An infant born with the sign of the Qin, the mark of the outlaws, on his cheek. A mysterious tattooed monk. An immortality-seeking trickster monkey. The twin leaders of the infamous outlaws of Moonshadow Marsh. A beautiful maiden who is not what she seems. A murderous, treacherous Emperor. A demon lord planning to escape his long bondage. These are just some of the elements which make up L. G. Bass’ fantastic beginning to the Outlaws of Moonshadow March trilogy. Sign of the Qin is an exciting, fast-paced book, filled with memorable characters and exciting action scenes. Drawing from Chinese myth and Hong Kong action films, it’s a fun addition to the genre, highly reminiscent of films like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and other kung fu offerings. Those tired of the perpetual European influence which dominates the fantasy genre will undoubtedly enjoy this fresh new offering.

Frankly, trying to describe Sign of the Qin is difficult, if only because I’m not familiar enough with its inspirations to name them. However, I can safely say that it mixes Chinese mythology, kung-fu action scenes, multi-layered plotting, memorable characters, and gorgeously described scenery to product a story well worth reading. I’m actually hoping that there’s a movie deal in this book’s future, as I think it would translate beautifully to the big screen. I can hardly wait for the next in the trilogy, to see what further adventures and mishaps our heroes, especially Monkey, experience. Go ahead and check this book out.