The Way of the Warrior

Young Samurai, Book 1

By: Chris Bradford

Narrated by: Joe Jameson

Length: 8 hrs and 11 mins

Publisher's Summary

August 1611. Jack Fletcher is shipwrecked off the coast of Japan - his beloved father and the crew lie slaughtered by ninja pirates. Rescued by the legendary sword master Masamoto Takeshi, Jack's only hope is to become a samurai warrior. And so his training begins.

But life at the samurai school is a constant fight for survival. Even with his friend Akiko by his side, Jack is singled out by bullies and treated as an outcast. With courage in his heart and his sword held high, can Jack prove himself and face his deadliest rival yet?

©2008 Chris Bradford (P)2017 Audible, Ltd

Very entertaining

Riveting story; I look forward to book 2. Japanese culture from that time frame comes alive in the reading. Narrator's performance is good; since I am new to Audible, I have little experience yet for comparison.

Action and relationships in Japan 1611

Historically-grounded adventure / coming-of-age series starts here. Emphasis on Samurai service and Buddhism/ Zen. It's told in 3rd-person, set in Japan in 1611.

A shipwrecked, orphaned English youth, age 12, must learn Japanese language and culture and discover the Samurai warrior within. Meanwhile, he develops some valuable friendships and other relationships.

Good character development for both Jack and Yamoto. Some poignant scenes. Some action, death, cruelty, battle training. Strong female roles, as well as male. I liked the different types of adult figures, too. The heroes and the villains were credible-- both adults and youth.

The plot isn't too predictable, but some bits do stretch credulity.

Excellent narration! I read and listened, interchangeably.

Reminded me a little of John Flanagan's two series: Brotherband and Ranger's Apprentice.

I might read book 2, even though the target audience is probably youngsters. It held my attention, and I learned something about Japanese culture and history.

Great story, HORRIBLE Japanese pronunciation

The story is very well written however, the narrator totally butchered, no, that would an insult to all the butchers in the world, he slaughtered, sorry, again that would be an insult to all the slaughterers in the world, the Japanese language and pronunciation. If someone is going to narrate a story that has a foreign language, then PLEASE learn how the pronunciation is done correctly.

great story iffy narration

exposure to Japanese media had fascinated millions of people world wide with anime and j drama Jpop. unfortunately the reader is not one, his pronunciation is a purely english attempt. Kun is used alot but the way the reader pronounces it isn't japanese he pronounces it like there is a t that is being committed from the end. it's good narration but poor pronunciation of 99% of the Japanese is actually distracting as I try to follow the story. the story itself is well researched and though it's been written for young readers, still harnesses the rigid nobility that is samurai. but I've heard Wheaton's mangle Glenn Merenge so onward to book 2

Loved it!

Hooked right out of the gate please please add the rest of the books to audible

Harry Potter meats The Last Samurai

Harry Potter meats The Last Samurai with a little karate kid flavor. can't wait for the next one.

Very entertaining!

I loved the performance and great story. Please make audiobooks of books 4-9! Would love to continue to listen!

Good story, narration was a let down

The story and the characters are well done, although the beginning borrows heavily from James Clavelle’s Shogun. What brings the audiobook down is the embarrassing lack of research in proper pronunciation of the Japanese words and names. Pronouncing names correctly should be the first thing a narrator should research.

it was ok.

i mean i did not stop at the beginning but i only may read the sequals. the pronunciation of japanese words really grated on me. i thought it was going to be a cool samurai story then it turned into harrypotter and the bully contest at school but in aydoh... it redeamed itself by dropping the school bully plot.

A mesmerizing book for any age

Thank you Chris for all your amazing books and this first one in particular!❤️ I read the whole series about 8 years ago and it’s such a treat to revisit it with this audiobook, been waiting forever for one!! I’m 33 now and I enjoyed it just as much as I did back then, especially since I’ve been trained in martial arts now😉 Each book is a gem, full of wisdom, motivation and teaching compassion. And once you start reading, it’s impossible to put this book down❤️

my kids enjoyed the story and performance

Having listened to the the Harry Potter series, twice (which are amazing!), I was looking to find something different for my kids to listen to. I would say that the opening couple of chapters are quite surprising and did shock my son slightly, but set the scene for the rest of the series. The story does have the feel of an author who has research the Samurai very thoroughly giving a real authentic feel to the story My kids loved it so much we bought the whole audible series (3 books at the present) and my son is looking to read the rest of the books to find out what happens. The narrator does give a good performance and puts a good pace on the story. The only slight down side to the story is the amount of Japanese names / words used, which my youngest got lost trying to understand (although it does make it feel authentic and real) Good listen and I would recomend

BEST BOOK EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This is the best book I have ever read with Harry Potter. Thank you soooooo much Audible for making this amazing book an audio book!!!!!

Excellent story

A captivating storyline that gripped me and toyed with my emotions, my only criticism is that I found the voice of the protagonist irritatingly whiny.

Great story kept me compelled throughout

Wonderful entertaining book, action packed but also instructional and insightful. Well written and kept me hooked. Audio narration brilliant.

A step in time, loved it!

Great Japanese!! Great story... Wish I was a samurai now or maybe learning the art as it seems all so interesting!

young samorai book1

Really enjoyed this book, well written and narrated. lt kept my interest from start to finish.

Awesome book

Loved it! The story is fantastic and the reading of it is very engaging

Pretty good story

I enjoyed this story. It's predictable in parts but great for the younger target audience.

loved it

my 9 year old loved this and can't wait for the next book in the series. great for this age group. the 7 and 4 year old didn't really get into it though (FYI)

AN EPIC STORY

I loved this book. The narration was 5 stars and the story was so good. Loved the characters. 10/10 I can’t wait to start book 2!