The Market of 100 Fortunes

Legend of the Five Rings

by Marie Brennan

Enthralling fantasy mystery from the world of Legend of the Five Rings as two samurai risk everything to rescue an old friend from the clutches of a shadowy trickster

Having vanquished demons and halted invasions of devious creatures from the Spirit Realms, Asako Sekken and Agasha no Isao Ryotora are finally going to be married. But when a note from their old ally Sayashi arrives unexpectedly, the samurai find themselves dragged into another supernatural mystery.

Their investigation leads them to Crane lands and an ancient market ruled by a mysterious being. Now Sekken and Ryotora must use all their wit and charm to save Sayashi from a hundred year bargain before they find themselves embroiled in a conflict with a forgotten deity of unimaginable power.

Genres: Fantasy, Mystery

336 pages, Paperback

First published February 6, 2024

About the author

Marie Brennan a.k.a. M.A. Carrick

Marie Brennan is a former anthropologist and folklorist who shamelessly pillages her academic fields for material. She recently misapplied her professors' hard work to Turning Darkness Into Light, a sequel to the Hugo Award-nominated series The Memoirs of Lady Trent. As half of M.A. Carrick, she is also the author of The Mask of Mirrors, first in the Rook and Rose trilogy. For more information, visit swantower.com, Twitter @swan_tower, or her Patreon.

Reviews

[Terrible Timy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This review was originally posted on Queen's Book Asylum!

Actual rating: 4.5*

I received an eARC from Aconyte via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

“Fate is not merely the weight a person carries from one life to the next. It is the circumstances surrounding them in that life, including the people – whether those people are human or not.”

I’m going to start this review with a warning: please don’t make the same mistake that I did. When I requested The Market of 100 Fortunes on NetGalley, I had no idea this was part of a trilogy. Actually, this is the third book of a trilogy. I only realized when I started reading and dug a bit deeper than a glance at its GR page. I picked this book up because 1) the blurb intrigued me and I really want to read more books based on Japanese culture, 2) I’ve been meaning to read one of Marie Brennan‘s books since forever and 3) I thought it was a standalone which was set to be published on my birthday (the date since changed) and it seemed like this was meant to be. So, if you want to read these books in order, please start with The Night Parade of 100 Demons. Also, be warned that this review might contain unintentional mild spoilers.

I also need to add that these books are part of the Legend of Five Rings universe, including games, books, etc. I never played with the game (didn’t even hear about it until now, but that’s not surprising since I’m not a gamer), but I don’t think you need any previous knowledge to enjoy Brennan’s trilogy.

You could ask why I continued reading once I realized what’s going on. Well, the answer is that because I wanted to get a review ready in time of the release date which was supposed to be February 6th but recently was moved to the 20th. And also because I was hooked on the story, and didn’t want to put it down. And while I was – understandably – confused by some things in the first 10% or so, missing the context between the characters and the references to previous events, The Market of 100 Fortunes more or less works as a standalone. Brennan writes in a way that it’s easy to grasp what’s going on. Having that layer of knowledge would have been great, but there was enough incorporated into the writing that I could put together things and rarely felt lost in the world and in the relationships. In a way, it was fun having an already established couple as the main characters, and I’ll make sure to go back and read about their journey to this point.

Sekken and Ryotora are about to journey to Ryotora’s homeland where they can marry and start their lives. From the sound of it, they do need a little peace for sure. But it’s bittersweet for Sekken as he has to leave his home and family behind. For him, the future is uncertain. And so, Sayashi’s letter comes as a divine intervention that can delay the inevitable. Sayashi is a friend of theirs, a bakeneko (a shapeshifter that can take both cat and human forms), who needs their help in Brittle Flower City.

“The bakeneko had insisted, though, scoffing at the notion that “a pure-hearted priest and a scholar with ink for brains” could manage without her help.”

