The Night Parade of 100 Demons: A Legend of the Five Rings Novel
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- Create Date：2021-04-09 11:51:02
- Update Date：2025-09-07
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- Author：Marie Brennan
- ISBN：183908040X
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Summary
A thrilling epic fantasy adventure in the astonishing realm of Legend of the Five Rings， as two rival clans join forces to investigate a lethal supernatural mystery
Chaos has broken out in the isolated Dragon Clan settlement of Seibo Mura。 During the full moon， horrifying creatures rampage through the village， unleashing havoc and death。 When the Dragon samurai Agasha no Isao Ryotora is sent to investigate， he faces even greater danger than expected。 To save the village， he must confront his buried past – not to mention an unexpected Phoenix Clan visitor， Asako Sekken， who has his own secrets to hide。 The quest to save Sebo Mura will take the two samurai into the depths of forgotten history and the shifting terrain of the Spirit Realms… and bring them face to face with an ancient， terrifying evil。
Chaos has broken out in the isolated Dragon Clan settlement of Seibo Mura。 During the full moon， horrifying creatures rampage through the village， unleashing havoc and death。 When the Dragon samurai Agasha no Isao Ryotora is sent to investigate， he faces even greater danger than expected。 To save the village， he must confront his buried past – not to mention an unexpected Phoenix Clan visitor， Asako Sekken， who has his own secrets to hide。 The quest to save Sebo Mura will take the two samurai into the depths of forgotten history and the shifting terrain of the Spirit Realms… and bring them face to face with an ancient， terrifying evil。
Reviews
Solomon Barber
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Finally， a L5R book featuring Yokai！Great book！ Enjoyed both of the protagonist and addressing aspects of Dragon lands that have nothing to do with monks！
Andrew Jaden
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I normally don't read tie-ins （I have long memories of Forgotten Realms and Star Wars EU）， but this one was well worth it。 I debated whether to give it 4 or 5 stars， because while I did enjoy it， I couldn't really pinpoint what made it amazing for me。 But I think I'll settle on 4。5 stars and round that up to 5。So， this book has quite a straightforward premise: Demons are breaking out in a village， two samurai from different clans decide to investigate what's going on， for one reason or another。 I normally don't read tie-ins （I have long memories of Forgotten Realms and Star Wars EU）， but this one was well worth it。 I debated whether to give it 4 or 5 stars， because while I did enjoy it， I couldn't really pinpoint what made it amazing for me。 But I think I'll settle on 4。5 stars and round that up to 5。So， this book has quite a straightforward premise: Demons are breaking out in a village， two samurai from different clans decide to investigate what's going on， for one reason or another。 Most of the book isn't about demon-slaying action， however; it focuses on day-to-day life in the village of Seibo Mura， the investigations by the characters and the interactions that happen in the village。 More so than The Memoirs of Lady Trent， it feels like Marie Brennan truly got to use her knowledge of anthropology here！ There's a strong sense of ritual and ceremony in many of the events that occur， and a lot of rote repetition -- that actually gives it further depth， because it feels lived in， something people might do frequently。 The two main characters genuinely felt like they had their own distinctive thoughts and monologue as well， which made them enjoyable to follow （although Sekken of the Phoenix Clan was much more so）。 There's also a nice amount of m/m yearning going on， and once more I find myself glad at the presence of queernormative settings in fantasy。And when there's action， it genuinely feels like it adds to the story， instead of just being a 'oh， let's put this here or the readers might get bored' thing。 Again， Sekken particularly delights here， as he's more a guile hero than a mighty warrior， and it's fun to watch him come up with cunning ideas that don't involve him fighting blade-to-blade。Overall， I think if you like slice-of-life stuff， fantasy of manners， or just a story that's slow and deliberate， with smaller stakes， this might be a good one to look at。 It doesn't require much L5R knowledge to start with as well -- the only thing I looked up was what a shugenja was。 。。。more
Michael Botterill
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I have been provided with an advance copy of the new Legend of the Five Rings book The Night Parade of 100 Demons by Marie Brennan， published by Aconyte Books， so here is the honest review I promised in exchange for the book。So here is an important disclaimer which is always important to put out there first。 I have a casual work contact with Asmodee to demonstrate board games for them in stores and at conventions。 Asmodee being the parent company of Aconyte the publisher。I am going to try my bes I have been provided with an advance copy of the new Legend of the Five Rings book The Night Parade of 100 Demons by Marie Brennan， published by Aconyte Books， so here is the honest review I promised in exchange for the book。So here is an important disclaimer which is always important to put out there first。 I have a casual work contact with Asmodee to demonstrate board games for them in stores and at conventions。 Asmodee being the parent company of Aconyte the publisher。I am going to try my best to not let that cloud my judgement in this review， but I accept that subconsciously it might。So let’s crack on with a review then！What is Legend of the Five RingsL5R as it’s often known is a fantasy setting for a series of card games and RPGs originally published by AEG， but now taken care of by Fantasy Flight。It’s set in the empire of Rokugan which is heavily feudal Japan influenced， with a bit of other East Asian influences， like China and Korea thrown in as well。It’s a fantasy setting with the usual fantasy trips of goblins and rat men， but also oni and kitsune too。In the Empire there are several great clans， made up of various families， and in this novel we focus on the Crab Clan， who are considered the least cultured of all clans。Their task in life is to guard the rest of the empire from the taint of the Shadowlands on the Carpenter Wall。The StoryChaos has broken out in the isolated Dragon Clan village Seibo Mura， when during full moons， vicious demons rampage throughout the village， causing havoc， destroying buildings and killing villagers。The Dragons send the samurai Agasha no Isao Ryotora to investigate the situation in the village， but an unexpected helper has arrived in the form of Asako Sekken of the Phoenix Clan。Lets get this out the way， I have seen criticism in other reviews that the novel doesn’t have much action and the demons don’t actually feature that much， well if that’s what you want， this book isn’t for you。This book is one that focuses on the spiritual， so it delves into the Kami， guardian spirits， demons， holy rituals and prayer。 Its deeply engrained in Japanesse spiritual culture and is heavily based on the Hyakki Yakō。 Not all that surprising as the author is a folklorist and anthropologist。There is also an almost spiritual procedural investigation aspect to the story， as the pair figure out what exactly is going on in the village by interviewing the inhabitants and researching the background of the demons。The characters are， well I will be honest， its hard to get into their heads at first。 They both have secrets to hide， and they both try their best to solve the mystery whilst keeping those secrets hidden from the other。 They are a bit of an odd couple， Rytotora is serious and sombre， a very straight character who despite his humble background， embodies the very nobility of the Samurai。Sekken on the other hand is more laid back， care free， a scholar who prefers to spend his time reading rather than doing， and gives off an aura of only being there because its a break from his boredom。The story alternatives between their points of view which is interesting， and there is a frustration that they clearly are attracted to one another but both too caught up in the whole idea that the other wouldn’t be attracted to them that you can almost tear out your hair。And that leads me to another point， the fact that Aconyte have been very good about putting queer characters in their books， front and centre， with no song and dance about it。 LGBTQ characters in their books are part of life， they exist and there is a wonderful， almost ordinary way in which they are presented。ConclusionI actually really loved this book， but I will be honest， it wasn’t the characters which drew me in， it was the background。The fascinating and rather beautiful way that Marie has presented the culture and world of Rokugan drew me in and kept me turning the page。The characters whilst mildly interesting really took a backseat to the wonderful world of L5R and this for me would be a better background read for anyone wanting to get into the RPG than any other background book as it makes the world really come to life。Solid 4 out of 5 stars。You can buy the eBook now and the paperback on the 15th April！ 。。。more
Simone
，
“The Night Parade of 100 Demons“ by Marie Brennan [5/5]Thanks to Aconyte and Netgalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest reviewThis is a book set in the world of the tabletop RPG Legend of the Five Rings。 I am not really familiar with it except I know there is a lot of Japanese mythology stuff going on and that samurai and different clans are a thing。 My ARC provided me with a quick overview of the setting and while I appreciated it I do not believe one needs to understand the “The Night Parade of 100 Demons“ by Marie Brennan [5/5]Thanks to Aconyte and Netgalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest reviewThis is a book set in the world of the tabletop RPG Legend of the Five Rings。 I am not really familiar with it except I know there is a lot of Japanese mythology stuff going on and that samurai and different clans are a thing。 My ARC provided me with a quick overview of the setting and while I appreciated it I do not believe one needs to understand the setting to like this book as this book does a good job to introduce the aspects of the setting that are important to its plot。 On the other hand I am not qualified to decide whether this is a good representation of the tabletop RPG's world。The Night ParadeThis book's setting is as mentioned a setting of a tabletop RPG called Legend of the Five Rings。 