This review originally appeared on Goodreads on April 21, 2012.

The Tokaido Road: A Novel of Feudal Japan

By Lucia St. Clair Robson – Forge Books – November 29, 2005

Review by Robin Marx

This historical novel was a mixed bag. It had the best sense of place of any Westerner-penned novel about feudal Japan I've read and the characters were appealing, but its length and incredibly slow pace as well as the relatively unexciting plot hurt an otherwise appealing book.

This book was incredibly well-researched. I'm fairly well-versed in the Edo period and fluent in Japanese, and I could find very few nits to pick. The author demonstrated such a broad grasp of Japanese history that I was surprised to find out that her other books are set in historical America. I was pleased to see samurai Japan faithfully brought to life, and everything seemed authentic.

While I thoroughly appreciated the detail that went into the book, there were also times where it was overkill. Much of the detail explained at length for Western reader's benefit described facets of life that a Japanese character of the time would've found unremarkable, and probably could've been safely glossed over.

The plot was also slightly disappointing. It's sort of a prequel to the Loyal 47 Ronin historical incident, which all Japanese people are intimately familiar with through theatre, film, and novels. The basic premise involves a revenge plot against the conniving samurai Lord Kira, who provokes rival Lord Asano into drawing his sword while in the Shogun's estate, a capital crime. After Asano's death, 47 of his retainers lie low for a couple years before avenging their former lord in a bloody, dramatic fashion. That's the historical tale, but this book focuses on Asano's fictional illegitimate daughter Cat. Hoping to round up her father's remaining loyalists and prepare for vengeance, she escapes from the brothel she works at and makes an epic journey along the eastern sea route (the eponymous Tokaido) to her father's fief. Her journey is mostly entertaining, but the book reads almost like an unabridged travelogue, with no detail spared. Several colorful characters drift in and out, but most are largely inconsequential to the narrative. Without giving too much away, her journey concludes in a less than triumphant manner, and the actual Loyal 47 Ronin revenge saga is resolved in about a dozen pages, with our heroine relegated to the sidelines. If you're familiar with the story through film and history books that's not a critical flaw, but those less of a background in Japanese history might feel slighted by the abrupt resolution.

While plot and pacing were a little on the weak side, I did enjoy the characters. Cat is beautiful, brave, and determined, but those qualities are balanced out by arrogance and occasional episodes of pettiness and imperiousness. Ronin bounty hunter Hanshiro lives up to the archetype while still avoiding becoming a cliche. He seemed like the kind of character Kurosawa's favorite leading man Mifune Toshiro would play. Peasant girl Kasane is a gullible bumpkin, but her loyalty and fundamental kindness endear her to both Cat and the reader.

Overall this book was a bit of a slog. Rich in detail, but meandering and overly long. I enjoyed the world it presented and the characters appearing within, but probably a third of the book's length was extraneous. I'd recommend it to fans of Japanese history and samurai, but those with only a passing interest in these topics would probably find this book frustratingly slow.

★★★☆☆

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This review originally appeared on Goodreads on August 5, 2015.

Gentlemen of the Road

By Michael Chabon – Ballantine Books – October 30, 2007

Review by Robin Marx

Impishly nicknamed “Jews with Swords” by its author, Gentlemen of the Road is a historical adventure tale about a pair of rogues—a giant African soldier named Amram and a German physician/fencer named Zelikman—and their journey through the (largely unfamiliar to me and apparently scantly chronicled) city-states of Khazaria.

Pleasingly reminiscent of Fritz Leiber's Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser, Amram and Zelikman are introduced in a very amusing fashion that immediately familiarizes the reader with the most salient aspects of their personalities. They overcome their baser instincts to grudgingly become involved in what looks like a simple escort mission, only to find their task rapidly balloon in importance, until they end up having an inadvertent and significant political impact on the region.

