by Ian O'Connor
First published 2015
Master Chen sits alone in the empty dojo, watching dust motes dance in the afternoon light filtering through paper screens. At seventy-eight, he is the final keeper of a martial art that has survived for eight centuries. His students have drifted away to modern pursuits, leaving him to practice the ancient forms in solitude. When a young woman arrives seeking training, Chen must decide whether to break tradition by teaching an outsider or let his knowledge die with him. The old master struggles between honoring the rigid codes passed down through generations and ensuring the survival of everything he holds sacred. As Chen trains his unlikely student, he confronts the weight of being the bridge between a vanishing world and an uncertain future.
Genres: historical-fiction, action, asian-american, martial-arts
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, found-family
Setting: Dojo
Period: 20th-Century
42 pages · Paperback · CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform