Posted by a reviewer on Amazon

Matsuoka writes characters that are at once compellingly sympathetic yet still at times utter monsters by modern sensibilities

Posted by a reviewer on Amazon

Though handled tastefully this book is not for the overly sensitive

Posted by a reviewer on Amazon

Children are murdered and the mores of the characters may strike some as utterly alien

Posted by a reviewer on Amazon

For past and future are not real

Posted by a reviewer on Amazon

I am working on my own novel set in ancient japan so i have been reading every samurai novel i can get my hands on if for no other reason than to understand whats out there in the genre i am writing in

Posted by a reviewer on Amazon

I cant find any exactly like my story which could be good or bad but clarifies that i certainly dont intend to create a ripoff

Posted by a reviewer on Amazon

So it seems there is a challenging balance to achieve for authors like matsuoka all the while trying to stand out from the crowd

Posted by a reviewer on Amazon

I should add here that matsuoka strikes another fine balance between loading you down with too much detail versus telling pure action without painting a picture