Curse of Honor: A Legend of the Five Rings Novel

Legend of the Five Rings

by David Annandale

The reckless pursuit of honor exposes an empire to demonic invasion, in this epic fantasy novel of duty and warfare, set in the extraordinary world of Legend of the Five Rings.

Striking Dawn Castle defends the mountains between the Rokugan empire and the demon-haunted Shadowlands. When a mythical city is discovered in the forbidding peaks, Hida Haru, heir and sore disappointment to his family, seizes the opportunity to prove himself. His rash expedition ends in disaster – just one samurai returns alive, and Haru is lost. Before a power struggle can break out, Striking Dawn’s battle-hardened commander, Ochiba, is dispatched to rescue Haru. She succeeds against supernatural horrors, but Haru is… changed. Now, mysterious deaths and ill fortune plague his family. Something evil is loose and must be stopped, at any cost.

Genres: Fantasy, Horror, Ebooks, High Fantasy, Fiction, Epic Fantasy

352 pages, Paperback

Published October 6, 2020

Reviews

[Ramón Peña · Rating 3 out of 5]

DISCLAIMER: This review is based on the reading of a pre-publication proof copy. As such, some details mentioned may no longer apply to the final published copy.

This is a novel based on the Legend of the Five Rings (L5R) world, which is the milieu of a several game lines. It's a rich and complex secondary world developed for several decades by AEG and more recently by Asmodee/FFG. This is the first L5R novel published by Aconyte, the fiction subsidary of Asmodee. The action takes place in Rokugan (mainly a fantasy version of feudal Japan, but with elements of other Asian cultures, too). The rulers of this land are Seven Clans, descended from the Kami (gods that fell to Earth 1,00o years ago), under an Emperor. This particular story in centered on the Crab Clan, staunch warriors who protect the Empire's southern frontier from the evil of the Shadowlands.

The story in this novel has no connection with "current events". It could happen any time in the last 3 centuries. They only historic reference is a mention in an old archive to the Carpenter Wall, which was built on the 8th century (in the present of the ongoing story we are at 11th, for reference). In any case, nobody should expect any advancement (or even throwaway references) to any plotlines ocurring in the "present" of the game lines. This story seems to have been deliberately chosen to take place so that it stands by itself, and doesn't affect anything else, which has pros and cons; some may like a more self-contained story, others may find it irrelevant for that very same reason.

Because of the role of the Crab Clan as protectors against the horrors of the Shadowlands, this novel reads very much like a horror story. Some parts reminded me of Lovecraft-esque exploration of eerie landscapes, at times of a zombie flic, then a paranoid "who is the traitor" mystery, The Thing's style. In all, I'd say it was well pulled-off and it reads nicely. No depth, but no hassle either. It's a fast, entertaining read.

I have some nitpicks in relation to the setting (the author is new to L5R), but probably they wouldn't mean nothing to a new reader. On the other hand, veterans of the setting could find some of these easily fixable mistakes somewhat off-putting. The main of these is making the Hiruma a vassal family of the Hida (they aren't). There are few more, thankfully minor, but I'd rather not spoil a major plotpoint.

So, in short, a decent enough first entry in the L5R fiction line, but with lots of room to grow and improve. I hear next in line comes a straight mystery, which I'm really looking forward to.

[Brian · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked it but I liked the old Clan War novels I think more. Plus a bit misleading cause the helmet on the cover looks like Hida Kisada's, but the Hida are only mentioned. The story was ok, I like Annandale's Horus Heresy and 40k books more I think.

[Merinereads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dieses Buch gefiel mir richtig gut!!
Es geht um Ehre und Respekt, menschliche Dummheit, den Wunsch das Richtige zu tun und tatsächlich auch um Liebe.
Angefangen mit dem Schreibstil, der nicht nur sehr flüssig, sondern meiner Meinung auch unglaublich emotional ist (ich zumindest hab die Geschichte echt GEFÜHLT). Generell passte die Erzählweise unglaublich gut zur Atmosphäre der Geschichte und dem japanisch angehauchten Setting (ich weiß nicht ob das die richtige Beschreibung ist, Bezeichnungen und Kultur wirken schon sehr japanisch aber zur Lore und den Göttern hab ich bei Google nur Einträge aus dem Legend of the five Rings Universum gefunden).
Auch die Charaktere konnten mich komplett überzeugen. Meine eindeutigen Favoriten waren die Kriegerinnen Ochiba und Barako, die beiden sind einfach badass, klug, talentiert, loyal und obwohl das jetzt ziemlich "perfekt/ schwächenlos" klingt, auch sehr menschlich. Nicht nur bei den beiden, auch generell fand ich den Umgang mit Gefühlen in dieser Geschichte sehr interessant. Die Pflicht steht für alle Charaktere an erster Stelle vor den Gefühlen, und doch sind es gerade Gefühle die eine große Katastrophe, aber auch einen entscheidenden Sieg bringen. Hier sieht man beispielsweise ein großartiges Beispiel von "die Absicht war gut, aber war trotzdem ne sch***idee".
Der Autor schafft es jedoch, allen Figuren ein passendes/ würdiges/ ehrenvolles Ende zu geben und man kann niemanden hassen da die Charaktere vielschichtig geschrieben sind und man ihre Motivationen verstehen kann (auch wenn manche Entscheidungen wirklich wirklich nicht intelligent waren...).
Auch sehr gelungen fand ich die Kombination aus übernatürlicher Bedrohung und politischen Machtspielchen, denn natürlich mögen Menschen in hohen Positionen ihre Macht und auch wenn man noch so ehrenvoll sein will kann ein schlauer Bösewicht Menschen auf dieser Grundlage wunderbar manipulieren....
Mein letzter Punkt ist die Liebesgeschichte dieses Buches, welche eine der besten ist die ich in letzter Zeit gelesen habe. Wie bereits erwähnt empfand ich das Buch als durchaus emotionserweckend geschrieben und dementsprechend konnte mich auch diese Romanze, welche Onscreen kaum gezeigt wird, mich tief berühren.

SPOILER: gerade dadurch, dass es eine so tragische Liebesgeschichte voller Schmerz und Reue ist, hat sie mich voll mitgerissen und es tat mir von Herzen weh dass die beiden Figuren einander nie ihre Liebe gestehen konnten. Zusammengekommen wären sie aufgrund der Umstände wohl eh nicht, aber zumindest hätte es der einen Figur den zusätzlichen Schmerz ungesagter Worte erspart.

Kurz gesagt: ich fand das Buch echt genial, es hat sowohl Fantasy-als auch Horrorelemente, interessante Lore, gelungene und vielschichtige Charaktere, politische Spielereien und sogar eine überzeugende Romanze!

[Courland · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Aconyte Books for providing me with an advance review copy

Curse of Honor takes place in the Legend of the Five Rings setting (specifically in Rokugan), think feudal Japan but with magic and demons. Curse really doesn't delve too far into the setting, preferring to focus on its characters and the ongoing power struggle between some of them. We're still shown a fair bit about the setting but it's all in service of the characters, don't expect lengthy exposition dumps about the nature of magic or a comprehensive guide to Rokugan.
The story is centered around Haru, the heir of Striking Dawn castle, desperately trying to prove himself a worthy heir. This ambition inadvertently causes a catastrophe when he uncovers a demonic city and can't leave well enough alone.
Curse almost exclusively plays out in Striking Dawn castle, a bulwark against invasion from demons, and the recently uncovered city in the mountains. This is where some issues start to show for me, as the plot zips back and forth between the two locales with nothing in between. That being said the two locales we get are really cool, especially the city; it gives of this incredibly menacing and creepy vibe that got me when the city was first introduced.
Most of the characters here are interesting and compelling, though my favorite is probably going to be captain Barako: a woman who has to solve a demonic whodunnit while also withstanding a power struggle for the entire castle, for no other reason than "this is my duty."

Curse of Honor works well as a peak into the setting, with a strong cast and interesting set pieces.
4 stars

[Adam Selby-Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although Aconyte Books, the newly-established publishing arm of Asmodee Games, has only been in operation for a short while, I’ve rapidly become a huge fan of the titles that they have been releasing, with editor Charlotte Llewelyn-Wells taking advantage of the impressive range of gaming properties that Asmodee Games has available to commission some fantastic titles. The Tales from the Crucible anthology was one of the best sci-fi/fantasy anthologies that I have read in a very long time, filled to the brim with fresh, original stories brimming with positivity and excitement from a range of talented authors; and Josh Reynolds’ occult detective novel Wrath of N’Kai, based on the venerable Arkham Horror range, was a fantastically grimdark and chilling tale that used Reynolds’ skills as a writer to great effect.  A whole slew of new titles have been announced by Aconyte on social media, or can be found on Amazon and Goodreads with a little digging, and I am genuinely excited to see all of these wonderful gaming properties brought to life in a range of novels and anthologies.
This wide of range of properties that can be utilised is one advantage that Aconyte has, but the other must surely be Llewelyn-Wells and her ability to bring in some of the best writers in the sci-fi, fantasy and horror genres to develop those properties. Tales from the Crucible had a number of great veteran and up-and-coming authors, such as Thomas Parrott and Robbie MacNiven, and of course Josh Reynolds needs no introduction. But for the publisher’s third title, they have managed to acquire one of my favourite writers – David Annandale, who has written a host of absolutely amazing Warhammer stories, including some of the best novels and novellas in Black Library’s new Warhammer Horror imprint. Annandale’s first contribution (for there appear to be more coming down the pipeline) is Curse of Honor, based on the Legend of the Five Rings RPG and CCG setting from Fantasy Flight Games. While I hadn’t been familiar with Five Rings before picking up an Advanced Review Copy of the novel, some research showed that it looked like an awesome setting with a huge amount of potential for cool storytelling. I loved the cover art by Nathan Elmer which really set the mood for the novel, and the back-cover blurb which promised demons, samurai and supernatural horrors. As those are some of my favourite things – especially the whole supernatural horror! – I couldn’t wait to dive in.

Curse of Honor opens with Hida no Kakeguchi Haru, junior member of the aristocratic family that resides in Striking Dawn Castle, leading a merchant caravan towards the castle and safety. An experienced soldier but also deeply arrogant and desperate to prove himself to the Daimyō Akemi that he has earnt the right to be her heir, Haru has recklessly pushed ahead with the final caravan, despite the obvious dangers of the coming Winter. Much-delayed by landslides and then rockfalls, Haru, his guard contingent and the caravan are unable to escape the coming snowstorms and are cut off from the safety of the Castle. Trapped in a cavern system that is perilously close to the immense Walls that protect humanity from the demon-infested Shadowlands, Haru’s exploration of the caverns leads to a terrifying discovery. He finds a mysterious, abandoned city that sits behind the Wall, yet seems wreathed in the essence of the Shadowlands. Arrogance and pride bond together to make him become obsessed with the city; seeing a way to finally prove himself worthy of the Kakeguchi name, Haru returns with an expedition to explore the city, only to lead his warriors into disaster. A single samurai is the only survivor, returning to Striking Dawn Castle to tell of Haru’s disapperance within the city.

