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The Sword of Kaigen
A Fantasy Novel by M. L. Wang
Subgenres & Tropes:
- Asian-Inspired Setting,
- Military Fantasy,
- Family Saga,
- Modernizing World
This book is for you if you're into...
- Samurai-inspired fantasy where magic clashes with modern tech
- Family sagas grappling with honor, sacrifice, and buried secrets
- Action scenes that hit hard and emotions that hit harder
From Little Stack
The Sword of Kaigen is heavily inspired by samurai-era Japan, with its feudal system and reliance on its sword- and magic-wielding warriors though the rest of the world has much more advanced technology (including planes, machine guns, and telegraphs). To me, it created almost a Last Samurai-esque feel, where this one small kingdom is holding onto their cultures and customs in a world that is growing ever more modern.
The story’s central themes of motherhood, honor, personal sacrifice, and the tension between progress and tradition were beautifully done. But what makes it one of my all-time favorite fantasy books is the insane action scenes in the middle, and the emotional gut punches it delivers with full force. Trust me when I say you are not ready for the pain this book will inflict on you.
On a mountainside at the edge of the Kaigenese Empire live the most powerful warriors in the world, superhumans capable of raising the sea and wielding blades of ice.
For hundreds of years, the fighters of the Kusanagi Peninsula have held the Empire's enemies at bay, earning their frozen spit of land the name 'The Sword of Kaigen.'
Born into Kusanagi's legendary Matsuda family, fourteen-year-old Mamoru has always known his purpose: to master his family's fighting techniques and defend his homeland.
But when an outsider arrives and pulls back the curtain on Kaigen's alleged age of peace, Mamoru realizes that he might not have much time to become the fighter he was bred to be.
Worse, the empire he was bred to defend may stand on a foundation of lies.
Misaki told herself that she left the passions of her youth behind when she married into the Matsuda house.
Determined to be a good housewife and mother, she hid away her sword, along with everything from her days as a fighter in a faraway country.
But with her growing son asking questions about the outside world, the threat of an impending invasion looming across the sea, and her frigid husband grating on her nerves, Misaki finds the fighter in her clawing its way back to the surface.
When the winds of war reach their peninsula, will the Matsuda family have the strength to defend their empire? Or will they tear each other apart before the true enemies even reach their shores?
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