Constantine/Buffy/Sherlock Holmes

Is there anything you would change about this book?

The story. Little clues here and there that later turn out to be huge clues because of the way the main character engineers things. It's very derivative.

What could Richard Parks have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

A story about demons and ghosts is going to be hard to make 'convincing' but this is just Sherlock Holmes with demons and ghosts and Kitsune!

Have you listened to any of Brian Nishii’s other performances? How does this one compare?

Not really. It's like teenage fictio.

Could you see Yamada Monogatari: Demon Hunter being made into a movie or a TV series? Who would the stars be?

Brian Nishi is the only good thing about this book. Brilliant as ever.

Any additional comments?

If you want a very simple, drab sort of story to listen to, one that'll help youget to sleep, but this book!

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A mixture of Dresden Files and Japanese folk tales

Impoverished nobleman Yamada no Goji is a demon hunter in an ancient Japan, where the existence of ghosts and yōkai is a fact of life. His craft is difficult and requires intelligence and understanding as often as it requires his blade or tailsmans and his trade draws him into the schemes of humans seeking power, as well as those of the demons themselves.

This book has a lot going for it. The main story is broken up into a series of interlinked shorts, each involving a different task. All are plot heavy and there wasn't a point in the book that my interest wasn't held. The characters are good, the descriptions beautifully written and the mysteries intriguing.

Brian Nishii's performance was impressive, partly because he can clearly speak both Japanese and English fluently, helping evoke the setting of the story. He has a great voice to listen to and I really enjoyed the way he acted out the parts of the different characters.

There are two reasons this is a four star, rather than a five star listen for me. The first is that earlier on in the book both author and narrator fail to give a completely credible impression that the world we're visiting is ancient Japan. The language and the way the hero speaks are a bit too modern at times and the narrator also often lapses into a more Americanised accent for the hero. Also, it didn't give me what my audio-book group describes as a 'book hangover', that feeling where nothing else seems as good and you can't wait for the next one to come out.

Overall if you only have one credit a month and don't get through many books a year there are better fantasy books out there to spend it on. On the other hand if you read a lot like myself and enjoy paranormal fantasy books with plot as well as punch, I really recommend this.

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5 people found this helpful

Essentially a collection of short stories....

... Introducing you to the fantastic Yamada no Goji and the main background and main characters to his "life and times" of the title (Monogatari).
Each story can stand alone, but are also linked and push Lord Yamada's story onward as his friendships and connections flourish, flou der and even end in tragedy, as they must for a talented Demon Hunter
Richard Parks has researched the living history of Japan faithfully and shows his love and respect, whilst weaving an entertaining dark (and at times humorous) fantasy series. It is as much an education as it is entertainment and succour for those of us who are fans of whichever aspect draws us to this work.
Brian Nishi is one of my favourite vocal performers and my number one Go To for Japanese Lit. for his delightful enunciation of his ancestral tongue **shiver**

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