SYNOPSIS
Japan, 1625
A new Drum Master has risen, and soon the nation will fall to the curse of Izanagi. Answering the call of his kotsuzumi, dead warriors abandon their peace to once again roam the land of the living, swinging rusty blades and chattering rotten teeth at his behest.
Japan’s last hope lies in the hands of the nine warriors gathered by the young daimyō of Owari. To reach Onijima, where the source of the curse’s power awaits, the Nine will not only have to face swarms of undead samurai and waves of shinobi mercenaries but even more dangerous to their mission, their inner demons.
Against the undead, the Nine only have two choices, fighting as one or becoming them.
REVIEW
I received an advanced reader copy from the author in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed in this review are honest and my own.
The second I saw the title of this book, I knew it was something I needed to read ASAP. I’m not going to lie, I thought at first it would be about a zombie samurai but what I got was so much better.
The timing of my reading Undead Samurai was perfect. I was, and still am as of this writing, watching The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live and Shogun week to week and this book filled the void in the days in between perfectly.
We follow nine companions with various and fascinating backstories as they are thrust into a mission to stop a rising tide of the undead in Japan and the person controlling them. As a westerner whose knowledge of Japanese culture is embarrassingly limited, I found this take on zombies, or kyonishi, incredibly intriguing. But any good zombie story is only as good as its human protagonists and Wu delivers on every level in this respect.
Most the chapters are dedicated to one of the nine and starts with a little backstory/flashback. What Wu manages to do in very little page time is extraordinary. He can make you sympathize with a character quickly, balancing character work and action excellently. I was a little worried that nine characters in a 300 page novel was too many and I’m happy to report I couldn’t be more wrong.
Ancient Japan is beautifully depicted and described by Wu. For me, it almost felt like reading a fantasy story at times, with the huge gap in time and culture. Watching Shogun definitely helped as it gave me some visual references for the world this novel takes place in. Wu’s love for Japan, its culture and history bleeds from the page like the unlucky victims of the kyonshi.
Undead Samurai is a fantastic historical fiction that blends genres in some genius ways. Blending history and lore into a believable and gripping tale, Wu takes you on a terrifying and action-packed journey through ancient Japan with more than a few zombies thrown in, but never loses sight of what attracts us to stories the most, relatable and believable characters. I cannot recommend this book enough. Bring on Undead Gladiator!
Leave a Reply