by Patrick Lugo
We’ve been covering the arrival of wuxia on American shores from as far back as CROUCHING TIGER HIDDEN DRAGON and THE STORM RIDERS. Still, many were already familiar with those Kung Fu Fantasies. Newer readers may well shrug considering its presence in pop-culture today, most notably on-screen with Marvel’s SHANG-CHI AND THE LEGEND OF THE TEN RINGS or in comics with titles which include Immortal Studios’ THE ADEPT among others. Considering the wuxia genre’s origins in the printed word, it’s no surprise that among the more serious writers of today, that term may have lost some of its appeal. Just ask American wuxia pioneer Fred Lit. Yu whose new book series issues the wuxia adventure trapping for a much more grounded look at Kung Fu in his new work of historic fiction: The Red Crest Series. The first book of this trilogy THE ORCHID FARMER’S SACRIFICE as just arrived.