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Muramasa: Blood Drinker
“It is said that it is the destiny of good men to die young, to fall to the sword, and it is the destiny of wicked men to go on living. It is a cynical view; a false view, but not for the reason you think.
The truth is, there are no good men. When you peer into the hearts of men, you will understand that they are all wicked, and they all fall to the sword.
My Sword.”
-The bandit known as Ryunosuke. The statement was believed to be taken down by a scribe in a small village north of Osaka, shortly before his death. The scribe, who was a visitor to the area, was known only as Takumi. His head was found neatly arranged on a bed of fresh white rice, as if it were a delicate sashimi.
Tales speak of a time when blades of great power were forged by smiths of unsurpassed skill. Some of these blades were cursed, hungering for death and sleeping only when sated by a feast of blood. This is one such tale.
When a powerful feudal lord is harmed, master swordsman Taoka Yoshio is set on the bloody trail of a murderer seemingly empowered by sorcery. As samurai, he acts as retainer to beautiful and enigmatic Amaya, the daughter of Yoshio’s sworn liege, who has ambitions and plan that are quite different from the tasks given to her by her father.
Along the way they meet a legendary swordsmith and begin to uncover the terrifying truth of the mysterious killer. As they all, killer included, become entangled in the webs of the Ashikaga shogunate’s schemes, they must each face the hard truths of their pasts to survive and defeat evil.
The truth is, there are no good men. When you peer into the hearts of men, you will understand that they are all wicked, and they all fall to the sword.
My Sword.”
-The bandit known as Ryunosuke. The statement was believed to be taken down by a scribe in a small village north of Osaka, shortly before his death. The scribe, who was a visitor to the area, was known only as Takumi. His head was found neatly arranged on a bed of fresh white rice, as if it were a delicate sashimi.
Tales speak of a time when blades of great power were forged by smiths of unsurpassed skill. Some of these blades were cursed, hungering for death and sleeping only when sated by a feast of blood. This is one such tale.
When a powerful feudal lord is harmed, master swordsman Taoka Yoshio is set on the bloody trail of a murderer seemingly empowered by sorcery. As samurai, he acts as retainer to beautiful and enigmatic Amaya, the daughter of Yoshio’s sworn liege, who has ambitions and plan that are quite different from the tasks given to her by her father.
Along the way they meet a legendary swordsmith and begin to uncover the terrifying truth of the mysterious killer. As they all, killer included, become entangled in the webs of the Ashikaga shogunate’s schemes, they must each face the hard truths of their pasts to survive and defeat evil.
- GenresFantasy
507 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 17, 2016
15 people are currently reading
61 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
March 16, 2019
A good read. The ending was a bit unexpected and didn't go where I thought it would. The story is a slow but fun build. Stewart obviously did a lot of research and it shows. His world is rich with description and nods to historical references, despite the fact that this is a fictional world. I would recommend this book, especially if you are a fan of historical fiction, or you just want a fun weekend read.
November 8, 2020
Very fun read!
It sent me to feudal Japan and I pictured it as an anime. I guess that’s my animator brain going through the action sequences which were of the best I’ve read, and I usually dislike action scenes in books. Even the passages involving water I pictured them like a Ghibli film. But let’s stop talking about my brain.
I was fooled, spooked and touched by the characters and mesmerized by the convincing worldbuilding the author planted. I would like to know what books did David read as reference, because this Japan time period is fascinating.
I enjoyed the ride. I hope I can read more of Yoshio or at least more of this fantastic samurai world of David V. Stewart.
It sent me to feudal Japan and I pictured it as an anime. I guess that’s my animator brain going through the action sequences which were of the best I’ve read, and I usually dislike action scenes in books. Even the passages involving water I pictured them like a Ghibli film. But let’s stop talking about my brain.
I was fooled, spooked and touched by the characters and mesmerized by the convincing worldbuilding the author planted. I would like to know what books did David read as reference, because this Japan time period is fascinating.
I enjoyed the ride. I hope I can read more of Yoshio or at least more of this fantastic samurai world of David V. Stewart.
January 31, 2018
3.5 Stars.
I came to this book after, of all things, watching some of David's You Tube channel on his thoughts about Star Wars. I was really impressed by the way he broke down the elements of story and character etc in hos critique of the new Disney films.
Impressed by his You Tube knowledge of the art of storytelling, and discovering he was also an author, I decided to see what his own fiction would be like.
I liked this story.
At first I was taken aback that such a well spoken gentleman on You Tube had written a novel that used quite simple sentences, often quite precisely laid out. There wasn't a lot of long flowery language. Call it my Romanticism, but I'd like to think David ,in writing a story of Japan, was drawing on that succinct perceptive Japanese style - channelling that Japanese precision you can see in Haiku.
Not a complex story, but an interesting premise, interesting characters, the relationships with characters are well-done - there is an obvious relationship that is toed around and developed well. Overall, this a was a nice holiday read.
I came to this book after, of all things, watching some of David's You Tube channel on his thoughts about Star Wars. I was really impressed by the way he broke down the elements of story and character etc in hos critique of the new Disney films.
Impressed by his You Tube knowledge of the art of storytelling, and discovering he was also an author, I decided to see what his own fiction would be like.
I liked this story.
At first I was taken aback that such a well spoken gentleman on You Tube had written a novel that used quite simple sentences, often quite precisely laid out. There wasn't a lot of long flowery language. Call it my Romanticism, but I'd like to think David ,in writing a story of Japan, was drawing on that succinct perceptive Japanese style - channelling that Japanese precision you can see in Haiku.
Not a complex story, but an interesting premise, interesting characters, the relationships with characters are well-done - there is an obvious relationship that is toed around and developed well. Overall, this a was a nice holiday read.
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November 16, 2020I have read Japanese settings by Japanese authors before and this is not what they're like. The dialogue is forced, stilted, and a pain to read.
For a plot about a supernatural killer, 80% of the interactions are very mundane and boring. I gather David enjoys illustrating the setting of feudal Japan but he indulges so much in it that it becomes redundant. Just like honey tastes sweet but two mouthfuls of it will make you vomit. The character exposition is in disproportionate ratio to character development.
The pages are bloated with descriptive padding. Roughly 4 out of 5 interactions are followed by some inane detail from the narrator such as "said he smiling", it gets tiresome fast. Unless you deliberately write for a 90-100 iq audience, let the intelligent reader infer details from context.
I spare it a rating because I couldn't bring myself to finish it
For a plot about a supernatural killer, 80% of the interactions are very mundane and boring. I gather David enjoys illustrating the setting of feudal Japan but he indulges so much in it that it becomes redundant. Just like honey tastes sweet but two mouthfuls of it will make you vomit. The character exposition is in disproportionate ratio to character development.
The pages are bloated with descriptive padding. Roughly 4 out of 5 interactions are followed by some inane detail from the narrator such as "said he smiling", it gets tiresome fast. Unless you deliberately write for a 90-100 iq audience, let the intelligent reader infer details from context.
I spare it a rating because I couldn't bring myself to finish it
November 24, 2022
The ending was abrupt in some ways, and left an unresolved thread or two - the unclear death of the old swordsmith Muramasa, and the (political) ramifications for the continued relationship between Yoshio and Amaya.
Also Amaya's son came out of nowhere.
That said enjoyed the presentation of the setting, the characters, and the action.
I quite like the David's books.
Also Amaya's son came out of nowhere.
That said enjoyed the presentation of the setting, the characters, and the action.
I quite like the David's books.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 24, 2019
An atmospheric tale with the feel of a samurai film, and a celebration of Japanese culture and history. Like a samurai movie, there are periods of contemplation and explorations of the characters’ histories, interspersed by intense battles of skill and courage.
September 29, 2018
The book is an interesting read, and the thing that stood out to me was the author's commitment to illustrating feudal Japan's culture and traditions, as well as the intrigue unfolding between different power groups that are part of the story. This is, of course, in addition to his central focus on the character of a warrior past his prime who is still very much committed to his craft and teachings.
My realistic mark would've been slightly lower if we were allowed to use a decimal system like in aggregated scores. The story at one point appears to be following too many threads, but this may be the result of me not reading it in my native tongue. Still, being that this is David V. Stewart's first published book it is a solid representation of the author. Hence the 4.
Courtesy of David Stewart's generosity on his birthday I was able to procure his other books, and am looking forward to discovering how his writing has evolved since Muramasa, and what interesting worlds and characters his mind has explored.
My realistic mark would've been slightly lower if we were allowed to use a decimal system like in aggregated scores. The story at one point appears to be following too many threads, but this may be the result of me not reading it in my native tongue. Still, being that this is David V. Stewart's first published book it is a solid representation of the author. Hence the 4.
Courtesy of David Stewart's generosity on his birthday I was able to procure his other books, and am looking forward to discovering how his writing has evolved since Muramasa, and what interesting worlds and characters his mind has explored.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews