Caine Hits Back

It's no secret that I'm a big fan of Matthew Stover's work. Maybe I have no right to call myself a fan, since I haven't even read his original flagship franchise called the Acts of Caine, which includes three books: Heroes Die, Blade of Tyshalle, and Caine Black Knife. I'm about halfway through Heroes Die, and I've just been tearing through that thing, man. Books over 400 pages intimidate me, since I'm the slowest reader I know. 400 pages is a week's worth of effort if all goes well. But I'll be damned if I haven't knocked off those first 200 pages in just a couple of days. I was a fool to procrastinate (but we'll see what happens when it comes time to buy the sequel. Sheesh).

If you haven't heard of the series, but are an avid reader of SF & Fantasy, don't fret; very few have. The publisher of the series, Del Rey, absolutely dropped the ball on what those who have read it think is one of the most creative series in the genre. It's gotten rave reviews from Scott Lynch, John Scalzi, Joseph Mallozzi, Michael Stackpole. People like it, but Del Rey promoted it worse than a third-rate Star Wars novel. This still doesn't sit well with fans of the series, especially its author. Just take a look at the cover for Heroes Die and see Del Rey at work here.

But, recently, a talented group of artists have gotten together in the hopes of properly resurrecting Caine from the bowels of obscurity. They hope to make a comic book series out of the world of Ankhana, and they've made a ton of progress toward making this thing a reality. Matthew Stover will be writing the scripts, with a motley crew of talented, emerging artists doing all they can to get this thing into print.

If you're a fan of Stover, have an interest in getting into the series, or are just feeling overly generous: stop by the official website, check out what they're up to, and donate to the cause if you can. Every little bit helps. I've donated what I can afford (which is very little) but the amount of people donating is what's important, not necessarily a monetary amount.

So here you go: www.overworld.tv

And, again, check out his books, Star Wars or otherwise, if you haven't already. You won't be disappointed. Believe it.