 | The Musashi Flex
Category: Fiction
Item Summary
The Musashi Flex tells the roots of the 97 Steps and of the Matador series of books. In the distant future, a competitor in an illegal, truly no-holds-barred underground fighting game (The Musashi Flex) is about to retire when he figures out how to evolve his fight. Meanwhile, an ambitious journalist is set on creating a documentary of the Flex, a billionaire pharmaceutical mogul creates a drug that gives him the edge he needs to win the Flex, and a Confederation intelligence operative is sent on a mission that exposes her to the Flex.
Good Points
Great book for a martial arts geek, combining a science fiction setting with realistic writing about martial arts and fighting. Perry has been studying Silat for a number of years, and has poured his real-life love of martial arts into this book, talking about fighting in a candid, realistic way that is rarely seen in novels (to the point where one might actually learn something about fighting by reading it), without distracting from the story. The story and writing style are very engaging, and you won't want to put the book down. As you get towards the end, you'll find yourself wishing there were another hundred pages just so you can keep reading.
The four main characters are all interesting, and you'll find yourself caring about all of them, even the villain (Shaw). All are built up pretty well.
Bad Points
This isn't "real" science fiction (i.e. hard science fiction based on actual science), but fairly standard-fare future-fantasy. Various sci-fi clichés are tossed into the story with no explanation, but an explanation is rarely needed because they are cliché. The story itself is also pretty formulaic and largely predictable. While incredibly entertaining, this book won't be winning any literary awards.
The revolutionary new way of moving is hardly revolutionary (in the intro, Perry says as much by saying that he discovered that his "97 Steps" existed already, and were embodied by Silat training), and the idea that a fighter this experienced, this good, and this well-traveled would not have figured it out earlier seems far-fetched. It works really well from a storytelling sense, though, and may be necessary to fit in with the other books in the series (which I haven't read), most of which were written before Perry's Silat training began.
General Comments
The book also contains what I felt were an excessive number of very explicit sex scenes. For some, I suppose this would be a good point, for others, a bad point. I'm not a prude by any means, but I felt this was a bigger focus than it needed to be.
If you're a martial artist who likes light, addictive reading and science fiction, this is a great read. Even martial artists who don't care for science fiction will enjoy this book. The sci-fi setting is just a backdrop, and plays a fairly minor role in the story. The various planets that this takes place on could just as easily be nations or cities or villages in a modern or historical setting, and virtually nothing else would have to change.
Recommended?
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