Worlds of Power #03: Ninja Gaiden

Ninja Gaiden is one of the all time classic video game frachises out there. With a continuouse strain of mind numbing difficulty and addicting gameplay this ensured success. So in the late 80's a series of books came out that revolved around variouse 3rd party NES games (which included Blaster Master, Metal Gear, Castelvania). This book for the most part follows the game (although it is toned down because of the target audience). The story is about Ryu Hayabusa who has trained in ninjitsu since he could walk. His father disappeared when he was very young and after he mastered his art his mother hands him a letter from his father. Ryu then sets off on a journey to discover what happened. Along the way he runs into his fathers former associate Walter Smith, CIA agents Irene Lew and Foster, and eventually tangles with Jaquio and his minions. Eventually Ryu must stop the awakening of an ancient demon originally sealed away by Shinobi and save the world. The book had the makings of a great teen to adult novel but as a result was dumbed down for kids. However this is not by any means a bad story. Just keep in mind that it is a quick read (you can breeze through it in an afternoon, or on a two hour flight whichever comes first).