Jian - Eric Van Lustbader

I don't even know where to start with this. I read an Eric Van Lustbader back in Jr High, maybe High School and at that time it was perfect. I believe it was a book named The Ninja. I was living in Japan at the time and so I read it and really enjoyed it. Do I remember the story at all? Nope. What I do recall is that it was about a man who was a ninja, and interspersed with the story and fighting were some very steamy erotic scenes. At that age, it was heaven.

Recently I saw Jian for free and grabbed it - hoping to rediscover what joy Lustbader may have given me in the past. And yep, it was still there. Multiple story lines all converging (like a Dan Brown novel), one lead character who comes out somewhat broken but victorious, and randomly throughout - steamy erotic scenes. Now that I am older and very queer, they didn't do much for me as they did a horny Jr High kid figuring things out, but the book was still a good read. Though Jian is the first of a series, taking place in China, Hong Kong, Japan, and the US, I felt it was a good complete novel on its own. I vaguely remember feeling the same way about Ninja. It told a good story, was well written, and I could take the sequels, or leave them. What I will say for sure is that if you are a fan of Dan Brown, as well as martial arts, you may want to give Lustbader a try. From what I can see, most of his books take place in Asia and have lead characters who are Asian, or mixed. And they are exciting plots and keep the action going.