| Best Martial Arts science fiction I know of |
[Jan. 28th, 2006|06:34 pm] |
This is my list of the best martial arts science fiction.
I decided it was time to put it together in hopes that someone might be able
to recommend something I haven't read yet.
First, the criteria. I'm happy to read most scifi and most martial arts fiction but to go on this list it needs to be good at both. The best means that I can see the fights and they make sense. No fucking flying spin kicks against someone who's two feet away from you and attacking. That's bullshit. The scifi needs to be good an interesting too. :)
Before I mention any other book, I want to mention one that came out recently-
"The Musashi Flex" by Steve Perry ISBN:0441013619
If you have _any_ interest in martial arts or scifi, go buy this book. This is a prequel to the Matador series that I mention below and it's excellent. Read it then tell everyone you know who likes scifi to go read it too. My goal is to ensure enough copies are sold that he writes another one in the series.
Now the authors (not in any order)-
Steve Perry - Pretty much anything Steve Perry writes you can bank on being good martial arts scifi. He's a life-long martial artist and a great writer.
Steven Barnes - Steve Barnes has non-martial arts/scifi books but his MA/scifi is right up there with Perry's. He's also done a bunch of collaborative stuff that has good martial arts in it too.
Richard K. Morgan - Morgan gets a nod for his Takeshi Kovacs novels which have a very interesting take on how to deal with lots of people with amped reflexs, but all his books are good and have some martial arts that are worth reading though it's more as a sprinkling than as a main topic.
Daniel Keys Moran - Moran gets included just for creating Night Faces. And characters that just rock. Fair warning; if you really learn to love his books (as I did) he'll break your heart cause as far as we (his collective fans) can tell, he's got the entire series in his head and HE'S NEVER GOING TO FINISH WRITING IT. :(
Now the books. I'm not going to comment on them much except where there is a specific item that is distinct. These are all books I own and re-read or have on my "gotta buy a copy damnit" list. These are not in any order.
Warriors of Blood and Dream (Edited by Roger Zelazny) - This is a collection of short stories from bunches of good writers and almost all of them are really good.
These two don't focus on martial arts but what fighting they have is good.
Achilles Choice (Niven & Barnes) - Mostly judo but good overall plot and an interesting issue.
Saturn's Race (Niven & Barnes) - Mostly silat
Cybernetic Jungle (S.N.Lewitt) - only one I've found that uses capoeira (it's set in Brazil).
All by Steven Barnes:
Street Lethal
Gorgon Child
Firedance
(Those three ^^^^^ are a series and are must haves)
The Kundalini Equation - this is just a cool idea and one that I think any martial artist would find interesting. heh. so would anyone else.
Blood Brothers
All by Steve Perry: (in chronological order inside the series, as far as I can remember)
The Musashi Flex
The 97th Step
The Man Who Never Missed
Matadora
The Machiavelli Interface
(not sure about order after these, it's been a while since I read them. Need to buy new copies)
Albino Knife
Black Steel
Brother Death
all of the above are Matador stories and are definitely on the must have list
Daniel Keys Moran
Armageddon Blues - limited martial arts, mostly knives
Emerald Eyes - very little martial arts but necessary for appreciating the rest of the series. And excellent
The Long Run - ditto
The Last Dancer - excellent martial arts, uber cool and hot main character.
So. Who's got something they think is worth adding to the list? |
|
|
| Comments: |
Unfortunately, I have nothing to contribute. Nothing I've read has been even remotely cool/entertaining for the martial arts side of things.
I now have a ton of reading material to seek out and digest though. Thanks!
This is so awesome. I just finished the Pullman triology and am looking for something to read. I have a good friend with the handle Musashii. I'm such a nerd. Over and out.
What did you think the Pullman books? I read the first one (The Golden Compass) and enjoyed it reasonably but wasn't drawn to the series enough to pick up the next one.
I would suggest that you might really like Steve Barnes' work. Or maybe you'll hate it, but I don't think you'll find it neutral.
![[User Picture]](http://l-userpic.livejournal.com/67174443/4982123) | From: ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) johnboy_96
2006-02-06 07:23 am (UTC)
I'm still starting my cool book collection... | (Link)
|
So I've started slow and with Curious George in: Monkey Kung-Fu.
The man in the yellow hat doesn't know what hit him. ;p
WorldWired by Elizabeth Bear.
Don't know much about Martial Arts - but this book has a bit of political posturing, world conquest, space travel, and augmented working and fighting.
I found it to be great mind candy.
I'll have to find some of the others on your list at the library (and dig Steven Barnes out of the boxes of books still stored in the garage).
Thanks, Toby! | |
