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Young Samurai #6
The Ring of Fire
Jack Fletcher faces his toughest challenge yet. After a snowstorm forces him to take shelter, Jack comes across a village in need of protection from raiding mountain bandits. Torn between moving on or helping, Jack is persuaded to stay and fight the villagers' cause. But Jack is the first and only samurai to do so. Now he must enlist other warriors to the villagers' aid before the bandits return to steal their harvest. No easy task when the reward is so little and he is a foreigner. If only he had his friends to call on. . . Using the Ring of Fire, can Jack overpower the bandits and win?
331 pages, Paperback
First published August 4, 2011
169 people are currently reading
1414 people want to read
About the author
Chris Bradford
93 books908 followersChris Bradford is the bestselling author of the Young Samurai, Bodyguard and Soul Series.
Chris is renowned for his inspiring author events and ‘method writing’ style. For his award-winning Young Samurai series, he trained in samurai swordmanship, karate, ninjutsu and earned his black belt in Zen Kyu Shin Taijutsu.
For his BODYGUARD series, Chris embarked on an intensive close protection course to become a qualified professional bodyguard.
And for the Soul Prophecy trilogy, Chris travelled extensively to experience first-hand the cultures featured in the story – from living with the Shona people in Zimbabwe, to trekking the Inca trail, to meditating in a Buddhist temple amid the mountains of Japan.
His books have been published in more than 25 languages and been nominated for 30+ book awards, winning among others the Northern Ireland Book Award 2011, the Hampshire Book Award 2014 and the Brilliant Book Award 2014. Young Samurai: The Way of the Warrior was deemed one of Puffin’s 70 Best Ever Books, alongside Treasure Island and Robin Hood.
To discover more about Chris or book an author visit: www.chrisbradford.co.uk
Chris is renowned for his inspiring author events and ‘method writing’ style. For his award-winning Young Samurai series, he trained in samurai swordmanship, karate, ninjutsu and earned his black belt in Zen Kyu Shin Taijutsu.
For his BODYGUARD series, Chris embarked on an intensive close protection course to become a qualified professional bodyguard.
And for the Soul Prophecy trilogy, Chris travelled extensively to experience first-hand the cultures featured in the story – from living with the Shona people in Zimbabwe, to trekking the Inca trail, to meditating in a Buddhist temple amid the mountains of Japan.
His books have been published in more than 25 languages and been nominated for 30+ book awards, winning among others the Northern Ireland Book Award 2011, the Hampshire Book Award 2014 and the Brilliant Book Award 2014. Young Samurai: The Way of the Warrior was deemed one of Puffin’s 70 Best Ever Books, alongside Treasure Island and Robin Hood.
To discover more about Chris or book an author visit: www.chrisbradford.co.uk
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 99 reviews
July 6, 2016
Jack Fletcher is still being hunted but when he stumbles into a small village that is being threatened by bandits he is faced with a difficult problem. Does he risk helping defend the village as a samurai should and risk being caught by those looking for him or should he continue to run?
As with the other stories in the series, The Ring of Fire is a quick read but well worth it. Jack continues to grow and mature as he faces more and more difficult challenges. Each time he falls he picks himself back up and tries again. It's a great object lesson but still very entertaining. I can't help but continue to identify with Jack. This whole series would have been a fantasy come true for me at that age!
If you are interested in martial arts, this series is really a must read!
To see my review of other the books in this series, please use the links below:
Book One - The Way of the Warrior
Book Two - The Way of the Sword
Book Three - The Way of the Dragon
Book Four - The Ring of Earth
Book Five - The Ring of Water
Book Seven - The Ring of Wind
Book Eight - The Ring of Sky
March 15, 2012
I was disappointed with this novel (having loved the previous 5) It's just a retelling of Kurosawa's The Seven Samurai with characters from the earlier books in starring roles, (and Chris admits this on his website) other characters were suggested and named in online competitions by his fans, so the series plot doesn't advance and the whole novel feels assembled like flat pack furniture. Jack ends up no nearer Nagasaki than he was at the end of book three.
I will forgive Mr Bradford if he GETS ON WITH IT in #7 & #8
I will forgive Mr Bradford if he GETS ON WITH IT in #7 & #8
May 13, 2015
All Jack wanted was to go to the port of Nagasaki where he would take a ship home. But, he was caught in a snowstorm and was forced to take shelter in a village. In this village he encountered some villagers from the Tamagashi village looking for help from the feared bandit Akuma. So he agreed to help these villagers, then when Akuma attacked he defended the village from him this led to Akuma being defeated. This story is about bravery, hope, and perseverence.
