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A Different Time: The Memoirs of Honda Tadatoki
Honda Tadatoki is a young prince of Japan, tasked with his great-grandfather's dying wish of marrying Princess Senhime for the sake of keeping peace.
With Japan on the brink of war between the forces of light and dark, Tadatoki has to train to fight demons, make deals with jinn and dragons, and fight off colonizers, while trying to figure out if dark forces are haunting his future bride.
This is the second entry in The Chronicles of Blue Bell series. It continues the story of these two strands of light, whose mission to rid the planet of an invasive species of demonic parasites has been going on for thousands of years. This series will reveal the full story, and its eventual conclusion in our current time.
With Japan on the brink of war between the forces of light and dark, Tadatoki has to train to fight demons, make deals with jinn and dragons, and fight off colonizers, while trying to figure out if dark forces are haunting his future bride.
This is the second entry in The Chronicles of Blue Bell series. It continues the story of these two strands of light, whose mission to rid the planet of an invasive species of demonic parasites has been going on for thousands of years. This series will reveal the full story, and its eventual conclusion in our current time.
165 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 21, 2022
About the author
Blue Bell
27 books1 followerOur main goal is to assist in the discovery of the world around us by writing stories and works which take place in this world, including various mysterious elements of it, without holding back.
We hope that everyone through this can gain a better understanding not only of this world but also of themselves, and how it all fits together. We invite you to come along on this journey of discovery, and see where it leads us.
We, as "Blue" and "Bell", have ourselves been on this path for many decades, and so in a sense these writings are a condensation of our findings to make it easier for others to begin, or continue, their own journey towards unfolding the mysteries that hold this reality together.
All material is fiction, unless otherwise stated.
We hope that everyone through this can gain a better understanding not only of this world but also of themselves, and how it all fits together. We invite you to come along on this journey of discovery, and see where it leads us.
We, as "Blue" and "Bell", have ourselves been on this path for many decades, and so in a sense these writings are a condensation of our findings to make it easier for others to begin, or continue, their own journey towards unfolding the mysteries that hold this reality together.
All material is fiction, unless otherwise stated.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
November 28, 2022
A Different Time is a self-insert power fantasy. It's got demons, a jinn, a dragon, a portal through space-time, and samurai. And the authors make no attempt at disguising it, stating as such within the introduction(s).
Characters are so colloquial and modern that it's impossible for me to feel they're genuine in their era. Tadatoki in A Different Time feels too naïve at the start of the story, considering that he fought during the concluding summer campaign at Osaka Castle and beheaded one of his adversaries in real world history. Reading him act like a star struck fan of Ieyasu's unification is baffling to me when he would've been a trusted vassal and war veteran by the time Ieyasu dies. And hugs...
Even video games like Samurai Warriors or Onimusha (which are set near the same time era and also include frequent if goofy creative liberties) make an effort to ground them within Japan's historical roots through atmosphere. Or a display of formal etiquette. Blue Bell rarely include concrete details of a location or deep context about how much events seventeen years before the main setting sucked. Without a solid foundation, the setting resembles a pretty floating backdrop with vague validation for name-dropping Japanese historical figures.
Putting aside the historical and cultural inconsistencies, the plot feels like a B-movie. Characters exposition rather than demonstrate how they feel. Everything is "awesome," Tadatoki is a "good guy." Demons are evil and horny. Action scenes are lengthy, summarized, and resolved within one or two pages. Even down to the sudden ending. B-movies can be elevated in their entertainment value by funky one-liners and off-the-wall scenes. A Different Time tries yet doesn't reach those heights to me.
If I wasn't such a stickler for Japanese history, maybe I'd enjoy this book's campiness and cheese more. I don't think missing out on the first book is responsible for my rating either, although the lack of summarization of past events doesn't help introduce newcomers. Curious where this narrative will ultimately go, even if I'm not the hugest fan of this book.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Characters are so colloquial and modern that it's impossible for me to feel they're genuine in their era. Tadatoki in A Different Time feels too naïve at the start of the story, considering that he fought during the concluding summer campaign at Osaka Castle and beheaded one of his adversaries in real world history. Reading him act like a star struck fan of Ieyasu's unification is baffling to me when he would've been a trusted vassal and war veteran by the time Ieyasu dies. And hugs...
Even video games like Samurai Warriors or Onimusha (which are set near the same time era and also include frequent if goofy creative liberties) make an effort to ground them within Japan's historical roots through atmosphere. Or a display of formal etiquette. Blue Bell rarely include concrete details of a location or deep context about how much events seventeen years before the main setting sucked. Without a solid foundation, the setting resembles a pretty floating backdrop with vague validation for name-dropping Japanese historical figures.
Putting aside the historical and cultural inconsistencies, the plot feels like a B-movie. Characters exposition rather than demonstrate how they feel. Everything is "awesome," Tadatoki is a "good guy." Demons are evil and horny. Action scenes are lengthy, summarized, and resolved within one or two pages. Even down to the sudden ending. B-movies can be elevated in their entertainment value by funky one-liners and off-the-wall scenes. A Different Time tries yet doesn't reach those heights to me.
If I wasn't such a stickler for Japanese history, maybe I'd enjoy this book's campiness and cheese more. I don't think missing out on the first book is responsible for my rating either, although the lack of summarization of past events doesn't help introduce newcomers. Curious where this narrative will ultimately go, even if I'm not the hugest fan of this book.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Displaying 1 of 1 review