# Help me ID this Kung Fu-ish book... **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 4, 2018, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-id-this-kung-fu-ish-book/805833 "2018-01-04T03:50:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Who](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Doctor\_Who](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Who)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2018, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-id-this-kung-fu-ish-book/805833/1 "2018-01-04T03:50:59Z")
Ok here’s what I remember: (1) a relatively newer book - say the last 5 years. (2) hero is a female - I remember her being African-American but don’t know if that’s accurate. (3) she engages in much Kung fu type kickass. There may be some element of science fiction or magic about this. (4) I remember something about a boat. Maybe she has a friend on a boat? (5) I’m pretty sure the novel has a silhouette of a girl on the front - black on a green background. (6) I associate the word Cobra with this book. No idea why. Maybe there is a snake on the cover or some sort of Cobra fighting reference? (7) The writing style reminded me of Chuck Paluhniak or the guy who wrote John Dies at the End. That’s literally all I can remember. Can anyone point me in the right direction? Google has not been my friend. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2018, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-id-this-kung-fu-ish-book/805833/2 "2018-01-04T04:09:30Z")
Check out this list. Is it one of them? [https://chroniclesofharriet.com/2014/09/18/8-ya-heroes/](https://chroniclesofharriet.com/2014/09/18/8-ya-heroes/) ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Who](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Doctor\_Who](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Who)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2018, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-id-this-kung-fu-ish-book/805833/3 "2018-01-04T04:12:10Z")
> [@Chimera](#): > > Check out this list. Is it one of them? > > [https://chroniclesofharriet.com/2014/09/18/8-ya-heroes/](https://chroniclesofharriet.com/2014/09/18/8-ya-heroes/) Nope. ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Who](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Doctor\_Who](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Who)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2018, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-id-this-kung-fu-ish-book/805833/4 "2018-01-04T04:13:22Z")
Less YA. More adult. ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2018, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-id-this-kung-fu-ish-book/805833/5 "2018-01-04T04:30:36Z")
_[vN](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13033939-vn)_ by Madeline Ashby? She’s a robot but she does kick ass with some kung fu at a few points. The cover art kind of matches. ---
**Author:** ![Arizona\_Mike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7cd45c/32.png) [@Arizona\_Mike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arizona_Mike)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2018, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-id-this-kung-fu-ish-book/805833/6 "2018-01-04T04:33:33Z")
> [@Doctor\_Who](#): > > Ok here’s what I remember: > > (1) a relatively newer book - say the last 5 years. > > (2) hero is a female - I remember her being African-American but don’t know if that’s accurate. > > (3) she engages in much Kung fu type kickass. There may be some element of science fiction or magic about this. > > (4) I remember something about a boat. Maybe she has a friend on a boat? > > (5) I’m pretty sure the novel has a silhouette of a girl on the front - black on a green background. > > (6) I associate the word Cobra with this book. No idea why. Maybe there is a snake on the cover or some sort of Cobra fighting reference? > > (7) The writing style reminded me of Chuck Paluhniak or the guy who wrote John Dies at the End. > > That’s literally all I can remember. Can anyone point me in the right direction? Google has not been my friend. Try this list to see if one looks familiar: [Deadly Women: Best Romance Heroines Who Can Defend Themselves (422 books)](https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/70604.Deadly_Women_Best_Romance_Heroines_Who_Can_Defend_Themselves) ---
**Author:** ![Meurglys](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/258eb7/32.png) [@Meurglys](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meurglys)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2018, 12:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-id-this-kung-fu-ish-book/805833/7 "2018-01-04T12:08:41Z")
Bit of a long shot, but could it be one of the Rogue Angel series by [Alex Archer](https://www.fantasticfiction.com/a/alex-archer/)? ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2018, 12:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-id-this-kung-fu-ish-book/805833/8 "2018-01-04T12:22:54Z")
> [@Meurglys](#): > > Bit of a long shot, but could it be one of the Rogue Angel series by [Alex Archer](https://www.fantasticfiction.com/a/alex-archer/)? For a longer shot, there’s The Girl With Ghost Eyes. ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Who](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Doctor\_Who](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Who)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2018, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-id-this-kung-fu-ish-book/805833/9 "2018-01-04T13:16:48Z")
> [@TroutMan](#): > > _[vN](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13033939-vn)_ by Madeline Ashby? She’s a robot but she does kick ass with some kung fu at a few points. The cover art kind of matches. Nope. I remember more of a full body silhouette. ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Who](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Doctor\_Who](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Who)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2018, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-id-this-kung-fu-ish-book/805833/10 "2018-01-04T13:17:53Z")
> [@Arizona\_Mike](#): > > Try this list to see if one looks familiar: [Deadly Women: Best Romance Heroines Who Can Defend Themselves (422 books)](https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/70604.Deadly_Women_Best_Romance_Heroines_Who_Can_Defend_Themselves) None of those. Less romancey on the cover as I recall. ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Who](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Doctor\_Who](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Who)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2018, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-id-this-kung-fu-ish-book/805833/11 "2018-01-04T13:19:23Z")
And no on Rogue Angel or Girl with the Ghost Eyes (although I can totally see the angle based on the limited information I’ve provided!) Thanks for all the suggestions so far.