Yamada Monogatari: Demon Hunter

An easy to follow Japanese tale.....Presenting Yamada Monogatari: Demon Hunter by Richard Parks.

Here is the summary of the book:

In an ancient Japan where the incursions of gods, ghosts, and demons into the living world is an everyday event, an impoverished nobleman named Yamada no Goji makes his living as a demon hunter for hire. With the occasional assistance of the reprobate exorcist Kenji, whatever the difficulty — ogres, demons, fox-spirits — for a price Yamada will do what needs to be done, even and especially if the solution to the problem isn’t as simple as the edge of a sword. Yet, no matter how many monsters he has to face, or how powerful and terrible they may be, the demons Yamada fears the most are his own!

Monogatari by the dictionary definition is the literal form of Japanese literature, which is almost always fictional even when retelling a historical event, an extended form of prose narrative tale comparable to the epic.

So, now literal meaning aside, Yamada Monogatari is an episodic tale into the life of Yamada no Goji, an ex-Japanese royal courtier, now adapted to the ways of a demon hunter.....a thumpin' good one too. Each episode (while they are seperate stories but we'll treat them as episodes) points to a different face of and different adventure of Yamada no Goji's demon hunting life style with his side-kick monk, Kenji.

Searilized in a chronological order as they occur, Yamada Monogatari is a bit of a nostalgia for me, as it draws parallels from the famous manga/anime series Inu Yasha set in pre-historic feudal Japan. This was also one Japanese literature that we could easily digest. There are all forms of youkai, demons, ghosts, monsters and all things that go bump in the night. It was quite refreshing to read into such myths of the Japanese.

Each chapter showcases and lays out the person that is Yamada no Goji. He is determined, he is compassionate, he is understanding and whats more he may be a sake addict but with his line of profession and all things considered, he knows when to stop and what his limits are. Give it a try folks you'll like it.

"Youkai-Ghosts-Trolls-Kitsune...and such. This is an interesting and action-packed easy to follow Japanese tale that you will easily be able to follow and enjoy"

Genre :      Paranormal, Historical Fiction, High Fantasy


Publisher: Harlequin Luna


My Copy:  Netgalley and Publisher


Rate:              4/5 (Really Liked It)