Book Review: Black Steel by Steve Perry
The Matador Books all By Steve Perry
This is a series of books all interrelated in plot, setting, characters, and themes. They are in order of printing, The Man Who Never Missed, Matadora, The Machiavelli Interface, The 97th Step, The Albino Knife, Black Steel, Brother Death, and The Musashi Flex. They form an intense over reaching whole, telling the story of the rise and fall of a near dictatorship and the democracy that replaces it from the perspective of the trained killers that orchestrate the majority of the overthrow.
So Black Steel follows The Albino Knife, about one year after the end of that novel, and concerns its self with Sleel, the ultimately self-assured Matador from the first trilogy. This is the second stand alone novel set after the main series of novels, and in my opinion, it perhaps Steve Perry’s strongest novel written.
After the end of The Albino Knife, Sleel seems to have taken several small contracts, and at the start of Black Steel, he is contacted by Jersey Reason, the ex-thief us readers met in The Albino Knife. Seems Mr. Reason is being attacked by sword wielding types and wishes to employ Sleel in his capacity as a Matador, one of the preeminent bodyguards in the setting of these novels.
What follows on from this is the Journey of The Shaman, from life, to death, to rebirth, to a new life, embracing a new way of looking at the world and the greater view of creation, as well as encountering and taking on the aspect of his totem.
During this journey Sleel attempts to reconnect with his parents, major details about his life prior to the novels are revealed, showing depth to the character that never has come out in prior novels save in one or two snippets recognizable after the fact. He demonstrates a sense of caring and determination that is near suprahuman, much as all the Matadors do throughout the novels, and is gravely injured.
During his convalescence he comes into his second life, his rebirth, when he holds a sword in his hand for the first time. Here is where the novel takes off and heads into great territory. Up to this point Sleel has been almost a throwaway character, with very programmed and stereotypical reactions. Once his rebirth comes about he becomes much more than words on the page, but becomes an actual character that can be cared about, and that transformation brings empathy to the character and his plight and nascent love for the sister of Mayli Wu, a dead Matador from the first three novels. With a blade at his side, he calls in his extended Matador family to rescue his new love from an egotistical swordsman that kidnapped her for personal reasons.
The ending is pure Steve Perry Matador writing, fast paced, clipped, to the point and the good guys run all over the bad guys, just how it is supposed to be in these books.
This is perhaps the best novel Mr Perry has written to date. Of the Matador novels it is by far the best one in this reviewers opinion, mostly due to the evolution of the main character and while the outcome is never in doubt, still growth is achieved.
Notes on the series in general:
The rest of the novels expand a different character from the initial three novels. Pen is showcased in The 97th Step, Sleel in Black Steel, Bork in Brother Death, and the group as a whole in The Albino Knife. The different novels all flesh out the wonderful setting. The various planets are all rich in depth and the action is intense. Each plot item moves the metastory as a whole along.
This is one of the best Cyberpunk/Near Ribofunk series produced. The elements of Viral technology, information usage, computer interrelationships, and how technology impacts on the common folks all bring to life a galaxy oppressed struggling for a better life with no hope except that suddenly provided by Khadaji and his followers.
As a Science Fiction, Cyberpunk genre series it is highly recommended. These books are full of characters, fights, eastern beliefs, situations and a cohesive societal structure that is eminently plausible. While not the stylistically perfect novels, such as Dune by Frank Herbert or the Amber Novels by Roger Zelazny, the Matador Series books have the power to hold and draw the reader deeper into their world. Once there the reader will cheer their successes and mourn their losses.
The chronological order of the series is:
The Musashi Flex
The 97th Step
The Man Who Never Missed
Matadora
The Machiavelli Interface
The Albino Knife
Black Steel
Brother Death
The novel Omega Cage by Steve Perry and is set in the same universe and while not a part of the Matador series, it bears a relation to it. It falls as the second novel, preceding The 97th Step, in terms of the chronology. The book The Mushashi Flex showcases the origins of the fighting style Sumito as well as the Brotherhood of the Shroud.
Link:
Steve Perry’s Blogsite
http://themanwhonevermissed.blogspot.com/
Showing posts with label matador series. Show all posts
Showing posts with label matador series. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Book Review: The Albino Knife by Steve Perry
Book Review: The Albino Knife by Steve Perry
The Albino Knife continues the exploits of Emile Antoon Khadaji and the group he founded called The Matadors. Set about 5 years past the end of the Revolution he engineered to overthrow The Confederation Government, Khadaji comes face to face (literally) with his past.
A daughter that he never knew he had comes to him seeking assistance in locating her kidnapped mother, his only love in his life the Albino Exotic Juete. His daughters asks him for his aid in locating her, which he gives of course. His involvement helps to showcase a larger conspiracy that is going on behind the scenes as Khadaji and the inner group of Matadors all work together, around attacks on themselves and others close to them.
