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100 Gates
Gods and demons battle in a classic tale of boy meets girl, girl meets monster, and boy meets an army of monsters.
Matt Minamoto never gave his Japanese surname a second thought. Why would he? His great-grandfather left Japan in 1923, and the last vestige of the old country is the sword he brought with him. That changes when a tragic accident leaves Matt's body broken and his heart shattered.
Matt finds himself with a one-way ticket to Japan, to a remote village named Kenoshiro, and to a house without electricity or plumbing. It's as if he stepped back in time.
He counts the days until his eighteenth birthday, when he can return to America, but simply surviving seems unlikely. Matt gets an education about his heritage he doesn't want, learns real monsters aren't cute or pocket-sized, and that sometimes the sweetest smile masks a mouthful of long, sharp teeth.
If you're looking for a contemporary fantasy adventure that blends the myths of ancient Japan with urban legends... read 100 Gates today!
Matt Minamoto never gave his Japanese surname a second thought. Why would he? His great-grandfather left Japan in 1923, and the last vestige of the old country is the sword he brought with him. That changes when a tragic accident leaves Matt's body broken and his heart shattered.
Matt finds himself with a one-way ticket to Japan, to a remote village named Kenoshiro, and to a house without electricity or plumbing. It's as if he stepped back in time.
He counts the days until his eighteenth birthday, when he can return to America, but simply surviving seems unlikely. Matt gets an education about his heritage he doesn't want, learns real monsters aren't cute or pocket-sized, and that sometimes the sweetest smile masks a mouthful of long, sharp teeth.
If you're looking for a contemporary fantasy adventure that blends the myths of ancient Japan with urban legends... read 100 Gates today!
494 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 19, 2018
26 people are currently reading
563 people want to read
About the author
P.D. Kalnay
17 books35 followersP.D. Kalnay writes fantasy, science fiction, and children’s books. You don’t have to be a giant nerd to enjoy those books, but it will probably help.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
November 25, 2018
Epic modern mythology
This is a long, involved book that I didn't want to put down. It's two halves, the first primarily modern Japan, the second mythological, set in the modern world, with the same lead character learning both worlds.
Matt was raised in America, but moves to Japan after tragedy strikes his family. Aoi meets him at the airport, his reluctant and surly guide. Their relationship changes through the book, but feels genuine throughout. An example of the writing about them:
"A tiny part of him wanted her to stay. Most of him was desperate for her to leave. All added up they’d hardly spent any time together, but that short time had been packed with activities and firsts. Matt’s mother once told him that life was mainly breathing and hanging around, and that you only lived in the short moments when important events happened. She’d polished off a few glasses of red wine ahead of telling him, and Matt had thought little of her back porch philosophizing. It made perfect sense now."
Both lead characters and secondary characters, as well as Japanese culture itself, are well described and intriguing. The modern world blended with fantastical mythology is executed beautifully, and too believable.
The author's note explains that this started as the outline for a graphic novel - the text is vividly descriptive, and easy to see images that match that format. While there are some minor editing imperfections, it's overall decent for the length of the book. I would look for more from this author.
This is a long, involved book that I didn't want to put down. It's two halves, the first primarily modern Japan, the second mythological, set in the modern world, with the same lead character learning both worlds.
Matt was raised in America, but moves to Japan after tragedy strikes his family. Aoi meets him at the airport, his reluctant and surly guide. Their relationship changes through the book, but feels genuine throughout. An example of the writing about them:
"A tiny part of him wanted her to stay. Most of him was desperate for her to leave. All added up they’d hardly spent any time together, but that short time had been packed with activities and firsts. Matt’s mother once told him that life was mainly breathing and hanging around, and that you only lived in the short moments when important events happened. She’d polished off a few glasses of red wine ahead of telling him, and Matt had thought little of her back porch philosophizing. It made perfect sense now."
Both lead characters and secondary characters, as well as Japanese culture itself, are well described and intriguing. The modern world blended with fantastical mythology is executed beautifully, and too believable.
