The Way of the Tiger, the Sign of the Dragon

by Howard Lee (Pseudonym), Barry N. Malzberg

Vintage TV tie-in paperback

Genres: Westerns, Tv

173 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1973

Reviews

[Glen · Rating 3 out of 5]

An adaptation of the pilot for the TV series. Cain is hired to build a railroad, and remembers how he came to be in such a place, ruminating on his time at the Shaolin Temple. Cain is a peaceable man, and we know what that means, just ask The Rifleman.

[Jim · Rating 3 out of 5]

While it was on from 1972 to 1975, Kung Fu was my favorite TV show. The series follows the adventures of the Shaolin monk named Kwai Chang Caine. He traveled through the West ( sometime in the 1870s), armed only with his spiritual training and his skill in martial arts.
This book is a novelization of the pilot episode in which Cain is hired to work on the railroad with other Chinese "coolies.". He witnesses the brutal exploitation of his fellow workers...
Interestingly, the novel is written by "Howard Lee," a pseudonym for science fiction author Barry Malzberg (1939-2024). I met him at a science fiction convention in Chicago, where he signed a couple of books for me. At the time, I did not know he was the author of Kung Fu books--or he could've signed this book for me!

[Kevin Findley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm digging into the books that have been on the shelves for awhile. This adaptation is from one of the first episodes (S1:E2 I think) and is a great read. Lee was able to really bring the feel of the episode to life as the written word. Not an easy task, as probably all Goodreads readers now. Even in combat, Caine is a calm breeze trying to show a better way to everyone, even those he is forced to harm or kill.

Well worth your time, money and effort!

Find it! Buy it! READ IT!

[Reese · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5
I’m literally Kwai Chang Caine

[Mikepottz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Caine a lone figure, blending into the desert, not fighting it, being one. He had journeyed from afar and now finds himself in a Chinese camp building a railway in the America Wild West. The Chinese were treated extremely poorly by the white workers. Caine's parents died when he was young and was trained by the Monks in a Shaolin temple. Caine with the markings of the tiger and dragon on his arms. Shaolin monks shall not injure, maim, or kill without extreme provocation. A man's life is written before his birth and Caine now fully trained, a lethal weapon, leaves the temple. Once wandering he will encounter his Master Po, a blind man who will be shot in the chest when embarking on a pilgrimage and Caine strikes out killing a member of the Imperial House. He is now hunted and he must leave China and use his skills to teach and live and fulfill his Masters life.

[Holly Stone · Rating 3 out of 5]

First time reading anything by Howard Lee I love KUNG FU the T.V. show. This book takes on Caine's journey from the Shaolin Temple in China to the frontiers of America in a railroad camp helping to build a line with many other Chinese coolies. The death of his most beloved Master Po by a member of the Imperial House sets Kwai Chang Caine on his life path after killing the murderer of Master Po Caine must leave China with a price on his head....this first book describes some of his early adventures in a young and new frontier America

[Adam Clark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this because it’s Malzberg, of course, and it’s very good, of course. If you can get past the Orientalism of the source material, there’s a very strong story about the exploitation of Chinese labourers.

[Paul SWITZER · Rating 4 out of 5]

A decent version of Caine's origins. By turns reasonably well-written and then really clunky.

[Meg Thomas · Rating 2 out of 5]

A quick read, and interesting more from a sociological perspective. Interesting to see the perceived Chinese situation from a non-Asian perspective. Lots of 'mysticism' here. Kind of a junky read.

[Read1000books · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book 1 of a series of 4, each taken from a first season episode of the 1970's tv series Kung Fu starring David Carridine. All four capture the "voices" and atmosphere of the series very well.

[Don Gubler · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as good as the TV show from which it was taken.