The Way of the Warrior

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

Excellent for kids and adults

I own the books, but wish the Japanese language/words were pronounced correctly. Will buy series.

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.

Anyone who is a fan of Rangers Apprentice will love these books

Chris Bradford does an awesome job, as well as the narrator to pull you into the story. These deserve to be as popular as the rangers apprentice series. Highly recommend.

2 of 5 people found this review helpful

great book

this book was a great choice because it mixed ancient Japanese culture and fiction in a great way

0 of 1 people found this review helpful

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

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

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!

Excellent book for my 12 year old

The start was a little slow but it soon got going.
There is lots of action in this book as well as historical facts. My 12 year old looked forward to the car journeys when we could listen to it.

Wonderful story solidly delivered

Jamesons engaging performance delivers solidly on the action and suspense of a great story. The beloved characters of Young Samurai are brought to life through this wonderfully added dimension. Highly recommended!!

The narrator is terrible

This book is great, the only problem is the narrator... He can't pronounce any of the Japanese words and the voices he does are way off

0 of 1 people found this review helpful