Young Adult Novel About a Girl in Martial Arts
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It'southward possible it all started, for me, with Kung Fu: The Legend Continues. I was x years old when it get-go aired, and my whole family would gather effectually the TV to watch the exploits of David Carradine. I was unaware of its many issues, but fortunately more authentic options followed as I started exploring wuxia and martial arts. I watched Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan, Jet Li and Michelle Yeoh and Yimou Zhang, and read wuxia books to round out my knowledge and understanding of the genre. Now, fully aware of the appropriation involved in the original, I was filled with glee when I saw this New York Times piece nearly the reboot, Kung Fu, which has an Asian American female lead, an Asian American female person showrunner, and a mostly Asian cast. The start episode only aired, and it was absolutely everything I wanted: astonishing activity sequences, complicated family feelings, and a possibly magic artifact that I cannot wait to larn more than about. So in honour of Kung Fu, permit'due south talk about several recent books featuring martial arts, each in their own unique way.
Cypher Sum Game by S.L. Huang — The Cas Russell Series
My intense love for S.L. Huang'due south Cas Russell series fabricated information technology my first thought. Huang herself is a stunt person and a mathematician (truly, her bio is fascinating), and her beloved for both fields shines through in these books. Our heroine Cas is a mercenary who uses math as a literal superpower, dodging bullets and hitting her opponents at the precise bending to cause maximum damage. She tries to use her powers for good, but things are inevitably more complicated than that. Then there's her past, which she tin't call back and doesn't want to, simply which is forcing its style into her life with extremely violent results. Cas's adventures in and around Los Angeles are page-turning, and I would exist remiss not to shout out the supporting characters who are as quirky a agglomeration of dysfunctional institute family unit every bit ane could hope for. Pick up Nil Sum Game, the first volume, and gird yourself for a wild ride.
The Poppy State of war past R.F. Kuang — The Poppy State of war Series
Speaking of series, R.F. Kuang's The Poppy State of war has to be included. While the trilogy'southward activeness sequences largely circumduct around military strategy, the first book has some amazing mitt-to-paw combat sequences. Rin is a poor war orphan who gets into an elite war machine training academy through sweat, claret, and tears, and her struggles unfortunately continue. Her fellow classmates are largely wealthy and privileged, but Rin'southward determination to succeed helps her cleave out a small infinite for herself. Her grooming sessions with the enigmatic and eccentric Jiang are a sterling instance of the trope, as are the sparring matches Rin obsessively watches to catalog techniques. It'southward also possibly 1 of the most morally straightforward parts of the serial; this is a grimdark fantasy, built-in and bred, as y'all'd expect from a premise that is inspired in part by the Sino-Japanese War. It wrecked my heart (specially that serial ending!), and so consider yourself warned.
Magnolia Sword by Sherry Thomas
On a lighter note is Sherry Thomas's Magnolia Sword, which is a retelling of the story of Mulan that is entirely Thomas's own, and I don't know why you're notwithstanding reading this post and not reading information technology already. But since you're here, this novel gave me everything I wanted from information technology and and then some. You lot've got a girl trained to the sword from nativity, our heroine going undercover, a pair of star-crossed lovers, and some of the most memorable action sequences I've read in years. At that place's a detail scene that involves walnut-throwing that volition live forever in my brain; information technology sounds ridiculous, but Only Y'all WAIT. And and so there are all the complicated family feelings it gives me, whew!
Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu
When I think virtually reboots and addressing the years of appropriation, fetishization, and erasure of the Asian community in Hollywood, it is impossible not to think of Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu. It won the National Book Laurels in 2020, and deservedly so; it's a triumph on then many levels. Written in screenplay format, the book is a satirical meta-narrative following a denizen of Chinatown, which is both a set for a procedural buddy-cop bear witness and a location where people are born, live, work, and die. There are limited roles for Asian Americans in Chinatown, nigh of them demeaning, and our hero Willis Wu aspires to the top of possible accomplishment: Kung Fu Guy. Yu writes action sequences beautifully and cinematically, perfectly matching the book's premise. He also complicates our agreement of the part of Kung Fu Guy, and calls out Hollywood'due south and America's many sins against the Asian American community. If you want both a fantastically engaging read and a dive into the complexities of anti-Asian racism in pop-culture, this is a must-read.
While I'll probably never be able to hurl a walnut difficult enough to take out a bad guy, learn the secrets of an ancient training regimen, or fight injustice with my deadly fists, I'll always be able to dream, thanks to creators like these. May we go on to get new martial arts stories, whether they right old wrongs, retell a beloved favorite, or shine new low-cal on the genre! I'll be here with the popcorn, ready to read and watch.
Source: https://bookriot.com/martial-arts-books/
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