Andrew
This is an interesting, philosophical mystery novel in which a series of unfortunate, unexplainable events befall a rebellious samurai lord while his castle is under siege. Is it divine retribution, the work of a brilliant and inscrutable enemy, or his own paranoia and creeping doubts that are to blame?
This is not my usual type of book but I still enjoyed it. I only picked it up because I read an effusively positive review for the movie version, which just came out this year. I did not realize until the end of this book (not a spoiler) that it is historical fiction and at least partially based on real-world events. There was a real Araki Murashige who rebelled against the real Oda Nobunaga and took the real Kuroda Kanbei prisoner. How much this novel invents or deviates from actual events, I do not know. I was able to follow all the events without knowing this ahead of time, but someone better versed in samurai history may find a deeper level of appreciation in this retelling.
Some of the dialogue felt stilted and out of place. There's more than a few archaic words like ye, shan't, 'tis, etc., that pop up. Whether that's a side effect of the translation or a reflection of the overly formal,traditonal samurai code, I couldn't tell. It felt inconsistently used throughout the book and stuck out whenever it was used.
Despite that, the story moves along fairly smoothly and the central mystery draws to a satisfying conclusion and the philosophical theme of the book sticks the landing.
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My Rating Scale
5 stars - An all-time classic, a book that fundamentally changed or enriched my life. Would recommend to any and all readers.
4 stars - An excellent book that stands out in one or more areas of writing style, characterization, making a point, etc. Would recommend to anyone with even a passing interest in the genre or subject matter.
3 stars - A perfectly serviceable book that may be entertaining or informative but does not push the envelope or linger long in the memory. Would recommend to pre-existing fans of the genre or author.
2 stars - A book that falls short in one or more areas of writing style, characterization, making a point, etc. Would only recommend with reservations or would not recommend at all.
1 star - A book that has nothing to say, or says it so poorly it isn't worth reading. Would not recommend and would actively warn away from.
This is an interesting, philosophical mystery novel in which a series of unfortunate, unexplainable events befall a rebellious samurai lord while his castle is under siege. Is it divine retribution, the work of a brilliant and inscrutable enemy, or his own paranoia and creeping doubts that are to blame?
This is not my usual type of book but I still enjoyed it. I only picked it up because I read an effusively positive review for the movie version, which just came out this year. I did not realize until the end of this book (not a spoiler) that it is historical fiction and at least partially based on real-world events. There was a real Araki Murashige who rebelled against the real Oda Nobunaga and took the real Kuroda Kanbei prisoner. How much this novel invents or deviates from actual events, I do not know. I was able to follow all the events without knowing this ahead of time, but someone better versed in samurai history may find a deeper level of appreciation in this retelling.
Some of the dialogue felt stilted and out of place. There's more than a few archaic words like ye, shan't, 'tis, etc., that pop up. Whether that's a side effect of the translation or a reflection of the overly formal,traditonal samurai code, I couldn't tell. It felt inconsistently used throughout the book and stuck out whenever it was used.
Despite that, the story moves along fairly smoothly and the central mystery draws to a satisfying conclusion and the philosophical theme of the book sticks the landing.
_____
My Rating Scale
5 stars - An all-time classic, a book that fundamentally changed or enriched my life. Would recommend to any and all readers.
4 stars - An excellent book that stands out in one or more areas of writing style, characterization, making a point, etc. Would recommend to anyone with even a passing interest in the genre or subject matter.
3 stars - A perfectly serviceable book that may be entertaining or informative but does not push the envelope or linger long in the memory. Would recommend to pre-existing fans of the genre or author.
2 stars - A book that falls short in one or more areas of writing style, characterization, making a point, etc. Would only recommend with reservations or would not recommend at all.
1 star - A book that has nothing to say, or says it so poorly it isn't worth reading. Would not recommend and would actively warn away from.