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Content snapshot
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Violence
A lot
Feudal violence and assassination throughout; the novel opens with a village massacre; training to be a warrior and killer is central to the plot
Language
None
No profanity
Sexual Content
Barely any
Mild romantic content; some sensuality
Substance Use
None
No substance use
Emotional Intensity
Some
Moderate psychological intensity: a boy trained to be a weapon, questions of loyalty and fate, and a world where violence is the primary language of power
What this book is about
Tomasu's village is destroyed by a brutal warlord, and he is rescued by Otori Shigeru, who recognizes something extraordinary in the boy and trains him as a warrior-spy. Renamed Takeo, he discovers his supernatural abilities — hyper-sensitive hearing, the ability to produce a double — and the role he may play in the feudal wars of this mythologized alternate Japan. Lian Hearn's beautifully written debut blends Japanese history, folklore, and invented tradition into a deeply atmospheric historical fantasy.
Notes for sensitive readers
Reader-flagged moments and themes that may affect your experience.
Feudal violence and killing throughout
Village massacre at the novel's opening
A boy trained as an assassin as central plot
Reader Verification
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