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Seven generations would pass before a descendant of the scattered remnant of the original colonists would be ready to face the power of the Mushin. But first he would have to learn to wield the weapon that is no weapon -- and that only where there is no Will, is there a Way..His name is Jerome. This is his story. He is the Way-Farer.
277 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published November 1, 1981
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About the author
Dennis Schmidt
96 books11 followersThere is more than one author with this name
From Wikipedia: Dennis Arthur Schmidt was an American science fiction and fantasy author publishing from 1978 to 1990. Common threads in his books are religion, discipline and mystical enemies.
See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dennis_S...
From Wikipedia: Dennis Arthur Schmidt was an American science fiction and fantasy author publishing from 1978 to 1990. Common threads in his books are religion, discipline and mystical enemies.
See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dennis_S...
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
October 25, 2025
Pilgrims from Earth escape their dying world to an Earth-like paradise, only to face an unforeseen danger beyond anything they could have prepared for. Fast-paced and infused with Zen philosophy and martial arts, this was a very enjoyable read. The first book wraps up neatly while setting the stage for the sequel, leaving plenty of mystery to keep me intrigued.
January 28, 2008
A wonderful blend of martial arts, Zen, and science fiction. First book of Schmidt's "Way-Farer" series. I originally read this series in the mid-to-late 80's and recently revisited the story. They are just as good today as they were back then.
March 24, 2024
Samurai Jesus vs Anxiety Cloud
January 28, 2024
Really a 3.5 stars out of 5.
This is an odd one. It was first published in 1981. There are elements of Foundation, in that someone with foresight sets things up in the beginning. It feels like a mystery, because clues are followed throughout to the conclusions at the end. It is sci-fi, since they travels in space ships to this planet, and it feels like a martial arts fantasy for most of the book. It feels like a Zen treatise or a book of Eastern philosophy, because there is a lot of discussion of mindfulness and The Way.
It starts off leaning hard into the trope of "Student looks for Master. Master humiliates student. Wax on. Wax off. Student demands lessons. Student gets lessons. Student doesn't like lessons. Student learns, and continues travels." That was probably the least interesting part of the book because it was so trite, but before and after that, Jerome's travels are interesting. The mystery really kicks in and you aren't sure where it is going to go. Jerome meets interesting people, particularly Chaka and the merchant, and situations where he has to use his wits. The ending was somewhat predictable, and the book is short. It naturally leads to the next book, and perhaps today all four books would have been released as one.
The chapters are pretty short, so the book propels you forward pretty quickly. The prose was direct, having a few really nice spots. My favorite paragraph in the whole book was the beginning of chapter VII:
"Once again the days followed the sun over the horizon like identical beads on a string. There was no sense in counting them, no logic to keeping track. To number each would have been to differentiate it from all others, to name this the Day the Tree Lizards Sang, and that the Day They Didn't, one the Day that Brought Rain, another the Day the Sun Shone. But it was useless, for even the differences repeated themselves, and even the similarities changed. It was a rhythm that needed nothing to complete or complement it."
Some may find the amount of philosophy off-putting in comparison to the action, a lot of which happens off-screen. I enjoyed it. I'm not going to pick up the sequel immediately, but I do plan to pick it up relatively soon.
A solid book.
This is an odd one. It was first published in 1981. There are elements of Foundation, in that someone with foresight sets things up in the beginning. It feels like a mystery, because clues are followed throughout to the conclusions at the end. It is sci-fi, since they travels in space ships to this planet, and it feels like a martial arts fantasy for most of the book. It feels like a Zen treatise or a book of Eastern philosophy, because there is a lot of discussion of mindfulness and The Way.
It starts off leaning hard into the trope of "Student looks for Master. Master humiliates student. Wax on. Wax off. Student demands lessons. Student gets lessons. Student doesn't like lessons. Student learns, and continues travels." That was probably the least interesting part of the book because it was so trite, but before and after that, Jerome's travels are interesting. The mystery really kicks in and you aren't sure where it is going to go. Jerome meets interesting people, particularly Chaka and the merchant, and situations where he has to use his wits. The ending was somewhat predictable, and the book is short. It naturally leads to the next book, and perhaps today all four books would have been released as one.
