Just Finished Reading: Black Steel by Steve Perry

Sleel is a matador – one of the galaxies elite bodyguards. Hired to protect an old friend from multiple assassination attempts he finally fails and is forced to watch his friend be beheaded by a master swordsman wielding a black sword. Saved from a suicidal attempt to regain his honour by Kee, sister of an ex-lover and fellow matador, he begins to regain his self respect as he learns to use a sword instead of his usual guns. Meanwhile Cierto, the man who killed his friend and almost killed him, has designs on Kee. He is looking for the mother of his unborn son and he has selected her for that role – whether she wants to or (preferably) not.

This was an unashamedly rip-roaring juvenile adventure novel with evil bad guys and damaged good guys. Here you will find few nuances or shades of grey. Here you will find simple but well plotted action scenes where good guys kill and bad guys fail – more often than not due to their own arrogance. Despite the fact that all of the main characters have sometimes extensive back stories that explain their actions (and inactions) there is little subtlety here. You get exactly what you would expect from this sort of book. It is however far from a by-the-numbers read and throw away piece of fluff. Perry has peppered this book (and others in this series) with a heavy dose of Eastern mysticism and samurai spirit – seen both from the dark side and the light. It did, at times, remind me of Star Wars in the way that The Force could be used for both good and evil. It’s that kind of dynamic. This is undoubtedly a fun and exciting read. It won’t tax your brain but it definitely won’t bore you. Recommended for a few days of pure entertainment.