Thread: Martial Arts

Though I've been on a sci-fi binge lately, I haven't forgotten my past love of the martial arts. I was curious if there was any written fiction that exercised martial arts as one of it's primary motifs. I feel rather ignorant in this regard, although there is alot of war-like fiction (probably in the fantasy genre), that I have easily missed.

I'm not limiting the criteria to an modernized "Karate Kid" era. Any genre can apply (except maybe Romance -- no offense, just too many feelings and emotion poured in the wrong dimension). I shant limit it to empty-handed combat either (but this is first choice). All eras are acceptable open for embrace minus pre-civilization.

I've tried to bring up martial arts as a secondary theme in some of my fictions. However, I'd like to see written word portray it the right way... I always finding myself chucking roundhouse punches in the dark.

one of the BEST martial-art esque books I've ever read is Chronicles of Tao by Deng-Ming Dao. It's about the life of Kwan SaiHung, a Taoist monk-turned gangster-turned boxer-turned scholar and is pretty incredible.

It's NOT a religious book, despite the title... nor is it realistic, or truely biographical, since it mystifies the subject well past the point of realism...but it is an amazing read.

Deng Ming Dao does a marvelous job blending mythical and mystical with biographical, making you wonder where the truth of the man is and where the legend is...or if the man even really exists (supposably kwan sai hung is still alive and kicking at 70 or 80 something years old and teaching martial arts in new england). For instance, he gets sent to live in a cave for a few years in pure isolation as part of his training where he happens to meet a bunch of Taoist immortals in the depths... one of them being a vampire, another being a demon.. it's crazy, and capitivating at the same time. lots of fighting too...

anyway, it's a good read.

Thanks! I shall look into that.

There is a series called Samurai Girl that is really good. Its about this girl who was adopted by this rich family and on the day of her arranged wedding someone attacks, apparently her family has "some" yakuza connections (The japanese mafia) so she runs off and goes to the only place she knows she can turn to-- a friend of her brother who is a martial arts instructer.

There are a lot of fighting scenes, martial arts obviously has a big role here. She learns the way of the samurai under the laws of bushido in order to protect herself from whoever it is that's after her. There's some romance in it but the series is really good.

Back in the 70's there was a whole genre of martial arts books, prompted by the then new superstar Bruce Lee and the Kung-Fu TV series. Marshall Macao wrote a whole swath of them. The series was called, if I remember rightly, Son of the Flying Tiger.

OK stuff if you like splintering bones.