Japan-Inspired Novels - Part 3

Welcome back! While I could talk about good novels I've read with an Asian-theme for posts and posts, I won't bore you by trying to. This will be the last one you'll get for a while. Mainly because I'll probably be busy with book release stuff for the next little while (and because the next book on my to-read list is Jade City by Fonda Lee and I'm really looking forward to it).

Now, I said that today's books would all be more books from the fantasy genre and they are. Two of them are also available translated from the original language. I still suggest reading them, but I will admit that sometimes the writing can come across as a little wooden because of this. I highly suggest reading these books anyway, as they are ones that have stuck with me through the years and favourites of mine. You know what they say, "Know Me, Know My Bookshelf". Okay, they probably don't say that, but they should. Anyway, with no further adieu... Let's Begin!

 Dragon Sword and Wind Child by Noriko Ogiwara(Author), Cathy Hirano(Translator) & Miho Satake(Illustrator)

This book was published in 1988 but was translated and republished in 2007. I didn't get a chance to read it until 2015, but I was so impressed when I did. Dragon Sword and Wind Child is an engaging story about a girl, born to be a priestess to the Dark, but raised to love the Light and hate the Dark. Things reach a head when she goes to the palace and becomes a servant to the twin deities who rule the Light. While there, she meets their brother, known as the Wind Child, who has been locked away so that he can spend all his time controlling the Dragon Sword, an artifact of the Dark. While this is a good book on its own, it should be on your reading list especially if you have an interest in Japanese Fantasy. Before this story fantasy was a very unpopular genre in Japan, dismissed for the most part (in her own words) "contemptuously as fairy tales without citizenship, folklore lacking the legitimacy of nationality". The author thought that was where her story would be relegated to as well, only realizing afterward that her deities mirrored the trinity of kami, Amaterasu, Tsukuyomi and Susanoo. She had also consciously decided to present the story predominantly through a character inspired by the Oharai Norito in the Engi Shiki. This prayer was written about kami that carry away human corruption and deliver it to a wandering goddess of a kingdom below the Earth. With so much of her history wound up in the story, her tale was immediately relatable to everyone in Japan and started a new wave of interest in Japanese-inspired stories that has continued to today. While even the author doesn't deny that there were popular fantasy novels written before her, she is attributed with bringing the interest of the Japanese people back to it. So, if you want to know where it all began, start with this one.

Seven Times a Woman by Sara M. Harvey

Seven times a woman is a story that I found in one of my exhaustive and continuing search for novels about Kitsune. The story is about a kitsune given a task that will take her away from her true love. Though the premise is simple, the task is not. Rei-Rei must "tame a dragon". It takes her seven lives to do so, keeping her away from her true love. What is so interesting about this book is that the main characters lives are all quite sad, poignantly told and by the third or fourth life, she is having none of it anymore. She wants out of her duty, but is always aware of it, even when she as a character is unaware of anything but the fact that she has a connection with the others of her past. A story of reincarnation, love, punishment and redemption, the author has a way of keeping your heart trapped within its pages, hoping, dreaming, punishing and redeeming right along with Rei-Rei even though most of the story isn't told through her perspective. I found it a really good read. Even if you aren't a fan of romance, this book will keep you going as her love is a motivation, but not a constant condition that intrudes upon the story. Pick this one up if you want a drama/action novel to keep you warm over a weekend. 

Spice & Wolf, Vol. 1 (Light Novel) by Isuna Hasekura,  Juu Ayakura (Illustrator), Paul Starr (Translator)

Although I have put Vol. 1 on the title above, I think this entire series should be read. Kraft Lawrence is a merchant just trying to make a little money when, Holo, a wolf whose spirit is tied to the wheat, takes possession of his and begs him to return her to her home in the North. Beguiled, curious and lonely, he agrees. What follows is a delightful series of light novels, focussing on merchanting, money, church strategy and tactics in a world where peasants still hold festivals to gods of harvest (among others) and nothing is ever simple. The dialogue between Holo and Lawrence is always witty, engaging and awesome. And while over the course of the entire series it is telling a love story, you are left with the feeling that the romance may never take hold at every turn. It makes you think, running to try to keep up with the merchanting tricks used to keep Lawrence and Holo making a profit while travelling. As a friendly word of advice, the Japanese genre of light novels is a genre that hasn't really taken off here in the West. They are 50,000 words long (about as long as Douglas Adam's The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy), written primarily towards high school and middle school students, and usually have a few manga-esque drawings in each book to introduce you to the characters and show a particular scene. Despite being written for a young audience, Spice & Wolf doesn't talk down to their readers and expects their readers to do some work to keep up with the main characters. This is not only my favourite anime but one of my favourite books. I have all the books currently available (18 in the main series and 1 in the sequel series, Wolf & Parchment, plus the hardcover that has the entire first series in a single book; pictures of that below; plus many of the manga(I believe I'm missing one so far). If you read nothing else on this list, check out Spice & Wolf. If you absolutely cannot pick up a book, the manga is also very good, as is the anime adaptation. Engaging with whichever form is fine, but engage it! You will not be disappointed. 

The full book with embossed cover. This book is legit so wonderful, I have looked into buying one of those glass pedestals so that I can display in a protected case.

Of course, I don't read this copy... I have the entire set in individual books. Not only are they more portable, but I only have a minor heart attack if those copies get damaged. Yes, that means I did spend an ungodly amount of money just to have this to display and never actually read. I consider it worth the expense, an art piece all its own.

Where the Stars Rise: Asian Science Fiction and Fantasy by Various Authors

This anthology came out two years ago and quickly gathered critical acclaim with at least two of the stories being nominated for awards. As with all anthologies, it can be hit and miss, though with authors like Laura Van Arendonk Baugh and Amanda Sun contributing (you'll remember both authors were named in the original blog post from World Weaver Press and on my personal list from the first blog about it), I found more stories that I liked than ones I didn't. If you're looking for a place to start and don't really want to go with a full novel, this would be a great place to start as well. And while I usually only suggest choosing a book based on a cover at the beginning of the year, you have to admit that the cover is stellar. 

Alright, and that is the end to a very long set of blog posts. I promise I'll try to keep the next couple weeks to shorter posts (mostly). If you made it this far into my list, you deserve an award. If you did, let me know if you've read any of these and if there's anything on your list of Asian novels that I absolutely have to read. I've started Fonda Lee's Jade City finally. If you're interested, let me know and maybe, I'll post on here or on Facebook with an occasional update on it. We could even have a group chat on my FB page if we get enough interest in doing so.


Also, don't forget, my novel, Hunter's Gambit, will be coming out in just three weeks time! If you want a physical copy you should be able to order them as of March 15th directly from me, on Amazon and, of course, digitally on Kindle, Kobo, Nook, and Apple books. As soon as I have proper links for each, I'll update them here. Remember, if you're coming to Calgary for When Words Collide in August, I will be doing an author signing at the event, so you can even get them signed there. Don't worry, I'll remind you closer to the actual event, as well! I'm so excited. I can't wait to share it with all of you!