What do you think?
Rate this book
Disturbance in the Wake
☆ AN AMAZON TOP 50 BESTSELLER! ☆Amy Ohara is celebrating her twenty-first birthday by going on a cruise, off the coast of Honshu, Japan. She grew up in Tokyo and is well acquainted with Japan’s rich traditions and ancient history. Betrayed by the man she had been dating, Amy is now awaiting transport as human cargo. As her life swings in the balance, Amy has a choice, dive into the black waters and perhaps drown or be taken by the human traffickers. When the yacht blows up, Amy feels lucky to be alive and swims for shore. Yet she has arrived at the shore of a distant past. Amy has been washed back in time nearly 700 years, 300 years before Europeans stepped foot in Asia. With her red hair and green eyes, she stands out.The sea holds many mysteries and wonders. Ten-year-old Hiroki Tanaka grew up in a fishing village on an island just off the coast of Honshu, Japan. While he helps his father fishing, a large earthquake hits his island. Hiroki falls from the boat as the waters become choppy and he is pulled under water. He is desperate to get back to his father. When he surfaces, his father and the boat are gone. When Hiroki swims to shore, he realizes that he has been swept back in time to an era of violence and the samurai.
216 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 11, 2020
112 people are currently reading
29 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
June 4, 2025
STEP BACK IN TIME TO THE TIME OF SAMURAIS, SHOGUNS, PEASANTS, & LORDS
☆☆☆☆☆
How well would you do if you were sent back in
time from 2018 to 1345 from a world of lights, cars, fast food, and everything you want down the street at the store to candles, wood fires, your food grown by yourself or hunted by yourself, and your only means of travel was on horseback, walking, or row or sailboats? How would you hold up in a social setting where honor and customs were everything?
Disturbance in the Wake S.A. Ison is a story of an American-Japanese woman from 2018 who is sent back in time to 1345 through a time portal and washed up on a beach where everything is foreign to Amy Ohara a redhead office worker in Kyoto, Japan.
This is a story of compassion, love, struggles, friendship and betrayal, honor and dishonor in a time when everyone is shoehorned into a life and social class where if you're at the bottom of the social class where your life is at the whim of those above you in social standings.
The main characters are easily imagined due to the style of S.A. Ison's writing. You'll find yourself drawn into the storyline with the syntax she uses in her writing. The characters are brought to life in a way that you find yourself believing you are right there living through the situations they are going through from family relationships, romances, and battles with foreign pirates, bandits, and royalty. She describes the landscape in a way that if you were to close your eyes you could see it as if you were right there viewing it yourself.
As a piece of fiction, this story also has a look into the historical events and places that are brought into the storyline in a way that strengthens the story and her characters. At the start of the first page, you will find yourself hooked and you'll want to share 1345 through the eyes and thoughts of Amy, Hiroki, Kano, and Okita just to name a few of the main characters.
I truly believe that you will find that you will really enjoy reading this book as much as I have. Anyone who enjoys a great story especially those of you who love books about time travel, you're going to place this book on the top of your favorite list.
☆☆☆☆☆
How well would you do if you were sent back in
time from 2018 to 1345 from a world of lights, cars, fast food, and everything you want down the street at the store to candles, wood fires, your food grown by yourself or hunted by yourself, and your only means of travel was on horseback, walking, or row or sailboats? How would you hold up in a social setting where honor and customs were everything?
Disturbance in the Wake S.A. Ison is a story of an American-Japanese woman from 2018 who is sent back in time to 1345 through a time portal and washed up on a beach where everything is foreign to Amy Ohara a redhead office worker in Kyoto, Japan.
This is a story of compassion, love, struggles, friendship and betrayal, honor and dishonor in a time when everyone is shoehorned into a life and social class where if you're at the bottom of the social class where your life is at the whim of those above you in social standings.
The main characters are easily imagined due to the style of S.A. Ison's writing. You'll find yourself drawn into the storyline with the syntax she uses in her writing. The characters are brought to life in a way that you find yourself believing you are right there living through the situations they are going through from family relationships, romances, and battles with foreign pirates, bandits, and royalty. She describes the landscape in a way that if you were to close your eyes you could see it as if you were right there viewing it yourself.
