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Soul Catcher
 

Soul Catcher

by Michael C. White

Augustus Cain faces a past he wants to forget, a present without prospect or fortune, and an uncertain future marred by the loss of his most prized possession: the horse that has been his working companion for years. He is also a man haunted by a terrible skill—the ability to track people who don't want to be found.

Rosetta is a runaway slave fueled by the passion and... (read more)

Top tags: historical fiction,  slavery,  race relations,  19th century,  adventure (all tags)

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Other Reviews

Amazon Reviews (5)
 

Most Helpful Reviews

Liked It

Jery O
  • Rated 4 stars

“Great read - this is one of the first novels I have read that tells the story of pre-Civil War South without falling into the stereotypes of the rich white plantation owner or the poor oppressed slave. The protagonist is a man who walked away from what could have been a comfortable life, for a taste of freedom that turned out to be a prison of its own. Cain escapes on the eve of his arranged marriage to fight in the war against Mexico and is left with scars both physical and psychological. He...”

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Didn’t Like It

Ma Titwonky
  • Rated 2 stars

“I was very disappointed in this book. It received good reviews, and I was under the impression it was historical fiction that took a closer look at the kinds of people who legally hunted down escaped slaves so they could be returned to their owners. Instead, this book is nothing more than a historical romance.

The first thing I noticed about the character of Cain (the Soul Catcher of the title) is that he was so inconsistent in his behavior. On the one hand he was this tough as...”

Ma Titwonky’s full review »
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Community:
  • Rated 3.6875 stars
Amazon:
  • Rated 4.5 stars
  

Newest Comments

  • Ma Titwonky

    ma titwonky said:

    “I was somewhat disappointed in this book. I expected a more realistic look at what slave catching was during the time in which it occurred. I expected more depth about the abomination of slavery. Michael White didn't deliver on either of these issues.

    What really irritated me about this book was the romance angle. Again, I expected more realism from the main character who from the beginning of this story never really achieves a consistent thought process leading to logical behavior. On the one hand, it's hard to accept that a man can be hard as nails inside while he takes a certain amount of pride in what he does for a living (he keeps telling us he's so good at it), but on the other hand, this guy turns to mush and his heart strings get yanked all over the place at the flutter of a slave's eyelids.

    And finally, I'm tired of reading about superhuman men who, in spite of the fact that they've sustained mortal injuries, somehow manage to pull themselves up by the bootstraps and either rush, hobble, or crawl in at the last minute to save the day.

    Soul Catcher received some good press from reviewers which was the reason I bought it. The South and its slave trading are an important part of US history; one that I'm fascinated by especially in these days of politicians pointing out the brilliance of Founding Fathers who also, by the way, owned slaves, sired children with them, and never for an instant wanted them freed. While this book does touch on the slavery issue, it is not the compelling story about the barbaric treatment of an entire race of people that I thought would have to be present in a story like this one.

    I'd recommend this book to people who like romance novels. But if you're looking for good historical fiction, look elsewhere.”

    posted Tuesday, April 1 2008
  • Brianne

    brianne said:

    “This book started off a bit appalling. I guess I wasn't expecting to see the blatant racism in the pages. I know it's fiction, but I am appalled to see how African Americans were treated. As a person of minority decent, I felt just a teeny tiny bit offended. I have not yet completed the book, (AND THE FOLLOWING IS MY PREDICTION AS TO THE END SO CAUTION, SPOILER COMING) but I also think it is inevitable and somewhat predictible that the main character will fall in love with his female slave. As a result, I will probably not be able to give this book the star rating it likely deserves. We'll see..... ”

    posted Friday, March 21 2008
  • krishna m

    krishna m said:

    “how to read this book free of cost”

    posted Tuesday, January 29 2008
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