August 13, 2011
Once again, Chris manages to write an amazing book!
This series is AMAZING! I loved every book!
The Ring of Fire is great as well. It will keep you addicted and want you to read more.
Can't wait for The Ring of Wind
This series is AMAZING! I loved every book!
The Ring of Fire is great as well. It will keep you addicted and want you to read more.
Can't wait for The Ring of Wind
December 19, 2013
This book was not as good as the others and I think a lot of that had to do with the fact that this story is basically Seven Samurai (or the Magnificent Seven, if you prefer). There's little difference from that story and I'd prefer a more original story. But, it was still worth the read.
June 28, 2017
Young Samurai Book 6
*Way of The Fire*
The way of the Fire is another great addition to the Young Samurai series. A very thrilling, irresistable and an entertaining book that is sure to hold your attention. To tell the truth, I read this book after a weeks gap (I prepared for an HP quiz during that week, but lets not shift the focus) so I was a bit unsure about Young Samurai, but tonight after completing the book, I'm very thrilled and entertained. The Young Samurai series by Chris Bardford tells a unique and fantastic story through every book paired with action, witty dialogues, humour, philosophy, war and what not? So, The Ring of Fire starts with Jack trying to run away from the Shoguns soldiers and exhausted finds himself at an inn where he is requested by peasants to help them fight off a bandit horde who raids their villages and lays waste to their fields each year on 'New Moon'/ 'Black Moon' (he is given the nickname) This horde is led by Akuma, a ruthless samurai. Offering food and shelter, Jack recognizes the 'Busido' along with his survival necessities and is willing to help them and tires to form a team of seven samurai's to successfully defend the village. This plotline is amazing and steady and comparatively slow but builds up a wonderful introductory chapters which give us an overall idea about what the story will be covering. It also introduces some moderately important characters like the farmers and the 'Raid Cycle'. Moving On, Jack coincidentally meets Saburo as well as Yori, his classmates from the Niten-Ichi-Ryu who have certainly grown up and asks them to join his quest to defend the village from bandit attacks and they understanding the essence of friendship accept without hesitation. Also, for further expanding the team we meet Hayato, an excellent archer and a strategist and a young samurai as well and Yuddai, a muscleman like giant young samurai who quickly join the team. These are discovered at a labour station and an archery competition respectively. They are soon joined by Miyuki, the ninja girl from Book 4, who has returned to protect Jack. Another character that plays a major role is Neko, one of the girl from the village but much more determined as compared to other farmers and a bold girl just like a smaller version of Miyuki. This chapters bring together a great team that will work together to gain the necessary victory in the future and each unique with their own abilities and talents. The next chapters cover the strategic planning of defending, not at all boring with humour and a lot of explaining in between, it may seem technical but there are many moments which break the tension, so just trust me and pick up the book. Jack, uses the Ring of the Earth ad builds up various defenses and then later, a small group led by Jack track Asuma's (The Bandits) minions back to their headquarters and burn it down to reduce their morale and rescue some village girls and return them back to their families. There's ice, bears and windstorms in between which builds up a great plot. After returning Asuma's hatred and lust for revenge increases and he attacks the village which after many attacks is unsuccessful and he finally dies, with each attack plunging down his army. Here, a number of villagers too, lose their life due to their unsteady performance. I just made a long story short. The invasion covers around 10 chapters with three breaks but it builds up a tension where almost everybody gets hurt and tension builds. This is the exact time where the book keeps you on the edge of the seat and obviously there's a lot of bloodshed, war and fire (as the name suggests). The very well-planned book that brings back the most lovable characters and easily paints them in the picture. The story is good, with of course, some great philosophical lessons by Yori. Miyuki seems good as always, if not better and the new recruited duo also play a vast role and build up their own image in just a single book. Sadly, one of them dies at the end. I don't know why, but I just hate the farmers, they get easily disappointed, fearful and always back down and are ready to turn Jack to the Shogun for money even at the end after sacrificing everything about them and always keep complaining. So I hate them, barring Neko, she's just wonderful and technically she's an orphan, not a farmer. Character development is okay, but Jack doesn't seem to get better after spending three years in Japan. Bradford should have allowed him some more advanced skills. A fantastic and a memorable read that explains you about human emotions, war, friendship, love, betrayal along with a lot of action that will keep children and adults alike entertained throughout. Strongly suggested to YA readers and Naruto fans. A textual delicacy. Nice Reading!
