Sword of the Demon

by Richard A. Lupoff

Through realms of oriental splender and superhuman conflict, a beautiful woman warrior and a fierce man-god journey to challenge a being more awesome than the gods for a magical sword that holds the power of death ... and the key to enlightenment.

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Japanese Literature, Science Fiction

174 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1976

About the author

Richard Allen "Dick" Lupoff (born February 21, 1935 in Brooklyn, New York) is an American science fiction and mystery author, who has also written humor, satire, non-fiction and reviews. In addition to his two dozen novels and more than 40 short stories, he has also edited science-fantasy anthologies. He is an expert on the writing of Edgar Rice Burroughs and has an equally strong interest in H. P. Lovecraft. Before becoming a full-time writer in 1970 he worked in the computer industry.

Reviews

[Elihú · Rating 3 out of 5]

No sabía qué esperar de esta novela, aunque lo cierto es que no esperaba esto. Es muy rara, pero porque el estilo no es el acostumbrado. Sin embargo, sí que es muy original, sobre todo porque la mitología que utiliza tiene mucha influencia de la japonesa y para la época en que está escrita, sin duda Lupoff realizó una labor loable al alejarse de las influencias occidentales y abrazar las orientales.

Se puede decir que estamos ante una obra de espada y brujería, aunque no piensen en Elric de Melniboné, pues ciertamente no veremos espadazos por doquier. En cierto momento, la forma de narrar del autor, se siente farragosa, pero ello se debe al esfuerzo por imprimirle un aura surreal, casi de ensueño, a toda la historia. Ciertamente pareciera que estemos ante un cuento muy antiguo, brumoso por su lejanía, pero fascinante.

En ocasiones, falta equilibrar la descripción. A veces se recrea mucho en ella, pero otras veces pasa por completo. Pero eso sí, tiene muchas escenas para el recuerdo y sin duda, el capítulo donde un guerrero samurai se "enfrenta" a un dragón de ocho cabezas es para remarcar y aplaudir. Un duelo digno del mejor Bilbo y Smaug.

Eso sí, no hay gran caracterización y a veces pareciera que la protagonista va dando tumbos. El final es confuso, lleno de mucha metáfora y no dará una sensación clara de cierre. Sin duda no es un libro de fantasía al uso y para todos los gustos, pero no creo que deba desestimarse. Si pueden echarle un vistazo, denle una oportunidad. Aunque sea por leer algo muy diferente y alejarse de la zona de confort.

[Steve · Rating 3 out of 5]

Written in 1976, Richard Lupoff’s Sword of the Demon was way ahead of the curve (at least in the West) when it comes to Eastern Martial Arts & Fantasy. Though Sword of the Demon is rooted in Japanese myth and legend, you can’t help but be reminded (if you’ve seen them) of such Chinese films as Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, House of Flying Daggers, and Curse of the Golden Flower. Sword of the Demon is jam-packed with flying wizards, fantastic beasts, samurai warriors (male and female), and shape shifting galore from all of the above. That said, I found Sword of the Demon to be, ultimately, one of those dutifully read books. Perhaps it’s just my ignorance of Japanese myths, etc. (But that didn't prevent me from enjoying the Chinese movies I’ve mentioned above.) Whatever the case, I became increasingly frustrated with the never-ending parade. I felt like I was trapped in an aquarium with a bunch of pretty (and violent) fish. (Since some of this story takes place under water, you’ll see what I mean if you read the book.) However, there are some great set-piece stories that can stand alone. My favorite was a confrontation between a samurai and an eight-headed dragon. It’s a battle of wits that matches Bilbo’s contest with Smaug.

[Graeme Dunlop · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a classic 70s sci-fi/fantasy tale that reminds me of Roger Zelazny or Jack Vance. Its starts somewhere in the cosmos with unknown entities in conflict, and gradually resolves onto a particular world where things are at least a little familiar.

It's one of those stories that seems to meander along its path, without necessarily providing a goal or a quest or a task to be completed. Things just happen, strange things, and there's not always an explanation.

That means it's not for everyone. I quite like that style because it makes the story somewhat less than predictable. It draws pretty heavily on Japanese mythology which also sits well with me.

I found this an engaging and delightful story, especially for its sumptuous use of language. It's a bit of an anachronism in a world of increasingly familiar, cut-and-dried adventures. But a pleasing one, I hope.

[Paulo "paper books only" · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I bought this was book I was in a phase of Japanese books. Most of them made by western writers. This one was not an exception. I remember one thing. Beautifuly prose language but unfotunally it didn't work for me. I will try to read in a few years when I have more books under my belt. This book mix japanese folklore and culture. I remember being confuse with the story. Most of time I didn't knew where the writer wanted the main character to go. The ending was as confusing as the rest of the book, and I didn't enjoy the book. I felt cheated.

[Stephen White · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a strange mix of overly-descriptive at times and not descriptive enough at others. Lupoff writes like he knows he needs to meet a minimum word-count. You will read retreads of the plot so far multiple times. This is a difficult read due to the style of the prose. It is plodding and tedious at times, but the imagery is enchanting and dreamlike. It's difficult to rate this novel because I enjoy and dislike it in equal measure. I loved it at age 17 but my second reading at age 30 has left me ambivalent and slightly disappointed.

[D.H. Hanni · Rating 3 out of 5]

Closer to 3.5 stars. Hard to describe the book but I did enjoy it. It's extremely surreal and felt at times like an Eastern infused version of Alice in Wonderland. Unique and intriguing writing style as well as the story and characters. Very ethereal quality to it. I suspect this might be a book that isn't for everyone but if you like fantasy or want to read something different, this would be a good choice.

[Dominic0409 · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a surreal and beautifully written adventure which makes up for a startling lack of plot and characterisation with its original Oriental setting and wonderfully odd characters. All in all this is not a book to be read for an exciting story, it's a book to be savoured for mystical ambiguity and glorious writing.

[Lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

For a book less than 300 pages, it took me a bit longer than I thought to finish it. While it had great reviews and it looked interesting from the synopsis, I didn't quite like it. The writing style was a bit too odd for my liking. I did enjoy the japanese folklore in it, but I don't know if it was a twist out of some other folklore or not as I don't know enough of it.

[Senan · Rating 1 out of 5]

I just could past the first chapter.

[David Hefesto · Rating 3 out of 5]

Desconozco los mitos o leyendas en que Lupoff basó su historia y por tanto, no puedo juzgar hasta qué punto la trama es original. El argumento me ha parecido bueno, una historia mágica plagada de imágenes hermosas, pero el modo en que está narrada, una especie de presente hiperdescriptivo en el que te dicen lo que debes visualizar escena a escena, hace que la lectura se vuelva farragosa. Tengo la sensación de que si hubiese sido escrita de un modo más asequible, habría disfrutado mucho más con esta lectura.

[Charles · Rating 3 out of 5]

Inventive and well written. Uses eastern myths instead of western ones as the basis for a sword and sorcery story. Pretty good.