Through a glass darkly: Feudal Japan.
summer grasses
all that remains
of soldiers' dreams
-- Basho
Finished reading the Tales of the Otori trilogy by Liam Hearn. It is fiction inspired by Japanese history and culture, and not set in feudal Japan proper. The first book started strongly, and promised well for the series, but the subsequent books failed of their promise. The second and the third book especially, felt rushed, as if the author was trying to complete an unwanted chore quickly and move on to a pleasant pastime. The writing is decent, with some sense of the proper atmosphere conveyed, but that is not enough to save the series from the forced pace of the plot and limited character development.
The Tales of the Otori
1. Across the Nightingale Floor
2. Grass for his Pillow
3. Brilliance of the Moon
The Initiate Brother duology by Sean Russell also draws upon Japanese history and culture to create its fictional pseudoJapanese world. While the writing is less polished, and the atmosphere of a feudal Japanese setting not as well conveyed, this series is the stronger of the two. Both the plot and the characters are involving enough to keep the reader engrossed. A good read.
The Initiate Brother
1. The Initiate Brother (1991)
2. Gatherer of Clouds (1992)
The Sano Ichiro mystery series by Laura Joh Rowland is set in the Edo period of Japan, during the reign of the fifth Tokugawa shogun. The series started well, being innovative, well written, and with good plot pacing. Unfortunately, the author started writing to formula after the fourth book, and so I find the later books stale compared to the early ones.
The Sano Ichiro series
1. Shinju (1994)
2. Bundori (1996)
3. The Way of the Traitor (1997)
4. The Concubine's Tattoo (1998)
5. The Samurai's Wife (2000)
6. Black Lotus (2001)
7. The Pillow Book of Lady Wisteria (2002)
8. The Dragon King's Palace (2003)
9. The Perfumed Sleeve (2004)
10. The Assassin's Touch (2005)
all that remains
of soldiers' dreams
-- Basho
Finished reading the Tales of the Otori trilogy by Liam Hearn. It is fiction inspired by Japanese history and culture, and not set in feudal Japan proper. The first book started strongly, and promised well for the series, but the subsequent books failed of their promise. The second and the third book especially, felt rushed, as if the author was trying to complete an unwanted chore quickly and move on to a pleasant pastime. The writing is decent, with some sense of the proper atmosphere conveyed, but that is not enough to save the series from the forced pace of the plot and limited character development.
The Tales of the Otori
1. Across the Nightingale Floor
2. Grass for his Pillow
3. Brilliance of the Moon
The Initiate Brother duology by Sean Russell also draws upon Japanese history and culture to create its fictional pseudoJapanese world. While the writing is less polished, and the atmosphere of a feudal Japanese setting not as well conveyed, this series is the stronger of the two. Both the plot and the characters are involving enough to keep the reader engrossed. A good read.
The Initiate Brother
1. The Initiate Brother (1991)
2. Gatherer of Clouds (1992)
The Sano Ichiro mystery series by Laura Joh Rowland is set in the Edo period of Japan, during the reign of the fifth Tokugawa shogun. The series started well, being innovative, well written, and with good plot pacing. Unfortunately, the author started writing to formula after the fourth book, and so I find the later books stale compared to the early ones.
The Sano Ichiro series
1. Shinju (1994)
2. Bundori (1996)
3. The Way of the Traitor (1997)
4. The Concubine's Tattoo (1998)
5. The Samurai's Wife (2000)
6. Black Lotus (2001)
7. The Pillow Book of Lady Wisteria (2002)
8. The Dragon King's Palace (2003)
9. The Perfumed Sleeve (2004)
10. The Assassin's Touch (2005)