Jeffrey Blair Latta's Sword & Sorcery hero,
the savage Ronin,
Fukitso
the Unpredictable
Fukitso was created by Jeffrey Blair Latta, author of the book
The
Franklin Conspiracy and
original editor of
Pulp and
Dagger Fiction
webzine, as both
a rebellion
and a throwback.
A
big fan of Robert E. Howard's Conan the
Cimmerian (check out his
Cimmerian
Collection review site), Blair liked the unapologetically pulpy
tales
of brawny heroes in sultry tropical climes, battling wizards and
monsters. But when he first conceived of his character years ago, that
genre had largely fallen out of favour, characters like John Jakes'
Brak and Charles Saunders' Imaro giving way to more refined
fantasy tales in the Tolkien vein (which Blair enjoyed too, of course).
In
fact, though Conan was still around, now penned by a succession of
later authors, Blair felt few authors truly captured the spirit of
Howard's original work -- the deft mixing of rollercoaster action,
clever plot twists, an atmospheric prose style...and an intriguing,
distinctive character.
So, feeling there was a literary vacuum, Blair heeded the call of his
own,
singular muse.
Fukitso was unapologetically meant to evoke Conan -- but not to
be Conan. Because
Blair also
wanted to do his own thing, to mix things up. Hence his uncouth,
towering giant
of a hero, Fukitso, was a Japanese ronin -- a masterless samurai --
instead of a
European warrior. Then he gave him a birth defect -- eyes that did not
seem to focus where he was looking, making it impossible for enemies to
anticipate his moves in battle, gaining him the nickname "the
unpredictable". And then, just to mix things up more, instead of
logically placing his Japanese hero in a fantasy land modelled after
feudal Japan...he placed
him instead, a stranger in a strange land, in a mythical world modelled
somewhat after Arabia --
Shemshiran.
An inveterate reader and researcher, who had studied Arabic and
Japanese cultures (and even knew a little of the Japanese language),
Blair was able to reflect the "exotic" cultures of Middle and Far East
in the terminology and dress of the characters.
The result, a heady mix of violent action,
colourful escapes, court
intrigue, seductive ladies, and tangible atmosphere.
Sadly, Blair only completed three stories before his untimely
death...but what stories! Two novellas and one epic-length novel
(which, itself, was actually comprised of three interconnected
novelettes) written over a period of fifteen years. All of which are
complete, on-line, and free for the
reading.
Fukitso
and the Golden Egg
begin here
Stalkers of the Tiger's Bride
Book One
Book Two
Book Three
begin here
Fukitso
and The Lair of the Havok
begin here
If you enjoy
Fukitso, you might also
enjoy
NEEKIN
MORG
Kavlar
Back to
Fukitso and all prominent characters herein are copyright the estate of
Jeffrey Blair Latta and may
not be used or re-distributed without
permission.