While this book is dedicated to Michael Moorcock, to me it felt more like a swashbuckling yarn in the tradition of Robert E. Howard or Harold Lamb. The narrative travels along at a brisk pace with no wasted verbiage, and characters are mostly rendered in broad, archetypal strokes. The episodic format (the novel was originally serialized in the New York Times Magazine) and monochrome illustrations by the excellent Gary Gianni (who also handled the Del Rey Conan and Solomon Kane books, etc.) also contributed greatly to the pulp adventure appeal.

My only complaint with the book is that there isn't more of it. I would love to read more of the “Gentlemen's” adventures, but with his “literary” pedigree Chabon is probably loath to be perceived as repeating himself. Indeed, parts of the included Afterword seem a bit like a defense of him writing the story in the first place, saying effectively “Yeah, I mostly write New Yorker-style slice-of-life stories, but adventure tales are also really great!” Personally, I'd rather see him continue to experiment with genre rather than write any more “Jewish writer has marital struggles” stories, but it remains to be seen when he'll release his next “fun” novel.

★★★★☆

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This review originally appeared on Goodreads on September 21, 2014.

At Drake's Command

By David Wesley Hill – Temurlone Press – November 16, 2013

Review by Robin Marx

This nautical adventure is the first chronicle of Peregrine James's adventures as a part of Sir Francis Drake's crew. The book reads like one of the early Horatio Hornblower novels, with an earnest and resourceful young man proving his worth to his superiors, but rather than a promising young midshipman, James acts as the ship's cook. This provides an interesting perspective on the events to follow.

This book is well-grounded in history, taking place on a historical expedition full of real, named historical characters. This feeling of authenticity extends to every corner of the book. The details of seagoing life and the dialogue all feel realistic and colorful. I particularly appreciated how the author didn't shy away from the bawdier aspects of the sailor's language and lifestyle like many nautical fiction authors; this earthiness added a level of realism that is often lacking in more “PG-rated” ocean adventures.

My only complaint about this book is that I wish there was more of it. I wasn't aware going into the book that it was to be part of a series, I expected a stand-alone novel and because of my misperception the pacing felt a bit off throughout the book. Nearly a quarter of the book is done before the ship actually ventures out to sea, and rather than circumnavigating the globe, the events described here hover around Africa's Barbary Coast, a fact that made me a bit nervous as the end of the book approached. Not only does the book only cover a portion of the journey, it also ends on a right bastard of a cliffhanger. While I was pleased to see that more adventures are to follow, and pacing is less of a concern if the reader is aware going in that more books are forthcoming, I still can't shake the feeling that—instead of a complete book with a beginning, middle, and end—this book is simply a bloodily truncated section of a larger work. That's one aspect that compares unfavorably with something like the Hornblower series, which managed to deliver satisfyingly self-contained stories within the framework of a larger saga.

That being said, I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and I'm very eager to see what comes next.

★★★★☆

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This review originally appeared on Goodreads on September 11, 2011.

The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet

By David Mitchell – Random House – June 23, 2010

Review by Robin Marx

This book turned out quite differently than I expected. I'm not familiar with Mitchell's other output, but articles led me to expect capital-L Literature. The New York Times Book Review blurb on the back cover promised “an achingly romantic story of forbidden love.” The book starts out with way, with the first 175 pages chronicling a Dutch clerk's first few days in the Japanese port of Dejima and his fleeting encounters with an enigmatic local woman, but the historical romance plot is sidelined pretty quickly. The book soon turns into an almost C.S. Forrester-style adventure story—you know, the “rollicking” type—with a despicable bad guy leading an evil cult right out of a Fu Manchu yarn.

Betrayed expectations might lead some to put the book down, but if you can keep up with the sudden changes in tone, the book is consistently good throughout. I couldn't find many faults with the Japanese historical details (something that has been a frequent disappointment when reading English language books set in Japan), and Mitchell's occasionally purple capital L Literary stylings are balanced out by an earthy sense of humor. Worth a read if you like historical fiction as a genre or have an interest in Japan.

