The Sword of Kuromori

By Jason Rohan

The Matrix meets Percy Jackson in this exciting series packed with monsters, magic and mayhem, set in modern day Japan.

Kenny Blackwood arrives in Tokyo to spend the summer with his father and is stunned to discover a destiny he had never dreamed of when he finds himself in the middle of a hidden war that is about to explode.

Racing against an impossible deadline, Kenny must find the fabled Sword of Heaven and use it to prevent the disaster. But a host of terrifying monsters is out to destroy him, and success will come at a price.

With clever, fearless, sarcastic Kiyomi at his side, Kenny must negotiate the worlds of modern and mythic Japan to find the lost sword, before it's too late.

An action packed read for boys and girls aged 9+. Excellent pacing for reluctant readers. Fans of Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief and Percy Jackson and the Greek Heroes will love this.

Look out for the sequel: The Shield of Kuromori.

Jason Rohan has worked as a staff writer for Marvel Comics in New York and as an English teacher in Japan, where he lived for five years. He returned to the UK and now lives in West London with his wife and five children.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Egmont
• Release date: May 8, 2014
• ISBN: 9781780314570

Jason Rohan

When he was sixteen, Jason blagged his way into Marvel Comics in New York and landed a gig as an intern, during which time he made his first professional sale – a Captain America story which his editor bought either through pity or to stop him pestering.

Reviews for The Sword of Kuromori

[arkhamreviews · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The Sword of Kuromori is a fast-paced and exciting debut to the series. It focuses on an English teenager who learns that he is the only one who can save America from a great disaster. The story is very quick to establish itself and is a breeze to read, so would be a good choice for a reluctant reader (especially if they are a fan of shounen anime). Its action sequences are frequent and very visual, making it one for those stories that would adapt very well to the screen. However, it should be noted that there are some violent scenes in the story. While it never feels inappropriate, you should probably give it a read through yourself before giving it to a very young (or squeamish) reader.The story gives an interesting taste of what a first visit to Japan is like for a foreigner (or gaijin) who is unfamiliar with its unique culture. While Kenny's inability to grasp its nuances (or even use the correct words) is frustrating at first, it allows Rohan to illustrate how strange Japan can seem to someone who has never lived there. This is also reflected down to the yokai that Kenny encounters - ranging from familiar creatures like vampires to the cucumber-loving kappa and grotesque akaname. However, he does occasionally take artistic liberties with these entities and so if you're curious to learn more about them, I'd suggest doing a bit of background reading.Throughout the story, Rohan uses a lot of Japanese words and phrases which are all summarised at the back of the book. While this does require a bit of flipping back and forward, it makes the novel feel a bit more authentic and is unexpectedly educational. The story also touches on a little bit of Japanese history - particularly the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and the effect that this had on the economy. As this is a kid's book, it does oversimplify this a little but it still at least sets the backdrop for what is ultimately a revenge story. The story also ends very well wrapping up this stage of the story quite nicely while, at the same time, leaving a lot of loose ends for the sequel.My only real issue with the story was with its characters. While Kenny is a bit of an idiot, he did grow on me as the story progressed. My only problem with him was that he completely embodied the "prophecised" hero trope. He comes to a new country and manages to learn its mystical arts and play out his destiny within a week, achieving acts that the native people and yokai are unable to achieve with hundreds of years of study. While some reasons for this are given in the text, it still felt unsatisfying for me. Especially as it detracted from Kiyomi.Kiyomi was the character that really deserved to be the chosen one. She was intelligent and had devoted her life to the mystical arts and fighting yokai. While she is completely kick-ass over the first half of the story, she lost it a bit after Kenny gained his powers. The Goddess Inari even basically tells Kiyomi that she's just there to offer moral support. I really would have liked to see Kiyomi have more involvement in the climax as she felt largely sidelined so that Kenny could save the day.While the story did contain some other colourful characters - such as Kenny's wise teacher Genkuro - I was also disappointed that the villain appears so little in the story. While he had some strong motivation for his absurdly over-the-top revenge scheme, he only actually appeared in the story a handful of times. Because of this, I found it difficult to either empathise or feel threatened by him. While the monsters that he commanded were memorable, he was not.Anyhow, that's all I have to say. The Sword of Kuromori was a creative and action-packed story, featuring some wonderful monsters and clearly showing the author's love of Japan. While I did have some issues with the characters, I did still really enjoy this book and think it will appeal to young and reluctant readers. I'm very curious to see where Rohan will take the series next.

[bookwyrmm_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Great action fantasy for fans of ya manga and/or anime.