It’s Japan, 1861. European and American ships are hovering near Edo, prepared to fire on the Shogun’s palace unless Japan opens its doors to the West.
Two centuries of enforced isolationism are about to come to an abrupt end. The last days of the samurai, geisha and ninja are at hand. Takashi Matsuoka takes readers right into the heart of this dying world in his first novel, “Cloud of Sparrows.”
The story centers on Genji, a young lord and leader of the Okumichi clan. It has been prophesized that his life will be saved by an outsider, so he welcomes into Edo three American missionaries: the fundamentalist Cromwell, the young and lovely Emily, who is fleeing her past, and Stark, a former outlaw secretly seeking revenge on the men that killed his wife.
Tension in Edo escalates and just when Western ships begin to bombard the palace district, it becomes clear that the Shogun’s secret police are plotting to assassinate Genji. He and his band of samurai flee Edo to make for the ancestral clan stronghold, the Cloud of Sparrows.
Genji takes with him the missionaries as well as his lover, Heiko, who is the most beautiful geisha in all of Japan. Genji’s uncle, Shigeru, also joins them. Shigeru is a legendary swordsman who had previously gone mad and killed his own family.
The group risks repeated danger from opposing clans and betrayal from within its own ranks as it makes the precarious journey to the Cloud of Sparrows.
Loosely based upon events in his own family’s history, Matsuoka’s plot-driven novel is an exciting and fast-paced read. With the exception of James Clavell’s “Shogun” series and a smattering of graphic novels, there are surprisingly few books that take place in feudal Japan.
By virtue of its opulent setting alone, “Cloud of Sparrows” is quite appealing and Matsuoka delivers all the melodrama and majesty expected of the period.
One criticism is that the characters in “Cloud of Sparrows” are never satisfactorily developed, although in compensation readers get plenty of interesting side stories and subplots.
Additionally, the death toll in “Cloud of Sparrows” is quite high, and Matsuoka does not shy away from the violence of the time or from killing off main characters. This is respectable because it heightens the reality of the setting and makes for some thrilling and unpredictable passages.
Matsuoka deftly weaves together a multitude of storylines and what he lacks in characterization, he makes up for in an excellent, rapid-fire plot.
He demonstrates an ability for storytelling that is refreshingly free of any pretentiousness. This makes for a great book to read at the end of a long day — it is escapism at its best.
Grade: A/B
