Street Cultivation Audiobook By Sarah Lin cover art

Street Cultivation

Street Cultivation, Book 1

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Street Cultivation

By: Sarah Lin
Narrated by: Travis Baldree
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In the modern world, qi is money.

The days of traveling martial artists and mountaintop masters are over. Power is controlled by corporations, modernized martial arts sects, and governments. Those at the bottom of society struggle as second class citizens in a world in which power is a commodity.

Rick is a young fighter in this world. He doesn't dream of immortality or becoming the strongest, just of building a better life for himself and his sister, who suffers from a spiritual illness. Unfortunately, life isn't that easy....

©2019 Sarah Lin (P)2020 Tantor Classics Fantasy United States World Literature Martial Arts Fantasy
Unique Cultivation Concept • Relatable Protagonist • Exceptional Narration • Refreshing Underdog Story • Emotional Delivery
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Yeah the MC gets kicked into a pit of despair for the first half of the book and he isn't some mary sue, its about how he deals with and overcomes the challenges so stick with it the ending is very satisfying.

Stick with it tell the end its worth it.

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Street Cultivation by Sarah Lin (book 1 / book 2)

A clever, perhaps brilliant, melding of mystic-legend & science-fiction creates a new concept of “chi” that drives all things in a “martial-arts-engulfed-dystopian-future-world” in Sarah Lin’s "Street Cultivation ~ books 1 & 2”.

It took me till the second book to notice this fact because I’m slow and Sarah Lin’s writing is elegant.

Her characters don’t over explain their world to “readers” but simply ARE IN IT cultivating “chi” in a myriad of ways. Like fish who swim through different types of flowing water they exist in a world saturated with this mystic power from space - but it's all tightly controlled by multi-national-even-dimensional-corporations.

I’ve NOT absorbed the “stats”... and I could care less about their details. I’m here for a fresh tale about unique warriors in mystic-martial-art-action - and I’m not disappointed yet.

No male perspective?
I admit the mistake of thinking that a book about a ‘hero’ in a martial-art-world shouldn’t be written by a woman. However, my shallow view was proved completely wrong.

You see… the ( real ) martial arts world is sadly filled with macho pigs. So much so, that it’s tricky finding a good school who has a decent sifu ( or sensei ) who’s not a arrogant bully, but more of a wise “Master Po”.
Thus, it’s just as hard finding a good martial art BOOK written by a “mister Miyagi” instead of by a macho “Cobra-Kai” jerk.

Happily, this book seems to be written by a “wise old master ( or mistress )” with some unique tales to tell.

I’ve read too many of the ass-hole perspective martial-art-books full of unnecessary (and thus unbelievable) sex & violence, cliche’ tough-guy humor, ridicules fights, disgusting treatment of women & the torture of helpless victims. These books are psychotic trash giving the martial arts a bad reputation.

“Street Cultivation” treated me to smart female & moralistic male characters, living unusual lives, in a believable, yet fantastic, futuristic-martial-art-world where fighting is everywhere like simple street-brawling by ( yeah ) macho idiots, but, it's also the most powerful mystical-kung-fu-warrior-5H!T on the whole planet reaching up to mythological god-like powerful RAWK & ROLL, BABY!
…plus everything in-between.

Yes, it’s refreshing to read a book about ‘a martial-art-world” not filled with repulsive toxic-male bull-S. However, when our young athletic Rick Hunter sits on the couch, touching sock-feet with his sister, drinking juice, and discussing their hopes & dreams ...and dating… well, you wonder.
Perhaps Sarah Lin might contemplate a bit more about the degree that young men are slaves to the testosterone filling their bloodstreams.

It's like this...
While there are sublime passages of awe-inspiring martial art action against human & non-human foes, there are segments between those that read like a (high-quality) romance novel. Surprisingly it is this bizarre literary structure that rounds out the characters into 3-D humans. People with awesome fighting abilities & glowing emotional relationships - i.e. someone you’d dream of being or of being with.

…and all that makes for a damn fine read.

One last thing…
Travis Balder.
Wow! One of the best narrators I’ve had the pleasure to listen to. Hard to believe he’s only one guy - Travis is a vocal impersonator of some impressive skill. It’s amazing to hear a single man doing that many believable female & male characters without dipping into a “Muppet Show” of extremely cartoonish voices & accents to fill out a sizable cast of distinct characters... it's pretty impressive.

A melding of Mystic-Legend & Science Fiction

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Great sequel with a lot of character development and new storyline after the tournement.

Great sequel

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this story is a slow burn in the beggining but i voved every second of it

loved it from the start

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Very solid story with a great MC. Enjoyed every bit of it and couldn’t wait to get back to it amid work and other obligations. Picked up books 2 and 3 to binge as well.

There’s no cultivation like street cultivation!

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this is an impressive first book in a series. very fun read and excited to read the rest.

good start to a series

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Quality Cyberpunk! Cultivation + Stats + Progression. What more do you want? It's like an origin story for a Shadowrun character.

Origin Story

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I like it but read how the next suck. So sadly Rick’s story I shall never know. Thank you though.

Pretty good

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Wow, this book had everything I was looking for at the time. I have been on an Urban Fantasy kick while waiting on the next Jim Butcher book to come out, and have really learned to love the genera. While I don't think I have ever read any cultivation fantasy, this was done well and spliced into the urban fantasy environment, making for a very unique world for the story to explore. The addition of a LitRPG aspect where everyone can look at numbers and readouts of how strong they are was an interesting touch. originally it seemed a little childish at it heart, but was a great way to have a dedicated time to celebrate the growth and victories of the protagonist.

Overall I really liked this book and will suggest it to people in my reading group. I am looking forward to the next book, and hope the author doesn't try to just continue what he has going, but finds something new that the world has to offer to keep it fresh. Great book.

Urban fantasy meats Urban cultivation as a LitRPG

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I have to say how well it avoids the tropes and plays it straight no sudden hooks and unexpected twist just soild story and character work that was fun and very actiony would read sky sequels

pretty great

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