Street Fighter: The Novel: Where Strength Lies

A very cool and good comic style novel. I am a huge Street Fighter fan and Ryu has always been my favorite character. To me the game has been (and should be) about his journey. I loved the cover and some parts of the book are excellent but for me there was just something missing. I fully accept that it might have been my expectations were too high going into this book, but what can I say for a long time this game was my life, I was exactly like the author says he was in the afterword.The book is a great progressive story for the most part. I think more could have been made of Guile’s part in the book. The story is told from a different first person perspective in every story. Really making me appreciate the characters and the own fighting philosophies. This is the thing that is done superbly in the book, the mental aspect of fighting and martial arts, but the physical fight are not so good. In fairness they did get better at the book went along. What I mean about the fights is any martial artist knows whatever you favorite technique is, in the case of the game characters their signature/special moves, you need a bridge or a setup to hit them right. In the first few fight the characters just seemed to go from signature move to move. As much as love fireballs, dragon punches, and raging demons nobody is just going to throw this and hope it hits, even in the game itself this is not possible.I love what Udon did with the street fighter franchise in the comics, but that was the comics, novels have a slightly different flavor and the two don’t always mix. I like that way the stories connect to both the main story and the games (Street Fighter IV and an intro to V). The characters motivations and fighting spirits really shine through in this book. If you are or have been a Street Fighter II fan this is a must have. Slight spoiler the book starts with a fight between Ryu and Akuma if that does not get you read it you were never a fan!!!

This is a great book to add to your street fighter collection. SF the novel consist of 251 pages divided into eight chapters. Each chapter narrates a fight between 2 popular characters. It starts of with Ryu against Akuma, Chunli VS Elena, Ehonda vs Guile, Ryu vs Ken, Dhalsim vs Hakkan, Dudley Vs Balrog, Sagat against Bison and Ryu slugging it out with Gouken.Literature wise, the book is an easy read especially if you are a huge SF fan and have a vast knowledge of all the characters and their signature moves. Unfortunately, if you are NOT a fan of the street fighter universe, you will struggle with an understanding of the fights. It is written only to the understanding of the hardcore fans. The unique thing about this novel is that some of the pages are littered with manga/comic book style illustrations showcasing the fights.This to me, this is where the book shines.Overall, Street fighter the novel is a good novel to read...especially if you are a fan!I'm out!!!

Great for childen