The chapters are pretty short, so the book propels you forward pretty quickly. The prose was direct, having a few really nice spots. My favorite paragraph in the whole book was the beginning of chapter VII:
"Once again the days followed the sun over the horizon like identical beads on a string. There was no sense in counting them, no logic to keeping track. To number each would have been to differentiate it from all others, to name this the Day the Tree Lizards Sang, and that the Day They Didn't, one the Day that Brought Rain, another the Day the Sun Shone. But it was useless, for even the differences repeated themselves, and even the similarities changed. It was a rhythm that needed nothing to complete or complement it."
Some may find the amount of philosophy off-putting in comparison to the action, a lot of which happens off-screen. I enjoyed it. I'm not going to pick up the sequel immediately, but I do plan to pick it up relatively soon.
A solid book.
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October 23, 2025Seven generations would pass before a descendant of the scattered remnant of the original colonists would be ready to face the power of the Mushin. But first he would have to learn to wield the weapon that is no weapon -- and that only where there is no Will, is there a Way..His name is Jerome. This is his story. He is the Way-Farer.
January 26, 2023
Very well written, describing a Zen life through an alien encounter.
May 27, 2025
Never read a book with so many spelling mistakes...
July 8, 2015
I'm torn with this one. Way-Farer has some really great ideas, but very poor execution. There are misspelled words, pacing issues and way! too! many! exclamation! points!! - but there is a certain charm to it. The story breaks down like this: Colonists from Earth travel to Kensho, a forested world perfect for human settlement...as it turns out, a little too perfect. Within minutes, the first would-be settlers rip each other to pieces in a violent rage. Flash forward a couple hundred years and we find the main character Jerome in a fight to save his people against the Mushin - the invisible creatures that plague humanity on Kensho.
Interesting right? Meh. Honestly, this plays out a lot like a budget version of Star Wars without the excitement, memorable characters or lasers. The author must be a big fan of Zen Buddhism because every chapter or two the book stops to drop a few Zen gems like "Each simply meant that one had to transcend the realm of the particular and the general, that one had to go beyond the ego-centered view of a Universe divided into permanent, meaning Subject-Object dichotomies."(273) The quote gives you an idea what to expect. Best case, you get a good idea of what Zen Buddism is and how it can help you defend yourself from mind-leeching aliens who feed of the negative emotions of humans, but too often just slows things down. Not to mention Jerome hops from one philosophical "Way" to another. From the Way of the Sword, to the Way of the Staff, to the Way of the Calm to the Way of the No Way...serious, it goes on like this for a while. It could have been cool but ultimately it felt tacked on. So, after all that why would I say it has its charm? Because it does. The action sequences are well thought out and the over-arching plot is interesting. I'd be curious to see how it turns out (there are three other books) but not for a while. In short, if you're up for some old school campy sci-fi with quasi-religious overtones...look no further. If you're looking for something compelling - I say "No Way".
Interesting right? Meh. Honestly, this plays out a lot like a budget version of Star Wars without the excitement, memorable characters or lasers. The author must be a big fan of Zen Buddhism because every chapter or two the book stops to drop a few Zen gems like "Each simply meant that one had to transcend the realm of the particular and the general, that one had to go beyond the ego-centered view of a Universe divided into permanent, meaning Subject-Object dichotomies."(273) The quote gives you an idea what to expect. Best case, you get a good idea of what Zen Buddism is and how it can help you defend yourself from mind-leeching aliens who feed of the negative emotions of humans, but too often just slows things down. Not to mention Jerome hops from one philosophical "Way" to another. From the Way of the Sword, to the Way of the Staff, to the Way of the Calm to the Way of the No Way...serious, it goes on like this for a while. It could have been cool but ultimately it felt tacked on. So, after all that why would I say it has its charm? Because it does. The action sequences are well thought out and the over-arching plot is interesting. I'd be curious to see how it turns out (there are three other books) but not for a while. In short, if you're up for some old school campy sci-fi with quasi-religious overtones...look no further. If you're looking for something compelling - I say "No Way".
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews