Warning: Very few people in this story die of natural causes!
This fantastic action-packed nonfiction book by Pamela Turner tells the story of the legendary samurai Yoshitsune — his meteoric rise from an untrained young boy in exile to one of the greatest military leaders in Japanese history.
Samurai Rising is not a graphic novel, but it’s a beautifully designed book which contains 16 chapter illustrations and 4 maps painted with brush and ink. Here’s a preview on my blog. And here’s Amazon’s “Look Inside” Preview
2016, Charlesbridge – 256 pp., prose with black and white illustrations – ORDER A SIGNED COPY
paperback $9.99 ISBN 978-1580895859
hardcover $16.95 ISBN 978-1580895842
“With more beheadings than you can shake a katana at, this account of the life of twelfth-century samurai Minamoto Yoshitsune is pure excitement.” – Booklist
“Historical and cultural references are impressively accurate, and Hinds’s fluid brush-and-ink drawings and battle maps add useful detail. Japanophiles, action lovers, and future historians will all find this book gripping.” – School Library Journal
“The life of 12th-century samurai Minamoto Yoshitsune unfolds in this compelling and often shocking nonfiction account. The opening warning doesn’t lie: very few people die of natural causes… A well-researched narrative told with true grit.” – Kirkus starred Review
“It’s not often that ‘biography’ and ‘page-turner’ come together in one thought, but Turner’s tale of the twelfth-century warrior Minamoto Yoshitsune is just the work to draw samurai fans from the manga and movie aisles into the nonfiction shelves.” – BCCB starred Review
Samurai Rising is a finalist for the YALSA Nonfiction Award.
Medium:
Brush and ink, with digital color on cover.
Blog posts
Pam Turner’s official Samurai page with more resources