*Way of The Fire*
The way of the Fire is another great addition to the Young Samurai series. A very thrilling, irresistable and an entertaining book that is sure to hold your attention. To tell the truth, I read this book after a weeks gap (I prepared for an HP quiz during that week, but lets not shift the focus) so I was a bit unsure about Young Samurai, but tonight after completing the book, I'm very thrilled and entertained. The Young Samurai series by Chris Bardford tells a unique and fantastic story through every book paired with action, witty dialogues, humour, philosophy, war and what not? So, The Ring of Fire starts with Jack trying to run away from the Shoguns soldiers and exhausted finds himself at an inn where he is requested by peasants to help them fight off a bandit horde who raids their villages and lays waste to their fields each year on 'New Moon'/ 'Black Moon' (he is given the nickname) This horde is led by Akuma, a ruthless samurai. Offering food and shelter, Jack recognizes the 'Busido' along with his survival necessities and is willing to help them and tires to form a team of seven samurai's to successfully defend the village. This plotline is amazing and steady and comparatively slow but builds up a wonderful introductory chapters which give us an overall idea about what the story will be covering. It also introduces some moderately important characters like the farmers and the 'Raid Cycle'. Moving On, Jack coincidentally meets Saburo as well as Yori, his classmates from the Niten-Ichi-Ryu who have certainly grown up and asks them to join his quest to defend the village from bandit attacks and they understanding the essence of friendship accept without hesitation. Also, for further expanding the team we meet Hayato, an excellent archer and a strategist and a young samurai as well and Yuddai, a muscleman like giant young samurai who quickly join the team. These are discovered at a labour station and an archery competition respectively. They are soon joined by Miyuki, the ninja girl from Book 4, who has returned to protect Jack. Another character that plays a major role is Neko, one of the girl from the village but much more determined as compared to other farmers and a bold girl just like a smaller version of Miyuki. This chapters bring together a great team that will work together to gain the necessary victory in the future and each unique with their own abilities and talents. The next chapters cover the strategic planning of defending, not at all boring with humour and a lot of explaining in between, it may seem technical but there are many moments which break the tension, so just trust me and pick up the book. Jack, uses the Ring of the Earth ad builds up various defenses and then later, a small group led by Jack track Asuma's (The Bandits) minions back to their headquarters and burn it down to reduce their morale and rescue some village girls and return them back to their families. There's ice, bears and windstorms in between which builds up a great plot. After returning Asuma's hatred and lust for revenge increases and he attacks the village which after many attacks is unsuccessful and he finally dies, with each attack plunging down his army. Here, a number of villagers too, lose their life due to their unsteady performance. I just made a long story short. The invasion covers around 10 chapters with three breaks but it builds up a tension where almost everybody gets hurt and tension builds. This is the exact time where the book keeps you on the edge of the seat and obviously there's a lot of bloodshed, war and fire (as the name suggests). The very well-planned book that brings back the most lovable characters and easily paints them in the picture. The story is good, with of course, some great philosophical lessons by Yori. Miyuki seems good as always, if not better and the new recruited duo also play a vast role and build up their own image in just a single book. Sadly, one of them dies at the end. I don't know why, but I just hate the farmers, they get easily disappointed, fearful and always back down and are ready to turn Jack to the Shogun for money even at the end after sacrificing everything about them and always keep complaining. So I hate them, barring Neko, she's just wonderful and technically she's an orphan, not a farmer. Character development is okay, but Jack doesn't seem to get better after spending three years in Japan. Bradford should have allowed him some more advanced skills. A fantastic and a memorable read that explains you about human emotions, war, friendship, love, betrayal along with a lot of action that will keep children and adults alike entertained throughout. Strongly suggested to YA readers and Naruto fans. A textual delicacy. Nice Reading!
November 16, 2021
. Such a great episode in Jack's journey across Japan running from enemies, but a remarkable lesson in bushido. If you can overlook some unlikely coincidences, it was a wonderful though at times tragic story. I really enjoy this series and it will appeal to fans of the Ranger's Apprentice series.
