The Grand Tournament by Michael Lauck

 The Grand Tournament by Michael Lauck

Set in a fantasy world modeled off of China--with characteristics that remind me of both the Ming and Qing Dynasties, but probably just an amalgamation of several--the book tells the story of Hong Yue, a martial artist and employee of the Wang Yue Escort Company. When I say "escort," I'm referring to the service in which a bunch of martial artists and mercenaries would accompany people or shipments of goods from end of the empire to the other. Hong Yue has arrived in the capitol for the Grand Tournament, which he intends on participating in to restore the good name of the Wang Yue company. Accompanied by his aged confident, Li, and making friends with a number of people present--both in the contest and at the court, Hong Yue will have to prove himself the best over thousands of the land's greatest fighters. But there are some who would not let him win...

For anyone who grew up on films like Bloodsport; Master of the Flying Guillotine; Five Fingers of Death; and Enter the Dragon; The Grand Tournament is sure to quench your thirst for multiple martial arts showdowns featuring dozens of styles, weapons and techniques. Lauck tends to the fight scenes with a varying degree of detail, sometimes opting for a more generalized description of the move, and sometimes a more complex prose-based choreography. There are A LOT of fight scenes, so be prepared. This book is for genre fans.

Thankfully, when the characters aren't beating each other to a pulp, many of them are quite likable. The main entourage--Hong Yue, Li and a not-Greek fighter named Red Lion--are very charismatic and fun to spend time with. Joining them are a number of strong female characters: Granny Sui, the head maid; the Masked Beauty, owner of a rival escort service who knows about Hong Yue's past; and most importantly, Hummingbird, a beautiful young lady who works at the palace and harbors a secret or two. Reading the characters interact with each other was arguably more enjoyable than some of the fight scenes.

Author Michael Lauck describes this as a wuxia-influenced fantasy. While that is true, he does keep most of the action grounded and realistic, unlike much modern wuxia films. The story is also bereft of much of the cynicism about the so-called "Martial World" that can be seen in the books (and films inspired by) written by the likes of Gu Long and Jin Yong. It is actually very upbeat. Probably too much so, as there are critical fights in which I didn't think the characters were in much danger. Perhaps if Lauck decides to write a sequel (or sequels), he'll up the stakes on the later stories.