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Cold Sake: Yamabuki vs. the Undead
Not all vengeance is exacted by the living.
In 12th-century Japan, Yamabuki, a young woman samurai, 17 years old, travels deep into the Oku wilderness. Along a lonely road, at a forgotten inn, she seeks shelter, warm food, and cold saké. But as darkness falls, she ends up fighting for her life...and she finds that there are terrible things under heaven that no weapon can vanquish, and that her only way to survive is to heal that which cannot be healed.
In 12th-century Japan, Yamabuki, a young woman samurai, 17 years old, travels deep into the Oku wilderness. Along a lonely road, at a forgotten inn, she seeks shelter, warm food, and cold saké. But as darkness falls, she ends up fighting for her life...and she finds that there are terrible things under heaven that no weapon can vanquish, and that her only way to survive is to heal that which cannot be healed.
66 pages, Hardcover
First published December 13, 2013
13 people are currently reading
301 people want to read
About the author
Katherine M. Lawrence
6 books20 followersAccording to the Wall Street Journal, April 3, 2015, Katherine M. Lawrence may very well have originated the widely used term, "glass ceiling."
Currently her Yamabuki series is about a woman samurai who breaks through a ceiling in ancient Japan to become an accomplished warrior, but without losing her humanity.
The author first became interested in Japan while growing up in Seattle, Washington, and at a young age having several playmates who were Japanese-Americans, Japan seemed natural and accessible. Fascinated by the beauty and elegance of Japanese art, architecture, and style, she grew up with a growing appreciation for Japanese aesthetics.
For several years, Katherine M. Lawrence has been researching and writing the adventures of Yamabuki, an actual historic female samurai who lived in the Heian Era of Japan. Inspired by several decades in the martial arts halls led by women: as a martial arts student in residence for four years at the Ja Shin Do Academy both in Boston, Massachusetts, and Santa Fe, New Mexico; the San Jose State University Kendo Club; and Pai Lum White Lotus Fist-Crane in Albany, New York, style Katherine set out to write about the experiences of women who train in warriors skills...and Yamabuki in particular.
Katherine graduated from the University of Washington with a BA degree in both History and Chemistry, and continued with work on a Masters in History at the Far Eastern and Slavic Institute. She also graduated with an MBA from Harvard. For several years she provided consulting services for the Japanese firm, Kaneka, helping them with their marketing efforts in the United States.
In her undergraduate and masters degree work she developed an appreciation for the different mentalities and mind-sets of people in other eras and other cultures--for the assumptions of 21st century Americans are very different from late 19th century Europeans, let along people of other cultures in by-gone eras.
When she is not writing, she is the CEO of Pingv, a leading Drupal development shop.
When she finds any additional free time, she pursues motor sports, cooking authentic cajun food, studying advanced mathematics, trying to beat the computer at chess, and eating all the sushi she can find.
Currently her Yamabuki series is about a woman samurai who breaks through a ceiling in ancient Japan to become an accomplished warrior, but without losing her humanity.
The author first became interested in Japan while growing up in Seattle, Washington, and at a young age having several playmates who were Japanese-Americans, Japan seemed natural and accessible. Fascinated by the beauty and elegance of Japanese art, architecture, and style, she grew up with a growing appreciation for Japanese aesthetics.
For several years, Katherine M. Lawrence has been researching and writing the adventures of Yamabuki, an actual historic female samurai who lived in the Heian Era of Japan. Inspired by several decades in the martial arts halls led by women: as a martial arts student in residence for four years at the Ja Shin Do Academy both in Boston, Massachusetts, and Santa Fe, New Mexico; the San Jose State University Kendo Club; and Pai Lum White Lotus Fist-Crane in Albany, New York, style Katherine set out to write about the experiences of women who train in warriors skills...and Yamabuki in particular.
Katherine graduated from the University of Washington with a BA degree in both History and Chemistry, and continued with work on a Masters in History at the Far Eastern and Slavic Institute. She also graduated with an MBA from Harvard. For several years she provided consulting services for the Japanese firm, Kaneka, helping them with their marketing efforts in the United States.
In her undergraduate and masters degree work she developed an appreciation for the different mentalities and mind-sets of people in other eras and other cultures--for the assumptions of 21st century Americans are very different from late 19th century Europeans, let along people of other cultures in by-gone eras.
When she is not writing, she is the CEO of Pingv, a leading Drupal development shop.
When she finds any additional free time, she pursues motor sports, cooking authentic cajun food, studying advanced mathematics, trying to beat the computer at chess, and eating all the sushi she can find.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
May 25, 2014
The Japanese tradition is long and complicated, with subtleties that are truly hard to capture in a work of extant fiction. However, Katherine M. Lawrence does a wonderful job of it. Peppered throughout "Cold Sake" and "Haru" are little details like using the old calendar (Year of the Monkey, for example), and translating the tongue-twister names of people in the pre-modern era so that their inherent meanings can be gleaned even by readers unfamiliar with the language.
Doubly impressive is the character Yamabuki herself, deftly crafted and executed on the page and throughout the story. Skillful, confident; full of Japanese "warrior spirit", Yamabuki embodies much of what the original tales of samurai and the feudal era would have given her, making Lawrence's work feel authentic. It is also reminiscent of Lafcadio Hearn's gothic tales of Japan, as well as "The Tale of Heike", but again, with the pleasant and refreshing twist of a female protagonist.
