Cain

Rating:
Summary: Movie? I wanted to write the script, imagine Wesley Snipes.
Review: This would definitely make for excellent viewing, since the way it read was spectacular. Huggins keeps the reader in suspense throughout the entire text and takes you through this ELE [extinction level event] as though it were happening right this very moment. I am sure most of the books readers would agree that it is well written and quite enjoyable. Mr. Snipes would make and excellent and unconventional Solomon. With Harrison Ford as Father Marcelle ____ and Arnold as Cain......I'd love to see it.

Rating:
Summary: Terminator, Exorcist, and Die Hard all rolled into one!
Review: I am an avid reader. Usually read three books a week. Just ask my wife, we can't afford to buy as many books as I love to read. But out of all the books I've seen, if I had to choose one book to keep with me, and that was the only book I could ever read again, then I'd take Cain. I have read and reread Cain at least ten times, and I always tell people to go buy it, and read it. One of the greatest disappointments of the book has nothing to do with the writing. It is that there is a promised movie coming out, and was supposed to be out in 2001 with Schwartzenegger and Willis together playing the parts of Cain and Solomon respectively. Would have crushed anything in the theaters at the time. I want to see this movie! That is my only complaint. If you liked this one, read Hunter, it's almost better!

Rating:
Summary: More creature-feature mind candy
Review: Cain, one of several creature-feature-action-adventure novels by Huggins (also Leviathan, Hunter), is great if you love action films. I certainly enjoyed it. Plenty of action, nasty monster, superhuman good guy, all the standard clichés.
The problem, however, is the abundance of said clichés. With the exception of an interesting Jesuit priest, the story and characters are all run-of-the-mill stereotypes. All the action scenes are standard set pieces. The Biblical allusions are heavy-handed (the demonic Cain's previous incarnation was defeated by King David, Cain fights a character named Solomon, i.e. David's son). Character resolution is tied too neatly (Solomon loses his wife and daughter, then rescues a single mom and her daughter). Huggins overuses the same adjectives over and over again, like "volcanic" and "titanic." And apparently there are some inaccuracies in his use of biology and military facts, but see other reviews for more details. Still, entertaining, but check out "Leviathan" for a better monster and "Hunter" for a better book overall.

Rating:
Summary: cain
Review: cain..what a phenonenal book! once you pick it up you will find it hard too put dowm its one of those that you try and read too fast so you can see whats comming next.i cant stress how much i enjoyed cain. the book delves into religion slightly but only enought too exsplain the colossial battle that is being fourght between a man and a god...being a royal marine it is obvious too me that tatics used in the fights are obviously well researched.the battles are bloody and with out mercy which is to be exspected when you realise that cain is infact the dark angle,but cain is not what he once was and he fully intends too regain all of his cellestial might and only soloman and his partners stand in the way.
there is a love issue in the book altho it is only lightly touched on and helps us understand the phenominal determination and indonidable spirt that soloman shows when faced with the ultimate adversaity.the fight is as ever between good and evil and as the book eludes to it as a struggle that has gone on since the dawn off time.with our hero soloman basicaly a reincarnation of the warrior king david who onced was face too face with the evil lord and defeated him in our distant past....but he rises again in the form of cain.
cain was was constructed for want of a better word in a goverment project made too be the ultimate soildier,self releasing steriods,titanium armour intigrated into a already collosal body,a regainirating d.n.a system so he can heal at frightning rate and various othere bits and bobs....this is where u go ot-o but it is written in such a way that it becomes belivable.with mordern sciance alread playin with genetics ect the idea fits neatly into place.
when cain was modified he was no longer human what ever makes us so had long left his body leavin a empty vessal worthy of a god,through decite at the highest levels a deciple of his uses this body of destruction too enable his lord a physical body on earth,and so it begins.
soloman a man driven by pain of the past and love of the future is dictaded by fate to fight gods battle with the help of some of the worlds crack fighting teams,a preist,a nun and the love of a mother they might just stand a chance.....anyway a truly well thourght out book which will keep you turning pages faster than you should cain is a must....

