The Sword of Kaigen: A Theonite War Story

It has been a very long time since a book floored me like this. And of those books that have affected me, I don't think any other book has ever resonated this much with me on a personal level. In full disclosure, this may be due to my timing of reading this book while going through my own personal issues. But then again, this book still made me question the power of the universe by coming into my life at this particular time. A little over two years ago, I challenged myself to start reading more and mainly what I wanted to read were sci-fi and fantasy novels. At the start of researching the books I wanted to read; The Sword of Kaigen was always at the very top of everyone's lists. Despite its (very well deserved) high praise, I held off reading it for a very long time. I don't know why. I was either not ready to read to something so "heavy," or I doubted that the book could live up to expectations. I was wrong on both counts. The Sword of Kaigen is an incredible human story wrapped in a fantasy adventure. The story mainly follows one family's struggle to protect its village from outside forces and the changing of the times. What makes this book so special are the family dynamics and how they're presented and developed over the course of the book. While the world-building and action are on par with any other great fantasy adventure, the character work and development are uniquely masterful in this book. The author's delicate exploration of the meaning of family, grief, identity, emotional growth, and resilience in the face of devastating hopelessness, places this novel among literary greats, and takes it well beyond its categorizing as a "standalone epic fantasy adventure." There isn't much more I can say about this book because I don't have the ability to articulate my feelings into words on the level this book deserves. All I can say is that, if you've ever loved someone in any capacity, then you should read this book. My final point is simply a personal and selfish lament that the author chose to discontinue this series (for now). As a fan of the book, I would love nothing more than to continue following some of these characters in future stories. But I understand and respect the author's decision. As an ardent fan of this particular book, I very much appreciate that experiencing its greatness is now increased by that fact that it is a standalone, one-off, great novel. There are no sequels to Blood Meridian or Of Mice and Men, and I am OK with that too.

The first 10-15% was annoying. I couldn’t tell where the story was going and perspective changes seemed to get in the way. M.L. Wang, much like Mamoru, seemed like a rookie stretching for greatness. After acclimating to the writing style and “world-isms” the story got very interesting. Not knowing where the story was going turned into an asset and the war/fighting scenes were gripping. Themes and character development were good. The use of tragedy made the story feel more authentic. The story works well as a standalone while also giving the impression that there is a far larger world to be explored.

This book had me in awe by the end of the pages I am sad this is a stand alone in this universe. You follow a handful of characters all belonging to the same family and the story is told from their points of view as. I have honestly enjoyed stories written this way. It adds another layer of depth and complexity to bring ideas into the story. You can get more then just one POV in situations and it also just gives you more opportunity to grow a relationship with the characters. People have elemental powers similar to Avatar the last Airbender where people of certain regions or families have control over one aspect. They don't delve too deep into the magic of it all but I have always loved a supernatural edge to a story. You start following Mamoru a young warrior in training from a famous clan Matsuda. You also follow the perspective of his mother Misaki as well they seem to dominate a majority of the major views you see this world from. Following Mamoru you get the sense of a young boy is confident but trying his best to meet the expectations of his powerful and traditional father. He meets a new classmate who has joined his school and this boy eventually shakes the entire foundation of Mamoru's world with truths that have been hidden away for a long time in the remote village his clan resides in. Mamoru struggling with truths he has been taught his whole life and the groundbreaking evidence this boy shows him to start in motion Mamoru's first experience with grappling that he has been lied to his whole life. That his life and the lives of the people in his village serve a darker purpose then what their glorious history shrouds. In these moments of uncertainty Mamoru confides in his mother the revelations he has discovered. Misaki born in another area is privy to the truths that have been hidden from these people for so long but in this world the roles are very traditional so it is not for a woman to voice truths that would tear down the culture of this village of warrior clans. When Mamoru comes to her with his new knowledge of the real reason they have lived and kept the wrong knowledge passed down generation to generation Misaki is struck with the struggle of whether to completely tear the veil from his eyes. Misaki is struggling much with herself. Who she is compared to her younger years and who she had become. She is unhappy but devout in her duty to be a good mother and wife even though it has destroyed any part of who she was. She is lost and while her son is also experiencing that sense of loss she feels a small connection and starts to realize not what she had lost but what she had gained from a cold and uncaring husband. The action in this story is intense. I lost myself everytime I picked the book up in the middle of the turmoil of the plot. There was no hesitating to make a great and heart wrenching scene no matter what characters it affected ( doing my best to avoid any spoilers I apologize about being so vague but you will see) I cried ALOT like just full on sobbing I ot so attached to characters ot the scene was just so emotionally intense I could help but feel my lip tremble and tears slipping down my cheeks. My face was so sore by the end of it all! And when it felt like I had to be close to the end I realized there was still about half of the book to go still.....oh how can this ever be a happy ending? My heart can't take it but I couldn't stop turning pages. After the major action finally calms and we come back to some semblance of normalcy we finally get a break through with Misaki and Takeru ( I will admit Takeru was not my favorite for a majority of the book but he was never so bad I hated his character he was so Stiff and Mean) this softened my heart to Takeru even the strongest have their hearts as well. You finally felt like in some way you could finally understand why he was the way he was and you could relate. The characters all struggle with inner strife finding who they are or accepting things for how they are. Accepting pain and facing it head on. Being true to yourself but also the ones you love and care for. All in all it's a beautiful story and I just wish it wasn't the END. It felt like there was a build up at the end that could have lead to another book maybe two but this is it and it makes me so sad to say goodbye to these characters so soon. What a great story and I just love the eastern theme of it That said I have read that the other books in this world do not match up and it makes me hesitant to read them. And I do not think they take place in this time so things would be different I am sure. This book is a great read you'll enjoy it!!!!

