Samurai Rising
By Pamela S. Turner

(Book Blog by Lorenzo Brigode)
If you love Samurai then keep reading, if not, you are about to love Samurai. Get ready to immerse yourself in “The Epic Life of Minamoto Yoshitsune” in Samurai Rising by Pamela S. Turner!

Samurai Rising is a great book with small, beautiful illustrations (by Gareth Hinds) that help you understand what was going on in that time period. There are a lot of hard words (and I mean it) in the book that are in Japanese, but never fear! Just flip to the pronunciation key to know precisely how to pronounce each word. If you are confused on where something happens you can flip to the map and key. Plus right before the index there is a, “And If You’re Still Not Satisfied” with more information on Samurai. If even that is not enough for you, there is a timeline, notes on names and dates and chapters, plus a glossary and a bibliography.

If you think I’m done talking about Samurai Rising, you are so wrong, I’m just getting started with how great this book is!
Samurai Rising is about Samurai families in war: The Minamoto, The Taira (the main characters), and then The Imperial Family and The Hiraizumi Fujiwara (are lesser characters). Samurai Rising takes place from 1160 to 1189, a long time ago! The reason behind the war is when Yoshitsune’s Father took the Retired Emperor’s side in a political dispute, when the Retired Emperor won Yoshitsune’s Father expected money and a grand title. Instead he was named Minister of the Stables of the Left. A rival samurai also backed up the Retired Emperor and received a much more grand title. Yoshitsune’s Father attacked the Retired Emperor’s palace wanting to pry titles out of the Retired Emperor while making him strip titles from Taira Kiyomori. Yoshitsune’s Father was expecting for Taira Kiyomori to flee, instead he fought back, and so the war started.
Taira Kiyomori let Yositsune live. He thought, “The Taira won the war, surely the scattered sons of Minamoto–and little Yoshitsune in particular–could pose no possible threat. Kiyomori was wrong. Utterly, fatally wrong.”

Samurai Rising is a history book told in a really easy to understand and fun to read format. Samurai Rising is so good that it seems like it is fiction, but it’s not! All of the content in Samurai Rising is 100% non-fiction, Samurai Rising has everything; history, betrayal, spies, assassins, friends. You name it! In Samurai Rising there is sure to be something for everyone to like.

Samurai Rising is the type of book that sets you reading in bed at midnight with a flashlight under your covers. So you know there is a lot I did not give away, so read Samurai Rising.

On a five star rating I would give Samurai Rising 5 stars -⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