As this tabletop RPG is full of Japanese mythology， so is this book。 I do not know a lot about Japanese mythology – mostly the things I picked up while watching Anime or reading Manga and other books inspired by Japanese mythology。 I really loved how what I knew was used in this book and how Marie Brennan uses the setting for her story。 It is maybe not the most innovative way， but I have to say I have heard about the mythological phenomenon of the Night Parade of 100 Demons， but I am not sure if I have seen it used in a novel before。The other aspects of the world-building are great too。 Brennan uses words in a very nice way to show the reader hoe the small village looks the story takes place in， and I really loved how she described it and the surrounding nature。 But I kind of expected this of Marie Brennan because I also loved her descriptions in her Lady Trent series。 But this book is not that long， so I am very pleased to report that I don't think that the descriptions are too long or take away from the story。From Samurai and Village PeopleThere are two POVs in this novel – one is the samurai Ryotora from the Dragon Clan。 He was sent to the village of Sebo Mura to investigate the horrifying creatures that appeared during the full moon in the village。 The other is a member of the Phoenix Clan – his name is Sekkan， and he has a reason of his own to be in the village， even though it is not on Phoenix territory。 Both of them have secrets that play a big role in their part of the narrative and are finally related to the village in one way or another。 Both POVs are interesting to read even though I have to admit I was a bit more invested in Ryotora's side of the story – even though some people might argue he is less interesting。But there are also some more important characters in the village。 They are nowhere as interesting as the both POV characters， but that does not mean， that they are not important。 There is a small subplot regarding the religious sect in the village and how both main characters come to terms with the way the people in the village worship the gods and the main characters wonder if this is in some way connected to the mystery of the monsters appearing in the village。 I think all the people in the village work as characters even though a lot of them are mostly characterized by two or three traits。 But I don't think all of them have to be multilayered characters with a lot of depth and the main reason this works in this novel is the distance between the main characters as samurai/nobles and the people in the village as the people who should bow to them。The Mystery of Seb0 MuraWhether you will like this novel or not will probably lie in the question of how long you can wait until the plot has to kick in。 Do not get me wrong – I really liked the slower pacing Brennan decided on and that the Night Parade itself only appears in the last 25% of the novel was a good decision in my opinion。 Until the last 25% this is not a book with a lot of action – it is much more about mystery and the character relationships。 If you are not into this I would advise against picking this book up。I think the mystery is a compelling one -mainly because both characters have secrets and are not willing to discuss them with the other one even though those secrets might in some way or the other related to what is happening in the village。 There are also a lot of red herrings at the beginning – depending on what you expect the problem to be and what you already know about Japanese mythology you might be surprised by some of the secrets revealed or might not。 I think how well this mystery works depends a lot on your knowledge and expectations。 For me the mystery worked， and it took me as long as the characters to be sure about what is happening and why。The last 25% might be the most interesting part of this novel – it has action， it has the solution to the mystery， and it has a journey into the spiritual world。 I flew through this part and was not able to put the book down。 But when talking about the last 25%， one has to consider the ending。 This is still the point I am most unsure of in this novel。 I was really happy that the novel ended the way it did。 But I can already see a lot of people disliking it as well。 So I would say if your overall enjoyment of the book is directly related to your enjoyment of the ending I am not sure what to tell you without spoiling way too much。I will certainly pick up other books set in the world of The Legend of the Five Rings， and I am very interested in trying out the tabletop RPG now。 。。。more
S。J。 Higbee
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What is speedily apparent by the blurb alone， is that this swords and sorcery adventure takes place within a Japanese setting， using their pantheon of demons and otherworldly creatures。 While the trained samurai dealing with the outbreak are two very different young men from completely different backgrounds。 What might not be quite so apparent – I certainly hadn’t realised it while reading the book – is that the world is also part of a very popular role-playing game。 To be honest， I offer that i What is speedily apparent by the blurb alone， is that this swords and sorcery adventure takes place within a Japanese setting， using their pantheon of demons and otherworldly creatures。 While the trained samurai dealing with the outbreak are two very different young men from completely different backgrounds。 