From there the garrison of the castle, and the Kakeguchi family, are thrown into chaos as a relief force is sent into the city to rescue Haru, only to discover that the heir presumptive has been altered by his time there. Time spent in a place that is twisted, deceptive and utterly terrifying in nature; a location that Annandale imbues with a deeply unsettling nature and malign kind of intelligence, populated by monsters with all-too human faces. Haru is returned to Striking Dawn, at great cost and after some amazingly choreographed action sequences against an undead foe; but those in the castle must now contend with the insidious evil that has returned with him, and attempt to defeat it – if that is even possible given the immense power it can wield over the environment and the undead.

Annandale has given us an engaging, atmospheric and expertly paced narrative, but this is far from the only element in the novel that makes it such a success. Just as important are the carefully-crafted characters that populate Curse of Honor, and also the detailed background work that has done to integrate the Five Rings setting into the novel’s overarching plot. Annandale continues to have an incredible eye for characterisation, with each major character in the novel feeling like fully fleshed-out, three-dimensional people that react according to the customs, culture and social norms of the Five Rings world, rather than merely to the requirements of the plot. To take just one example, when protagonist Haru is introduced in the opening moments of the novel, we are able to understand the motivations and flaws in his character within only a few pages. He is arrogant, demanding, utterly disdainful of lesser castes and hollowed out by lack of self-confidence; yet he is also an experienced warrior and traveller, and able to make calculated decisions based on that experience. In turn, that experience means he over-estimates his own abilities and potential to resolve situations in his favour, which leads to the disastrous confrontation with the mysterious city.

With Haru, Annandale is able to create a fully-formed and multi-faceted character within a few hundred words, where other authors might take entire novels to flesh out a character to the same degree. The other characters in the novel are just as well written and portrayed, even those that take relatively minor roles in the narrative; I was particularly taken with Ochiba, veteran warrior of the Crab Clan who has chosen the way of the sword in the face of the immense pressure from both social norms and the wishes of her family, performing her duties for the Daimyō Akemi in spite of the fact that by doing so, she has cost herself the possibility of ever entering into a romantic relationship. Annandale has created a cast of thoroughly engaging characters whose interactions seem realistic, and dictated solely by the realities of their universe. For Annandale also does a stellar job of showcasing the politics that coalesce around Striking Dawn Castle, and the rival families populated the fortification; the constant politicking and careful social and political manoeuvres by every major character form an intriguing background to the main plot, as we see the powers in play that attempt to ensure that the Kakeguchi family remains in command of Striking Dawn and the tremendous (yet deeply honourable) duties attached to the castle. All of this, of course, is also enmeshed in the rigid class and clan system of the Tokugawa-era culture used for the Five Rings setting – the firm, unyielding boundaries between merchant and aristocrat, and senior and junior members of a household, and the inherited arrogance and disdain that comes with such a system.

With Curse of Honor David Annandale once again demonstrates why he is one of the best authors currently writing in the fantasy (and science fiction) genre, able to utilise his absolute mastery of atmosphere, sublime prose and skilful characterisation to turn his hand to any setting that he is tasked with writing. Curse of Honor is a deeply compelling and sophisticated novel, with Annandale using the Five Rings setting to weave a thoroughly enjoyable story about arrogance, ambition and rigid caste systems that are deftly merged with the grim realities of the supernatural, demon-infested Shadowlands and its many occult dangers. As with all of the other novels and novellas I’ve read from Annandale, I found myself drawn effortlessly into Curse of Honor; indeed, there were several times where I found myself losing track of the time and reading deep into the night, something I’d considered almost impossible after being exhausted dealing with two small, hyperactive children and a full-time job amongst other demands on my time. I really cannot recommend this novel strongly enough – Annandale is a deeply talented author and I look forward to seeing what his next project is, both for Aconyte Books and also should he ever strike off into his own unique settings