Sayashi is on a personal mission, searching for the entrance to the supernatural market that’s “below” the one the city is famous for. Sekken and Ryotora have no idea what’s going on, but they still decide to disobey Ryotora’s daimyo and head to the Crane lands in search of Sayashi. On their way, they are aided by an Emerald Magistrate of the Scorpions (Emerald Magistrates work for the Emperor, and they can come from any of the clans – btw, I love the idea of the different clans with their characteristics, though we don’t get to know much about them, I guess the games and other books based on it has a deeper lore), and whom they don’t trust at all. Especially since she seems way too eager to help without asking anything in return.

There are a lot of mysteries afoot both with their companion, the city, and the market of 100 fortunes itself. Sekken, being a scholar can’t help himself in wanting to discover it all, even if it sometimes leads to danger. But he is also loyal to his friends, and he wouldn’t consider leaving Sayashi behind, not after they discover her disappearance. Their only lead is a little orphan girl, Kuzu, who knew some of the doings of Sayashi while in the city. I think out of the characters Ryotaro was my favorite, he was the one I could relate to the most. He is anxious, more cautious than Sekken, and generally, he really complements Sekken in every way.

“The only way to find out was to wake him and question him, and Sekken wasn’t ready to be that profoundly stupid.”

I loved the Japanese-like setting (duh), but I think my favorite thing about this book was the market of 100 fortunes and all the creatures (and ideas, because come on, who would have thought there are as many as 100 types of fortunes?). I actively wanted to visit that place just to get a glimpse of them. I love the imagination behind this – based on the author’s notes, a lot of these were based on real Japanese folklore, and man, I really need to get a better look at the Japanese culture. The idea of the tea service is kit *chef’s kiss* I also would have liked to discover more about the fortunes themselves, and thus making me wish that this book was a much longer one – not a complaint I usually have.

The Market of 100 Fortunes was a book I didn’t know I needed, as it seems to have brought back my reading mojo that had been lost to me for a few months. There could have been a bit more meat on the main plot maybe, but the characters just made up for that. I have no idea why is this trilogy not more widely known, but if you love Japanese mythology, or the game on which this world is based, then please, please give these books a go! The Market of 100 Fortunes hooked me from page 1 and it never let go. It’s fun, it’s charming and it makes me long for more. I had an excellent time reading it.

[Krisztian Zajacz · Rating 5 out of 5]

***Received an ARC copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Big thanks to both NetGalley and Aconyte for providing the chance for an early access. The review contains minor spoilers.***

The Market of 100 Fortunes is a direct sequel to the previous two Sekken + Ryotora stories, The Night Parade of a 100 Demons and The Game of 100 Candles, also written by the brilliant Marie Brennan.
The Dragon shugenja and the Phoenix scholar became my favorite characters from the new Legend of the Five Rings lore, and was very excited to read their latest adventure. On one hand, my heart bleeds to know that this is the last story of the couple, but on the other hand, I'm joyful to be able to witness the beautiful sendoff to these awesome characters.

The story starts right off where The Game of 100 Candles ended - the two main characters became a couple and started to get used to the special circumstances of their bond. In fact, they are preparing for their wedding on Dragon Lands. Everything goes well, right until the day when Sekken receives a letter from Sayashi, in which the old friend bakeneko asks for help in a very mysterious way - from Crane Lands, which is in the absolute opposite direction from the wedding location. Our heroes cannot leave their old friend in a pinch, of course, thus they head to Brittle Flower City, where the titular "market of 100 fortunes" is located at. On the way they meet new characters, of which my favorite was Bayushi Meiro, an Emerald Magistrate from the Scorpion clan. Without spoiling too much, she definitely shares both the cunning and the cool aspects of the clan she represents.

Just like the previous two books, I loved the description of the city where our heroes ended up being. Brittle Flower City is a colorful location, and that certain market is as mysterious as the title suggests it. I was also fortunate enough to read a portion of the book in Asakusa district in Tokyo, where there is a temple complex and shrine that felt quite similar to how the market of 100 fortunes could look like based on the description - definitely elevated the experience even further.

As mentioned before, our heroes get a very satisfying happy ending as a result of their last journey, with them truly becoming a family - reading the last chapter is quite heartwarming.

If you are an active Game Master of L5R, this novel is an excellent source of ideas that you can apply to your own adventures as well.

