Black Samurai

Black Samurai, Book 1

De: Marc Olden

Narrado por: Midnite Michael

When terrorists butcher his sensei, a samurai takes vengeance in blood

On leave in Tokyo, American GI Robert Sand is shot trying to protect an old man from a quartet of drunk American soldiers. As Sand passes out, the old man springs on his tormenters, beating them senseless with frail, wrinkled fists. He is Master Konuma, keeper of the ancient secrets of the samurai, and Sand is about to become his newest pupil. Over the next seven years, the American learns martial arts, swordplay, and stealth, becoming not just the first black man to ever take the oath of the samurai, but the strongest fighter Konuma has ever trained.

One night, two dozen terrorists ambush the dojo, slaughtering Konuma and his students as the first step in a terrifying assault on world peace. Though he cannot save his sensei, Sand escapes with his life and a gnawing hunger for vengeance. All he has is his sword, but his sword is all he needs.

©1974 Marc Olden (P)2022 Tantor

I Get It! He's.... the BLACK SAMURAI

OMG, if i have to hear/read/think those words together ever again, it'll be too soon. This book burned any thought of reading up on Yasuke out of my wishlist. This book is the definition of the "white savior trope" but flipped to a black character. Being asian, i dont really care one way or the other that the lead is stronger, faster, and almost magically better at everything naturally despite not having trained for years. My first REAL gripe is the use of the characterization "The black samurai did X" and ".... said the black samurai" and "The black samurai considered his dinner plans..." Every 3rd or 4th description of the character (who was actually properly named in the story, its not like that aspect was a mystery) was calling him "the black samurai". In a book 7+ hours long, i heard "the black samurai" spoken a thousand times more than how many times i've used it in this review. It pains me to say that in & of itself threw me off a lot. Next, i dont mind the white/black savior learning the foreign kills from foreign masters and whatnot. Looking the author up, he studied karate before writing the novel. I DO mind the fact, everyone and their brother also practiced karate. The dojo in NYC of black (non) samurais, sure.... but the korean assassins? The IRA bombers? The French mercenaries? It definitely brought me back to the eighties, with the post-karate-kid CRAZE of everyone doing karate.

Ok. Enough nitpicking. Here's the review. The plot was over the top, the characters were laughably exaggerated (either SO GOOD or SO EVIL), and if i ever come across the Jim Kelly movie made of this novel, i'm fast forwarding through everything just to watch Kelly fight. The bits that were good were not worth the constant repetition of "the black samurai" (i effing get it, he's black and a samurai! you couldn't call him "the man who stood two heads taller than the crowd around him"?) the the anachronistic approach to international martial arts, the suddenly, inexplicably good at everything.... there isn't a tolkein's worth of good to get me to look past the bad. Also, the narrator has a great voice but is not terribly good at distinguishing characters. He'd be amazing in an ensemble cast, not a solo narrator