Likes:
* Jack inspiring trust and respect and gaining new friends
* Clever chapter titles
* Glossary of Japanese words in the back of the book
* We encounter several of Jack's young friends
Dislikes:
* Jack remembered his lost brother-in-arms Yamato and his best friend, Akiko
* Jack is aided by loyal friends
* Outsiders are banned from Japan
Cultural Notes:
bushido ~ samurai code, Way of the Warrior
kiai ~ warrior cry
ninja ~ Japanese assassin
Ronin, a masterless samurai, similar to the modern mercenary soldier.
Likes:
* Jack inspiring trust and respect and gaining new friends
* Clever chapter titles
* Glossary of Japanese words in the back of the book
* We encounter several of Jack's young friends
Dislikes:
* Jack remembered his lost brother-in-arms Yamato and his best friend, Akiko
* Jack is aided by loyal friends
* Outsiders are banned from Japan
Cultural Notes:
bushido ~ samurai code, Way of the Warrior
kiai ~ warrior cry
ninja ~ Japanese assassin
Ronin, a masterless samurai, similar to the modern mercenary soldier.
May 7, 2020
The book was well done except for one problem.
The book was not an original idea at all. The book's plot line was almost exactly the same as a movie called The Seven Samurai . You can't even call it a coincidence because 95% of what happened in the movie also happened in the book. The author pretty much stole the plot line from the movie. It is kind of hard to explain the similarities in detail, but if you watch the movie then read the book, you will see what I mean. I can cut the author some slack, because it is kind of hard to think of material that hasn't been used before, but those are the reasons I gave the book 1 star instead of 5, even though I liked the book, it just wasn't original. You can't even call it a retelling either because the author gives no credit to The Seven Samurai team.
The book was not an original idea at all. The book's plot line was almost exactly the same as a movie called The Seven Samurai . You can't even call it a coincidence because 95% of what happened in the movie also happened in the book. The author pretty much stole the plot line from the movie. It is kind of hard to explain the similarities in detail, but if you watch the movie then read the book, you will see what I mean. I can cut the author some slack, because it is kind of hard to think of material that hasn't been used before, but those are the reasons I gave the book 1 star instead of 5, even though I liked the book, it just wasn't original. You can't even call it a retelling either because the author gives no credit to The Seven Samurai team.
June 28, 2021
Dieser Band gefiel mir sehr gut, auch wenn er wieder düsterer und blutiger war als der davor. Was mir jedoch sehr gut gefiel waren nicht nur die Rückkehr vieler alter Bekannter, sondern auch die aufgegriffenen Themen.
Spoiler:
Ich habe jedoch auch wieder gemerkt, warum man in dieser Reihe Nebencharaktere nicht zu sehr ins Herz schließen sollte....
Spoiler:
Ich habe jedoch auch wieder gemerkt, warum man in dieser Reihe Nebencharaktere nicht zu sehr ins Herz schließen sollte....
Read
January 30, 2020Now on the way to Nagasaki, Jack Fletcher (They boy I was talking about) found a village to rest. But that village was constantly attacked by bandits, so he and his friends went to protect the village.
July 19, 2017
2.5 stars
This book fell short of Young samurai standard.And the title's relation with the book is a little remote.
It felt as if Bradford just pushed the Ring of Fire in for the sake of the title.
This book fell short of Young samurai standard.And the title's relation with the book is a little remote.
It felt as if Bradford just pushed the Ring of Fire in for the sake of the title.
October 14, 2021
„Some roads aren’t meant to be travelled alone.“
The story in short: Jack gets caught in a snowstorm, he meets desperate farmers who need his help to protect the village from Dark Moon/Akuma. Throughout the book he gets reunited with Miyuki, Saburo and Yori and he meets new friends in Yuurai, Hayato and Neko.
What I liked about the book: I love reunions, especially went they need to work together, here Hayato even needed to make peace with Miyuki, one of his arch enemies. The displayal of bushido and wisdom was to be felt in every page, thanks to Yori and the other bold and courageous samurai. It was enjoyable to read about the progress of using the Ring of Earth to protect the village. I especially liked Miyuki, Yori and Neko.
What I didn‘t like: If it wouldn‘t have been constantly mentioned that Jack really needs to get to Nagasaki, the story in it self would have been good. But with that knowledge, Jack just didn‘t progress a single step towards his goal. The farmers were really unsympathetic and it was frustrating to read how bad they were at fighting (even though that is expectable), I just like Ronin and Hana better.