I was thoroughly pleased with the portrayal and use of Yamabuki's gender as well––the story avoids the usual traps of the 'female warrior trope' by keeping Yamabuki human, indeed sometimes gloriously androgynous, yet the fact she is a woman is essential to the story.
"Cold Sake" takes up roughly half of the Kindle file, with the other half being dedicated to an excerpt from a novel Yamabuki will be featured in as well. Lawrence certainly gave a great teaser––I am eager to pick up the next installment in the series.
The only problem I had was that, while the beginning and the end of the stories were quite strong, the middle parts seemed to drag at times, focusing too much on establishing more setting or explaining terms and culture for the reader. As a student of Japanese and a long-term resident of Japan, I realize that not everyone going in will have an understanding of the language, and even with the help of the well-organized appendix in the back, might stumble through a few parts of the text. Still, if you are looking for a unique window into the world of medieval Japan, "Cold Sake" is a great place to start.
Doubly impressive is the character Yamabuki herself, deftly crafted and executed on the page and throughout the story. Skillful, confident; full of Japanese "warrior spirit", Yamabuki embodies much of what the original tales of samurai and the feudal era would have given her, making Lawrence's work feel authentic. It is also reminiscent of Lafcadio Hearn's gothic tales of Japan, as well as "The Tale of Heike", but again, with the pleasant and refreshing twist of a female protagonist.
I was thoroughly pleased with the portrayal and use of Yamabuki's gender as well––the story avoids the usual traps of the 'female warrior trope' by keeping Yamabuki human, indeed sometimes gloriously androgynous, yet the fact she is a woman is essential to the story.
"Cold Sake" takes up roughly half of the Kindle file, with the other half being dedicated to an excerpt from a novel Yamabuki will be featured in as well. Lawrence certainly gave a great teaser––I am eager to pick up the next installment in the series.
The only problem I had was that, while the beginning and the end of the stories were quite strong, the middle parts seemed to drag at times, focusing too much on establishing more setting or explaining terms and culture for the reader. As a student of Japanese and a long-term resident of Japan, I realize that not everyone going in will have an understanding of the language, and even with the help of the well-organized appendix in the back, might stumble through a few parts of the text. Still, if you are looking for a unique window into the world of medieval Japan, "Cold Sake" is a great place to start.
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January 3, 2015Such fun!
Kate weaves a truly enjoyable tale here. She knits the warp of Japanese custom with the weft of a good plot & crisp pace. It was good fun to read, and I look forward to more tales of Yamabuki.
Kate weaves a truly enjoyable tale here. She knits the warp of Japanese custom with the weft of a good plot & crisp pace. It was good fun to read, and I look forward to more tales of Yamabuki.
July 8, 2016
A very fast read. A very good ghost story.
March 30, 2020
I enjoyed the time period (12th century Japan) and settings very much. The research and writing was excellent. I hope the author enjoyed the book as much as I did. I'm looking forward to the next one in the series. If I had a complaint, I wished it was longer.
March 18, 2020
I usually don't read books about samurai warriors and historic Japan, but I was intrigued by the strong female character. I admired her courage. I look forward to reading more from the author.
April 11, 2015
This story is written in an odd style, but I think it might be consistent with the style of Japanese story telling. The way the characters spoke and thought made me think at least a little bit of Memoirs of a Geisha, which is the closest example of Japanese story telling that I have experience with.
This was a really short book, less than 50 pages, so it was a quick read, but it was also very entertaining. I have always enjoyed ghost stories, and ultimately, that's what this is. I suppose I would recommend this book to people that are interested in Japanese stories (although I'm really not an expert on those.)
This was a really short book, less than 50 pages, so it was a quick read, but it was also very entertaining. I have always enjoyed ghost stories, and ultimately, that's what this is. I suppose I would recommend this book to people that are interested in Japanese stories (although I'm really not an expert on those.)
February 16, 2016
I’m not terribly well-versed in Japanese culture or history, and Cold Sake would not normally be in my reading genre, but a friend who’d read it gave me the book as a gift…and I found it quite enjoyable. There’s an outstanding ghost story here, a couple of compelling combat scenes, and plenty of mystery around the character of Yamabuki and her mission. The setting is vivid, the pacing solid, the glossary helpful, and the cover beautiful. I wish there were more of it to read. Happily, there is another longer book in the series, with a third on the way.
January 10, 2016
Excellent, quick read. Lawrence seems to have a grasp of her setting and her character, Yamabuki. The story is more of a traditional ghost story with a spooky demon and some disturbing imagery. It was unsettling, which was to be expected. The incorporation of Japanese cultural elements were well-done in a way that felt natural and not pedantic.
**DISCLOSURE** Received from Goodreads First Reads program in an exchange for an honest review **
**DISCLOSURE** Received from Goodreads First Reads program in an exchange for an honest review **
January 18, 2014
Your classic ghost story of someone looking for shelter for the night, finds what seems to be a comfortable place to stay, is confronted by The Unknown, then awakens in the morning to discover the place has been in ruins for quite some time and everyone that was encountered last night has been dead for years.
December 13, 2018
One of my favorite ghost stories. The print version is excellent, and the audio version (can be obtained at Audible) is a favorite, one I listen to whenever I'm in the mood for something spooky and beautiful. Highly recommended.
January 13, 2014
Amazing, captivating. Difficult to put down. I'm crushed that the rumored follow-on series is not available yet.
April 7, 2016
Fantastic reading ...
Fantastic reading ... It has me wanting more of the series I can only hope that she will write more of this character
Fantastic reading ... It has me wanting more of the series I can only hope that she will write more of this character
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews