The Snow Empress

By: Laura Joh Rowland

Narrated by: James Yaegashi

Chosen by Publishers Weekly as a Best Book of 2007, The Snow Empress showcases author Laura Joh Rowland's deep understanding of 17th-century Japan and her impeccable gift of storytelling. This thrilling novel finds samurai detective Sano Ichirõ working to gain freedom for his son by investigating the murder of a lord's beloved mistress.©2007 Laura Joh Rowland (P)2008 Recorded Books,LLC

Childish and boring

Well, I guess it had to happen. After one year of listening to audible titles, I finally found one that I couldn't stand. The characters and dialogue were basic beyond belief. The action could have been plotted better by a pre-schooler. Being a ready who enjoys fantasy and crime, I didn't mind the mix of spells and possession, but what really got to me was how the action / dialogue seemed jumpy, wooden and just totally unbelievable. No one talks like that!

Narrator was okay, although he really said the Japanese names fast. It took me about an hour to learn who was who. Imagine the chef on Iron Chef - Masahiro Morimo - well, the narrator would have pronouced that out in about a 1/2 second. Nice male voices, although his women's voices were just annoying and made me cringe.

Japanophile delight

I was worried about reading a book by a non-Japanese author, but this was unfounded. The book is very Japanese. Another reviewer said "no one talks like that", but actually, upper class courtly Japanese would seem very stilted in English. And the narrator, who is probably a native speaker, pronounces Japanese names beautifully. This book reminded me of the beautiful Japanese countryside, and makes me want to go back--this time to Hokkaido. I rated it 4 stars because nothing compares to Tales of the Otori...

An interesting story line

I read Laura Joh Rowland's second book first so I thought I'd give her first book a try. This book had a pretty good plot but the language didn't sound Japanese enough. For example, would a Japanese guard really say "Go ahead. It's your funeral." That type of slang was offputting to me. If you like mysteries, it's still pretty good. I'd recommend it.

Good story, light on authenticity

I read a lot of Japanese historical fiction, this story seemed light on the Japanese elements.
It was great to explore the Anu and northern Japan, but didn't pack as much cultural insight as Lian Hearn's series (highly rated) or Barry Eisler's "Rain" Character.

LESS THAN MYSTERIOUS

The book gave some interesting information on Japan's Ainu minority, but the plot was contrived and the characters wooden. The spooky element did not seem convincing on its own terms. The narrator seemed to know Japanese pronunciation well, but did less well with English; he consistently said "dint" for "didn't," for example.

This is the latest title in a series, I believe. I might try an early volume to see if the characters and plot are fresher.