Rating:
Summary: A Christian Frankenstein?
Review: 'Cain' is the book which established Huggins in mainstream fiction and was later developed into a movie. It follows the formula he began with novels like 'Leviathan', where scientific experimentation unleashes a super-human creature hell-bent on destroying the world. In this case, the scientific meddling has resulted in Cain, a virtually indestructible super-soldier with an unquenchable thirst for human blood. Cain is especially after the blood of Amy, a young girl whose blood he needs for an occultic ritual that will guarantee his complete supremacy. Like 'Leviathan', Cain's hunters are faced with an ultimatum ' they must kill the unkillable within ten days, or else he will destroy the world. Cain was the first murderer, and he threatens to be the last (p45). What to expect:

1. Action thriller. The novel starts with a bang, and rarely slows down. Huggins has a style that leaves your heart pounding, and you'll find yourself racing over words and through pages. The roller-coaster ride of action never lets up. Only one problem: expect the same scenery. The 'terrible roar' of Cain and the 'hate-filled rage' of his hunters rapidly wears thin after the umpteenth time. While the action is fast and furious, the battles become rather repetitive and tiresome, and are marked by episodes that defy credibility. Also be warned that the extent of blood and gore is unsuitable for children.

2. Apocalyptic themes. Unlike most thrillers, Huggins clearly works with deeper themes. There is a clear and cosmic conflict between good and evil, a picture of the conflict between God and Satan. Cain is no ordinary super-human, because his body has no human soul but is inhabited by Satan himself, who allies himself with various occultic associates. Over against Cain is the soldier Soloman, whom Huggins identifies in the line of king David, and representative of the God's kingdom. Both David and Soloman are shadows of the Lion of the tribe of Judah, Christ Himself. Because 'the Nazarene' (Christ) has already defeated Satan once, Cain/Satan is eager to exact vengeance. Huggins clearly intends the conflict against Cain to be a spiritual picture of the great struggle against Satanic evil (p.40,55). 'The present, if we are to survive at all, must mirror the oncoming final conflict between God and Satan.' (p114) The battle against Cain is ultimately a microcosm of the great and last battle between Christ and Satan, as Huggins reveals in the acknowledgements: 'I have done my best to capture what we cannot see ' the heart of an eternal war, if it be true, between the two most powerful beings in the cosmos.' In this war Soloman and the Catholic priest Marcelle are Messianic figures, Marcelle in Christ-like fashion sacrificing his own life for the sake of victory.

However, it is doubtful whether Huggins is successful in his depiction of spiritual war. The spiritual war that the Bible speaks of is a very real war involving true Christians, whereas Huggin's protagonists are far from that. Moreover, Huggins cheapens spiritual war, turning it into a techno-thriller combat movie with repeated bloody battles between thugs and goons. It is more like cheap Hollywood violence than a serious treatment of spiritual war. But the real war against Satan is not like Hollywood's entertaining blood and gore. Admittedly Huggins has developed as a writer since his earlier novels, and his characters are more developed. But this doesn't detract from his fatal flaw: this is more in the style of Hollywood than in the style of heaven and hell, more about Rambo than about religion.

Whatever religious meaning the novel does have to offer is further undermined by the stream of hate and curses unleashed by its heroes, the surprisingly frequent instances of blasphemy and unnecessary oaths, and the overdose of murderous hate. Consider these brief excerpts: 'Stumbling, he cursed savagely as he tripped backwards over a small golden couch. And Cain roared in laughter, horrific bestial fangs violently exploding from his jaws like prehistoric tusks. The hellish mirth made his face fiendish, fangs hurling back the light with an ultimate killing wrath.' (p.141) 'With a curse, Soloman leaped the hood of a car and went into the stairwell, expecting to be hit instantly. But he didn't give a damn because he was in a hot mode to kill anything that got in his way regardless of what happened to him in return.' (p.336) 'Heated, on fire with killing rage, Soloman slammed six fresh rounds into the shotgun, cursing as he racked it'' (p.357). It's not hard to see why Hollywood find it an attractive book to make into a movie. That fact alone should make sincere Christians suspicious. It's more about the glorification of violence as a form of entertainment than it is about a serious message. In fact, the focus on murderous rage violates the sixth commandment, and doesn't fit the Scriptural standard for what Christians should be thinking about (Phil. 4:8). Using apocalyptic themes doesn't justify joining Hollywood in violating the sixth commandment.