★★★★☆

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This review originally appeared at Grimdark Magazine on March 16, 2023.

The Viking Gael Saga

By J.T.T Ryder – Old World Heroism – March 14, 2023

Review by Robin Marx

After a disastrous duel fought over an outstanding debt, young Asgeir finds himself pressed into service to Ulf the Old, the man who slayed Asgeir’s elder brother. Aging Norseman Ulf yearns to go raiding one last time, with Ireland as his destination, and Asgeir finds himself a press-ganged oarsman on the longship Sea-Bitch. A so-called Viking Gael, blending Norse and Gaelic Irish heritage, Asgeir chafes under Ulf’s command. However, morality compels him to delay his vengeance and bide his time; just as his brother was slain in a fair duel, Asgeir wishes to kill Ulf in an honest and “respectable” manner. But the Sea-Bitch’s voyage runs into trouble immediately after departure, as a routine stop for provisions in Laerdal enmeshes the crew in a tangled web of treachery and familial grievances. It turns out that Asgeir is not the only one with a hatred for Ulf, and he finds himself torn between his personal code of honor and his burning desire to see an enemy dead.

First book in a series of the same name, The Viking Gael Saga is set in western Norway, 870 AD. Central to the narrative is the Viking culture of honor. We’re shown a society of explosively escalating violence, where slights and injuries must be paid for—often immediately—in blood. Ryder adds nuance, however, by also demonstrating the importance of law and custom. It’s not merely enough to cut down an enemy, the killing must be done in a way in which the gods and one’s peers would deem above reproach.

Another key element of The Viking Gael Saga is the complex relationship between Asgeir and Ulf. Asgeir bears a grudge over the death of his brother, announcing openly his intent to avenge him. Ulf acknowledges this threat, but also trusts Asgeir will avoid underhanded tactics. He treats Asgeir as any other unproven member of the ship’s crew, neither coddling him nor treating him with especial harshness. Ulf often laments the lack of honor in his countrymen, and scrupulous Asgeir frequently finds himself agreeing with his enemy’s assessment. The Viking Gael Saga’s emphasis on honor and the charged interplay between Asgeir and Ulf turn what could have been a simplistic revenge tale into something much more intriguing.

The Viking Gael Saga hews closer to straight historical fiction than Ryder’s Celtic fantasy series, The Bronze Sword Cycles duology. While overt magic does not appear in the story, neither is the mystical ever very far away. The expectations of the grim Norse gods weigh heavily on the characters, and worries about hexes, omens, and the proper observation of rituals all play a primary role in guiding their actions. The ambiguous presentation of the supernatural and the visceral depiction of combat (no doubt enhanced by the author’s Historical European Martial Arts experience) make this a book that comfortably serves both the historical fiction audience and fans of gritty, grounded fantasy.

Ryder is both a resident of Norway and an archaeologist specializing in Viking history, and that expertise shines through in The Viking Gael Saga. He resists the temptation go overboard with lengthy background exposition and extraneous detail, however. Ryder’s knowledge is demonstrated by subtle touches in the book, showing how the characters act within their society, the tools they use, the laws they live under. Ryder’s presentation of the Viking era is quietly confident.

While The Viking Gael Saga tells a complete story, the book is somewhat harmed by its brevity: only 156 pages in the print edition. The cover shows a fleet of Viking longships on the open seas, but the solitary ship featured in the book doesn’t even make it out of Norway’s fjords. The events of this book would perhaps have better been served as an episode in a longer novel covering more of the Sea-Bitch’s journey. At this pace, Ireland seems very far away, indeed.

As the success of TV series and films Vikings: Valhalla, Vinland Saga, and The Northman show, Vikings continue to capture the popular imagination several centuries after their heyday. The Viking Gael Saga marks the beginning of a promising new addition to the modern Viking canon.

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