What might not be quite so apparent – I certainly hadn’t realised it while reading the book – is that the world is also part of a very popular role-playing game。 To be honest， I offer that info-nugget more as a matter of interest。 If it encourages you to go and out and get hold of a copy， then I’m delighted – what I don’t want it to do is discourage you from doing so。 Because you’ll be missing out a wonderful story。This tale drew me in from the first。 Told in third person viewpoint through the characters of the two samurai who end up in the village trying to help this desperate state of affairs， I loved the setup right from the start。 Brennan’s brilliant characterisation and scene setting came to the fore – and then the plot grabbed hold of me and wouldn’t let me go。 I’m a tad tired this morning as I stayed up far too late into the wee hours of the morning， unable to put this one down。 And I dreamt of it as I slept…The plot is also a joy – I didn’t see any of the twists coming， and the growing relationship between the two young men is beautifully and tenderly handled。 I’m not the most romantic soul – but from halfway into this book， I was willing both these likeable characters to get together。 There is plenty of action and lots of tension as the stakes go on growing ever higher – so the appearance of a very sassy cat in the last third of the book was a welcome slice of humour， in amongst the threat and battle。 All in all， this is an absolutely cracking read and comes very highly recommended to all fans of excellent fantasy – whether you’ve heard of The Legend of the Five Rings game， or not… While I obtained an arc of The Night Parade of 100 Demons from the publishers via Netgalley， the opinions I have expressed are unbiased and my own。10/10 。。。more
Adriana
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A bit slow in developing， this great fantasy set in an alternate reality Japan definitely pays off in the couldn't-put-it-down action of the ending。 By the time we get to the big appearance of the Night Parade， Brennan has expertly developed every character that will have a part in the story and made it impossible not to care about them。Both Ryotora and Sekken are complex characters。 The fact that they're apparently complete opposites only makes it that much better to see how well they interact。 A bit slow in developing， this great fantasy set in an alternate reality Japan definitely pays off in the couldn't-put-it-down action of the ending。 By the time we get to the big appearance of the Night Parade， Brennan has expertly developed every character that will have a part in the story and made it impossible not to care about them。Both Ryotora and Sekken are complex characters。 The fact that they're apparently complete opposites only makes it that much better to see how well they interact。 In fact， I'd say that even above the phenomenal fantasy elements， it's in the character interactions that this book is made。I am a huge fan of how Brennan paces her plots and the way she incorporates learning actual， real-world facts so seamlessly into the story。 It makes the incredibly fantastical elements of her story feel that much more realistic。 And that's not even touching on the fact that it's based on actual legends and stories。 A great read for fans of fantasy and Japanese folklore。Many happy thanks to NetGalley and Aconyte books for the early read！ 。。。more
The Captain
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Ahoy there me mateys！ I received this fantasy eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。 So here be me honest musings 。 。 。I love Marie Brennan and requested this book based on a） her being the author; and b） it dealing with Japanese folklore。 I did not know that this book took place in a fictional world called the legend of the five rings which apparently is a card and role playing game。 I cannot speak about how it fits into that world but I can speak to how it stands alone。In th Ahoy there me mateys！ I received this fantasy eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。 So here be me honest musings 。 。 。I love Marie Brennan and requested this book based on a） her being the author; and b） it dealing with Japanese folklore。 I did not know that this book took place in a fictional world called the legend of the five rings which apparently is a card and role playing game。 I cannot speak about how it fits into that world but I can speak to how it stands alone。In this story， Agasha no Isao Ryotora， a samurai goes to a small isolated village to determine why supernatural creatures descend on the town at the full moon leaving destruction and death in their wake。 While there， he unexpectedly meets samurai Asako Sekken from an opposing clan。 The two of them are drawn into a much bigger problem that could destroy the world。 Can they work together and solve the issue？This book centers around Yōkai， which are historical Japanese monsters， and the legend of the Hyakki Yagyō or parade of demons。 I very much enjoyed getting to learning more about these concepts。 The highlight was the characters。 I loved watching Ryotora and Sekken's relationship develop in the novel。 It is slow-burn in terms of relationship development and plot but unfolded more like an older style myth so I very much enjoyed it。 Additionally， I liked how the chapters switched back and forth between the two samurai。The mystery itself was fun to watch unfold。 Though the pace was steady， the ending ramped up。 And I adored the ending which is rare for me。 I am very glad that I picked this book up。 Arrrr！So lastly 。 。 。Thank you Aconyte Books！ 。。。more