[Myc · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok, so. This book is set in the Legend of the Five Rings universe—a world built around a collectible card game and tabletop roleplaying game that I played for about 17 years from the late 90s onward until AEG ultimately sold the property to Fantasy Flight Games. I was very familiar with the original world, built through card art, card game storylines, RPG splatbooks, and (in the early 2000s) about a dozen novels that recounted two important story arcs, The Clan War and The Four Winds Saga (I still have all of the original novels as well as novellas released with special card collections and the RPG books—I’m that type of nerd). This is the first full novel set in this world in about 17 years (though AEG did put out a graphic novel in 2009 and there have been some novellas released by FFG).
Unlike the earlier novels, this one does not have a story that directly ties into the greater narrative of the L5R universe. It doesn’t even feature characters that players of the classic or modern versions of the game would recognize. Which, in some ways, is great! It’s not bound by the already existing storyline. In other ways, though, it feels a little disappointing—particularly since the cover art features some Very Recognizable Imagery.
A lot of this is to preface that I am clearly biased when it comes to L5R. I am going to love it because it is a world that meant a lot to me growing up, and I am going to be overly critical of it for the same reasons. Just to be upfront.
Like many of the novels published two decades ago, this is definitely a work for hire piece, and Annandale does a pretty great job. We could quibble about details in the world-building that don’t exactly fit the in-game universe, but that would be picking nits. The book is an enjoyable mix of a fantasy feudal Japan (the L5R setting) with an almost Lovecraftian horror story set among my favorite of Clans, the Crab. There is enough to keep the reader interested—drama, tension, action—and the writing is at least as good as the average previous entries in the old L5R series (though there are some odd inconsistencies and word choices). There are a few twists, though none are overly surprising (even the Big Reveal feels predictable). And, of course, there is a constant feeling that if only the men listened to any of the qualified, intelligent women in the story, then tragedy could have been averted. Which is both good (hooray for strong, intelligent women characters) and frustrating (the personal and political machinations of the men are frustrating to the point of annoyance). In addition to the aspects of a fantasy/horror story one might expect, there is also a very interesting love story that begins subtlety before becoming overt—and stories with this sort of representation are awesome and add an interesting layer to an otherwise relatively flat and straightforward narrative arc.
I liked this book for what it was, though my biggest critiques would be a slow start, a rushed ending, and mostly two-dimensional characters. Still, I look forward to future novels in the series (the next two also appear to be stand alone stories). While not mind-blowing, this is an excellent bit of escapism with which I have a great personal connection. Should the average fantasy fan rush out to get it? Maybe. If it sounds cool. Should L5R fans new or old pick it up? Definitely.
To publish a novel with a relatively unknown property is a pretty great risk, and I’m glad that the publishers took the chance to play in this world. And I think they did a good job in handing this initial foray to Annandale—he did some solid work here.

[Kamila Komisarek · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you Aconyte Books for providing pre-release review copy!

"...we are Crab Clan, and we do not always have the luxury of following Bushidō. We are the ones who are called to stand against the Shadowlands. We must do whatever is necessary to hold the Wall."

“Curse of Honor: A Legend of the Five Rings Novel” by David Annandale is the first full-size novel placed in the fantastic world of Rokugan, created by Fantasy Flight Games. I wanted to read this book because I’m familiar with the card game (which I play quite often with my husband) and I love this world and its elaborate lore. I have to note I am not a hardcore fan – I haven’t read all released novellas and don’t follow on significant world events that are happening in Rokugan. But even if you don’t know this fandom rest assured – you are not required to have any previous knowledge to enjoy reading this book.
Let me tell you a little bit about the book setting. Rokugan is a fantastic land based on feudal Japan with influences of other East Asian countries. We have here different Clans that are competing against each other to win the favour of Emperor and more control, using samurais, court intrigues, spies, and assassins. Just like in real Eastern cultures, honour plays a tremendously important role in shaping a society where disgrace can be fatal. There is also magic here - Shugenjas commanded the power of five elements. And though they are infrequent, they made extremely powerful addition for their Clans. Aside there is a dark land called the Shadowlands – a wasteland where the demons and other unthinkable monstrosities roam free spreading corruption wherever they go. And that’s where the author takes us in his book.
Striking Dawn Castle is placed at the borders of Rokugan, in the mountains where Crab Clan defends the rest of the world from the foul creatures of Shadowlands. Hida Haru is a sole heir to the daimyo of Striking Down, but unfortunately, so far, he is one big disappointment. It is not easy to prove your worth in society driven by honour, especially in the Crab Clan, where so many Samurais are walking legends because of the constant war with the Shadowlands. Haru is tormented by ill thoughts, while sent on another meaningless escort mission. But the incredible social pressure and unfavourable fate are not making things easy for him. Once again, he found himself in a situation, where all outcomes seemed to be horrible. Surprisingly amidst all the chaos and disaster, Haru discovers something that could change his miserable life and bring glory to his family. Not thinking twice, he let himself pursue the dangerous findings. As it turns out, it is only begging of grave misfortune.
I had mixed feelings while I was reading the first part of this book. It is very well written; the author describes everything in great details, and it is easy to imagine and immerse into the world completely. But the chapters where we follow Haru are a bit depressing. All his thoughts are gloomy, and he was always daydreaming about what could have been. But when the action moves to Striking Dawn Castle… my, oh my – how everything changes. We meet more characters – Captain Ochiba and Lieutenant Barako who are picture perfect Crab Clan representatives. We also get familiarised with the political situation in a fortress – two competing families. One of them is ruling, but even the slightest mistake may lead to a shift of power. And amid it the Shadowland threat materialised, threatening to consume and corrupt everything it touches.
The story is full of tension which is building slowly but surely. You can see right away that the author is a fan of horror stories. I think he pictured very accurately how the unknown evil presence would feel. Everyone in the castle can feel the danger, the dark energy looming in the darkness in their home, but they can’t pinpoint it until it is too late. This kind of writing will keep you at the edge of your seat for a long time until you finish the book, and all mysteries are reviled.
I liked how David Annandale pictured corruption of the Shadowlands. It was not only a regular walking dead and mysterious dark energy kind of thing. He gave us the evil that is cunning, twisted and manipulative. That play on people’s emotion and cause more harm by sowing doubts and distrust than actually slaughtering innocents. Although there are some very brutal encounters too, and they will give you goosebumps, believe me.
I think all Legend of the Five Rings’ fans will appreciate the story author created. The world shown by him is intriguing and very believable. The characters are similar to what I imagined Crab Clans members to be. Firstly, they are warriors, and they find great pride in defending Rokugan from the evil of the Shadowlands. And even though they are stationed at the end of the world, the political intrigues are still present here, although not as sophisticated as they might be in other parts of the empire.
Once again, even if you are not familiar with Legend of the Five Rings fandom, you can still enjoy this book. The setting based on feudal Japan is very captivating, and the novel is keeping suspense for the longest time. If you enjoy dark stories full of a constant fight against evil, you can add “Curse of Honor” to your reading list!

