Wind and Waves

Very similar in style to Inoue's "The Blue Wolf", Wind and Waves tells the tale of the Kingdom of Koryo (modern Korea) in the 13th century during Mongol occupation. The forces of Mongke Khan, and following his death Kubilai Khan, ruthlessly subjugated Koryo and inflicted a generation of misery upon these people. This is the story of the unfortunate Korean leaders, and how they did their best to protect their people from the Mongol tyranny. The story describes the suffering of the Korean people whose land was ravaged and who were twice forced by the Mongols to build massive fleets for the invasion of Japan, and how the forests were decimated and the economy ruined as a result. Aside from ship building and other forms of servitude, many Koreans were slaughtered or pressed into service as infantry or sailors operating the doomed ships. The Mongol plan was to launch from both China and Korea, and both times the kamikaze, or divine wind, destroyed the fleets. While this is historical fiction, it is exceptionally well researched and reads more like a history lesson than a novel. It offers a good glimpse into the events of the period, and what life was like during this difficult time. The book can be slow at times and Spartan in dialog, but I give it 4-stars for the quality of the content.

Wind and Waves (or, Fudo, in Japanese) takes place in 13th Century Korea that has been devastated by a generation-long warfare with the Mongols. After peace has been made, the war-weary Koreans are now being called upon to prepare for a Mongolian invasion of Japan by building ships and contributing both sailors and troops! Unlike other historical novels by Inoue, the story does not unfold along a gap existing in historical knowledge via actions of fictitious characters, but through actions of well-known historical figures: primarily the kings and chief ministers of Korea forced into dealing with the demands forced upon them by an exhorable force, of the all-powerful Mongol Empire and its leader, Kublai Khan. Because of its verisimilitude--Inoue did a great deal of research in Korean history in writing this novel--the story reads perhaps more like history than fiction. But the imagined actions and thoughts of the leading characters is both lifelike and genuine. A fan of historical fiction would surely enjoy this novel greatly. The title "Wind and Waves" comes from an edict issued to the king of Korea by Kublai Khan, that the Koreans should not allow the mission of conveying message to Japan, demanding that they surrender to the power of the Mongols, to be interrupted by any force of nature along the way--including the high winds and fierce waves standing between Korea and Japan. No doubt certain irony is intended, for these winds and waves, in the end, did not stop Korean emissaries from conveying the message to the Japanese, but they did eventually stop the Mongol-Korean invasions forces after the demands were rebuffed.