Feelings I got from this book: bitter coldness, finally some hope, bittersweet reunions with friends, hostility and prejudice between ninja, samurai and farmers, a malevolent and dangerous presence because of the bandits, the nerve stealing, foreboding feelings of battle, grim determination and uncertainty, sheepishness and disloyalty of the farmers.
“I wouldn’t have survived one day without all of you by my side,’ replied Jack. ‘I’d agreed to an impossible task. But having your belief, Saburo, along with Yuudai’s strength, Hayato’s skill, Miyuki’s cunning and Yori’s wisdom, together we achieved the impossible and saved this village. As Hayato said, in a storm a single tree falls, but a forest still stands.”
The story in short: Jack gets caught in a snowstorm, he meets desperate farmers who need his help to protect the village from Dark Moon/Akuma. Throughout the book he gets reunited with Miyuki, Saburo and Yori and he meets new friends in Yuurai, Hayato and Neko.
What I liked about the book: I love reunions, especially went they need to work together, here Hayato even needed to make peace with Miyuki, one of his arch enemies. The displayal of bushido and wisdom was to be felt in every page, thanks to Yori and the other bold and courageous samurai. It was enjoyable to read about the progress of using the Ring of Earth to protect the village. I especially liked Miyuki, Yori and Neko.
What I didn‘t like: If it wouldn‘t have been constantly mentioned that Jack really needs to get to Nagasaki, the story in it self would have been good. But with that knowledge, Jack just didn‘t progress a single step towards his goal. The farmers were really unsympathetic and it was frustrating to read how bad they were at fighting (even though that is expectable), I just like Ronin and Hana better.
Feelings I got from this book: bitter coldness, finally some hope, bittersweet reunions with friends, hostility and prejudice between ninja, samurai and farmers, a malevolent and dangerous presence because of the bandits, the nerve stealing, foreboding feelings of battle, grim determination and uncertainty, sheepishness and disloyalty of the farmers.
“I wouldn’t have survived one day without all of you by my side,’ replied Jack. ‘I’d agreed to an impossible task. But having your belief, Saburo, along with Yuudai’s strength, Hayato’s skill, Miyuki’s cunning and Yori’s wisdom, together we achieved the impossible and saved this village. As Hayato said, in a storm a single tree falls, but a forest still stands.”
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 25, 2011
While Jack is still an underdog hero, I do not feel that I know him as well as I did in the earlier books. These last two books in particular feel more like television episodes than novels. There is a lot of action and a good story, but the overall plot of the series is not moving forward in my opinion. Jack is still on the run and pursued by other samurai, as he was in the end of the third book. He has had a few adventures, but from my reading, he does not seem to have fundamentally changed as a character. An enjoyable read, but a little static.
December 4, 2016
This series is overstaying its welcome. Here we get a retelling of Kurosawa's Seven Samurai, but it does not fit very well in the overall plot of the series. Characters from previous books appear for no good reason and we get a story that has little to do with the series. How many filler books have we had with Jack trying to reach Nagasaki? It's getting ridiculous.
Forgetting the frustrating refusal to get on with the main arc, we get an OK story, but not as good as the first books in the series.
Forgetting the frustrating refusal to get on with the main arc, we get an OK story, but not as good as the first books in the series.
March 3, 2015
This is a very childish book with a very childish theme. Honestly if you are over 12 then i doubt this will appeal to you. It is very predictable and every single time there is a problem the good guys always figure out a way to overcome evil and such. The fights are all too predictable and every single time, somehow against all the odds good always beats evil even if evil is much stronger good always finds a way to defeat evil.
September 13, 2020
Extremely fast-paced story. However, felt like it was more of a filler, as it didn't add anything to the main story.
Also, I am really missing Masomato. I hope he comes in again in later books.
Also, I am really missing Masomato. I hope he comes in again in later books.
March 26, 2017
Another great book by Chris Bradford. I love this book. As much as I like the rest of the series, I think this is my favourite so far. Each chapter is 5 or 6 pages on average. Everytime I finished a chapter it usually finished on a cliff hanger, I wanted to read the next one instantly. My logic was there are only a few pages anyway till the next chapter. I got late a couple of times because I did not want the put the book down.
Jack enters the mountains trying to louring his enemies after him instead of his friends. However samurai honour will not allow him to over look people in need. We see the return of a few of the original characters as well as the a couple the newbies.
As a martial artist as well I really love much of the insider knowledge that of Chris has, the little things like pushing your body beyond it's comfort limits, but still respecting that fact that there are limits. Another example is that it is continually stressed how much work and training goes into becoming a samurai, it is a not just giving someone a sword and teaching the a few moves and formation and saying defend yourself. It is a mindset, as well as physically gruelling, it is the mental aspects life handling doubts and fears the make the greatest difference. The first half of this book is a setup for the coming battle, some people might find this boring but I really thought all the little intricacies made the book for me. There are also parts of the book where Jack faces bigger more battle tested opponents and the results are the same as they would in the real world this just adds to the book appeal for me. Another great thing done well in this book, is the divide in Japanese society, the lowly farmers, the high born samurai and the ninja.
These books are are not really meant to be stand alone books. However each book has a satisfactory conclusion at the end of it, but as soon I finish one I want to read the next one. Even in this book I found myself wanting to read faster to see what happens next, then wanting slow down so the book would not finish.
Jack enters the mountains trying to louring his enemies after him instead of his friends. However samurai honour will not allow him to over look people in need. We see the return of a few of the original characters as well as the a couple the newbies.
As a martial artist as well I really love much of the insider knowledge that of Chris has, the little things like pushing your body beyond it's comfort limits, but still respecting that fact that there are limits. Another example is that it is continually stressed how much work and training goes into becoming a samurai, it is a not just giving someone a sword and teaching the a few moves and formation and saying defend yourself. It is a mindset, as well as physically gruelling, it is the mental aspects life handling doubts and fears the make the greatest difference. The first half of this book is a setup for the coming battle, some people might find this boring but I really thought all the little intricacies made the book for me. There are also parts of the book where Jack faces bigger more battle tested opponents and the results are the same as they would in the real world this just adds to the book appeal for me. Another great thing done well in this book, is the divide in Japanese society, the lowly farmers, the high born samurai and the ninja.
These books are are not really meant to be stand alone books. However each book has a satisfactory conclusion at the end of it, but as soon I finish one I want to read the next one. Even in this book I found myself wanting to read faster to see what happens next, then wanting slow down so the book would not finish.
March 14, 2024
I read the previous five books as a teenager and it was fun to read them again as an adult.
This is the first one that I don’t recognise and the plot and pacing were very good.
Warning: this one contains much more torture / graphic gore than the previous books. I don’t think it would be appropriate for a 10-13 y/o.
Bradford’s writing was basic, as usual, but the depth and breadth of characters makes up for it. This time there was good representation of sign language, commentary on prejudice in a hierarchical society (high born / low born etc.) and the giving of second chances. One aspect that still frustrates me is the James Bond-trope in which Jack does not inflict mortal damage or kill anybody. His friends take down ‘enemies’/ save his life, but he doesn’t? I appreciate he is the hero and has an innate respect for all life, but this is feudal Japan and he is a fugitive, adding on to the fact that as a samurai he has been trained to kill. I think 10-15 y/o s can distinguish between merciless killing sprees against untrained farmers eg. from the bandits and killing in self-defence or killing during a consensual samurai one-on-one. It’s not necessary to molly-coddle the audience. Furthermore, Bradford evidently feels the audience is ready for evil displays of violence, eg. gruesome deaths by fire or feeding a man to dogs.
This is the first one that I don’t recognise and the plot and pacing were very good.
Warning: this one contains much more torture / graphic gore than the previous books. I don’t think it would be appropriate for a 10-13 y/o.
Bradford’s writing was basic, as usual, but the depth and breadth of characters makes up for it. This time there was good representation of sign language, commentary on prejudice in a hierarchical society (high born / low born etc.) and the giving of second chances. One aspect that still frustrates me is the James Bond-trope in which Jack does not inflict mortal damage or kill anybody. His friends take down ‘enemies’/ save his life, but he doesn’t? I appreciate he is the hero and has an innate respect for all life, but this is feudal Japan and he is a fugitive, adding on to the fact that as a samurai he has been trained to kill. I think 10-15 y/o s can distinguish between merciless killing sprees against untrained farmers eg. from the bandits and killing in self-defence or killing during a consensual samurai one-on-one. It’s not necessary to molly-coddle the audience. Furthermore, Bradford evidently feels the audience is ready for evil displays of violence, eg. gruesome deaths by fire or feeding a man to dogs.