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Desperate to get the last supplies of the year delivered safely to Striking Dawn castle and scrape up some evidence of his own worthiness Hida Haru of the Crab Clan finds himself forced to seek shelter for his caravan in a cave, least it be devoured by the coming blizzard. In finding shelter he stumbles across a city lost to time and history. A city that threatens the safety of Striking Dawn and, through it, the Rakugan empire itself. A city that Haru sees as his chance at greatness, only to bring disaster when his return expedition is all but lost and a rescue must be mounted. A rescue that will bring darkness and death to Striking Dawn and a much changed Haru.

With Curse of Honor David Annadale pens a story that, in turns, frustrated me deeply and delighted me. The characters were a similar blend of greatly enjoyable and eye roll worthy, being well written on both counts. There is so much about the latter half of the book that I would very much like to talk about, because it is often quite well handled, but I find myself trying to write around spoilers for the story.

This is a book that took me far longer to read from its first third than it did the entire rest of the story and that lands entirely on the shoulders of the starting protagonist Hida Haru, the son of the reigning Damiyo and bitter disappointment to both his family and the castle of Striking Dawn. Haru finds the perfect blend of pathetic self loathing and complete confidence that if he just accomplishes this one big thing then all of his failures will be erased and he will have proven himself worthy. He is exactly the character who would open his home to demonic invasion in a vain attempt to gain approval. Exactly the character needed to set up the plot of Curse of Honor. And being exactly that character is a testament to Annadale’s writing, no joke. I just found myself really wishing that there was less of Haru’s point of view early on, he is well written and a character of his type was needed for the story, he just slowed everything down and made the early parts of the book easy to put down and start looking for other things to do.

What saved it for me was that last two thirds of the book, where the terror of Night’s Hunger is on the attack and things are getting dangerous for the inhabitants of Striking Dawn and they find themselves being played against each other. The change of protagonists also helps a great deal. Barako is everything that Haru could not be. She has the respect of the other samurai of Striking Dawn and a history of martial accomplishments. And while she finds herself in this position of having to try and solve the mystery of who the oni is and stop it before Striking Dawn can tear itself apart, it feels dangerous but like something that can be solved. The second half of Curse of Honor walks a sort of tight rope between the horror aspects of the oni attacking people and the tension of Barako trying to keep Striking Dawn from eating itself from the inside due to politics and a breakdown of communication. Annadale created this fantastic creeping tension that built in waves as the oni stalked Striking Dawn before finally breaking at the book’s climax. It felt well plotted and thought out.

At the end of the day, I think Barako really won me over on Curse of Honor because of how much the book turned around at around the same time she took over as protagonist. Her dedication to duty and honor lead to some pretty serious personal tragedy that I, admittedly, delighted in even as I found myself wishing for something happier but less fitting. She brought the book up from being a story in which I hoped nearly any other character would take the protagonist spot to a point where I could appreciate the quality of the character work and the writing itself. The plot is solid and seems to be, if not disconnected from, a little distanced from any plot that might have happened within the Legend of the Five Rings setting proper, which makes it a good way to get a feel for the setting without needing to dig into it ahead of time.

Were it not for the first third, with Haru as the protagonist, Curse of Honor would absolutely be five out of five. As it is, that section took me easily ten times longer to get through than the remaining two thirds of the book. Haru is well written and central to the events of the plot, he is just very much not a character type I enjoy reading. A version of the book entirely focused on him would get a three out of five from me. And I would happily read more of Annadale’s writing and I would be happy to see a follow up to Curse of Honor or another book in the Legend of the Five Rings setting from him. So, at the end of the day, I give Curse of Honor a four out of five.

This book was provided to me through netGalley for honest review. Review was previously posted at https://tympestbooks.wordpress.com/20...

[Michael Botterill · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have been provided with an advance copy of the new Legend of the Five Rings book Curse of Honor by David Annandale, published by Aconyte Books, so here is the honest review I promised in exchange for the book.

So here is an important disclaimer which is always important to put out there first. I have a casual work contact with Asmodee to demonstrate board games for them in stores and at conventions. Asmodee being the parent company of Aconyte the publisher.

Secondly I am a friend of David’s on Facebook, and whilst we aren’t best buds, we do interact with each other on occasion and I consider him a class person.

I am going to try my best to not let these things cloud my judgement in this review, but I accept that subconsciously it might.

I am gonna get the big bit out the way first, if you listen to Edge of Empire, you will know I am not a big fan of David’s writing style. Frankly I find it difficult to process and it’s very short sentences which doesn’t give the best flow for me to read.

But he is good at weird stuff, which in Warhammer translates to stuff to do with the warp. I also think he is best when writing shorter works, such as novellas and short stories.

So let’s crack on with a review then!

What is Legend of the Five Rings

L5R as it’s often known is a fantasy setting for a series of card games and RPGs originally published by AEG, but now taken care of by Fantasy Flight.

It’s set in the empire of Rokugan which is heavily feudal Japan influenced, with a bit of other East Asian influences, like China and Korea thrown in as well.

It’s a fantasy setting with the usual fantasy trips of goblins and rat men, but also oni and kitsune too.

