The Way of the Warrior

this is one of the best books i've ever read it exciting and triller and you wont want to put it down

Fantastic read. English boy in Japan adopted by a Samurai and taught martial art and learn how to speak their language. How cool is that. There is three series that comes with the book. If you plan to read this book, don't be disapointed if the last series(the Way of the Dragon) is not available in the US. Like I did. Other than that, its' a good book to read.

In this swashbuckling adventure story by first-time British author Chris Bradford, we meet young Jack Fletcher, 12, who finds himself alone in Japan in 1609 when all his shipmates, including his father, are killed by ninja pirates. At this time the Portuguese were the only Westerners who had found the route to Japan, and Jack manages to salvage from the ship his father's rutter, which contains all the ocean charts, an incredibly valuable resource for whoever has the rutter in his possession. Miraculously, Jack is adopted by a samurai lord who has lost his own son to the same pirates, and he rapidly learns Japanese. He is then sent to samurai school, where despite his talents, he is mocked as a barbarian foreigner. This is a very exciting adventure story, perfect for boys who are reluctant readers and who may be anime or manga fans. Girls may enjoy it as well, as there is a very strong Japanese female character who is also training to be a samurai. Similar to the James Clavell novel Shogun in many ways, only for kids, I can't help thinking of this book as Shogun Light. The author, himself trained in numerous martial arts including samurai swordsmanship, provides lots of interesting historical details and details on fighting techniques that make the book sure to appeal to many boys.

I bought this for my 10 year old son and he loved it! He can't wait to read another by this author.

I'm a long way from this book's demographic - yet I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. It is well written, fast moving, with a solid plot and plenty of period detail about life in Japan in the early 1600's. One historical writer wrote the key is not what the author puts into the book - it's what the author leaves out. It's very easy for a historical novel to be overwhelmed with detail. This book does not suffer from that. There is enough about the times - large and small facts, Japanese words, etc. - to give one a feel for the times. There isn't too much to get in the way of the story. Although the main character is a young man, there is a strong female character, as well. Brave, strong, wise - she doesn't depend on the young man to be successful. I think girls as well as boys will enjoy this novel. And I look forward to the author's next one!