The final verdict from me is that it is the most enjoyable L5R novel released so far and it became my most favorite one. It is a must read for all L5R fans.

[Leah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Warning: THIS IS NOT A STANDALONE.
3.5 stars. We all came for Marie Brennan when requesting this ARC, but what wasn't clear was that this is the third book in a series. Without the previous books knowledge there was a lot of details that were confusing or missing. So definitely read the first two! Like example being it was a little difficult due to the formality of the relationship to immediately tell if the main characters were getting married out of affection or necessity/political reasons.
However, I did enjoy the writing. Marie Brennan has a fantastic way with words that feels so formal yet easy to read. I definitely felt that if I had been along for the ride since the beginning I would have felt a satisfying conclusion. Though again as a person reading only this one I would have liked a bit faster movement to the plot. Definitely an intricate world.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

[Susanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Market of 100 Fortunes is the third Legend of Five Rings game world book by Brennan. They follow Isao Ryotora and Asako Sekken, two samurais of Rokugan Empire, a priest and a scholar who are drawn into dangerous supernatural situations. I’ve read them back-to-back and have liked them all, but this was perhaps the weakest one.

Ryotora and Sekken are preparing to travel to the Dragon Clan’s lands together to marry there, when an urgent request from Sayashi, the cat spirit who has been their reluctant helper in both cases, calls them to Crane Clan lands. But when they arrive there, she’s disappeared.

She may be in the market of 100 fortunes, a place no one believes exists. The men start to investigate with the help of a Scorpion magistrate who may have an agenda of her own, and a little orphan girl. Turns out, finding the market is easy. Getting out of there less so.

This was slightly less interesting read than before. In the earlier books, the men had full chapters in their point of view, which gave a lot of space for character development. Here, the point of view changes in the middle of the chapter, leaving less room for the characters, as the plot dominates the pace. It would’ve required more drama early on to keep a reader’s interest. Now it took a bit too long before anything happened.

There are also a couple of chapters from Sayashi’s point of view. She wasn’t quite as interesting as I’d hoped, and I felt they didn’t really add anything worthwhile. At the very least, the reason for her actions should’ve been brought up earlier on to make the great revelation at the end work better. Now it came a bit out of blue and didn’t have the impact it could’ve had.

Nevertheless, once the mystery got going, it was intriguing. Again, the solution wasn’t easy, requiring great sacrifices. The men worked on their peculiar connection, coming to terms with it, and their relationship remained the best part of the book. The ending was good, and gave a notion that this is the last book. If that’s the case, I’m happy with where the men ended up. But I’d really like to read more.

I received a free copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Esrin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher's for allowing me to read this ARC upon release.
The phoenix scholar was my favourite that is something I have to say first.

The book was interesting enough but i lost the plot halfway through. Which resulted me into feeling 'lost' and confused for a while.
Note: This volume belongs in a series of books so that might be the reason as to why some acts were difficult for me to understand.
I hadn't expected the japanese setting and vibes it had but it gave some things character.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

I hadn’t realized this was a series, but it has been a fun read. In my head, it played out a bit like Miyazaki’s Spirited Away, with all sorts of spirits and magical objects and strange rules. It was a slow start for me, but once things got going it was a real page turner. Now I have to start from the first book!

[Therearenobadbooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5
Prolific fantasy author Marie Brennan adds another book to the series and world of The Legend of the Five Rings. I read my first one in 2000 (by another author) when the first volume was published and was in love with the world, the clans, the characters, and the mythology/supernatural elements ever since.

Perfect for fans of anime, historical shows, and Asian mythology including yokai, horror, and elements usually part of the famous Night Parade, but the approach is very light. Good for those who don't know much about Japanese mythology.

It's appropriate for younger readers. The relationships are very respectful and there is no gore or violence. It is more humorous and cozy.

Even if you never read the series, you can still enjoy each volume as a standalone because each book is an isolated episode and we get the characters well and their relationship. In this volume, the story starts around chapter seven that's when you stop feeling like you're catching up.
The authors are careful to give us an insight into previous books or adventures and that will just make you curious enough to want to collect the rest.