In the end, I felt that I was reading a formulaic script for a Hollywood Frankenstein movie, rather than a Christian thriller novel. That a serious spiritual message can be communicated to fans of violence is highly doubtful. They are too busy giving kudos to Hollywood's blood and gore to take home any truth about heaven and hell. As long as people identify the real Satan with a warped scientific Frankenstein, they remain blind to Satan's very real supernatural threat to today's world. Sorry James Byron Huggins, but this is the last of your books I'll be reading. Not recommended.

Rating:
Summary: entertaining but VERY sloppy
Review: The story was not original, but was a fairly well paced and entertaining piece of this "mind-candy" genre. And I have no qualms about mind candy. BUT, I hate sloppiness that comes from the author's lack of BASIC research, so I'm afraid I have to agree with Minneapolis and Des Moines. A "brigadier general" (that's just a one-star, Mr. Huggins) is NEVER the chairman of the Joint Chiefs. That position calls for a four-star FULL general. For someone who supposedly was in the military, this mistake is unimagineable. And the "Davidic" Age (?) of 5,000 year ago? Even conventional biblical scholarship places the reign of David in the early FIRST millm. BC. That's around 3,000 years ago. Huggins, (a claimed Christian?) has back-dated Dave to 1000 years before his distant ancestor, Abraham. And, for God's sake, Langley, VA, where the CIA is located; and Langley AFB near the Yorktown penninsula, are not only NOT the same place, they are nowhere near each other, or in "smelling" distance of the Chesapeake. As anyone who's even spent a tourist weekend in DC knows, the CIA is very close to the Pentagon. No need to "fly" there from DC. These are just silly, slovenly errors. And I didn't even catch most of the scientific skroo-ups that have been pointed out. Jeez, Mr. H. this is a bit embarrassing. One question-- In the beginning of the book, as I recall, it's stated that Cain is a bit over 6 feet or so, right? Why the later emphasis on what a huge, monstrous, giant of a form he presents? Am I recalling incorrectly?

Rating:
Summary: ALMOST AS GOOD AS "THE RECKONING"!!!
Review: This book will give you the creeps!! Satan inhabits the body of a dead soldier, and off he goes!! The suspense is beyond description, you have to read it to understand what I am saying. I think James Byron Huggins is one of the best mystery writers I have ever read. You will not be disappointed in this book. Be prepared to stay up all night reading, you won't be able to put it down!!

Rating:
Summary: That Darn Satan!
Review: Satan inhabits the body of a rejuvenated super-soldier experiment gone awry. Sound familiar? Sure it does...but darn...it was pretty fun to read. Huggins can sure create a great unkillable monster. (Read Hunter as well) These books should be made into movies for "guys who like movies." This one has it all: blood, gore, love, hate, guns, and a cute little girl. What more could you ask for?

Rating:
Summary: GREAT!
Review: Darn! This was a good book.I bought this bbok not because it looked good but because the day after I bought it a huricane was coming and I was going to be without electricity for a while.Thank God I bought it this is the best book I have read in a long time.The action is fast paced and naration is excelent.I heard that Bruce Willis bought the rights to the book.I hope he makes the movie because if someone can do solomon is him.I think Huggins wrote this with a screenplay in mind. Great action.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent! Exciting non-stop action, suspense.
Review: Loved it! This book will make a great action movie. Everything's well researched, very realistic with a touch of imagination where needed. Tactics/strategy, names and descriptions of actual military weapons, science, and religious lore -- James Byron Huggins has really done his homework!!! The author goes into detail to create a vivid scene, but not so much that it becomes boring. Kept me interested all the way through.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes a good action packed "hero conqueres the great evil in order to save the world" type of story.