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May 15, 2023This book was very good I like how it made sure to involve everyone from the village so it didn't feel like the young samurai group was doing everything by themselves. I will say while reading this book series I probably shouldn't have expected Jack to do much killing if any at all so I was pleasantly surprised when he did so in this book and I understand that a lot of the time the main character will refrain from killing but in this era I feel as though it would be more accurate for killing to be more common. Despite this I still have no issues with the book and the series in general and I will keep on reading!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 15, 2019
Again, really enjoyed this latest installment. New problems , new allies (all of which were interesting and likable), new villains, new roles, plus a nice throwback to old friends and old skills, with wonderful themes of courage, leadership, and teamwork. Love the samurai and ninja mix here. I really am enjoying this series and I think it’s up there as one of my favorite series now! The only drawback of the series in general though is there’s a lot of death and it’s often quite tragic. But I guess if all the good guys always survive, it would be too predictable and unrealistic.
January 15, 2020
Seven Samurai retold!
The Japanese film Seven Samurai told the story of seven warriors defending a village from outlaws. It became the model for a western version of the tale - The Magnificent Seven. Now it’s time to get caught up in Jack’s Seven Samurai. A brilliant retelling with appropriately wicked villains, brave young samurai and fearful farmers finding the courage to fight back. We even get to see our favorite ninja again. Enjoy!
The Japanese film Seven Samurai told the story of seven warriors defending a village from outlaws. It became the model for a western version of the tale - The Magnificent Seven. Now it’s time to get caught up in Jack’s Seven Samurai. A brilliant retelling with appropriately wicked villains, brave young samurai and fearful farmers finding the courage to fight back. We even get to see our favorite ninja again. Enjoy!
April 29, 2023
bro ??
June 27, 2017
This book was extremely good as jack is helping farmers defend their village from the black moon raid run by Akuma and his bandit gang. Him and his friends use the various rings of the ninja to create traps and overall beat the bandits. Unfortunately one of his new friends dies at the end. Jack then continues his journey to Nagasaki to go home with his closest friends.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 28, 2017
Great book, like the others. Only problem is that he's traveling a lot, and how does protecting a village have anything to do with his journey? I would prefer if had stayed to train as a ninja or if he made back to England and was famous as a warrior and also trained as a knight? I dunno.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 27, 2018
A little disappointing. The same typical story. The hero us praised a lot. But still three stars for the narration. The chris bradford is skilled enough to make a story go interesting, but the stories and content are typical. The narration is great.
January 17, 2020
The book is a real page-turner. Jack always has something brave Andy courageous to do which keeps us in the edge of our seats. The warrior-inspired franchise is an amazing read and I’ll guarantee you’ll always want to turn the page!
May 22, 2020
Good Book
This is a very inspiring book. This book taught me very good lessons, including forgiveness. I liked this book because it has a lot of action, wisdom, and being kind to the people who serve us. I recommend this book to people who love action and life lessons.
This is a very inspiring book. This book taught me very good lessons, including forgiveness. I liked this book because it has a lot of action, wisdom, and being kind to the people who serve us. I recommend this book to people who love action and life lessons.
October 11, 2021
I am loving the character development and was happy to read about familiar faces. At the beginning I was worried that this detour adventure would be boring and resent the process of the series, but it improved its suspension of the future instead.
Notable Quotes
-“Coincidence is a deity’s way of staying anonymous” page: 60
-“A single tree does not make a forest”
page: I forgot to write it down
Notable Quotes
-“Coincidence is a deity’s way of staying anonymous” page: 60
-“A single tree does not make a forest”
page: I forgot to write it down
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 25, 2024
Jack has to defend a village against 40 bandits so he gathers up a team of 7 to save the village.He takes help of his ninja training in the iga mountains and defeats the bandits with the ring of Earth, Water, Fire, Wind, and Sky
June 5, 2024
The story is a good mixed between historical nonfiction source material and fiction creation the main character jack fletcher is a good take on the original sourced English man William Adams but for a young adult.
Jack fletchers guardian in the book shares a lot of characteristics of the source inspiration being that of Miyamoto Musashi.
The whole series from The way of the Warrior book to the Return of the Warrior book is excellent.
I especially liked the glossary in each book that helps teach you pronunciation of Japanese words and there English counterparts.
Jack fletchers guardian in the book shares a lot of characteristics of the source inspiration being that of Miyamoto Musashi.
The whole series from The way of the Warrior book to the Return of the Warrior book is excellent.
I especially liked the glossary in each book that helps teach you pronunciation of Japanese words and there English counterparts.
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