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V #7
The Alien Swordmaster
From Personal Private Collection. April 1985 First printing. Paperback. No creases or marks on spine. Cover shows wear, binding is good and tight, pages are clean and intact, Tiny shelve wear on cover. Bright colors and in good condition. No writing inside book.
185 pages, Paperback
First published April 1, 1985
3 people are currently reading
88 people want to read
About the author
S.P. Somtow
180 books156 followersCalled by the Bangkok Post "the Thai person known by name to most people in the world," S.P. Somtow is an author, composer, filmmaker, and international media personality whose dazzling talents and acerbic wit have entertained and enlightened fans the world over.
He was Somtow Papinian Sucharitkul in Bangkok. His grandfather's sister was a Queen of Siam, his father is a well known international lawyer and vice-president of the International Academy of Human Rights. Somtow was educated at Eton and Cambridge, and his first career was in music. In the 1970s (while he was still in college) his works were being performed on four continents and he was named representative of Thailand to the Asian Composer's League and to the International Music Commission of UNESCO. His avant-garde compositions caused controversy and scandal in his native country, and a severe case of musical burnout in the late 1970s precipitated his entry into a second career - that of author.
He began writing science fiction, but soon started to invade other fields of writing, with some 40 books out now, including the clasic horror novel Vampire Junction, which defined the "rock and roll vampire" concept for the 80s, the Riverrun Trilogy ("the finest new series of the 90's" - Locus) and the semi-autobiographical memoir Jasmine Nights. He has won or been nominated for dozens of major awards including the Bram Stoker Award, the John W. Campbell Award, the Hugo Award, and the World Fantasy Award.
Somtow has also made some incursions into filmmaking, directing the cult classic The Laughing Dead and the award winning art film Ill Met by Moonlight.
He was Somtow Papinian Sucharitkul in Bangkok. His grandfather's sister was a Queen of Siam, his father is a well known international lawyer and vice-president of the International Academy of Human Rights. Somtow was educated at Eton and Cambridge, and his first career was in music. In the 1970s (while he was still in college) his works were being performed on four continents and he was named representative of Thailand to the Asian Composer's League and to the International Music Commission of UNESCO. His avant-garde compositions caused controversy and scandal in his native country, and a severe case of musical burnout in the late 1970s precipitated his entry into a second career - that of author.
He began writing science fiction, but soon started to invade other fields of writing, with some 40 books out now, including the clasic horror novel Vampire Junction, which defined the "rock and roll vampire" concept for the 80s, the Riverrun Trilogy ("the finest new series of the 90's" - Locus) and the semi-autobiographical memoir Jasmine Nights. He has won or been nominated for dozens of major awards including the Bram Stoker Award, the John W. Campbell Award, the Hugo Award, and the World Fantasy Award.
Somtow has also made some incursions into filmmaking, directing the cult classic The Laughing Dead and the award winning art film Ill Met by Moonlight.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
March 15, 2019
Kinda disappointed. I can see why I dug this when I was 13 (Ninja Visitors!!). The plot is sort of interesting, but the actual writing is really weak. Oh well, still kinda fun and doesn’t harm my love for expanded universe Visitor stories.
June 9, 2010
Sadly, this book was far from great.
As a matter of fact, I have to say it was really awful. OK, it's a TV tie-in book and I didn't expect a lot, but this is an author I generally think is wonderful - esp. his High Inquest series - but this book was just bad on so many levels.
I didn't watch "V" religiously, but I did watch it occasionally & thought it was all right.
The book starts out a bit promisingly with some spicy implications of interspecies sex to come... but it pulls back from that way too quickly. I almost guessed that the editor wasn't having ANY of what the author wanted to do with the book, and then he just gave up and churned out whatever.
The basic plot device - that the aliens want to kidnap Martial Arts masters and have them train brainwashed armies - is really pretty dumb. I felt like some scenes were kinda lifted right from The Karate Kid. The Asian (and other) stereotypes were surprising. And the main character is really just a total jerk - there's no reason to even root for him.
There were a few funny 80's moments - when's the last time you heard of a 'sexy' woman described as wearing a sweatband, suspenders and purple 'parachute' pants? - but overall, this book was not worth reading.
Sad. Go read the author's other books; they're great! And he's awesome!
As a matter of fact, I have to say it was really awful. OK, it's a TV tie-in book and I didn't expect a lot, but this is an author I generally think is wonderful - esp. his High Inquest series - but this book was just bad on so many levels.
I didn't watch "V" religiously, but I did watch it occasionally & thought it was all right.
The book starts out a bit promisingly with some spicy implications of interspecies sex to come... but it pulls back from that way too quickly. I almost guessed that the editor wasn't having ANY of what the author wanted to do with the book, and then he just gave up and churned out whatever.
The basic plot device - that the aliens want to kidnap Martial Arts masters and have them train brainwashed armies - is really pretty dumb. I felt like some scenes were kinda lifted right from The Karate Kid. The Asian (and other) stereotypes were surprising. And the main character is really just a total jerk - there's no reason to even root for him.
There were a few funny 80's moments - when's the last time you heard of a 'sexy' woman described as wearing a sweatband, suspenders and purple 'parachute' pants? - but overall, this book was not worth reading.
Sad. Go read the author's other books; they're great! And he's awesome!
December 26, 2014
I enjoyed this book very much. Ninjas, Aliens, and Alien Ninjas what more could a guy ask for?
April 15, 2022
Not the best in this series but I do admire the attempt at an epic plot. Just a little too contrived.
September 5, 2010
This is one in the series of V. Many of the books explored what was going on in other parts of the world, and I just fell in love with this story that takes place in Japan. I think it was a well told tale set in the V universe.
January 2, 2009
Interesting premise about aliens in Japan and using human martial arts, but the ending is telegraphed way too far in advance.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews