The Day Remo Died

The Destroyer #0

by Warren Murphy

Remo Williams was a simple beat cop. Nobody special, really, until he came to the attention of a secret government organization. They had him killed. Then they brought him back to life, erased his identity, and trained him to be the perfect assassin. All under the pretext of defending the Constitution.

This is a story that's been told before—in Created, The Destroyer—but never like this. The Day Remo Died revisits the origin of the Destroyer through the eyes of Chiun, the Reigning Master of Sinanju. Chiun, the Teacher. Chiun, who has much to endure if he is to elevate a pale piece of pig's ear to mastery. This is the Day Remo Died. This is where it all begins.

Genres: Adventure, Fiction, Action, Novels, Thriller, Pulp

76 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1982

About the author

Warren Murphy was an American author, most famous as the co-creator of The Destroyer series, the basis for the film Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins. He worked as a reporter and editor and after service during the Korean War, he drifted into politics.

Murphy also wrote the screenplay for Lethal Weapon 2. He is the author of the Trace and Digger series. With Molly Cochran, he completed two books of a planned trilogy revolving around the character The Grandmaster, The Grandmaster (1984) and High Priest (1989). Murphy also shares writing credits with Cochran on The Forever King and several novels under the name Dev Stryker. The first Grandmaster book earned Murphy and Cochran a 1985 Edgar Award for Best Paperback Original, and Murphy's Pigs Get Fat took the same honor the following year.

His solo novels include Jericho Day, The Red Moon, The Ceiling of Hell, The Sure Thing and Honor Among Thieves. Over his career, Murphy sold over 60 million books.

He started his own publishing house, Ballybunion, to have a vehicle to start The Destroyer spin-off books. Ballybunion has reprinted The Assassin's Handbook, as well as the original works Assassin's Handbook 2, The Movie That Never Was (a screenplay he and Richard Sapir wrote for a Destroyer movie that was never optioned), The Way of the Assassin (the wisdom of Chiun), and New Blood, a collection of short stories written by fans of the series.

He served on the board of the Mystery Writers of America, and was a member of the Private Eye Writers of America, the International Association of Crime Writers, the American Crime Writers League and the Screenwriters Guild.

Reviews

[Bill Riggs · Rating 4 out of 5]

A retelling of Remo’s origin from Chiun’s point of view and of the great banter between the two that the series is known for. A big difference from the first book in the series as the characters and their relationship changed. A must read for fans of the series or a great starting point for new readers.

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a reboot of the origin tale of the Destroyer & it's great, far better than Created, the Destroyer. As Murphy said, once the characters hit their stride & they got further into the series, it became obvious that the original origin story wasn't quite right, so they wrote this one. Best of all, it's free right now on Amazon, so I read it in the Kindle cloud.

I never cared much for the first 2 books & in the introduction to this novella, Murphy even says that the characters didn't hit their stride until the third book, the one I started with, Chinese Puzzle. I picked it up at a train station in 1972 along with Boston Blitz & The Valley of Creation. 2 out of 3 were excellent. I never cared much for The Executioner, but read a couple more since this series made fun of it along with many others. It was helpful to know more about the target to enjoy the darts they flung at it.

Sapir, the co-author, was a political columnist among other things. His dry wit & ability to make fun of political & social issues was at the core of my love for this series. I was a young teen & found myself reading the paper more just so I could better appreciate his wit when I got my hands on the next book in the series. Who says fiction can't be educational? Unfortunately, he got ill & his influence pretty much vanished somewhere in the mid 60s of this series. After that, we were left with just Murphy's heavy-handed wit. I kept reading them out of loyalty & I have the first 100 plus. He even started a 'New Destroyer', but it's the same old thing done to death.

I highly recommend the series for those of you born about 1965 & earlier who lived through & remember the times during which these books were published. Somewhere around #65 - 70, you'll notice the wit just gets heavy for a few books. Cut your losses then unless you like it. The books are quick, fun reads. Reading them in order is recommended since Remo's skills grow & there are some recurring characters, too. If you look up Murphy's book, you'll see the Nuihc books, but they're part of this series, just the one that character appears in. Ditto with Mr. Gordons.

[Eddie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have not read Remo and Chiun in 20 years. I wish all the adventures could be retold from Chiun POV. I going to have to return to this world alittle bit sooner. While there are so many strange retelling of historic moments in the series: my favorite was Remo and Chuin taking Nixon up to the top of the Washington Monument. To show him the most important point of resigning. Nixon thought it was a dream till he found a small rock where the sun does not shine.

[Dale Russell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chiun was having a normal day in his small village in Korea. It was winter and the temperatures were plummeting (though, as the Master of Sinanju he never felt the cold) … no students as they were all incompetent or unable to learn the way … no new emissaries from powerful kings or dictators … and he was alone. Until the American came to his home and made him an offer to train a dead man. And so the journey began...

We all know the story of Remo Williams and his journey to becoming the elite assassin that he would eventually realize. But, until now, we never knew how Chiun's part of the adventure began. Written entirely from the Master of Sinanju's point of view, the story revisits the beginnings of the adventure and some surprising revelations about the Master himself.

Warren Murphy and Richard Sapir sat down in 1962 creating a world and characters that would introduce the US to the little known martial art of karate. The story didn't sell right away going through different iterations incorporating elements of mythology and mysticism until 1970 when the story found a home. Now... 49 years and 150 plus books later … The Destroyer remains a fan favorite and continues to address current issues in its own unique way.

This is a wonderful addition to the legend that is the Destroyer giving readers old and new a fun insight into the world of Sinanju.

[Paxton Holley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a “re-imagining” of the original Destroyer novel, Created The Destroyer. Over the years the structure and tone of the Destroyer novels changed and evolved, so the original authors decided to update the character’s origin. But instead of just retelling it in a new story, they told the same story, but entirely from Chiun’s, Remo Williams’ sensei, point of view. So it cleverly doesn’t change the story, it’s just a different view point.

I really liked this. Probably even more than the original story. The banter back and forth between Remo and Chiun is the highlight. They have a great relationship that is emphasized more here in this version.

[Daniel · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was better than the first book, likely at least partially because it was written more than a decade later. The gambit of having a near-ancient Korean man at the center of the narrative has begun paying off not because the author(s) ha[ve] anything to say about Korean people, or that the book isn't still substantially racist in its assumptions, but because it is clear Chiun is there to comment on the insanity that is the American way of life. For all that he is depicted as other, Chiun's critiques of capitalism and consumption are awfully on point for a quintessentially Reagan-era-America book series.

Again, I'm not recommending these to anybody (in spite of both book #0 and #1 being free on Kindle), but considering how tired I am when I go to bed, the fact that I finished this (admittedly short novella at about 68 pages) in only two nights says something.

[Donald · Rating 3 out of 5]

A different take on the origins of Remo Williams! Quite a bit different than the version in Destroyer #1! This one is from Chiun's point of view and is much more detailed in Remo's training and how it all fits into Shinanju and its legends. If you like this series, and these characters, give this a read!

[Gilbert Stack · Rating 5 out of 5]

A couple of decades after the start of the series, Murphy and Sapir wrote a companion book called The Assassins Handbook which included this novella—a brilliant rewrite of the first book of the series from the perspective of Chiun, the Master of Sinanju. Forty or so books in, the authors had a much clearer idea of what it meant to be a Master of Sinanju and how one became one, and they took advantage of that knowledge to retcon the origin of the series. It’s an extremely clever reworking that all fans of the series will want to read—but it’s better if you’ve read the original book, Created, the Destroyer, first.

If you liked this review, you can find more at www.gilbertstack.com/reviews.

[Kevin Findley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Simply put, this is Remo's origin as seen from Chiun's POV. It is really far more than that however. This was originally published in Assassin's Handbook (which I haven't read yet) and acts as a bridge between the cookie-cutter men's adventure protagonists Remo and Chiun started out as and the far more interesting, enlightened assassins they became in the third book (which you should read immediately after this novella).

Warning though, all you tough guys and gals may find a little leakage around the eyes when Remo calls Chiun 'Little Father' for the first time. Not to say I did, of course, but I'm probably late in changing out the air filter again.

Find it! Buy it! READ IT!

[D. E. · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Beginning of the rebirth of Remo

WM has penned an update of the original storyline in which Reno died only to be brought back to life. Chin, the Master off Sinanju, to continue his training in martial arts as taught by the Master of Sinanju. This is an excellent read for the genre.....DEHS

[Kerri Murphy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love Remo Williams,

This little Novella is great, the characters are just now I remember them, almost like father and son arguing with each other, the action is there and a little bit of humor which means there is more I just didn't catch it. So glad my Poppy introduced this series to me.

[PulpMonkey (Chompa) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was written after many books in the series had been put out, but retells the Destroyer 1 from Chiun's point of view. The relationship of Remo and Chiun and Chiun's character were much better established by this point and this was a very enjoyable read. Total brain candy, but delicious none the less.

[S.A. Adams · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chiun is one of the greatest characters ever invented and Im glad to see the story written from his point of view. His inability to answer a question directly never gets old. His narration is brought to life in this little novella, although newbies should read Destroyer #1 first. I really hope Chiun gets hos own novel some day.

[Blaine Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

After more than 40 years of reading about Remo & Chiun, this was a wonderful visit to the beginning from Chiun's viewpoint. It is a quick read and there's an easy familiarity for anyone enamoured with Sinanju for any length of time. Excellent!!!

[Robert Willis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read!!

I have been reading The Destroyer since the early 80's. I think of these two as old friends. This was a great addition to the story. I highly recommend it to new and old fans alike.

[jospeh jack · Rating 5 out of 5]

Spectacular. Good. Marvelous

Awesome story is expected. Very nice!😍Buy and enjoy reading storIes from this author, that will make you feel good. The book is worth the cost!

[Rubin Carpenter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great start to a series this short Novella is very good in establishing the relationship with characters Remo and Chiun
a perfect east meets west, teacher/student relationship. Low on action but its the begining but no lack of crisp witty dialogue
A great read

[Michael W. Gray Gray · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good story

It’s better than the original Created the Destroyer this is told by Chin himself from his point of view I you javelin read any of the destroyer novels go back and read this one

[Ray Daley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I realised I'd read this before about 2/3's of the way through, still a good book. Enjoyable re-read.

[Jeff J. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Revisiting the origin of the Destroyer from the perspective of his companion Chiun. Not exactly a revamp, but it does better reflect how the series eventually evolved.

[Joe Montreal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just excellent.

Excellent retelling of when Remo met Chuin. The interaction between these 2 is what made the series so good for so long.

[Horace G. Friend III · Rating 4 out of 5]

Action packed & funny

I remember reading a few of these back in college & enjoyed it a lot. Thanks for the kindle ebook.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book.

This is a great read and fills in done things that add nicely to the overarching story of Reno and Chiung. I love these books they are always so fun to read.

[Douglas Reedy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entertaining.

I have always been a fan of The Destroyer series. Each page full of action and just enough humor to entertain lovers of this genre.

[James Atkison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beginingd

This was the book that should have been written first. It is an excellent introduction of The Destroyer to the world.

[Christian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reading those novels is always a fun romp. Oh they are surely dated, and as far from political correct as imaginable, but they are exciting to read.

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good Read.

[Ronald polk · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finally able to get Chiun's story!

Read all of the early books! Hope more is on the way! The Destroyer series was my favorite in the eighties

[Les Simpson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rollicking Retcon For Remo

The Destroyer series becomes more impossible and more of a satire with each new book so, in an effort to make the characters in the first novel more like the same characters still being written decades later, the authors went back to the beginning and retold Remo Williams’ origin story, this time from the perspective of his master/adopted father, Chiun.

It’s pretty great.

Chiun is a great character, and it is fun to see things from his mischievous point of view, especially his growing fondness for Remo as the novella progresses. Reworking the original story to fit the narrative/mythology of the later books required some creativity, and Chiun is the perfect cipher.

As far as reading order, read Created The Destroyer first, then follow with this one.

[Wally · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Destroyer, reborn

I read a number of Destroyer books decades ago. I enjoyed them thoroughly. Unfortunately, I couldn't find many. Now that I have a Fire and the books are digital, I can do what I wanted. This book was a great place to start over. It really captured the feeling of Demo and Chiun's interactions from later books. I may read the first two books again, but with this "reboot" I don't have to.