Heroes Die

This novel is set in a future were earth's resources are limited and world society has split into a rigid cast system based on the work you do, or what your parents do. Hari Michaelson is an actor and a world-wide superstar. In an alternative earth, known as the overworld, where magic works, he is also known as the assassin Caine where his "adventures" are eagerly watched by billions. When Hari's ex-wife, another actor, vanishes in the overworld Hari is drawn into saving her for what the studio on earth sees solely as another action-packed adventure, but for Hari it is much more importance than that. This is both a brutal and brilliant novel. You really shouldn't like Hari/Caine. He's not a nice man by most accounts. He swears all the time (lots of the "f" word in this book), he'll kill you as soon as look at you and is outstandingly ruthless. Despite all this, he is a compelling and complex character and this novel easily pulls you from chapter to chapter. Both the overworld and earth society have been given a great deal of thought in this novel, and both are equally richly detailed to provide a combination of Sci-Fi and fantasy in the one book. I hadn't expected this book to be so well written, based on the blurb on the back, and while I'm disgusted by some of the things Caine does, its also fascinating, a bit like watching a natural disaster on TV - and in effect that is what Caine is to the overworld as he keeps earth mesmerised as he navigates both the politics of home and the brutality of everyday life in the overworld.

I'd say the best thing about this book is its outstanding character development. The main characters, especially Hari/Cain and Berne, really draw the reader into the story. Their emotions are so clearly depicted that you quickly become immersed and can truly empathize with them, even the ones you hate. Speaking of which, the main villain, Count Berne, is developed with the same level of care and skill as Hari/Cain, so that you TRULY despise him. The other side of that coin is Ma'elKoth, whose character is so richly developed that he actually becomes a "sympathetic" villain by the end.One thing I dislike about many fantasy books is that I never get the sense that the characters are ever in any *true* danger... not so with this book! The characters often find themselves in very dangerous situations, and not just physical danger, which lends great tension to the novel. The plot twists are great, as are the fight scenes (Stover is an accomplished martial artist, and his descriptions are quite vivid and accurate). The book concludes with an incendiary climax and by far the most fulfilling ending I have ever read in a fantasy book. If you are looking specifically for a typical, cliched high-fantasy novel (of which I'm a fan by the way), this is not for you. For everyone else, I recommend that you get this book before it goes out of print!

I finished Heroes a week ago, and finished Blade an hour back. As a standalone story, Heroes Die is deceptively complex, working multiple levels of theme and characterization through the Earth/Overworld and Caine/Hari dualities. The action is described so lucidly, so lovingly, that reading either novel feels close to second-handing a Caine adventure. This is in many ways a classical epic. Caine makes a journey, but more mental than spatial. His underworld is a state of mind. The things he endures for love of his estranged wife could easily justify writing the story from a different perspective, in which Caine is a villain. Of course, Stover manages to include that perspective, especially in Blade. Regardless, his willingness to burn the world for one woman is hard not to understand. Stover's gift to readers is Caine's simple but shocking (for a novel's protagonist) perspective, looking in on society and impersonal humanity as the enemy.

Normally I'm not a big one for SF or fantasy. I was pleasently surprised when I got "Heroes Die" on a whim and as it turns out I loved it. I'm not sure I agree entirely with Stover's rather dismal view on our society's future, but it's possible. The characters of the story were very well written and surprisingly versitial. One of the aspects of the book I liked the most was the fact that people (both heros and villians) didn't do things just because they were good, evil etc. They had motives for their actions and weren't just radomly good or evil as the plot needed them to be. The settings and plot twists (there were many of those) were believable and entertaining. In my humble oppinion, this book was an all around good read. Can't wait for the sequal! Hint, hint, publishers.