In this volume, Sekken (my favorite intellectual samurai/witch gay character of this series who sometimes has a temper... ) goes to a small town with his fiancé in search of Bakeneko Sayashi who has gone missing, she is not the only one missing and they find themselves again in a magical world where humans don't rule. There are other side quests as well.

These are easy to read, light, and cozy, like the trend nowadays, you'll enjoy them if you like light novels. It's always nostalgic to return to these so I don't mind, but if you are a hardcore fan of L5R you'll end up wanting more depth.

I love these covers.

Thank you Netgalley and Publisher for this e-ARC.

[Siobhain · Rating 5 out of 5]

I adore Japanese mythology and folklore and as such love the Legend of the Five Rings (L5R) games and tie in novels. Brennan’s stories have been some of my favourites for how she uses her love and knowledge of folklore and anthropology to bring the world to life vividly and ties with proper folklore and myth. On top of this we have two male samurai from different clans, Asako Sekken of the Phoenix and Agasha No Isao Ryotora of the Dragon who are in a relationship and indeed soon to be married.


Once again their tale is firmly fixed in the supernatural and phantasmagorical. I have adored seeing their relationship grow alongside their supernatural adventures. This time they have to find and search out a repeated minor character, Sayashi, who is a bakeneko (and honestly my favourite yokai because we doesn’t love demonic cats?). Slowly they have to try and survive the market of a 100 fortunes wondering who they can trust and if they can make it out alive.


Now I don’t like spoilers but I will say for me the thing I adore about this trilogy is the characters and writing. The research and originality match and meter out in a story that become believable and enjoyable. Brennan takes myths and ideas, such as once an object becomes old enough it may get its own soul, and creates some interesting Yokai for us to meet. But the main thing I love is the characters and namely relationship between Sekken and Ryotora. I have adored seeing their relationship blossom and how they counter and complete each other perfectly. No spoilers but that ending was just perfection as well!


If you enjoy L5R or Japanese folklore, particularly of the supernatural, you will adore this. But if you are just a fan of supernatural or beautifully told love stories you will also get a series of stories that will stay with you. The writing is beautiful, the characters memorable and

[Beth Knight · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Marie Brennan, she is a Master of her craft and when I saw her name I auto-requested xD. Turns out that this is the third of a series of tie novels, however it is testament to Brennan’s writing that I never felt like because I hadn’t read the earlier instalments of this delightfully queer samurai series I never felt lost, nor were the references back to early events some thing that bogged the narrative down, just simply part of the way the character’s reasoned through their current predicament.
Despite no familiarity with the card game that inspired the universe, I enjoyed the Feudal Japanese inspired setting and the incorporation of Japanese mythological elements as the adventure unfolded through both terrestrial and spiritual realms. I absolutely loved the relationship between the two leads who are in an established relationship and are working out the problems after happy ever after including the shared life bond that means they easily fatigue and it was nice to see two heroes going about their business adjusting to their new normal and whilst struggling with their limitations but accepting and adapting to it and more beautifully the way those around them accepted and made adjustments for accessibility. Also Cat yokai will ensure I will read your book always.
It’s such a positive cozy read even for the uninitiated, I will most definitely be going back for the other two books

[Maijie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ever since I read the early books focusing on Ryotora and Sekken, I've been looking forward to more stories that focused on them. This book didn't disappoint me. This book isn't a standalone. Though Brennan's style of writing makes it easy to understand what's going on, it's best to read the previous books to fully enjoy the story.

Like the previous ones - the atmosphere, the attention to details and the character interactions have been wonderful. There mystery and the creatures were really intriguing, The resolution wasn't as easy as one would expect but required a good deal of sacrifice. The best part was still the relationship between our two main leads.

There's some parts that were a bit slow but when everything got going, it's really hard to put this down.

I recommend giving this book and the others that came before this one a try.

4.5 stars out of 5 stars.

I received an ARC of this book from and I have chosen to publish my fair and honest review.

