Any one know of some fantasy/fiction set in an orient setting?

[FluidDragon]

I've gott Initiate Brother and Gatherer of the Clouds by Sean Russel, which is set in a fantastical orient, kind of a blend of chinese and japanese cultures.

I'm playing a monk in an upcoming game and I was wondering if anyone knew of some more books of this type. I'm looking for some inspiration. Preferably featuring a monk or martial artist.
Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.

-S

 

[FraserRonald]

Two books, both enjoyable.

Bridge of Birds by Barry Hughart is set in a fantasy China. Great read. Very different

Across the Nightingale Floor by Lian Hearn is set in a fantasy Japan. Really cool. Good read.

Both books are above average--in my opinion--and present excellent characters while immersing readers in a new--for most--culture. Check them out!

Take care.

Oh, and I think there may have been a better forum for this question. Just a thought.

 

[BiggusGeekus]

C.J.Cherryh's Paladin.

 

[Voneth]

Fiests' Daughter of Empire trilogy

Uhhh, any Legend of the 5 Rings game fiction?

 

[BruceB]

My advice is to go for the real thing: the Foreign Language Press of Beijing publishes complete translations of several Chinese classic novels, each in three or four beautiful and well-mad little volumes, and you can get a hundred-chapter novel for $30 US or so.

Want to read epic political struggle against one of the most brilliant but evil leaders in Chinese history, complete with heroes so good they become demigods in the course of the story? Go for Romance Of The Three Kingdoms. Victims of a corrupt provincial government and uncaring priests, banded together against their enemies and the demons behind it all? Outlaws Of The Marsh. Transcontinental questing by a monk in search of more holy wisdom and his rag-tag bunch including the King of the Monkeys bound in human form? Journey To The West.

This stuff used to be hard to find, and sometimes not available in translations anyone but a scholar would want to read. Not anymore! These are big sprawling fun, and to my taste they're denser, richer, weirder, and just plain more satisfying than the vast majority of efforts to be like them by later authors. Go for the gusto.

 

[Richards]

I can give you two titles, but I've forgotten the author (they were written by the same person, using the same main character): Koren and Rajan. Japanese mythology-based fantasy; I distinctly recall a battle with a kappa. The hero was somewhat more of a swordsman than a monk, if I recall, though.

Johnathan

 

[dave_o]

Also, check out Raymond E. Feist's Riftwar Saga. It's not all set in an oriental (or psuedo-oriental) setting, but a lot of it is.

Plus, it shows how someone of an oriental-ish mindset would interact with someone with a European mindset.

 

[Anavel Gato]

Depending on how much time you have i suggest the following,
Musashi by Eiji Yoshikawa (About 1000 pages)
The 47 Ronin Story (about 250 pages)

both of these are Japanese based stories and are more historical fiction..

if you are pressed for time I suggest:
Legend of the Five Rings: Clan War books (not the current Winds Books)
since you are playing a monk, The book called Dragon is the way to go, since the Dragon have are a clan of monks (The Togashi)...
again this is set in a fantasy Japan called Rokugan...

You may want to try some graphic novels by comics one for a more Chinese feel...Anything by Andy Seto, Wing Ma and Tony Wong will work...all of them do martial arts style comics...
just a suggestion
good luck and have fun...

 

[Tyler Do'Urden]

I'm quite fond of the Tibetan novel The Tale of the Incomparable Prince , written by Tshering Dbang Rgyal, a Prime Minister of Tibet in the 18th Century. The novel is an incredibly vivid fantasy with a bent more towards Indian and Tibetan culture and mythology than Chinese, but still highly recommended.

 

[Jeremy Ackerman-Yost]

I've got a fantastic collection of Japanese short stories. It is called, appropriately, "Japanese Tales" and was edited & translated by Royall Tyler and published by Pantheon Books.

Great read, and full of all manner of monk-flavored tales. Plus, quick stories are great if you're in a hurry.