You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.01 AVERAGE
4.01 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
funny
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Dystopian sci-fi and dark high fantasy together at last
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
In Ankhana if you want to assassinate a king, topple a government, or dispose an emperor Caine is your man. In actuality Caine is Hari Micahelson an Actor (yes that should be capitalized) on caste society Earth engaging in off-world adventures for the entertainment of the masses. In this offering, Hari (aka Caine) is sent back to Ankhana when his wife and fellow Actor is kidnapped. This engaging novel switches seamlessly between Ankhana and Earth, Caine and Hari, and narrative styles. While there are some minor flaws with the plot, the uniqueness of the plot, entertaining writing, and fast moving plot more than cover those issues. Be aware that there is course language, sex, and violence in this novel – these elements were not simply added for shock value or as a throw away, they are incorporated in the story in a fashion that makes sense.
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Starts a bit slow but eventually I couldn't put it down. I can't give it a full five stars because it can be a bit cringe at times, but I'm honestly excited to read the next book.
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual violence, Violence
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This is one of my favorite books, but it's actually a book I would not recommend to very many people. It's very, very, violent, and it can be gruesome and graphic in its depiction of violence. Some of the violence is sexual in nature--particularly the main villain, Berne, talks about, fantasizes about, and perpetrates rape. There's a lot of offensive stuff, too, including strong language and slurs about gender and sexuality. Some of the above (although thankfully not the sexual violence) is engaged in by our protagonist. Basically, if you think that any of the above will upset you, stay far away from this book and others by this author.
All of that makes it sound like a big brainless gore-fest, but it's not. This novel deals heavily with the consequences of violence, told largely from the perspective of a violent and murderous protagonist, Caine. It's actually a well-thought-out adventure story with a decidedly philosophical bent.
The setting is pretty cool. It's set in two parallel universes--one is a standard "fantasy" setting in the Tolkien mold (but with a lot more grit and realism), and the other is a dystopian future Earth run by corporations, with a rigidly defined caste system. The corporations of Earth send "actors" to the fantasy setting, "Overworld", to risk their lives in interesting ways. Their adventures get broadcast back to the "studio" on Earth through a brain implant.
The protagonist is Hari Michaelson, who plays Earth's favorite character on Overworld, the brutal and murderous assassin Caine. The hook into the story is a somewhat familiar cliche--he wants to retire, but just when he thinks he's out, he gets pulled in for one last job. Essentially he has to rescue his estranged wife Shanna, another actor on Overworld whose link with Earth was severed mid-adventure while she was aiding the resistance against the cruel emperor Ma'elKoth. Now, the damsel in distress thing is definitely a strike against the book, but rest assured that things get more complicated than that. Shanna is a secondary character in this book but she has a rather interesting plot of her own.
The main draw of this book is that Hari/Caine, despite being a murderous asshole and not a very nice person, ends up making for a great underdog protagonist. It becomes increasingly clear as the story progresses that forces much larger than Hari are attempting to use him as a pawn, and the ways in which he copes with this prove very interesting and fun to read about.
It's a book with problems, but as skeptical as you might be at the outset, by the ends you'll be cheering for Caine with the rest of us.
All of that makes it sound like a big brainless gore-fest, but it's not. This novel deals heavily with the consequences of violence, told largely from the perspective of a violent and murderous protagonist, Caine. It's actually a well-thought-out adventure story with a decidedly philosophical bent.
The setting is pretty cool. It's set in two parallel universes--one is a standard "fantasy" setting in the Tolkien mold (but with a lot more grit and realism), and the other is a dystopian future Earth run by corporations, with a rigidly defined caste system. The corporations of Earth send "actors" to the fantasy setting, "Overworld", to risk their lives in interesting ways. Their adventures get broadcast back to the "studio" on Earth through a brain implant.
The protagonist is Hari Michaelson, who plays Earth's favorite character on Overworld, the brutal and murderous assassin Caine. The hook into the story is a somewhat familiar cliche--he wants to retire, but just when he thinks he's out, he gets pulled in for one last job. Essentially he has to rescue his estranged wife Shanna, another actor on Overworld whose link with Earth was severed mid-adventure while she was aiding the resistance against the cruel emperor Ma'elKoth. Now, the damsel in distress thing is definitely a strike against the book, but rest assured that things get more complicated than that. Shanna is a secondary character in this book but she has a rather interesting plot of her own.
The main draw of this book is that Hari/Caine, despite being a murderous asshole and not a very nice person, ends up making for a great underdog protagonist. It becomes increasingly clear as the story progresses that forces much larger than Hari are attempting to use him as a pawn, and the ways in which he copes with this prove very interesting and fun to read about.
It's a book with problems, but as skeptical as you might be at the outset, by the ends you'll be cheering for Caine with the rest of us.
Surprisingly good. Hopped online after finishing to buy the sequel...which is out of print and selling for like 100 bucks. Oh, well.