[Jessica Woods · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Market of 100 Fortunes is part of a series and should be read as such. I started with this book and admit that at times I felt a little lost. When a friend is in need, Asako Sekken and Agasha no Isao Ryotora postpone their marriage to find their friend and give her help. Magical creatures and mystical markets pit out heroes against ghosts and ancient mythical beings in a paranormal adventure full of action and loyal friends. My voluntary, unbiased review is based upon a review copy from NetGalley.

[Rune · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was given an advanced reader copy of this book in return for an honest review.

I was as happens so many times enchanted by the cover art and then hooked by the blurb. I am not a player of L5R so I don't know very much about the world of Rokugan.

That was a bit daunting and I had to consult with friends who knew more every now and again but the story was no less captivating and breath taking for that.

I loved getting to know this amazing world a little better. To hear about it's clans and samurai as well as it's spirits . It was amazing.

[Annarella · Rating 5 out of 5]

Marie Brennan writes excellent fantasy and this an intriguing and well plotted novel that mixes fantasy and mystery
I had fun and thoroughly enjoyed this novel
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

[Annie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Originally posted on my blog Nonstop Reader.

The Market of 100 Fortunes is a beautifully engaging fantasy mystery by Marie Brennan set in the multi-author sandbox Five Rings world. Released 20th Feb 2024 by Aconite, it's 336 pages and is available in paperback, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout.

The Legend of the Five Rings world is a re-imagined "sandbox" setting with multiple authors and tie-ins, based on a roughly Feudal era Japan with the addition of dragons, magic, and political fantasy. Besides the fiction, the original setting was used for fantasy RPG, collectible card game, and even LARPing. There was also a D&D tie-in published as part of the third edition rules, called Oriental Adventures, which is now out of print.

That has, more or less, nothing whatever to do with this mystery. Despite being the third mystery featuring these main characters, it works perfectly well as a standalone, and despite a large cast of characters, it's relatively easy to keep them all straight. The writing and especially the characterizations are beautifully rendered and three dimensional. The setting is organic and smooth and with literally thousands of pages of canon, it's as much a main theme of the book as the primary characters.

Four stars. Readers who want to do a deep dive will never run out of background reading material. Conversely, readers who just want to enjoy a well written mystery will find themselves richly rewarded here.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

[Megan · Rating 3 out of 5]

*I received an eARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*

I didn't realize when I requested this that it was the third book in a series based on an RPG, I just saw new Marie Brennan and immediately wanted to read it.

I do think I would have enjoyed this more if I knew the lore and had read the first two books; however, this plot does stand on its own. There are just smaller relationship and world building aspects that would have been more impactful with more backstory. I liked the Asian inspired world and thought the plot moved at a good pace. Marie Brennan's writing is phenomenal as always, and was by far my favorite part of this story.

If I get the chance, I'll go back and read books 1 and 2, but for the time being I am satisfied with having just read this story.

[Doug Sundseth · Rating 4 out of 5]

After the events of the previous book, our heroes are traveling to Dragon lands for their wedding, when they get a message from their favorite Bokaneko, Sayashi, asking for help. With the aid of a Scorpion imperial magistrate, they travel south to a Crane clan city, where they find that (shock, horror) all is not as it seems.

Excellent character development is the core of this book, for all of the main characters. But the plot is deeply weird, and in a way that takes me out of immersion in Rokugan. Let's just say that if this were set in Orlando, it would work better.

The book ends on resolution for all the major plot lines, and I suspect this is the end of this series.

With a more comprehensible plot, this would be a 5-star book. Even as is, it (and the series) are recommended.

[Laurence · Rating 4 out of 5]

Perhaps the weakest of the trilogy, in my opinion, as the inciting incident that gets our heroes involved feels contrived, and the ending, a pair of events that could sustain a whole novel themselves, are almost brushed over in a haste to conclude.

Still, in between these sad bookends is a rather fun adventure set in a market beyond the mortal world, a bizarre realm of animate objects and ghosts. It's a change from the mysteries of the earlier books in the series, instead a rescue mission in hostile territory.

There's definitely room for more to follow, but this one does have a touch of finality about it.

[Keith · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have absolutely adored this trilogy - this final instalment was utterly magical and heartwarming. I finished it very quickly and it was bittersweet. These characters will be sorely missed.