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Kuseru Satsujin wrote:According to Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eric_Van_Lustbader, The Ninja is seriously being considered for being made into a movie.

It isn't the first time this was ever considered.
The last time I heard any serious consideration on the matter Brandon Lee was still alive (for time referrence).
I believe the Ninja Explosion of the 1980s made Lustbader and others decide not to pursue it.

I actually bought one of the books in the Jack Reacher series. The Hard Way is just as good as the rest.

I also enjoyed the Lustbader's Ninja trilogy. The books after that got really ridiculous though. The Maiko was the best IMO. The thing that engrossed me though was when Lustbader would describe Japanese mentality during their business dealings. It was neat to see philosophy of warfare reinterpreted for modern business dealings.

Another series was the Jian. I believe that is the one with Daniella, a Russian spy who moved up in the ranks using men, disposing of them, and taking over their position.

I've always been curious about Lustbader's fantasy series but am not sure if it is good.

There are two new John Rain books from Barry Eisler -- new meaning I just got them out of the library -- "The Last Assassin" and "Requiem for an Assassin".

Sgt Anjay wrote:

lost them all to water damage in a house fire

Does a statement get more transcendent? There should be Taoist hermits studying that phrase....

Sounds funny, but my mother is an insurance agent and she tells me that a majority of the damage from most house fires comes from water. Go figure!

Sentinel wrote:Also see teh Bourne Legacy, which I have not read, but was told is good.
Also there is the Pearl Saga, which is a separate fantasy series.

I've actually read (well listened to, it was an unabridged audio book) the Bourne Legacy, and while it may not match up exactly to the movies (my only other Bourne experience to contrast with - even if it is supposed to follow Bourne Ultimatum), it is a well written and makes sense and a LOT of fun. It keeps the feel of the books, including the pacing (IMO) but is done fairly well. I still need to get the last three (and first three by Robert Ludlum) and read through them as well.

Floating City was a good N&SS story... I have read most of the Linnear series over the years, but none of it was "outstanding". I would call them "good", but didn't have anything I could pull from them.

A few books that I did pull from are:
"Scarecrow" by Thomas Riley...way over the top, but fun!
"Black Order" and "Map of Bones" by Matthew Rollins is very N&SS, since the majority of the characters are Ninjas or Super Spies (some Nazis too!)
"The Beast that was Max" is a good book, but probably more Nightbane than N&SS, but if you are looking for Ninjas, Magic and Super Spies, it is a very good book.
The Bourne Trilogy was good, but then most things by Ludlum were good, I think the "Matarese Circle" was the best of his works.
The Matador Series by Steve Perry is very good sci-fi (not hard sci-fi and he feels no need to "explain" anything, it's pretty much pure action).
"Shibumi" by Trevanian is a classic...dated, but an excellent read
"The Fifth Profession" by Morell is good.

"Black Dragon" by Christopher Hyde was one of the few books that I would rate as WOW!!!

-STS

slade the sniper wrote:The Matador Series by Steve Perry is very good sci-fi (not hard sci-fi and he feels no need to "explain" anything, it's pretty much pure action).

I mentioned this back on the first page.

Mantisking wrote:

slade the sniper wrote:The Matador Series by Steve Perry is very good sci-fi (not hard sci-fi and he feels no need to "explain" anything, it's pretty much pure action).

I mentioned this back on the first page.

I was....seconding your recommendation...?

A good series for Mystic China inspiration is Liz Williams' Detective Inspector Chen novels.

I just finished Fault Line by Barry Eisler the other day. Tenuously connected to his John Rain series -- by a brief mention -- it's just as good as his prior work.