The Book of Fallen Leaves

The cover blurb calls The Book of Fallen Leaves (#1,353) by debut author A.S. Tamaki "Shogun meets Game of Thrones".  Although I've never read any of the Game of Thrones books, I'm guessing from the clips I've seen of TV series that the fantasy element is a match.  The author in his notes claims that the germ of the idea of three families rebelling against the Japanese emperor and seizing control for themselves is based on an actual event in Japanese history, grounding the action.

It takes as its central characters two three-year-old survivors of a Gensei family massacre by its political opponents.  Sen Hoshiakari and Rui Misosazai are found hiding in a barrel holding hands by Sen's uncle Yora, a court official, and spirited away to the East to be raised by a foster family.  The toddlers are bound together by the matching Gensei family jade beads they both wear, though Rui is a peasant.  Their obscurity keeps them safe until Rui runs afoul of a rogue monk seeking the missing Gensei heir on behalf of the powerful Chancellor Seikiyo.  When the information that the rumored surviving heir is true is received in the capital, it sets in motion vast jockeying for power amongst the nobles and the kijin warrior class and the gods and demons themselves.

This is only the first volume in this new fantasy series, but I will be looking forward to the continuing stories of Sen and Rui.  They have gone their separate ways after an epic battle at the end of this book, but the whys and wherefores of how Rui came to be in possession of a Gensei jade bead have yet to be explained.  She has been instrumental in saving Sen's life more than once, but Sen is compelled to follow Lady Kai, the sister he never knew he had and the Gensei clan leader as she struggles to avenge their family's fate.

I especially enjoyed the lyrical descriptions and poetry in this first book.  Mr. Tamaki's appreciation of the landscape and history of Japan shine through.  As in Shogun, it was this aspect of Japanese thought and culture that most appealed to me.  The Book of Fallen Leaves is more than just a samurai adventure story.  Read it for the action, but fall under the spell of its language.