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Legend of the Five Rings
Legend of the Five Rings: Whispers of Shadow and Steel
In the City of Lies, whom do you think you can trust?
Bayushi Yojiro is known as the “only honest Scorpion” in the samurai clan infamous for its liars, schemers, and secrets. As an Emerald Magistrate, his duty is to uphold the Emperor’s laws and ensure justice is done. As a Scorpion, his duty is to loyally serve the interests of his clan—even if that means sacrificing his own honor. As both, Yojiro walks a line as razor-thin as the edge of a katana.
When a dignitary of a rival clan is murdered in the Scorpion-controlled City of Lies, Yojiro is sent to help investigate and bring the killer to justice. His fellow magistrates expect him to prevent Scorpion interference, while his clan expects him to protect its secrets. Where do his loyalties truly lie, and whom will he be forced to betray?
Bayushi Yojiro is known as the “only honest Scorpion” in the samurai clan infamous for its liars, schemers, and secrets. As an Emerald Magistrate, his duty is to uphold the Emperor’s laws and ensure justice is done. As a Scorpion, his duty is to loyally serve the interests of his clan—even if that means sacrificing his own honor. As both, Yojiro walks a line as razor-thin as the edge of a katana.
When a dignitary of a rival clan is murdered in the Scorpion-controlled City of Lies, Yojiro is sent to help investigate and bring the killer to justice. His fellow magistrates expect him to prevent Scorpion interference, while his clan expects him to protect its secrets. Where do his loyalties truly lie, and whom will he be forced to betray?
112 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 10, 2018
17 people are currently reading
72 people want to read
About the author
Mari Murdock
16 books11 followersMari Murdock is a freelance writer, editor, educator, and gamer based in Utah. She is probably best known for her work on Legend of the Five Rings, having written the Scorpion Clan novella Whispers of Shadow and Steel and other L5R fiction. She also has work published by Gallant Knight Games, Outland Entertainment, and Heads and Tails Publishing. When she is not knee-deep in homework for her Master’s thesis on transatlantic modernism, Mari can be found reading old sci fi pulp novels or cooking Japanese food from what’s left over from her grandmother’s pantry. Check out her website at marimurdock.com.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
January 17, 2019
I have been looking forward to reading some full length Legend of the Five Rings fiction and this was my first novel(la). The story wasn't bad, but I felt that there were several parts that felt rushed or too convenient. Without giving away any spoilers, I did find that I was satisfied with the ending and its message about clan loyalty (from a Scorpion perspective).
January 12, 2019
I bought this book for the promotional L5R cards that came with it. The plot is overcomplicated, the characters are wooden, and prose is stiff. Cards weren’t even that great.
December 30, 2019
Having read the old series of Legend of the Five Rings books I am having a hard time with the time line in these novels. I feel like there changes to the the timeline and some of the characters. I love the Scorpion Clan but this book does not really cover all the clan is. There are also some editing errors that should have been caught. All-in-all it was a nice easy read.
October 21, 2018
Being familiar with L5R when picking up this book, I knew what to expect from the Scorpion Clan emblem on the cover. Even so, this brief story managed to surprise me in pleasant ways.
Two of my favorite worlds collided within these pages: the gritty police procedural detective fiction, and the fantastical samurai drama. The story is suitably twisty and layered, with more than a few surprises. It's a fast-paced tale, and at moments it reads a little too brisk, but the pace is supported by the urgency and the action, as our protagonist tumbles through compounding revelations that leads to a strong character-defining choice that ends the tale. The inner conflict of the protagonist Yojiro leading up to this moment is relayed well, and the city itself is almost a character of its own. Right from the start we are bombarded with the city's corruption, literally spilling into the streets as the line blurs between rickshaw driver and purse-cutter. Mari's prose is expert, and the story is well-told, with just enough detail to fully-realize the action.
Any flaws with the story are likely related to its short length. For instance, Yojiro's co-investigator goes from suspicious and distrusting to completely openly trusting and loyal perhaps a little too quickly to believe, at least to my mind. But the story drew me in so completely that a detail that tiny was instantly forgiven. There were a few typos near the center of the book that briefly disrupted my reading, but they weren't especially egregious. The good outshines any few hiccups along the way.
Fans of L5R should definitely read this novella, as should anyone who is intrigued by the Scorpion faction within the setting. For everyone else, if you enjoy noir-style mystery and samurai fiction, or if you are curious about L5R, this is an excellent entry into the series. I highly recommend it!
And ignore the color insert until you've finished.
Two of my favorite worlds collided within these pages: the gritty police procedural detective fiction, and the fantastical samurai drama. The story is suitably twisty and layered, with more than a few surprises. It's a fast-paced tale, and at moments it reads a little too brisk, but the pace is supported by the urgency and the action, as our protagonist tumbles through compounding revelations that leads to a strong character-defining choice that ends the tale. The inner conflict of the protagonist Yojiro leading up to this moment is relayed well, and the city itself is almost a character of its own. Right from the start we are bombarded with the city's corruption, literally spilling into the streets as the line blurs between rickshaw driver and purse-cutter. Mari's prose is expert, and the story is well-told, with just enough detail to fully-realize the action.
Any flaws with the story are likely related to its short length. For instance, Yojiro's co-investigator goes from suspicious and distrusting to completely openly trusting and loyal perhaps a little too quickly to believe, at least to my mind. But the story drew me in so completely that a detail that tiny was instantly forgiven. There were a few typos near the center of the book that briefly disrupted my reading, but they weren't especially egregious. The good outshines any few hiccups along the way.
Fans of L5R should definitely read this novella, as should anyone who is intrigued by the Scorpion faction within the setting. For everyone else, if you enjoy noir-style mystery and samurai fiction, or if you are curious about L5R, this is an excellent entry into the series. I highly recommend it!
And ignore the color insert until you've finished.
July 10, 2019
Love the L5R lore. Story is not bad, but not top tier. Nice to have a spiffy hardcover with cool artwork, but they could polish the product a bit more. There are typos and stuff.
March 28, 2019
A very nice view into the life and intricacies of the Scorpion Clan. Ryoko Owari Toshi (the City of Lies) is depicted in such a beautifully detailed manner that at no point throughout the book will you feel out of place. If anything, you'll understand how the shadows shift and move in a city where someone is always waiting for you around the corner.
Very well written book that I'd recommend to any fan of the Legend of the Five Rings story and even more so to fans of the Scorpion clan.
Very well written book that I'd recommend to any fan of the Legend of the Five Rings story and even more so to fans of the Scorpion clan.
December 8, 2018
I enjoyed the book but I did have a hard time keeping the characters straight as I feel the author did not go very in depth with them. I spent some time trying to remember who was who as I was reading and that always takes away from the story.
January 10, 2019
A little slow paced and a lot of fluff detail that's in there more as a setting piece than a story, but fairly enjoyable otherwise. The mystery was fun enough but I wish it pushed a little further into a danger for the characters. Not bad for a first novella effort.
October 3, 2020
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I don't consider myself a big fan of the Scorpion Clan but I felt this book did a great job of conveying that dishonorable deeds can be honorable to a higher duty. Fun read.
December 16, 2020
Would have benefited from being a bit lengthier so the author could flesh out the characters a bit more. A few typos in the book as well, otherwise it's a solid product with decent enough writing. Would read more by the author.
August 17, 2019
Una aventurilla entretenida de la que creo que algunas cosas que aparecen, tendrán luego mayor importancia para la historia de Rokugán.
Spoiler: el arte de la forma de las sombras
Spoiler: el arte de la forma de las sombras
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 13, 2020
main character didn't fundamentally change due to his moral quandary, which contradicts what the book was going for.
Read
February 27, 2022Im a huge L5R fan so im biased but it was great, lore was great to read again
December 19, 2019
Absolutely loved the characters, the plot, the internal conflict of clan loyalty and the mystery that Yojiro was going through. I was super hooked into this book.
*Spoilers incoming* The only qualm I had was after so much amazing mystery and characterization and conflict, I felt the end to be fairly lackluster. The buildup was reaching its climax only to have everything rushed at the end with very little involvement of Yojiro. He literally was just given the entire end. All of that work and story was rendered pointless by a an exposition dump confession from the perp that could've been given all the way at the beginning of the book and changed nothing. That being said, up until the end, it was an amazing ride. But the ending made me feel a bit like all of the novel was made pointless and there was no actual earned victory.
*Spoilers incoming* The only qualm I had was after so much amazing mystery and characterization and conflict, I felt the end to be fairly lackluster. The buildup was reaching its climax only to have everything rushed at the end with very little involvement of Yojiro. He literally was just given the entire end. All of that work and story was rendered pointless by a an exposition dump confession from the perp that could've been given all the way at the beginning of the book and changed nothing. That being said, up until the end, it was an amazing ride. But the ending made me feel a bit like all of the novel was made pointless and there was no actual earned victory.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 8, 2019
a great read that shows the complexities of the members of the Scorpion clan within the world of L5R.
I look forward to furhter books in this series to build on the world.
I look forward to furhter books in this series to build on the world.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews