Child of Vengeance

A Novel

By: David Kirk

Narrated by: Mark Bramhall

A bold and vivid historical epic of feudal Japan, based on the real-life exploits of the legendary samurai Musashi Miyamoto.

Japan in the late 16th century was a land in turmoil. Lords of the great clans schemed against each other, served by aristocratic samurai bound to them by a rigid code of honor. Bennosuke is a high-born but lonely teenager living in his ancestral village. His mother died when he was a young boy, and his powerful warrior father Munisai has abandoned him for a life of service to his Lord, Shinmei. Bennosuke has been raised by his uncle Dorinbo, a monk who urges the boy to forgo the violence of the samurai and embrace the contemplative life. But Bennosuke worships his absent father, and when Munisai returns, gravely injured, Bennosuke is forced to confront truths about his family's history and his own place in it. These revelations soon guide him down the samurai's path—awash with blood, bravery, and vengeance. His journey will culminate in the epochal battle of Sekigahara—in which Bennosuke will first proclaim his name as Mushashi Miyamoto. This rich and absorbing epic explores the complexities of one young man's quest while capturing a crucial turning point in Japanese history with visceral mastery, sharp psychological insight and tremendous narrative momentum.

Critic reviews

“Kirk presents 17th-century Japan as a world imbued with stately rituals, unshakable principles and a rigid moral code…. sure to be compared to Clavell’s work in its superb depiction of samurai culture.”
--Kirkus Reviews

"This historical debut rips along at the speed of a deftly wielded, flashing katana sword....Well anchored in history, beliefs, and traditions of feudal Japan, this novel is a personal psychological trip...educational, engrossing, and just plain fun-to-read....should appeal to a wide variety of readers, especially those who loved James Clavell's Shogun."
--Library Journal, starred review

"A brilliant piece of historical fiction --- loaded with treachery and betrayal --- that pulses with life. This one is going to find an honored place on many a keeper shelf. It's a must read debut from an exciting new voice."
--Steve Berry, New York Times Bestselling author of The Columbus Affair

"A fascinating, exciting book, beautifully observed. Kirk avoids clichés at every turn, and creates characters of great depth. An absolute gem."
--Conn Iggulden, New York Times Bestselling author of Genghis: Birth of an Empire

"I've been fascinated by Musashi Miyamoto since I first read The Book of Five Rings in college. David Kirk's Child of Vengeance restores my faith in historical fiction to bring lost worlds to life. Bravo! The keenest and most vivid evocation of the inner life of the East since James Clavell's Shogun.”
--Steven Pressfield, New York Times Bestselling author of Gates of Fire

"Kirk proves himself a worthy samurai novelist with this brutal account of real-life 17th-century swordsman Musashi Miyamoto… Kirk, who lives in Japan, positively seethes with energy when depicting bloody violence—from great battlefields to intimate ritual suicide—showing feudal Japan as a complex culture in which cunning and poetry are indispensable, and death and vengeance unavoidable."
--Publishers Weekly

'This is the book I've been waiting for! Razor sharp samurai action coupled with a brutally realistic vision of life in sixteenth-century Japan, a real find’
--Anthony Riches, author of Wounds of Honour

Fun story

I love Samurai and Kung Fu story’s the beginning was a little confusing I went back to listen again and it went well from there.

binge read

engaging story. vivid imaginary. narration easy to fall into. excited for the next book of the series.

Totally worth the read

Absolutely loved how this book ended. I was kept on my toes the entire time, it wasn’t predictable and evoked multiple emotions out of me throughout. 10/10 would recommend!

Like a blossom

This is a good book. The story and characters unfolds like a blossom. Well written and unpredictable. The conclusion is excellent.

excellent and action packed

liked it a lot. reads as if watching a great samurai, "kung fu" movie brutal and graphic but In a suspenseful way. . if you are interested in those legends off life and death by the sword, you will like this book. very intense and action packed, kept me on the edge of my seat.
set In the time of the samurai tells the tale of ayoung boys journey of vengence and self discovery. his struggle to live up to the samurai legends he grew up on and the discovery that stories and reality are sometimes very different than what you come to imagine.

Amazing

A breathtaking experience of honor, betrayal, courage, horror and duty. David Kirk's suburb storytelling paints a bleak and stark image of a time period usually gilded and romanticized. A true historical tale with nothing left out for embarrassment or squeamishness. I was captivated for the our of the story and I've never been happier with the conclusion.

Clever weaving of history and fiction.

For me the success of a work of historical fiction can be measured in the amount of curiosity it piques in the history of its era. This book did not fail in that regard. I soon found myself online researching names, events, and locations presented in Child of Vengeance. In doing so I discovered how artfully Kirk weaved his story into the history of Miyamoto as well as Japan. I also found the author's conclusions of samurai culture as discovered by the protagonist thought (and discussion) provoking.

My only complaint would be with the performance. The narrator could have used some coaching in the pronunciation of Japanese names.

outstanding

I found this book outstanding perfect samurai novel. I listened to it all in one day

Excellent Story and fantastically narrated

I love samurai, and I love Japan. This author obviously does as well and wrote a great fictional story about real historical figures from Japan's history. I cannot wait to begin the sequel!

For Bushido Lovers!

Very enjoyable. Great historical fiction of the Edo Period and young Miyamoto Mushashi. Excited to start the second book in the series.