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In the epic historical novel Sword of Honor, David Kirk continues the saga of Musashi Miyamoto, the greatest samurai in Japanese history, as he journeys to the ancient city of Kyoto to fight for his life and his ideals
Having survived the cataclysmic battle of Sekigahara, which established the mighty Tokugawa Shogunate, young Musashi Miyamoto travels through Japan determined to proclaim his revolutionary epiphany that the "way of the sword," the ancient code that binds samurai to their masters, needs to be abolished.
But during the battle Musashi insulted an adept of the powerful Yoshioka School, and a price has been put on his head. Musashi travels to Kyoto, domain of the Yoshioka, for a reckoning. He has taken up with Ameku, a beautiful blind woman branded as a witch; his burgeoning love for her will make him vulnerable.
Mushashi intends to deal a crushing blow to the traditional samurai dogma by destroying the Yoshioka warriors, but Musashi will learn that his spectacular gifts with the sword are no match for the cunning of powerful lords. The wily Tokugawa governor, still struggling to establish dominance in Kyoto, sees in Musashi just the weapon he needs to overcome the rebellious Yoshioka.
Sword of Honor seamlessly blends meticulous research, mesmerizing action sequences, and a driving narrative to bring this extraordinary figure to life.
"Starred Review. The dialog, characters, and surrounding events and landscapes feel so authentic, it's easy to forget one is reading a novel. Historical fiction fans will relish this offering, but anyone who appreciates a solid, action-packed, thoughtful reading experience will find this novel very satisfying." - Library Journal
"Starred Review. Kirk's vigorous and robust prose complements the action to make rousing historical and philosophical statements." - Kirkus
"Starred Review. [T]his tale of a masterless samurai is rendered in language that feels like it's from a different time and place - not because of archaisms or cheap tricks but because it is slow without being tedious, and it emerges from a wholly foreign worldview without being incomprehensible to the modern mind. Musashi is an unforgettable character, and this novel should make Kirk a leading name in historical fiction." - Booklist
This information about Sword of Honor was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
David Kirk is the author of Child of Vengeance. He grew up in Stamford, Lincolnshire, in the UK. He has lived in Sendai, Japan, since 2008. Visit him at http://www.davidkirkfiction.com.
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