The Sword Of Kaigen – M.L. Wang

A mother struggling to repress her violent past,
A son struggling to grasp his violent future,
A father blind to the danger that threatens them all.

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?

High 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. 

Review:

First of all: shout-out to Nils from The Fantasy Hive for organizing a readalong of this book on Instagram. I’d seen people rave about the book left and right but the readalong made me pick up the book and I’m so happy I did. This might be the best self-published books I’ve ever read. It’s also a contestant in the SPFBO! The Sword of Kaigen is a Japanese-inspired military style book. It tells the story of a powerful family, the Matsudas, who live in a secluded village on a mountain. They are Jijakalu and have a special power: they can control water and manipulate it in many different ways, like turning it to ice or snow. 

The two main characters of the book are Misaki, the wife of the younger of the two Matsuda brothers, and her oldest son Mamoru. Mamoru is very powerful, just like his father Takeru. Takeru however is a very cold person, literally and figuratively. He doesn’t really show any emotions and he’s quite cruel to his wife and his children. He never really bothers with them and when he does it’s usually to berate them. 

These jijakalu who can control water are not the only ones in the Duna world who have these kind of powers.  Throughout the book we learn about other people that can control fire or wind. The powers all seem to be rooted in the elements which is something I really like. I loved the magic system and I thought it really cool how the most powerful of these theonites can manipulate the elements to the extent that they can form it into weapons. Specifically for the Matsudas this is the Whispering Blade. The Matsudas are the only family that has ever been able to produce the Whispering Blade and only certain members of the family have been able to. Both Takeru, Misaki’s husband and Mamoru’s father, and his brother Takashi are able to produce a flawless Whispering Blade. This is testament to their strength and power. The Whispering Blade is a very strong weapon as it’s almost indestructible. It can cut through everything and can be formed whenever needed by someone as skilled as Takeru or Takashi, making it a superior weapon on the battlefield.

Mamoru is still young but he is very ambitious and he is struggling to master the Whispering Blade because he sees it as the ultimate form of strength for a Matsuda. He wants to prove that he is worthy of the family name. 

I thought the world building was vivid and the Japanese-like culture was beautifully brought to life in this new world. I love reading high fantasy books that are not set in the typical mediaeval European world. I was quite taken aback by the fact that the story for the most part feels like it was set in the past but it actually isn’t. It has very modern elements. I guess the reason it feels like this book is set in the past is because the village is so secluded up on the mountain and they are not really in contact with many modern day things. But suddenly there are mentions of a TV or a communication device which is quite jarring when you think that everything is set in the past. It kind of gives it a little bit of an edge because you have to adjust your view of the story setting, which gave a rather fascinating reading experience.

I enjoyed reading about both Misaki and Mamoru because they were both very strong characters. Misaki had to endure a lot in her life: she had to abandon her life as a warrior to become a housewife and have children with a husband she didn’t love. Her children remind her of her husband’s cold nature because they have the same cold aura of strength. She has trouble really connecting to her children because of this. As the story progresses there is a lot of character growth for Misaki but also for the other characters, a lot of them letting go of ideas and beliefs they have held on to for a long time opening up a whole new world and confronting them with their own faults.

It was quite interesting to read how devoted the warrior families in this village are to the Emperor. His wish is their command and anything that goes against the Emperor or the Empire is treasonous and strictly forbidden. It’s strange because these families have absolutely no contact with any aspect of the Empire or the Emperor, but still they are extremely loyal. It’s so deeply ingrained in their culture and has been passed down from generation to generation that it’s hard for them to imagine their Emperor could do anything wrong. 

I also loved getting to know the Kotetsu family. They are not warriors but make the most amazing swords for the warrior families. I liked that they were quite revered as well because of their skills. The Matsuda children have to go and apprentice in the forges to learn what it takes to make a good blade. Their shared history and these apprenticeships create an almost unbreakable bond between the two families. 

I really enjoyed reading about Misaki‘s past and then seeing that coming to the forefront later on in the book. It takes a while but ultimately we get to see her as she really is: fierce, strong and powerful. Finding her true self again came with quite a few revelations about how she had lead her life to that point, making her character development one of the best of this books and one of the best I’ve read in a long time. 

There is a big chunk of the book where the action just suddenly takes off and throws you into this whirlwind of battle scenes and emotions. I was absolutely glued to the pages because I needed to know what would happen. I was on the edge of my seat for about 10 chapters straight and I can’t remember the last time that has happened to me. 

It is however also quite heartbreaking. The story deals with the difficult topic of war and the casualties of war. It’s told in a really beautiful, but heart wrenching way.

The ending was very satisfactory and we get closure on most of the storylines, however it also introduces a new threat. The Sword of Kaigen is a standalone prequel that takes place 13 years before the main Theonite books, so that might explain the introduction of a new storyline. I’m curious to read those to see what story they tell and if my favourite characters make an appearance. Although the pacing dropped significantly in the last part of the book, providing more padding than actual story development, it didn’t negatively impact my love for this book. Highly recommend this to anyone who likes reading Asian-inspired epic fantasy. 

Release Date: February 19th, 2019
Publisher: Self-published
Age Group: Adult
Pages: 651
Format: Kindle edition
Source: Bought