Alexey Bezgodov, The Extreme Caro-Kann: Attacking Black with 3.f3 (New in Chess 2014). 271 pp., $28.95/€25.95.
On the surface the Caro-Kann looks like a very solid opening choice, but in fact it degenerates into mayhem in a surprisingly large number of lines. In some cases the play is deeply worked out and the adventures arise later, as in the Classical Caro-Kann (3.Nc3 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Bf5 etc.), while in others play gets sharp more quickly. The Fantasy Variation (1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.f3!?) is one such line, and is the subject of the book. (A note on terminology. I've always seen the line referred to as the "Fantasy" variation, but that label is never applied by Bezgodov, who instead dubs it the "Extreme" Caro-Kann. Perhaps neither moniker is very good, but I'll stick with the original poor label rather than endorsing and adopting Bezgodov's attempt to co-opt it with a new one.)
Unlike the book reviewed in the previous post, this one is friendlier to the club player. Model games are used and there are plenty of lengthy verbal explanations. This doesn't imply that the book is a frivolous "Winning With The ___" title; Bezgodov delves deeply when necessary and not every variation ends in an advantage for White.
At any rate, I'm not an expert on either side of this variation and this is not meant to be a full-fledged review, just a book notice. So I'll close by suggesting that aggressive players looking for something fresh and fighting against the Caro-Kann may find this book just what they wanted, while Caro-Kann aficianados may want this book for the purpose of self-defense.