Rowena Andrews
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I leapt at the chance to read Night Parade of 100 Demons because while I have only loose knowledge of the world of the Five Rings game， I love Japanese folklore and the Night Parade is a tale that I’m both familiar with from other books and media， but it is also one of my favourites。 There is also the fact that this was by Marie Brennan， who I’ve read before and I enjoy the way that she writes， her prose is beautiful and really carries you away， so I was excited for the combination of the two。Ov I leapt at the chance to read Night Parade of 100 Demons because while I have only loose knowledge of the world of the Five Rings game， I love Japanese folklore and the Night Parade is a tale that I’m both familiar with from other books and media， but it is also one of my favourites。 There is also the fact that this was by Marie Brennan， who I’ve read before and I enjoy the way that she writes， her prose is beautiful and really carries you away， so I was excited for the combination of the two。Overall， I wasn’t disappointed， and the worldbuilding， in particular， stood out for me in this book， not least because it is a culture and mythology that I have been interested in for a long time。 A lot of the exploration of the world is done through the characters， as it's through them that we get to learn a lot of the beliefs， the role and conflict of class in this world， as well as the yōkai。 However， Brennan does an excellent job of creating a living， breathing setting that went beyond just the supernatural elements， and that really brought the story to life for me， and I was quite happy to keep reading and exploring that aspect of the world。 And it has certainly left me wanting to read more within the setting of the Legend of the Five Rings， and it will be interesting to see what different authors bring to this world。This is a slower-paced story， sometimes to the point where it feels as though we’re not really getting anywhere despite the mystery， and there were a few times where I wandered away from this one and it took a while to come back to it。 Not， because I didn’t enjoy it， because whenever I was reading it， I was lost in the worldbuilding and the prose， I just wasn’t hooked into the plot itself。 The pace does pick up towards the end， and the final twenty per cent or so I was firmly in the story itself and needing to see how it was all resolved， but I feel as though some of the action could have been brought forward or interspersed a bit more。 That said， the slower pace is not necessarily a bad thing， as it gave us the time to explore the world and to get to know the main characters。 I say the main characters because I did find it hard to feel much attachment to any of the other characters， even when they were endangered by the events happening in the village。 However， Sekken and Ryōtora more than made up for that as they are both fantastic characters。 While they’re both Samurai and bound by the rules and the beliefs that come from that lifestyle， they are enriched by their own individual struggles and strengths， and different situations and backgrounds。 I felt that they both worked so well， not just because they complimented and contrasted against one another beautifully， but because the slow pace allowed us to witness their struggles， with themselves， the situation and a village that wasn’t particularly welcoming to them， as well as the attraction （and whether to act on it） between them。 The emotion of the story very much lay with them， and through their investigation and the development of their relationship， we get a rich tale of honour and duty and love。This is a book that slides between genres， cresting between mystery and supernatural fantasy， with a vein of slow-burn romance throughout， but the combination of different approaches helps to bring this book to another level。 It wasn’t without its faults， but it was an entertaining and impactful read， that went far beyond its supernatural elements to create a very human， emotional story。 。。。more
Kamila Komisarek
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"That is the meaning of duty。 To do what you can， and what you must， even if it is not enough。"t"The Night Parade of 100 Demons" by Marie Brennan is a fantasy novel based in Rokugan， the world from Legend of the Five Rings universe。 It is firmly based on a feudal Japan， but also includes elements of other Asian cultures as well as magic。 tDragon Clan's samurai， Agasha no Isao Ryotora， travels to help the remote village deep in the mountains。 During the full moon， horrifying creatures of all kind "That is the meaning of duty。 To do what you can， and what you must， even if it is not enough。"t"The Night Parade of 100 Demons" by Marie Brennan is a fantasy novel based in Rokugan， the world from Legend of the Five Rings universe。 It is firmly based on a feudal Japan， but also includes elements of other Asian cultures as well as magic。 tDragon Clan's samurai， Agasha no Isao Ryotora， travels to help the remote village deep in the mountains。 During the full moon， horrifying creatures of all kinds are attacking the settlement wreaking havoc wherever they go。 He finds the situation is far worse than he expected and is also surprised to see another samurai already on the site – a visitor from the Phoenix Clan， Asako Sekken。 They are forced to join forces to investigate the case while trying to keep their secrets。 tThis novel is a real feast for Japanese culture fans。 The focus of the book is on spiritual matters – holy rituals， guardian spirits and demons。 Everything was described in great details showing us the wealth of Japanese mythology。 As the title of the book suggests， the story is based on the folklore tale Hyakki Yakō。 I enjoyed discovering all those different creatures and even felt encouraged to read more on Japanese folk tales。 It shows that the author is genuinely fascinated with the culture （Marie Brennan is a former anthropologist and folklorist）。tUnfortunately， as I love the setting， I didn't care much for the characters。 They are both brave samurais doing their best to live by the virtues of Bushido; each has different backgrounds， troubles， and secrets。 They also feel mutual attraction toward each other and try hard to keep an appropriate distance。 Their stories weren't poorly written， but， ultimately， they fail to ignite any emotions in me。 I far more fascinated by intricate culture than their dilemmas。tWith novels from Legend of the Five Rings universe， I always consider if it can be read without prior knowledge of this world。 And in this case， you don't have to be familiar with the setting at all。 Everything specific to Rokugan is neatly explained （there is not much though， mostly the relation between the Clans）， and the rest is pure Japanese folklore。 tI think "The Night Parade of 100 Demons" can be immensely enjoyed if you like Japanese myths， legends， and folk tales。 I didn't have a broad knowledge of the ttopic but found it even more fascinating after reading this book。 。。。more
Shilo Quetchenbach
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I love Marie Brennan's work but wasn't sure about this one because I had no prior knowledge of the game world it's based in and I have only a smattering of knowledge about Japan's mythological creatures。 I requested it anyway and I'm so glad I did。Apparently I've read more about Japan's yokai than I'd thought， because I recognized a great many of them。 The setting was easy to accommodate myself to， as it's just a small mountain village in Imperial Japan。 What really shines here is the two main c I love Marie Brennan's work but wasn't sure about this one because I had no prior knowledge of the game world it's based in and I have only a smattering of knowledge about Japan's mythological creatures。 I requested it anyway and I'm so glad I did。Apparently I've read more about Japan's yokai than I'd thought， because I recognized a great many of them。 The setting was easy to accommodate myself to， as it's just a small mountain village in Imperial Japan。 What really shines here is the two main characters。 Ryotoro and Sekken are samurai from different clans who arrive at the town for different reasons that eventually turn out to be the same。 Told through alternating perspectives， we get a slow， thoughtful investigation of what exactly has been happening in the village。 We also are privy to the secrets they are keeping from one another and their slowly burgeoning attraction as they work to save the village from the rampaging yokai。 I loved the slowly building layers of story and will definitely be seeking out more of Marie Brennan's work。*Thanks to NetGalley and Aconyte Books fro providing an e-arc to review。 。。。more
Alena
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A beautifully written Japanese-inspired fantasy which turned out to be somewhat lacking。 I liked the world-building which had a lot of Japanese words and some of them were not translated or explained。 The premise of a village being haunted by various demons sounded exciting but we actually don't see any of those demons until the last third of the story。 Most of it is spent walking around the village， talking to people， and praying。 And I also didn't feel anything for the two protagonists and the A beautifully written Japanese-inspired fantasy which turned out to be somewhat lacking。 I liked the world-building which had a lot of Japanese words and some of them were not translated or explained。 The premise of a village being haunted by various demons sounded exciting but we actually don't see any of those demons until the last third of the story。 Most of it is spent walking around the village， talking to people， and praying。 And I also didn't feel anything for the two protagonists and their "romance" which was super obvious from the start。Despite all that， I did overall enjoy reading this quiet little story about gods， demons， and samurai。Thank you to Netgalley and Aconyte Books for my eARC。 。。。more
Dawn
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What a fantastic story！ "The Night Parade of 100 Demons" has it all - action， adventure， a bit of mystery， great characters， thrilling story， terrific writing， and a satisfying ending。 What more could you ask for？！ Maybe a bit of folklore and legend？ Yep， has that too！ So， go grab yourself a copy - you won't regret it！My thanks to the author， publisher， and NetGalley。 This review was written voluntarily and is entirely my own， unbiased， opinion。 What a fantastic story！ "The Night Parade of 100 Demons" has it all - action， adventure， a bit of mystery， great characters， thrilling story， terrific writing， and a satisfying ending。 What more could you ask for？！ Maybe a bit of folklore and legend？ Yep， has that too！ So， go grab yourself a copy - you won't regret it！My thanks to the author， publisher， and NetGalley。 This review was written voluntarily and is entirely my own， unbiased， opinion。 。。。more
Faith Hurst-Bilinski
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Marie Brennan writes some good science fiction。 This was no different。 A town taken over periodically by everything imaginable。 Sounds good to me。 But， weirdly， it took me a long time to read this book。 I'd put it down and when I started reading again I'd pick up something else。 I somehow did not feel engrossed in this town。 I wasn't invested in it or any of the characters。 It was more like an action movie。 A lot happening and entertaining at the time， but not really sticking with me outside of Marie Brennan writes some good science fiction。 This was no different。 A town taken over periodically by everything imaginable。 Sounds good to me。 But， weirdly， it took me a long time to read this book。 I'd put it down and when I started reading again I'd pick up something else。 I somehow did not feel engrossed in this town。 I wasn't invested in it or any of the characters。 It was more like an action movie。 A lot happening and entertaining at the time， but not really sticking with me outside of the reading experience。 。。。more
Milou
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I requested this book through Netgalley because of it’s author （and the cover to be honest）， not knowing anything going into it。 I was definitely excited though… and sadly somewhat disappointed。I love the idea of this。 Every full moon a remote village gets attacked by a whole host of mythical and magical creatures， and it is up to two samurai to find out why and stop it。 Both samurai have their own secrets， the being born into the village and spirited away at a very young age， the other is haunt I requested this book through Netgalley because of it’s author （and the cover to be honest）， not knowing anything going into it。 I was definitely excited though… and sadly somewhat disappointed。I love the idea of this。 Every full moon a remote village gets attacked by a whole host of mythical and magical creatures， and it is up to two samurai to find out why and stop it。 Both samurai have their own secrets， the being born into the village and spirited away at a very young age， the other is haunted by a spirit dog。 I loved the idea and the setting was immersive and magical。 I am not familiar with the world of Legends of the Five Rings， nor with the Japanse mythology a lot of this is based on， so I cannot judge its accuracy。 But for someone as ignorant as me it genuine and like Brennan knows what she is writing about。 I would at times get a bit lost in all the different creatures， but again， that is because I am not familiar with them， and I did enjoy looking them up online from time to time。So why was I disappointed？ Well， at no point did I feel invested in the story。 While I was reading it I was enjoying myself， but when I put it down I never felt inclined to pick it up again。 Nothing really happens till about 85% into the book。 The rest is spent talking to villagers and finding out why the attacks happen there。 If the book had started with one of such attacks it would have already made a big difference I feel。 And sure， Marie Brennan’s Lady Trent books aren’t the most action packed books either。 But they have good characters。 These guys？ Not so much。 We switched perspective between the two samurai， but I barely noticed a difference in their inner voice。 They are good and proper man… which makes them lack in personality。 Only one of the side characters sorta stood out， but again not enough to make me care for her。 And then there is the romance… I appreciate the idea， but the execution was so annoying。 These two characters are constantly just lusting after each other， but don’t bother to tell each other of their feelings。 It is so angsty， which never fails to infuriate me。 And it is not like these characters have any chemistry either。 I just didn’t care for it whatsoever。So I am sorry to say I am not a massive fan of this book。 It did succeed in making me interested in the world though， so I would love to check out some of the novellas （and hope they suit me better）。 I ended up giving this a 3* rating。 It definitely isn’t a bad book， and I can see people enjoying it for sure。 I just needed a bit more from it。 。。。more
Engel Dreizehn
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ARC COPY。。。it's been a long time since I last heard of the "Five Rings" World but still the world building is being upheld and even if you don't know the franchise， there is alot of Japanese mythology style goodness combined with mysterious intrigue。 The final battle was a fast paced/yokai joy to enjoy。 ARC COPY。。。it's been a long time since I last heard of the "Five Rings" World but still the world building is being upheld and even if you don't know the franchise， there is alot of Japanese mythology style goodness combined with mysterious intrigue。 The final battle was a fast paced/yokai joy to enjoy。 。。。more
Justine
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