Monday, January 11, 2021

SciFi/Fantasy Book Review: The Night Parade of 100 Demons (Legend of the Five Rings) by Marie Brennan

 



Full Disclosure:  This book was read as an e-ARC (Advance Reader Copy) obtained via Netgalley from the publisher in advance of the book's release on February 2, 2021 in exchange for a potential review.  I give my word that this did not affect my review in any way - if I felt conflicted in any way, I would simply have declined to review the book.    

The Night Parade of 100 Demons* is a tie-in book to the Collectable Card Game/RPG Legend of the Five Rings (commonly referred to as "L5R").  I have basically no familiarity with L5R other than the knowledge of its existence that comes from seeing other authors and people I know who are past fans, but was interested in this novel because of its author: Marie Brennan.  Brennan's work that I have read (The Memoirs of Lady Trent, Driftwood) is usually both very character based and anthropologically based, showing cultures under different conditions, and I've always really enjoyed it.  So I was interested to pick this up despite my lack of knowledge in the background.  

*Note:  "The Night Parade of 100 Demons" is a Japanese idiom/myth, and as such, this is not the only book with this title, so you may want to check you get the right title if you are seeking to buy/borrow this.  

And The Night Parade of 100 Demons is pretty fun and enjoyable even if you have no background in L5R, featuring two samurai from different clans investigating a village suffering from strange Yokai attacks - all the while each tries not to think about their growing attraction to the other.  Brennan imbues both of her very different samurai characters - one a scholar and one essentially a mage who communes with Kami - with very different but excellent characters, and imbues the setting with just the right amount of intrigue to keep the readers' attention.  So while this isn't a must read of any sort, or even up to the level of Brennan's other work, it's still a really fun fantasy story involving a Japanese Myth inspired world (or L5R inspired if you're familiar with it) with some extremely slowburn M-M romance on the side.  

------------------------------------------------Plot Summary-----------------------------------------------
Dragon samurai Agasha no Isao Ryōtora carries a shameful secret - he was not born into the role of a samurai, but instead into a peasant family in the small village of Seibo Mura.  But now, Ryōtora - a shugenja capable of speaking to the kami and asking for their aid - returns to the village of his birth, where two months in a row, on the new moon, a mass of strange yokai have attacked the village and its people.  Ryōtora hopes to solve the mystery of what is happening there without being recognized, but to his surprise the village has another Samurai investigating: a Phoenix Samurai named Asako Sekken.  

Sekken carries his own secret: he's not supposed to be this far into Dragon territory, and has only come because an inugami, a dog spirit, has been haunting him, and the timing of its visits matches the timing of the Yokai attacks.  And so he searches the village from the point of view of a scholar, confused by the seemingly heretical cults that exist there, but mainly looking for an answer to what has happened and its connection to his haunting.  

But Sekken and Ryōtora did not and could not expect what they find in Seibo Mura: yokai attacks that make no sense, wards that shouldn't be there, and a people on the edge of panic.  But most of all, what neither of them expected was what they each find in the other....and what might be possible if they can survive the potential of another Yokai attack.....
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This book is set in the L5R universe, but Brennan makes it fairly easy for new readers like myself to catch on to how the universe works - the story is essentially inspired by Japanese myth, with Yokai and Kami present and a clear part of this world.  You have clans of Samurai and other noble lords each jockeying for power and control, with their own philosophies on how rule should be imposed, and a dedicated L5R fan undoubtedly knows all the details about all these clans.  But the story Brennan tells here doesn't require any of that knowledge - all you need to know is that the village is in Dragon lands, that the Dragon and Phoenix clans are not adversaries but have some differing views, and that the tension between them underlies the interactions between our two protagonists, Sekken and Ryōtora.  All of this is spelled out through the two protagonist's internal thoughts (we alternate between their point of views) so it's easy for the reader to understand.  

And it works so well because both Sekken and Ryōtora are wonderful characters.  Ryōtora is a samurai ashamed of his heritage (because the religion/tradition practiced by these characters suggests that to be a samurai requires one to be born as one based upon one's past deeds, and since he wasn't born as one or chosen for his powers, it shows that he isn't worthy) and always acts extraordinarily proper pursuant to the Samurai's code as a result, to try and make up for it.  He's also trying to deal with a break up with a lover due to the revelation of his secret, which makes him even more concerned over it.  And yet for all this, Ryōtora is clearly pained by it all and always tries to act not just proper, but for good, and when dealing with Sekken, he can't help but feel like he should share his secrets even if he doesn't dare act on the attraction he ultimately feels for Sekken.  And of course there's Ryōtora's magical powers that allow him to commune with Kami and to wield their power, which allows him to perform interesting tricks.  

Sekken by contrast is both more open and more closed than Ryōtora.  His own secret - the fact that he might have a connection to a witch in this village in his blood - is one he's afraid to tell, like Ryōtora for fear of how others will see him if they know.  And he's offended by the heretical cultish views held by many of the villagers, who follow a sect that suggests that Samurai and nobles have no higher value or purpose than that of commoners (and in fact that Samurai are the cause of this era's misfortune) - a sect outlawed in Phoenix lands.  But at the same time he's a scholar at heart, who is fascinated by the mystery in the village and wants to learn as much about it as possible, taking notes on the various yokai that were seen.  Sekken is just as good at heart as Ryōtora - and just as attracted though unwilling to act upon it given that he thinks the attraction is not mutual - and his curiosity and intelligence leads him to think about potential solutions in a way that complements Ryōtora's abilities, and makes the two of them have tremendous chemistry in addition to mutual attraction.  

And the plot works with both of these characters wonderfully, forming a strong mystery at first as to what's happening and finishing with dramatic conflicts with Yokai as they try and avoid the worst case scenario - and then concluding with a very satisfying happy ending.  Both characters' backgrounds involve them dealing heavily with this universe's version of class issues, as they each grapple with self loathing over their own places within it, while dealing with an entire village of people of the lower class who mainly dislike Samurai in general.  And the story uses the tale of yokai and humanity to preach the wonder of humanity, in how they can establish honor and respect through it all and how wonderful it is that they both can do that and can find love through it all.  It's all really well done and made me smile at the very end - even if it takes way way too damn long for the two protagonists to act on their mutual attraction.  

So yeah, this isn't a must read but it's still a lot of fun and highly enjoyable - if you want a tale of Samurai in a Japanese-inspired world (or are familiar with L5R) who are dealing with both yokai and their own attraction to one another?  This is definitely for you.  

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