Undead Samurai, by Baptiste Pinson Wu
The Book
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.
My Review
Undead Samurai is an interesting novel which blends together historical fantasy with some horror elements, written by Baptiste Pinson Wu. A tale full of action with excellently developed characters, in a well-researched and adapted historical background (and if you like history, I would recommend to check the Three Kingdom Chronicles by the same author); from the prologue, set 65 years before, it is clear we are for a ride, setting the dark tone and giving us a taste of the horrors that are to come.
The curse of Izanagi is threatening to let Japan in shambles, with the undead warriors under the control of a new Drum Master; against this threat, the last hope lies in the hands of nine warriors gathered by the daimyō of Owari. In a short length, all the members of this group are introduced, a motley crew that will have to travel to Onijima in order to stop the demons from taking the control of Japan.
And in that process, Pinson Wu making an excellent of use of multiple POVs, slowly unveiling the past and the inner demons that consume each one of the members of our crew, using flashbacks that transport us to those moments that marked them. The cast is really diverse, and it's difficult to not get attached to most of them, especially when they are in the most vulnerable moments; and it is worth to note how their abilities are used to deal with the different fights that arise during their travel towards Onijima.
It is worth to mention how vivid and well portrayed the fights are; a bit in the cinematic way, but adapting the traditional Japanese styles against those zombies, those undead warriors. At some points, the pacing can be felt as too frenetic, not giving you a moment to breathe, especially towards the ending, with the pressure growing until the big finale. Horror elements are well blended into the narrative, being an integral part of the plot, but without taking the spotlight over the real main characters, our band of misfits.
Undead Samurai is an excellent example of how you can create a great historical fantasy and spice it with some horror elements; I loved reading it, and I'm eager to see if Baptiste Pinson Wu continues writing more books in this style, like this one, which feels like The Walking Dead x Ghosts of Tsushima, because it's a marvel.
The Author/s
Baptiste Pinson Wu
Born and raised in Normandie, Baptiste has entertained a passion for historical tales since childhood. Growing up with stories of his Viking ancestors, plus his personal interest in everything Chinese and Japanese, it was only a matter of time before he decided to stop being a consumer and become a storyteller.
After ten years of expatriation in Asia, six manuscripts, and a few hundred videos, Baptiste chose his number one passion as the subject of his first publication: The Three Kingdoms of China.