The author's note explains that this started as the outline for a graphic novel - the text is vividly descriptive, and easy to see images that match that format. While there are some minor editing imperfections, it's overall decent for the length of the book. I would look for more from this author.
November 26, 2018
An excellent adventure
"100 Gates" by PD Kalnay takes into a moden world mixed with Japanese legend, fantasy, and magic. Matt Minamato is descended from a thief/God. He stands to inherit a sword of immense power. As we have heard, with great power comes great responsibility. His parents die in an automobile accident not having fully explained nor trained him for his future. He is sent to Japan where those protecting an ancient shrine expect him to step in and take his place as Lord. He is met at the airport by the one born to aide him, Ali Sato. Though she is trying hard to run away from her fate, both she and Matt find you cannot out run fate. You can, however, meet it on your terms!
"100 Gates" is an excellent adventure. Kalnay has done a phenomenal job combining reality, Japanese lore, and his own magic. "100 Gates" is a stand alone novel that stands alongside The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, and Watership Down. (Three of my favorites... lol). This book belongs in your library. I look forward to reading more by PD Kalnay.
"100 Gates" by PD Kalnay takes into a moden world mixed with Japanese legend, fantasy, and magic. Matt Minamato is descended from a thief/God. He stands to inherit a sword of immense power. As we have heard, with great power comes great responsibility. His parents die in an automobile accident not having fully explained nor trained him for his future. He is sent to Japan where those protecting an ancient shrine expect him to step in and take his place as Lord. He is met at the airport by the one born to aide him, Ali Sato. Though she is trying hard to run away from her fate, both she and Matt find you cannot out run fate. You can, however, meet it on your terms!
"100 Gates" is an excellent adventure. Kalnay has done a phenomenal job combining reality, Japanese lore, and his own magic. "100 Gates" is a stand alone novel that stands alongside The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, and Watership Down. (Three of my favorites... lol). This book belongs in your library. I look forward to reading more by PD Kalnay.
September 27, 2018
This was one heck of a book to read. It's not going to win any great literary awards or anything but i found it captivating, nearly from the start. The only thing that took me away from reading it (when I had time to) was taking notes to further explore other concepts, myths, legends, etc.
Maybe there will be a sequel coming for this one some time in the future. I think there is more than enough going on to allow for that.
Anyhow, a great fantasy novel based very loosely on current Japanese culture and ancient religion/folklore; Sort of a Karate Kid meets The Hobbit with the sarcasm of Big Trouble in Little China. Yep, it's that wonderfully messed up and frankly, i wish it wasn't over.
Maybe there will be a sequel coming for this one some time in the future. I think there is more than enough going on to allow for that.
Anyhow, a great fantasy novel based very loosely on current Japanese culture and ancient religion/folklore; Sort of a Karate Kid meets The Hobbit with the sarcasm of Big Trouble in Little China. Yep, it's that wonderfully messed up and frankly, i wish it wasn't over.
November 25, 2018
Would be a good graphic novel or movie
This story would make a good graphic novel or movie. The storytelling is very visual. There are sections that are somewhat explicit so probably geared to an "R" or "NC17" rating. It held my interest, I enjoyed reading about legends and the creatures. Would be interested to find out about the other families.
This story would make a good graphic novel or movie. The storytelling is very visual. There are sections that are somewhat explicit so probably geared to an "R" or "NC17" rating. It held my interest, I enjoyed reading about legends and the creatures. Would be interested to find out about the other families.
August 10, 2019
Great adventure
Interesting characters and story. Wish there was more books to continue reading, especially the non human realms. I would recommend this book whole heartedly.
Interesting characters and story. Wish there was more books to continue reading, especially the non human realms. I would recommend this book whole heartedly.
July 11, 2018
Thoroughly enjoyed this book!
January 15, 2019
I received a free digital copy of this book through a giveaway hosted on GoodReads.