In the Empire there are several great clans, made up of various families, and in this novel we focus on the Crab Clan, who are considered the least cultured of all clans.

Their task in life is to guard the rest of the empire from the taint of the Shadowlands on the Carpenter Wall.

The Story

The story has two main protagonists, initially we have Haru, the heir to the castle of Striking Dawn, and frankly he is a bit of an incompetent warrior.

He discovers when leading a caravan to the castle, a hidden city outpost of the Shadowlands, and in a desperate attempt to prove himself a worthy heir, leads a disaster out expedition to purge the city.

Our second protagonist, Barako, the object of Harus desire, is a more level headed warrior, a woman who wishes only to serve the castle and protect the greater empire. She is a great character with a strong sense of duty, I really love that about her.

When Haru is returned to the castle, well then we get some bad things happening, which leads us into a horror whodunit, with a twist, which to be honest, I kinda saw a mile off.

The story has a heavy horror element, and this is something David is really good at, and yea the sentence shortness was a bit irritating, but I have to say, he is getting better as a writer, he really is.

Not that I could ever write of course, but unlike with some of his earlier work, I couldn’t put this down once I picked it up and read it over a couple of days.

The descriptions of the hidden city were really good and very much put you there in its weirdness and I got a real good feel for Striking Dawn.

He also had the characters kept very much on edge, with absolutely no time to rest, and I found myself feeling their grief, anger, despair, rage and exhaustion.

Conclusion

I won’t lie, I went in with low expectations, L5R was never really my bag, and as I said, David writing doesn’t usually click with me.

But I have to say, it’s an enjoyable read, very well written, very engaging and very well edited, with a nice flow to it.

I kinda want to know what happens next at Striking Dawn.

Solid 4 out of 5 stars.

The book is released on 6th October.

I will be reading The Death of Fallowhearth next by Robbie MacNivan, I had intended it to be The Head of Mimir, but that has expired in my NetGallery account.

[Marcin Wronikowski · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was one of the worst books I've ever read. Not only does the author barely have any understanding of the Rokugan setting, but he cannot create an engaging plot or characters to save his life.

For the first 75% of its page count the book switches between eldritch horror, zombie apocalypse, political drama, and hopeless romance as if the author were trying to cram as many tropes as he can to pad the page count because he didn't have an actual idea for a plot. None of them are presented in a way I could call interesting. It's only in the last quarter that things pick up and the novel finally shows some actual pacing.

The writing style... Oh Fortunes, the style. It swings between puerile and purple. At times, it feels like it was written by a teenager trying his hand at storytelling for the first time. At other times, segments that should be quick, fast, and engaging and bogged down by excessive soul-searching or exposition. Dialogues are wooden and unnatural. Throughout the first half of the book I kept thinking to myself "Nobody talks like that!". The author also failed to do his research on proper forms of address in Rokugan. Not once are proper honorifics used, with characters instead being addressed by their army rank all the time, and the daimyo just being called "daimyo" instead of "Akemi-sama".

But it is characterisation where the book suffers the most. All of the characters are cliches, and it's also here that the author finally shows his true colours and who the target audience for his novel are: the so-called "modern audience". The male characters are either cowards, inept, passive, or repulsive and are never given the opportunity to show their worth or improve, while the female characters are in power, competent, strong, skilled, and they do not shy away from badmouthing the male characters at every opportunity. The female protagonist is a borderline Mary Sue. Whenever there are combat scenes involving both men and women, it is the men that die or suffer worse wounds. Of course, in a castle full of warriors, it's a couple of women who are the best fighters. Throw in a tragic lesbian romance that cannot be and you get the full picture.

If you are a fan of L5R and Rokugan, avoid this travesty like the plague.

[Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Today’s post is on Curse of Honor: A Legend of the Five Rings Novel by David Annandale. It is 331 pages long and is published by Aconyte Books. The cover has a silhouette of a samurai with a tower in the center and small figures at the base. There is mild foul language, no sex, and some violence. Even though this novel is set in the Legend of Five Rings world, you do not need to have played any of the games to enjoy this novel. The story is told from third person of the main characters. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book- Striking Dawn Castle defends the mountains between the Rokugan empire and the demon-haunted Shadowlands. When a mythical city is discovered in the forbidding peaks, Hida Haru, heir and sore disappointment to his family, seizes the opportunity to prove himself. His rash expedition ends in disaster – just one samurai returns alive, and Haru is lost. Before a power struggle can break out, Striking Dawn’s battle-hardened commander, Ochiba, is dispatched to rescue Haru. She succeeds against supernatural horrors, but Haru is… changed. Now, mysterious deaths and ill fortune plague his family. Something evil is loose and must be stopped, at any cost.


Review- This is a great horror-fantasy novel in a setting that I really enjoy. My only complaint is with the blurb on the back. It makes you think that Ocihiba is the main character, she is not. But that is the blurb, not the novel’s fault. The real main character is Barako and she is a good main character. She is interesting, she adapts as the story goes on, and she is resolute to the end. I did figure out who the oni was early on but that is more to do with my experience as a reader than any fault on the writer or plot weakness. I hope that Annandale writes more in this setting. I really enjoyed this novel and I want to read more from him.


I give this novel a Five out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I bought this novel with my own money.

[Russell Tassicker · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to Aconyte Books for providing a pre-release review copy.

I'm familiar with David through his past work for Black Library - this is the first book I have read set in Rokugan, the setting of the Legend of the Five Rings card and roleplaying games. The lack of setting knowledge didn't hamper me at all, making this a good introduction the the world of Rokugan and the chief conflicts within it; internecine struggles between the clans of the Emerald Empire and their war against monstrous external enemies.

