REVIEW: The Sword of Kaigen by M.L. Wang
M.L. Wang’s The Sword of Kaigen features on Mark Lawrence’s scales of grimdark list (‘Grimdark. We’re nailing it down’) with a ‘grimdark score’ of 2.34, and for context, Malice by John Gwynne is currently on 2.23 and Michael R. Fletcher’s Beyond Redemption tops the list at 4.66. Here at GdM, we’re hoping to make our way through that list and ensure a review for all of them. Kaigen has been on my TBR for years and sitting on my e-reader for nearly as long, to my shame. The Great GdM Backlist gave me a prod in the right direction, and I found a handy online book club planning to read it this January. Now here we are.
I mention all the above because upon starting The Sword of Kaigen, I was expecting a similar level of head-first, unrelenting grimness that I have encountered in other books from Lawrence’s list. On the contrary, Kaigen starts out much slower than that. The first third is careful worldbuilding and character introduction; showing us the day-to-day way of life in the quiet village of Takayubi and the lives of mother and son duo of Misaki and Mamoru Matsuda.
Mamoru attends a school in the mountains that trains boys from the warrior class of Kaigenese society. As the eldest son of the famous Matsuda family, he has a unique pressure on his shoulders as he tries to live up to his extraordinary father’s legacy. He begins to struggle with the ideals of duty and honour after a well-travelled transfer student challenges what Mamoru takes for granted as truth.
Misaki hides a crime-fighting past overseas as she tries to fulfil the role of the shy, retiring, dutiful wife and mother to four young boys. As she tries to help Mamoru, and build on their relationship, a powerful invading force arrives to destroy Takayubi and all who reside there. The fight for Takayubi is brutal, destruction is widespread, and no-one is left untouched by tragedy.
The second half of the book follows the recovery and rebuilding in the wake of this disaster and the immediate aftermath can definitely be described as grimsad. Throughout the book Misaki holds onto a lot of self-loathing and blames herself repeatedly for varying tragedies that have befallen her, her loved ones and the village. As we progress through the latter parts of The Sword of Kaigen, Misaki grows considerably and there are multiple points of satisfying closure that she achieves.
For the steadfast grimdarkers, The Sword of Kaigen is not an all-out onslaught of blood, guts and battle (though there are some intense moments); it is an in depth character study that explores the enduring power of love and provides a commentary on how outdated ideals upheld as “tradition” can cause so much damage. If martial arts mixed with elemental magics, desperate fights for survival (both in sword and in mind), and a close-knit cast appeals then I certainly recommend The Sword of Kaigen.
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