100 Gates was an interesting journey, beginning with a car crash in the US and ending with…well, you’ll just have to see. For the majority of the story, though, the reader is taken to Japan, where a young boy of Japanese descent named Matt, who is excellent at martial arts but doesn’t know a lick of Japanese language or culture past what he picks up from his anime-loving friend, is suddenly informed that he has special powers stemming from the blood of a legendary swordsman, and that it is his responsibility to become stronger and to protect the village that his great grandfather fled from 80 years before. He also learns that all the remaining members of the village are expected to serve him, including a 20-year-old women with a sour expression and a love of Lolita fashion, and who is as enthusiastic to return to the village as he is to come to Japan in the first place. For a time, the woman, Aoi, is able to use the language barrier to allow them to stay in Japan, where he can learn Japanese and she can escape from all but the bare minimum of her duty required to protect him. After Matt’s lack of knowledge causes him to make a huge mistake while visiting with friends, however, both learn that they cannot escape from duty forever, and as their clashing personalities make interacting with one another more and more difficult, Matt may be forced by duty further than anyone thought he possibly could be.
I loved this book from the moment the supernatural elements began trickling in. As both a lover of both cryptozoology and of popular Japanese media (okay…anime and manga), I recognized a few of the creatures Aoi and Matt encounter, but I knew little about Japanese mythology past the stuff that is often used in supernatural and fantasy series, so there were a lot of things that I found myself eagerly researching, to uncover what was actually pulled from Japan and what the author created himself. And while the author admits it is more his own creation peppered with random tidbits of history than it is a pure story of Asian culture, the way he took interesting stories and legends and weaved them in gave the story a lot of flavor than you do not find in many more well-known fantasies.
For anyone planning to read it, however, I do offer a word of caution: take the characters’ ages as a warning, and only read if you or the person you plan to give it to are in their mid to teens or are an adult. Although it’s not very detailed, it does contain some suggestive content, including mentions of brothels and prostitution, discussion of act of dubious consent, as well as scenes of intercourse involving the main characters. It’s nothing worse than the sort of sex scene you would find in a lot of ancient mythology, but it is there, so this book probably isn’t recommended for anyone who isn’t old enough to have had “the talk”. Also, while the story as a whole is very exciting, there are some parts that drag a big, mostly out of necessity of being boring but important parts of Matt’s journey. Kalnay does a pretty good job of rushing through or skipping what doesn’t need to be described in detail, but if you’re looking for a book to keep you awake during a long wait or a boring task, this book should probably be saved for later, particularly some of the “training montage” chapters (you’ll know what I mean when you get to it). Otherwise, though, if you like fantasy and mythology and are looking for an interesting break from the genre’s Euro-centric tendencies, then this is a great book to try out. And even if it doesn’t stick religiously to facts, it does provide a good jumping off point for anyone interested in learning about Japanese mythology by showing some great examples of popular (as well as less-popular) spirits and demons to get you started.
100 Gates was an interesting journey, beginning with a car crash in the US and ending with…well, you’ll just have to see. For the majority of the story, though, the reader is taken to Japan, where a young boy of Japanese descent named Matt, who is excellent at martial arts but doesn’t know a lick of Japanese language or culture past what he picks up from his anime-loving friend, is suddenly informed that he has special powers stemming from the blood of a legendary swordsman, and that it is his responsibility to become stronger and to protect the village that his great grandfather fled from 80 years before. He also learns that all the remaining members of the village are expected to serve him, including a 20-year-old women with a sour expression and a love of Lolita fashion, and who is as enthusiastic to return to the village as he is to come to Japan in the first place. For a time, the woman, Aoi, is able to use the language barrier to allow them to stay in Japan, where he can learn Japanese and she can escape from all but the bare minimum of her duty required to protect him. After Matt’s lack of knowledge causes him to make a huge mistake while visiting with friends, however, both learn that they cannot escape from duty forever, and as their clashing personalities make interacting with one another more and more difficult, Matt may be forced by duty further than anyone thought he possibly could be.
I loved this book from the moment the supernatural elements began trickling in. As both a lover of both cryptozoology and of popular Japanese media (okay…anime and manga), I recognized a few of the creatures Aoi and Matt encounter, but I knew little about Japanese mythology past the stuff that is often used in supernatural and fantasy series, so there were a lot of things that I found myself eagerly researching, to uncover what was actually pulled from Japan and what the author created himself. And while the author admits it is more his own creation peppered with random tidbits of history than it is a pure story of Asian culture, the way he took interesting stories and legends and weaved them in gave the story a lot of flavor than you do not find in many more well-known fantasies.
For anyone planning to read it, however, I do offer a word of caution: take the characters’ ages as a warning, and only read if you or the person you plan to give it to are in their mid to teens or are an adult. Although it’s not very detailed, it does contain some suggestive content, including mentions of brothels and prostitution, discussion of act of dubious consent, as well as scenes of intercourse involving the main characters. It’s nothing worse than the sort of sex scene you would find in a lot of ancient mythology, but it is there, so this book probably isn’t recommended for anyone who isn’t old enough to have had “the talk”. Also, while the story as a whole is very exciting, there are some parts that drag a big, mostly out of necessity of being boring but important parts of Matt’s journey. Kalnay does a pretty good job of rushing through or skipping what doesn’t need to be described in detail, but if you’re looking for a book to keep you awake during a long wait or a boring task, this book should probably be saved for later, particularly some of the “training montage” chapters (you’ll know what I mean when you get to it). Otherwise, though, if you like fantasy and mythology and are looking for an interesting break from the genre’s Euro-centric tendencies, then this is a great book to try out. And even if it doesn’t stick religiously to facts, it does provide a good jumping off point for anyone interested in learning about Japanese mythology by showing some great examples of popular (as well as less-popular) spirits and demons to get you started.
June 22, 2019
Dinner was served
I ate this lavish meal in one day. Great story, believable characters, and excellent writing came together for an enjoyable repast. I am sorrowful that it is done. The door is open for more should the author choose to bless us. I would like that a lot!
I ate this lavish meal in one day. Great story, believable characters, and excellent writing came together for an enjoyable repast. I am sorrowful that it is done. The door is open for more should the author choose to bless us. I would like that a lot!
April 21, 2019
Interesting concept, but undeniably written by a man. Now that two main characters have moved in together, the sexual objectification of the female has increased. I do not think I will bother reading through continuous mentions of “her perfect body,” “his competitiveness,” and how her entire life, she has been destined to be his servant and how this is really better for her in the long run.
November 11, 2020
I am generally not a reader that reads a book through very quickly, but this one I could not put down period. The actions was all well paced and the twists and turns were all rewarding. In short I loved the book from start to finish and can't wait to try more from this author!
March 2, 2019
I enjoyed this book for the (mostly) fast-paced story. The writing was nothing special, but not objectionable. I would recommend it for anyone who enjoys Japanese mythology.
June 25, 2020
Intense and enjoyable
Great book only four stars as the story jumped a bit too much. A very compelling read though,very enjoyable and well worth the read.
Great book only four stars as the story jumped a bit too much. A very compelling read though,very enjoyable and well worth the read.
November 14, 2021
excellent read
Kept my interest from the first page till the end. No cliffhanger ending. Would absolute recommend reading this book. Look forward for more from Kalnay.
Kept my interest from the first page till the end. No cliffhanger ending. Would absolute recommend reading this book. Look forward for more from Kalnay.
January 6, 2020
I am not sure what it was but I never found myself warming to this book. It seems to be an adjustment on the Tale of the Shining Prince Genji, which would normally be enough to hold my interest right there, but no matter how much I read I just found myself distracted and wanting something more. The worst part is that I couldn't even put the more I was looking for into solid thought.
I am glad though that the book generally gets a better judgment than I am giving it.
I am glad though that the book generally gets a better judgment than I am giving it.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews