Kai Starr is an American author

Author

An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...

. He has written several books and drawn graphic novel

Graphic novel

A graphic novel is a narrative work in which the story is conveyed to the reader using sequential art in either an experimental design or in a traditional comics format...

s in the science fiction and fantasy genres, but currently specializes in westerns

Western (genre)

The Western is a genre of various visual arts, such as film, television, radio, literature, painting and others. Westerns are devoted to telling stories set primarily in the latter half of the 19th century in the American Old West, hence the name. Some Westerns are set as early as the Battle of...

. He is also a musician, and has recorded three albums of his original music. Kai Starr was raised in Texas and lives near Dallas.

His latest ongoing Desperado series of western novels and short stories have proved popular in internet serialization

Serial (literature)

In literature, a serial is a publishing format by which a single large work, most often a work of narrative fiction, is presented in contiguous installments—also known as numbers, parts, or fascicles—either issued as separate publications or appearing in sequential issues of a single periodical...

 on his Outlaw Starr Anthology website. Many of the stories leave the cozy confines of the traditional western and lean toward noir

Film noir

Film noir is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and sexual motivations. Hollywood's classic film noir period is generally regarded as extending from the early 1940s to the late 1950s...

-western territory. The serialized novels also have links to free MP3s of Starr's original music as soundtracks.

ShadowFall Universe (science fiction)

Legends of Maragon takes place in the same universe as the ShadowFall series that stars Genjiro Nakadai, though it predates those stories by five hundred years. The series centers on the royal families of the alien world of Maragon.

• Legends of Maragon (fantasy) 1980

ShadowFall series (science fiction)

The ShadowFall series follows the life of a young ninjutsu

Ninjutsu

or may be:*the arts associated with espionage and assassination in feudal Japan, see Ninja*modern schools of martial arts claiming to be based in these traditions, see Modern Schools of Ninjutsu*fictional depictions, see Ninja in popular culture...

 agent, Genjiro Nakadai, through his early years in training to his days as a seasoned--and cynical--assassin

Assassination

To carry out an assassination is "to murder by a sudden and/or secret attack, often for political reasons." Alternatively, assassination may be defined as "the act of deliberately killing someone, especially a public figure, usually for hire or for political reasons."An assassination may be...

. The first book in the series, Into the Abyss, was also presented in graphic novel format on the Kyoki Press website.

• Into the Abyss 1986
• Blood of the Ninja 1989
• The Faraian Conspiracy 1990
• A Covenant of Shadows 1992

Desperado series (western)

The Desperado series is set in the American Old West

American Old West

The American Old West, or the Wild West, comprises the history, geography, people, lore, and cultural expression of life in the Western United States, most often referring to the latter half of the 19th century, between the American Civil War and the end of the century...

, from the late 1860s to the mid 1870s. It follows the life and adventures of young outlaw

Outlaw

In historical legal systems, an outlaw is declared as outside the protection of the law. In pre-modern societies, this takes the burden of active prosecution of a criminal from the authorities. Instead, the criminal is withdrawn all legal protection, so that anyone is legally empowered to persecute...

, Joshua Love. Though not written first, Rustler's Roundup is the first book in the series.

• Whirlwind 2006
• Three Ways From Sunday 2007
• Rustler's Roundup 2008
• Desperado Dawn 2008
• Justice Rides In Leather 2009

Short stories

• Mutual Desires (fantasy) 1987
• The Janus Factor (sci-fi) 1989
• The Little Dragon (sci-fi, ShadowFall series) 1990
• Rapture (sci-fi) 1992
• Rana's Adventure (fantasy) 1993
• The Ghost House (supernatural), 2000
• Down at the GoGozeNe Bar (sci-fi, ShadowFall series) 2004
• To Catch an Elf (fantasy) 2005
• Land Lubberin' Fer Love (fantasy) 2005
• The Ballad of the Beam (western, Desperado series) 2008
• Judas Hearts (western, Desperado series) 2008
• Rubbin' Eyeballs With a Gunn (western, Desperado series) 2008

Graphic novels

• ShadowFall 1998-2002 Kyoki Press (web publisher)
• The Wings of Cranes and Eagles 1999 Kyoki Press (web publisher)

Albums

• Monochrome Heart 2007 DragonSong Records
• Raw 2008 DragonSong Records
• Desperado (Soundtrack) 2009 DragonSong Records

External links

• Kai Starr's Outlaw Starr Anthology site
• Kyoki Press--Kai Starr/Kaichi Satake's webcomics
• Kaichi Satake on ComicList's professional artists listing
• Kai Starr's Homepage Jukebox
• Kai Starr's RPM Record-an-album-in-a-month Challenge Profile
• Kai Starr's jukebox page on RPM Challenge site
• Kai Starr's albums on Last.fm