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Montaro Caine

Sidney Poitier

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Dec 11, 2020 Tony rated it did not like it

Shelves: novels, speculative-fiction

This book is... not good. When I had heard that Sidney Poitier had written a sci-fi book, I was excited to check it out. The jacket copy is enticing, dangling a baby born with a strange coin in its hand, a mysterious man on a remote island in the Bahamas, and an orphan with a mysterious gift. The book starts with a promising 1950s-set prologue, setting up some strange clues and foreshadowing. But when it moves to the present day and its titular protagonist, it loses momentum almost immediately.

M This book is... not good. When I had heard that Sidney Poitier had written a sci-fi book, I was excited to check it out. The jacket copy is enticing, dangling a baby born with a strange coin in its hand, a mysterious man on a remote island in the Bahamas, and an orphan with a mysterious gift. The book starts with a promising 1950s-set prologue, setting up some strange clues and foreshadowing. But when it moves to the present day and its titular protagonist, it loses momentum almost immediately.

Montaro Caine is the CEO of what appears to be a large multinational chemical company, and is in danger of losing control of it to rivals. However, 25 years ago, he was involved in analyzing a mysterious coin with properties unknown to mankind. A similar coin comes to his attention, and in it, he sees the possibility of rescuing the company. The remainder of the book is a convoluted attempt at an international supernatural thriller involving rich art collectors trying to get their hands on the two coins.

The writing ranges from workmanlike to wooden, lacking pacing or atmosphere, with everything lying flat on the surface. There are about 20-30 named characters (and oh boy, what names), none of whom are developed with any depth, and few of whom are actually necessary for the story. There's a convoluted and superfluous subplot about Caine's teenage daughter getting caught up in drugs and ne'er-do-well "townie" boyfriend, and plenty of other excess baggage.

Even so, it's relatively short, so rather than ditching it halfway through, as was my instinct, I read on to see what the big reveal about the supernatural coins would be. Rarely have I read a story with so much buildup that then fizzles so weakly. To be fair, if your idea of a rousing ending involves clunky speeches about global harmony, common humanity, children being the future, one love, and the value of trust, then this will hit the spot. Personally, I found it to be a totally mawkish and ridiculous flop of an climax. ...more

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Jan 10, 2013 Beverly marked it as to-read

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May 19, 2023 Curlysue marked it as to-read

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