaline’s spiking. He’s full of fear, full of confidence, full of…fuck, full of life.
Imagine that. Imagine you knowing what it feels like to snap the whip, take the hit, over come an opponent. Ever wonder what it’s like to kill a man? Hell, I’d like to ride in a man’s pants once, from the other side. What does that feel like?
The people in this world know. First-hand.
So there’s your little sci-fi. The fantasy is where they go. They go to Overworld or Ankhana as the inhabitants know it. That’s were all the action is. There’s thrones to be overthrown, emperors to be killed, thieves to be tricked, rivals to be thwarted.
Really it’s a great Sunday afternoon read.
Oh there’s a bit of love story here. You romancey types are gonna love that piece of the pie. You get the super alpha hero on top off all the other yummy stuff because while Hari/Caine is contracted to kill an Emperor and may be god, he really wants to save his wife from death. (Estranged wife.) She’s stuck there and if she can’t get back to their rightful world she goes splodey, in an utmost icky way.
The story is quite more complicated than all that, but I gave you enough to take a look-see right? You gotta read it. It’s gritty. It’s intelligent. It takes a little from ancient governing concepts, tosses it into an alternate future and wraps it all in a heated, action filled, fast pace, adventure that leaves you wanting more.
You’ll pay $35 for book two. Screw dinner for the kids. You’ll want the high.
© 2009
Stover’s blog: http://mattstover.blogspot.com/
P.S. Stover's site says Blade of Thyshalle is available in e-book format.
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