The novel is divided into three portions, call them extended chapters, with the intertwining plot elements moving together towards the conclusion.
This book is a straight on sequel in effect to the main trilogy
There are two ways to look at the novels and timelines. There is the what happened when, chronological, and when the books were written and published. This was the 5th book, I believe, written in the setting, while it falls in as the 7th in the chronology of the books I know about.
Having recently re-read Matadora and The Machievellie Interface and reviewing them here, The Albino Knife falls a little flat. It is the longest of Steve Perry's novels page count wise (The Omega Cage might come close would need to verify that) but it does not have the same depth for me as his other works.
The only character that gets developed in the course of the story is of course Veate, the daughter. Little is added to the other main characters besides getting older and slower. A few hints about Sleel are dropped (that will come out in his own standalone novel Black Steel on my list to re-read and review as well), while there are two good scenes with Dirish and Geneva, the set up for the Saval Bork / Veate matchup just feels dropped in.
The ending was so anticlimactic for myself. It could have ended 10 pages sooner, or added on another 15 pages, either way would have worked better for my own enjoyment.
However, as a novel to read, even with the flaws, it fits in so nicely with the overall scheme of the setting. I find the depiction of the technologies, the fighting styles (would like to know the genesis of New Nordic Footfighting though, just enough Tae Kwon Do training to find it interesting the two sentence description of it buried about page 115), and how the entire setting working together, showcases superb world building skills of Steve Perry.
This is one setting I would love to read a lot more about, or fanfic in, or just have adapted to a Role Playing Game and explore it on my own. This opinion has not changed nor wavered since I first read The Mane Who Never Missed almost 20 years now ago I believe.
Note:
Two stories from Steve Perry appear in the Harriers Anthologies, which deal with a military organization called Le Petite Harriers. While not connected to his Confed setting at all, Mr Perry does reuse some of his tech in the stories, which is a nice familiar touch. The Harriers anthologies are excellent Military SF as well.
On his site as of the writing of this review, is a teaser for an upcoming story or novel set in the same setting as The Albino Knife.
Links:
Steve Perry Website resides at
http://themanwhonevermissed.blogspot.com/
Covert art by Royo, image sourced at Amazon
The Albino Knife continues the exploits of Emile Antoon Khadaji and the group he founded called The Matadors. Set about 5 years past the end of the Revolution he engineered to overthrow The Confederation Government, Khadaji comes face to face (literally) with his past.
A daughter that he never knew he had comes to him seeking assistance in locating her kidnapped mother, his only love in his life the Albino Exotic Juete. His daughters asks him for his aid in locating her, which he gives of course. His involvement helps to showcase a larger conspiracy that is going on behind the scenes as Khadaji and the inner group of Matadors all work together, around attacks on themselves and others close to them.
The novel is divided into three portions, call them extended chapters, with the intertwining plot elements moving together towards the conclusion.
This book is a straight on sequel in effect to the main trilogy
There are two ways to look at the novels and timelines. There is the what happened when, chronological, and when the books were written and published. This was the 5th book, I believe, written in the setting, while it falls in as the 7th in the chronology of the books I know about.
Having recently re-read Matadora and The Machievellie Interface and reviewing them here, The Albino Knife falls a little flat. It is the longest of Steve Perry's novels page count wise (The Omega Cage might come close would need to verify that) but it does not have the same depth for me as his other works.
The only character that gets developed in the course of the story is of course Veate, the daughter. Little is added to the other main characters besides getting older and slower. A few hints about Sleel are dropped (that will come out in his own standalone novel Black Steel on my list to re-read and review as well), while there are two good scenes with Dirish and Geneva, the set up for the Saval Bork / Veate matchup just feels dropped in.
The ending was so anticlimactic for myself. It could have ended 10 pages sooner, or added on another 15 pages, either way would have worked better for my own enjoyment.
However, as a novel to read, even with the flaws, it fits in so nicely with the overall scheme of the setting. I find the depiction of the technologies, the fighting styles (would like to know the genesis of New Nordic Footfighting though, just enough Tae Kwon Do training to find it interesting the two sentence description of it buried about page 115), and how the entire setting working together, showcases superb world building skills of Steve Perry.
This is one setting I would love to read a lot more about, or fanfic in, or just have adapted to a Role Playing Game and explore it on my own. This opinion has not changed nor wavered since I first read The Mane Who Never Missed almost 20 years now ago I believe.
Note:
Two stories from Steve Perry appear in the Harriers Anthologies, which deal with a military organization called Le Petite Harriers. While not connected to his Confed setting at all, Mr Perry does reuse some of his tech in the stories, which is a nice familiar touch. The Harriers anthologies are excellent Military SF as well.
On his site as of the writing of this review, is a teaser for an upcoming story or novel set in the same setting as The Albino Knife.
Links:
Steve Perry Website resides at
http://themanwhonevermissed.blogspot.com/
Covert art by Royo, image sourced at Amazon
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