On the Physical Book: Sturdy and easy to handle. The paper selection could have opted for a paper quality that would allow a more flexible spine. The cover treatment is average, as the outer plastic film shows signs of peeling after a few days at the beach (under shade, no sun exposure). On the Story: The Sword of Kaigen (@mlwangauthor ) is a gut wrenching epic with an amazing set of character arcs with really cool development that show depth and uniqueness . The world building is detailed and immersive with good socio-political nuances. The magic system is well developed and easy to grasp and complements well a martial arts background. The Sword of Kaigen is sadly only 600+ pages and seems to be a standalone. My wish is that the author may eventually bless us with more incursions into Duna and the Matsudas.

Es un increíble libro lo que más me gusta usa frases del japonés para referirse a cosas comunes para que tu vayas como aprendiendo y es muy listo me encanta el sistema muy bueno

The Sword of Kaigen is a deeply moving standalone fantasy. The slow beginning worked perfectly for me, building up the family and setting so that when tragedy struck, it hit incredibly hard. The battle scenes are cinematic, but what truly stands out is the subtle emotional writing — a single quiet line of grief often carried more weight than pages of description. Where the book lost me was in the final act. After such an unforgettable middle, the story seemed to lose focus. The Robin subplot felt forced, and several loose ends felt bolted on, as if the author was preparing for sequels that never came. The wider political threads also faded away, leaving an ending that didn’t provide the closure I had hoped for. Still, this remains one of the most emotional and impactful fantasies I’ve read in a while, and I’d strongly recommend it to anyone looking for a standalone with real depth.

Sometimes when I am about half-way through a book and I am reading something as powerful and impressive as this was, I have a fairly good idea what my review is going to be about. And at that half-way point, I did think I was going to write about the world building, and characterizations, magic and everything else that I found to be notable about this story. But, then I read the last half, and I can say that since reading Stephen King’s Wizard and Glass a few years back- I haven’t been so affected by a story as I was this one, or so emotionally invested in characters as these, that I cried through a good twenty percent of this book. See, I was expecting a regular epic-style fantasy, and when we had that amazing battle midway through, all I could think was holy crap, how is the author going to top this? And where can this possibly go from here with so many pages left? What I didn’t realize was, that the incredibly intense first half the book, was only part of the story and not even the best part. So, this stand-alone book works to set-up a little history of a country, and way of life of a people for a later series. While the front-half gives us this incredible world, people, and epic scale battle, the back-half deals with the aftermath, and is about a community finding strength to survive events that are just too horrifying to even imagine- surviving loss of everything from your loved ones to your home and livelihood. It’s about rebuilding and finding hope in each other, and coming together as people. But, at the core of all of that- was Misaki, and even though it was filled with a community of people that were just as full of life as her, this was really her story. Misaki was the heart of this book. She is a mother and wife, coming to terms with a life that maybe didn’t quite go the way she expected. Her story is about healing, regrets, grief, and feeling like you have no voice but also being scared to have one. And just as importantly, it’s about being responsible for your own happiness. Misaki’s journey is raw and painful but it’s also fulfilling and beautiful. As a mother, daughter and wife- her every fear, joy, and regret, resonated with me, and I applaud her characterisation. Without her this would have been a great book with some very cool fight scenes (I’m still in awe over the Matusda brother’s Ice Dragon) and a good solid base for a later series. With her though- it became an outstanding piece of storytelling that needs to be experienced, and one that is going to stick with me for a long time. Other Notes and small criticisms - Even with the huge amount of subtitled stuff I watch, which most of it is tv and film (where they sometimes tend to drop/change this sort of thing in favor of digestibility) and not print, it took me a while to keep the honorifics straight in my head. Particularly when there were a lot of different characters addressing one character. Misaki for instance, who is an elder, mother, and/or respected member of the community, has a different honor appropriate for each title depending on who is addressing her. There was a handy dandy glossary at the back of the book, which I did use once at the beginning, but kindle makes these things not the funnest things to flip back and forth between, so I rarely end up using them once I get going, and just rely on my bad memory for the rest of the book. Making this quibble more my problem than the authors’. Hey, I had to think of something to criticize. -The ending while I did like it giving Misaki a little closure, and setting up stuff for later books, I also felt it could have been trimmed a lot. At that point, I was happy with her present and didn’t want her past to interfere with the contentment she was beginning to find. c/p from my goodreads

O melhor livro que li esse ano. Uma fantasia que foca no desenvolvimento emocional das personagens, um alívio ler algo em que a protagonista feminina não é uma mulher de 20 anos ou uma donzela saindo da adolescência. Amei o universo da história, a magia, tudo.