The NightDragon #5: The Black Viking by Scott Blasingame

The NightDragon #5: The Black Viking by Scott Blasingame

So, the NightDragon is back for his fifth book in author Scott Blasingame's first stand-alone adventure in the series. This time, he mixes up well-researched and cleverly-written Norse mythology with his usual detailed depictions of Asian martial arts for a fun fantasy.

The story follows Johnny Chen (the NightDragon's alter-ego) on his first date with policewoman Sonya Gunn. They head over to the museum to check out a new exhibit of Viking relics. Meanwhile, a mysterious woman named Tuva Faberborg shows up looking for a set of artifacts known as "The Jewels of Skadi". They bestow their wearer with magical powers, but unbeknownst to everyone else, there's a second set of magical relics hidden in the museum, too.

As expected, the story is overflowing with martial arts action. The nice part is that Blasingame actually researched different styles of combat hailing from Scandinavia for one of his characters, the titular Black Viking. That gives the fight scenes an extra pinch of pizazz. It's also neat to have the NightDragon testing his Chinese weapons techniques against someone adept in Western arms fighting (broad sword, battle axe, etc.). That brings to mind the opening sequence of Fearless and I love those cultural comparisons in fights.

Of course, no amount of fight scenes in a prose setting will suffice if the writing itself is lacking. Thankfully, Blasingame continues to fill his stories with likable characters and the rapport between them, especially Sonya and Johnny, really hold the story together. Johnny gets to show off his more playful side to Sonya, who is just the right match for him. Sonya's constant ribbing of her boss, Detective Bittem, is also a highlight. I appreciate the thought that went into the archaic declarations and oaths of the Black Viking, plus the poetry that Blasingame weaves into the spells and incantations as well.

Because this is a standalone adventure, there are some events that are brought up, but not expounded upon--one assumes they will be developed in a later novel (not unlike a comic book). I wish that Blasingame had had more time to spend with Lei and Tao, Johnny Chen's two confidants and helpers.  Lei does get a fight scene of his own, which is nice after the beating his took in Book #2. I hope that those two get more to do in the sixth book.

But if you're looking for a super-hero throwdown with a heavy dose magic and just all-out insanity, look no further than this book.