Genpei: A Fantasy

by Kara Dalkey

Throughout the twelfth century, two rival clans, the Minomoto and the Taira, struggled for supremacy in Imperial Japan. Each attempted a rebellion and, for a time, the Taira gained ascendancy. But their rule turned despotic and at last, during the Genpei War of 1179-1185, the Minomoto drove the Taira out of the capital and took control for themselves.At the final battle of Dan-no-ura, the Taira-born child-emperor and his family all jumped into the Inland Sea to avoid capture and drowned. With them was lost the Imperial Sword, never to be seen again. The Minomoto leader took control, moved the capital, and became the first Shogun of Japan.That much is history.But wherefore come the tales of superhuman strength, the incredible insight, the clandestine knowledge of the Genpei War's heroes? There has been much speculation throughout the generations. Some have called the Minomoto's rise to power destiny, others call it a deal between humans and spirits-since even in death, the eternal Japanese warrior's spirit cannot be laid to rest. How much is truth, how much legend? One can never tell, for there are older, stranger tales as well....At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

Genres: Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Fiction, Japan, Historical, Japanese Literature, Medieval

666 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 3, 2001

About the author

Kara Mia Dalkey is an American author of young adult fiction and historical fantasy. She was born in Los Angeles and has lived in Minneapolis, Pittsburgh, Colorado, and Seattle. Much of her fiction is set in the Heian period of Japan.

She was married to author John Barnes; they divorced in 2001. She is a member of the Pre-Joycean Fellowship and of the Scribblies. She is a graduate of the Fashion Institute of Design and Marketing in Los Angeles.

She is also a musician and has gigged extensively on electric bass (which she plays left-handed) and harmony vocals, with such bands as Runestone, the Albany Free Traders, and Nate Bucklin and the Ensemble (in Minnesota) and Relic and Voodoo Blue (in Seattle.) At different times she has also played drums, banjo and acoustic guitar. She is a songwriter, but her total output is low, and consequently no CD or other album is presently in the works.

Reviews

[Sbuchler · Rating 2 out of 5]

Genre: Japanese pseudo-history

For all of the supernatural elements to the story, this book feels like you're reading a history book. It is the story of the Gempei wars between the Minamoto and the Tiara, there isn't really a main character, nor is the story particularly character driven. The tone of the book is like looking at a Zen Garden and the beauty of it can be taken as such - but mostly I fell asleep.

[Althea Ann · Rating 1 out of 5]

Can I admit it? I didn't finish this book! I very rarely don't finish a book, but I got more than halfway through it and realized that reading it had become a chore. I wasn't enjoying it, and felt no desire to even find out what happened to any of the characters. It's too bad, because Dalkey is obviously a capable, talented writer, and the book is very well researched. However, she made a decision to base the style of the book on classic Japanese manuscripts such as The Tale of Genji. I've greatly enjoyed reading historical Japanese works - for example, I'd highly recommend "The Confessions of Lady Nijo," written in the late 13th century. But in 'Genpei', the general effect is not that of reading a medieval work, but that of reading a dry history - without the benefit of actually learning accurate historical facts. The story is a based on the factual Genpei wars of Japan's 12th century, but mainly this is a recounting of the life and ambitions of some Japanese noblemen, some with supernatural help or hindrances. Unfortunately, all the characters seem to blend together, without clearly defined personalities, and none of them are likable people at all - they're variously greedy, malicious, misogynistic, treacherous - all in a banal way.

[Roger Perales · Rating 4 out of 5]

You have to be a fan of feudal Japanese history to enjoy a book like this. That said, I thoroughly enjoyed Dalkey's exploration of the Genpei War. Though it had fantasy elements and was a historical fiction, it also followed the actual history of the war very closely as far as I can tell. It is not a quick read and if you don't already have a familiarity with Japanese names or the time period, I can see how it would be a pain to read.

[Ella Hambleton · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've never been a huge follower of ancient Japanese history however, contrary to several other reviews (which I understand) this book really drew me in. I've had some minimal exposure to the Japanese language and found the pronunciation of names out loud to be useful for comprehension in general. I appreciated how the author included heritage (I. E. Xxx son of yyy) in some chapter introduction to reorient the reader amongst a sea of very similar names. Learning Japanese naming tradition in the prologue was not only an interesting fact but also a useful tool to follow characters. Perhaps a small diagram in the foreword could have helped, too.

In terms of the story, whilst it did read a bit like a historical recounting, I actually grew to find this style somewhat charming. Whilst more character development could have added to the story I did fall in love with some characters, especially ni no ama and kenreimon-in. In order to make this into a true epic fantasy, I can't imagine one volume would have been enough, so I appreciated how much of the story the author was able to pack in to one book.

Ultimately not a book for everyone, and not an 'easy' read per-se, but certainly rewarding and a wonderful overview of historical events (with a fantastical twist) that I would never otherwise have studied!

[Sean M Puckett · Rating 2 out of 5]

Didn’t finish. Got a third through, kinda enjoying it, but I found the characterizations very frustrating, with actions at odds with motivations. Especially with regard to how people would react to living deities. Obviously the plot is driven by history and I liked that part, but the way fantasy was woven in didn’t seem to mean anything. And how could it? So I got fed up. And this is a genre I love on the big screen: huge fan of epic Asian cinema here.

[bkwurm · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found this somewhat confusing. While I appreciate the attempt to introduce fantasy elements into the well known tale, the transformation of the Taira from heroes, in that Kiyomori originally fought off the influence of the demonic emperor, into villains, somewhat rushed and unconvincing. Especially since the Minomoto were being advised by the said demonic emperor.

Anyway, I'll give it a couple of months and maybe I'll return to it and see if, on a reread, I can understand it better

[Marsha Valance · Rating 5 out of 5]

Superb fantasy recreation of the Heike-Genji wars.

[DJ Dycus · Rating 3 out of 5]

An entertaining blend of 12th-century Japanese history and fantasy. From the very beginning the gods are involved in the political affairs of various warring factions.

[Kasey · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story was a bit hard to grasp, but it said at the beginning that it was actually based on a monogatari so that's understandable. I liked it for it's accuracy, not so much for it's story. It is a lot like a history book, so I wouldn't recommend it to someone who isn't already interested in feudal Japan.

[Kat]

I like historical fiction, but I also like books with a main character (or two or five or a dozen! I like casts of thousands too!) who provides the reader with a way into the world, and after a couple dozen pages, Genpei had not provided one, and so I lost interest.

[Alix Treleaven · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very true interpretation of the Heike Monogatari. Difficult for those who have no background in ancient/pre-modern Japanese literature to understand or get into, and the writing style could definitely have been amended to be less "epic poem" like, but I enjoyed it a lot. Nii no Ama is kickass.