The central characters are samurai, serving as the defenders and leaders of Striking Dawn Castle. While the novel does not spend a lot of time on descriptions of the places, people or histories thereof the two protagonists are well developed and avoid playing in to genre tropes. The way Haru and Barako subverted my expectations was refreshing, and I wanted to see how their character arcs would play out. Minimal exposition also allows the book to keep up a quick pace - though personally I would've liked it to linger a bit more and fill out some more of the background.

The story was more of a horror than I was expecting, and there are some quite grisly fates awaiting some of the cast. The forbidding, icy mountains surrounding the castle are a suitably bleak setting for what becomes a bleak story, where our characters' dreams and ambitions are stripped away until the best they can hope for is mere survival.

I enjoyed Curse of Honor. Though I would've liked it to take a bit longer in exploring the setting and characters, it tells an interesting story with some unexpected turns - and there's always hope for a follow up!

[Holly Ristau · Rating 3 out of 5]

This may very well be the first book I've read based on a role-playing game. I didn't know going in to it, but at the end of the book, when I heard who had published the story, many things became clearer. The reason I chose this book was because I had nothing to listen to and this audiobook was available, and that is often the way I am introduced to books I wouldn't pick up otherwise. Anyway, there was so much action and fighting, it makes sense it was game-based. There were also zombies, evil snow, killer skeletons and a very evil villain that decimated it's enemies in detailed and horrendous ways. It was refreshing to have female warriors and leaders. The male heir is really not very good at leading, which I can't remember seeing before; I've seen evil manipulating heirs, but not a lot of incompetent young leaders who have been trained their whole lives to lead. The idea that honor isn't as important as actual people and your country was hammered home mercilessly . But I had the uneasy feeling that this story might be an example of cultural appropriation. There were aspects of Chinese and Japanese cultural traditions and beliefs thrown in together. The short, staccato, stunted sentences read in the emotionless manner that has been portrayed in translated Asian films forever as the way Asians speak english, but is actually nothing I've ever encountered among living Asian people, seems like a continuation of a negative stereotype. The story is exciting. It ends abruptly leaving the reader wondering about the future of Striking Dawn, but, after all, it's based on a game.

[Michael Dodd · Rating 5 out of 5]

David Annandale’s novel Curse of Honor kicks off the new range of Legend of the Five Rings fiction from Aconyte Books with a sinister tale of duty, ambition, misplaced pride and monstrous darkness. Lieutenant Hida Haru is destined to one day become the daimyō of Striking Dawn Castle, but before then he has to somehow prove himself to his family, a task at which he has spectacularly failed thus far. When he stumbles upon a foreboding city hidden within the Twilight Mountains, he sees a chance to make a name for himself and strike a blow against the Shadowlands, but his ill-timed actions only lead to disaster. With cracks forming in the fragile alliances within Striking Dawn, and a horrifying evil unleashed upon the castle, its defenders must find a way to guard against terrible enemies both within and without.

This is a story in which there’s no safe and stable ground (physically or metaphorically) and nowhere for characters to rest - it’s less epic fantasy, more fantasy horror, with an overriding sense of bleak, wintery atmosphere lending proceedings a consistently dark tone. There’s lots of katana-wielding action as befits a fantasy novel set in a world inspired by feudal Japan, but the focus is more on the costs of Haru’s failures, the complex balancing act his family must engage in to protect their status, and the tensions building within the castle.

Legend of the Five Rings as a setting 4makes for an excellent backdrop here to a nicely characterful story. Annandale doesn’t try to explain too much of the background - that might not appeal to existing fans wanting facts and details, but for readers new to the setting there’s enough to get an intriguing sense of things and encourage further exploration, without getting in the way of a good story. And it really is a good story, providing the perfect opportunity for Annandale to let loose and have fun with horrible supernatural creepiness and haunted, tragic characters.

Read the full review at https://www.trackofwords.com/2020/08/...

[Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having never played or collected any L5R books this was my first experience of that setting; but it borrows enough from eastern history and mythology that anyone with a basic background real world knowledge of that area would be able to put the pieces together. I would say this is a book to read for fun rather than being an immersive piece of world building; like many tie ins it may have more meaning to fans of the series than total outsiders like me.

That being said it was a fun little read over a rainy weekend and it had enough in it to keep the attention. The character growth relies on hints, insinuation and suggestion rather than outright growth and the story does sort of drop off the cliff at the end. Not sure if there are more planned in this series and do think there is a market for books of this type as there is enough that is different to catch the eye. The action is nicely done and places, people and things are described well enough for you to have a sense of what is happening but overall it is perhaps a little shallow. This is not really a surprise though given that this is a tie in to a much larger universe and is perhaps aimed more at that market.

Worth a look if you want something quick, fun and different enough to stand out. on its own.

[Mphecker · Rating 5 out of 5]

A few people who reviewed the book mentioned nitpicking details about the setting while reading this book. I was a huge fan of the original L5R storyline, and was admittedly a bit thrown off when FFG rebooted the series with “modern updates.” However, I have come to enjoy the newer version of Rokugan (mostly through the new RPG), and I’m a bit annoyed at myself that I waited this long to read this book. I haven’t read any of Annandale’s other works, but I know friends and family who enjoy his 40K fiction. I had a bit of a struggle starting the novel, as I found one of the characters to be frustrating (which, admittedly, is the point), but once the story shifted to the real protagonist I was hooked. While the book may be confusing for those who have no experience with the setting, if you’re at least familiar with the overall idea of Legend of the Five Rings, I would say this is a great place to start.

[Brandon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a weird read for me. I was looking forward to it, the concept seemed pretty well within the realm of my typical preferred fare.

For some reason I really struggled getting into it, it legitimately took me 2 months to get through the first half of the book. I can not even point a finger to why that was the case, there was nothing overtly bad, wrong, or boring about it. I just kept losing interest and putting it down. About halfway through though, it seemed to turn over for me and I finished the second half of the book in a single evening and I enjoyed it.

It's entirely possible that a lot of real life distractions contributed to the trouble I had, but overall now that I've reached the end I did enjoy the book. I think it is fair to say it probably won't be for everyone, but if Samurai and supernatural monsters sounds like fun.... well, that's because it is.

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bought this on a lark a couple years ago when I was getting back into Legend of the Five Rings. This turned out to be quite fitting since I recently started running my first TTRPG, which is set in Rokugan. Both this book and the campaign I'm running follow a group of Crab Clan samurai facing an unknown but dangerous threat from the Shadowlands, so this couldn't be much more fitting!

The story quickly sets the stage for a great deal of tension within and between characters when it comes to their different responsibilities, duties, and aspirations. Their motivations and conflicts feel natural and compelling, with twists and turns that were as believable as they were gripping. All of this is with the rich fantasy background of Rokugan and L5R, which I already enjoy but am now excited to explore further in other novels!

[Joe Crowe · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first book in a series based on the card game Legend of the Five Rings.

I was not aware that this current game connects to a game that I played in many zillions of years ago; the Oriental Adventures setting for Dungeons and Dragons took place in this world.

There is a map of the fantasy world right there at the start of the book, so I'm tempted to stop the review right there and give it 5 stars. Maps in fantasy novels show that the author thinks WAY TOO MUCH about the world he's building or setting his stories, and that is a very good thing.

If you're not familiar with the game, the book is still worth a read. It's a fantasy adventure with samurais. Come on.

[Scott Watson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this a book of two halves.

The first half didn't pull me in as quick as i wanted it to...why...I'm not sure...maybe the characters, maybe the location, i felt i just dint care too much for the main protagonist.

then a fire was lit and i was pulled into the book like i was launched from some kind of siege engine and then I did care, I cared for the characters, I cared about the location.

I have been a fan of L5R for years since its original launch and this definitely fits into the world, its all in there an din the end you certainly wont be disappointed!

[Ursula Visser · Rating 3 out of 5]

Five chapters in and I almost stopped reading. I loathed Haru and his whining, taking too great a risk and putting everyone in danger.

To my pleasant surprise, the female warriors Ochiba and Barako saved this book.
Barako feels the same way I do about Haru. Cleverly done by the writer perhaps.

The leader of the castle, Akemi, did not come across as a real leader to me. She did not put her people first, but supported Haru who kept being an idiot. Her inability to see or act on his flaws brought grave danger on all of them.

So, a bit of mixed feelings about this book...

[Annarella · Rating 5 out of 5]

A brilliant mix of horror and dark fantasy that kept me hooked.
It's a fascinating story, great storytelling and character development.
I never played the Legend of the Five Ring nor read any books set in this universe that I found well developed and rich of details.
I want to read other books set in this world, highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

[Francesca · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 meritatissimo, anche se non mi sento di dargli un 4 pieno.
È un buon libro di intrattenimento, in un mondo che amo alla follia, con una storia tutto sommato abbastanza semplice. Ci sono delle belle scene horror, belle dinamiche tra i personaggi, anche se avrei voluto venissero approfondite maggiormente. Non è il primo libro che raccomanderei a chi si avvicina al mondo di 5 Anelli, ma è da leggere se ami questo mondo.

[E J · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not really impressed with it, 4 chapters in. Story would've made for a more exciting opener if it began right when Haru was trying to rescue the guys sliding down the ledge. Three chapters of tortuous slogging through snow and wind and repetitive inner dialogue about needing to do right by family/clan and rah rah... come on, get on with it. Sentence lengths aren't variable enough - contributes to monotony.

---

DNF. Stopped somewhere around chapter 8. It's a horror story, alright. A horrific, pretentious bore. Everyone speaks in the same tone. Sentence length is invariable. I lost count how many times the city from the Shadowlands was spoken of as a threat, like I'm supposed to care.

[Carl Grider · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the book and felt that it was true to the L5R world. I am not super hardcore about L5R but it rang true to the Crab to me. I thought it was cool but some parts were predictable. Great read.

[Keith · Rating 4 out of 5]

As others have already said, this is a book of two halves and really takes a while to get going. When it does though the payoff is superb. Another excellent horror in an unconventional setting by probably my favourite Lovecraftian acolyte since Brian Lumley.

[Amanda Karsh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very 47 Ronin a bit Godzilla and A bit hollow Earthy. You will constantly think if only the idiot listened to the smart woman.

[Molly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some hilariously Among Us vibes. Seriously good horror though. Very Crab novel.

[Tobin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was hesitant. I've read 40k novels, but the L5R short stories have been hit or miss. This was a hit. Well done and accessible to any reader.

[Mia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have a couple of things to say about this book:
1. Haru, you bastard.
2. To Ochiba, all my tears.
3. And to Barako, my heart.

Definitely a must read.