As a piece of fiction, this story also has a look into the historical events and places that are brought into the storyline in a way that strengthens the story and her characters. At the start of the first page, you will find yourself hooked and you'll want to share 1345 through the eyes and thoughts of Amy, Hiroki, Kano, and Okita just to name a few of the main characters.
I truly believe that you will find that you will really enjoy reading this book as much as I have. Anyone who enjoys a great story especially those of you who love books about time travel, you're going to place this book on the top of your favorite list.
April 25, 2025
Good Short Read
Great book ! If given the chance to read this story , give it a try . You will definitely like it . A feel good book.
Great book ! If given the chance to read this story , give it a try . You will definitely like it . A feel good book.
September 26, 2023
I have to start by admitting that my exposure to feudal-era Japan is from reading the book "Shogun" by James Clavell, watching the miniseries and reading a book about Will Adams, the Englishman that was the basis for "Shogun", though all of these took place several hundred years to in the future of this book. It did give me some familiarity with the era, though, and I found this novel about Japan of the current day and Japan of the 14th century really interesting. I am genetically obligated to cheer for a fellow red-head too. I was pleased to read that Takauji was a real historical figure. There were two surprises at the end, one a little more predictable and one not so much that ended this very well. I enjoyed this time travel journey a lot.
November 10, 2025
Audiobook (6 hours 47 minutes) narrated by Stephen Floyd
Publisher: Stephanie Albino
Stephen Floyd narrated this book.
He does an OK job, enunciating correctly, keeping a steady pace, no vocal tics or whatnot; however he doesn't add anything. His delivery is a bit flat and unemotional.
While the narration alone wouldn't keep me from the audiobook version, the audio of the first chapter has a background distraction that was driving me nuts. It wasn't loud and some may not have had an issue with it, but there was almost a static whir that came in and out of the background in rhythmic fashion that I surmise is an osculating fan. It goes away and the audio is crystal in chapters 2 and 3 and then it comes back in chapter 4, however it is much less noticeable. Eventually, sometime in chapter 4 it melted away. Either the fan was shut off, adjustments were made or I just became very used to the sound, which was very low at this point, and just masked it myself. In any even, I didn't notice it for the rest of the narration.
My suggestion is to listen to the preview of the book, if you are trying to decide between print and audio, as the sound is audible in the preview. It isn't very loud and may be absolutely fine for you as the narration is clear and close to the mic where the possible fan sounds way in the background. And, as I stated, It's there for an extremely small portion of the book, which may be acceptable for you.
The book itself did not hit for me as well as A Revolutionary Time: Tumbling into War. The characters didn't come into focus as quickly, as the story was more balanced between the world, the characters and the story, whereas the previous novel I read by Ison was quickly characters first, which drew me in, before we got into the world building.
The writing is beautiful, but I will admit that with my ADHD I was a bit annoyed and distracted in chapter one. When chapter two started and the audio issue was not there I was so relieved as I wasn't sure if I could tolerate the rhythmic background noise throughout the entire book. I would have tried though. Last year I made it through the worst audiobook performance to date:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
It was for The Living Blood by Tananarive Due, who I absolutely adore. It was the second book in the series and if I had another option, I would have taken it. I think I tried using Alexa at some point and just kept going hoping the messy parts would clear up. Yeah.
I mention all this because although it irritates me to no end when audiobooks are published with issues, of all of the issues that I have found in the books that I have read over the years a background fan sound could potentially be viewed as acceptable by some. Some people may not even notice it. For my loss, I am not one of those people.
Anyway, Disturbance in the Wake, has beautiful writing and descriptions. I feel that even though the book itself was written, or at least published, only 3 years prior to A Revolutionary Time, it seems that Ison's writing has deepened, becoming more seasoned, with a nicer flow. I've only read two of her books, but I do have a third on the shelf that also has a publication date of 2020. I'm not sure which novel she wrote first, and it probably doesn't matter a whole lot, every author learns and their style develops with time as they stretch and try new things out.
This is a strong 3 stars for me, and although I recently read that 3 stars is seen as a negative by Audible (I'm not sure if this is true), for me I was fully entertained and enjoyed a 3 star read. A four star was a great read and 5 star was knock my socks off loved it, including my favorites. 2 stars is an OK book that I likely finished but either wasn't fulfilling, didn't make sense when all was said and done, or something was missing or off and 1 star for me is where my DNF books go or those that I may have finished that were horrible or had huge issues.
Publisher: Stephanie Albino
Stephen Floyd narrated this book.
He does an OK job, enunciating correctly, keeping a steady pace, no vocal tics or whatnot; however he doesn't add anything. His delivery is a bit flat and unemotional.
While the narration alone wouldn't keep me from the audiobook version, the audio of the first chapter has a background distraction that was driving me nuts. It wasn't loud and some may not have had an issue with it, but there was almost a static whir that came in and out of the background in rhythmic fashion that I surmise is an osculating fan. It goes away and the audio is crystal in chapters 2 and 3 and then it comes back in chapter 4, however it is much less noticeable. Eventually, sometime in chapter 4 it melted away. Either the fan was shut off, adjustments were made or I just became very used to the sound, which was very low at this point, and just masked it myself. In any even, I didn't notice it for the rest of the narration.
My suggestion is to listen to the preview of the book, if you are trying to decide between print and audio, as the sound is audible in the preview. It isn't very loud and may be absolutely fine for you as the narration is clear and close to the mic where the possible fan sounds way in the background. And, as I stated, It's there for an extremely small portion of the book, which may be acceptable for you.
The book itself did not hit for me as well as A Revolutionary Time: Tumbling into War. The characters didn't come into focus as quickly, as the story was more balanced between the world, the characters and the story, whereas the previous novel I read by Ison was quickly characters first, which drew me in, before we got into the world building.
The writing is beautiful, but I will admit that with my ADHD I was a bit annoyed and distracted in chapter one. When chapter two started and the audio issue was not there I was so relieved as I wasn't sure if I could tolerate the rhythmic background noise throughout the entire book. I would have tried though. Last year I made it through the worst audiobook performance to date:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
It was for The Living Blood by Tananarive Due, who I absolutely adore. It was the second book in the series and if I had another option, I would have taken it. I think I tried using Alexa at some point and just kept going hoping the messy parts would clear up. Yeah.
I mention all this because although it irritates me to no end when audiobooks are published with issues, of all of the issues that I have found in the books that I have read over the years a background fan sound could potentially be viewed as acceptable by some. Some people may not even notice it. For my loss, I am not one of those people.
Anyway, Disturbance in the Wake, has beautiful writing and descriptions. I feel that even though the book itself was written, or at least published, only 3 years prior to A Revolutionary Time, it seems that Ison's writing has deepened, becoming more seasoned, with a nicer flow. I've only read two of her books, but I do have a third on the shelf that also has a publication date of 2020. I'm not sure which novel she wrote first, and it probably doesn't matter a whole lot, every author learns and their style develops with time as they stretch and try new things out.
This is a strong 3 stars for me, and although I recently read that 3 stars is seen as a negative by Audible (I'm not sure if this is true), for me I was fully entertained and enjoyed a 3 star read. A four star was a great read and 5 star was knock my socks off loved it, including my favorites. 2 stars is an OK book that I likely finished but either wasn't fulfilling, didn't make sense when all was said and done, or something was missing or off and 1 star for me is where my DNF books go or those that I may have finished that were horrible or had huge issues.
July 22, 2020
I love it, you will too.
Such a great book I hated for it to end. We each of us have wondered what it would be like to go back in time after reading this book I can see how hard it would be. I'm very pleased that I had the opportunity to enjoy it. I won't forget it for a long long time.
Such a great book I hated for it to end. We each of us have wondered what it would be like to go back in time after reading this book I can see how hard it would be. I'm very pleased that I had the opportunity to enjoy it. I won't forget it for a long long time.
May 10, 2021
Time Travelers
This was a very enjoyable story! I truly appreciated the storyline and was caught up from the beginning to the end and didn't want to put it down! Give this book a chance and it will hook you.
This was a very enjoyable story! I truly appreciated the storyline and was caught up from the beginning to the end and didn't want to put it down! Give this book a chance and it will hook you.
August 8, 2021
Not my normal book pick, but a good read. Loves the ending.
November 14, 2022
Excellent!
August 3, 2022
loved this book!
My daughter recommended this book to me, and I absolutely enjoyed it! The characters are rich in Japanese culture, it contains mystery, romance and time travel. What a combination! It’s also very well written and doesn’t leave you hanging, I especially enjoyed the ending of the book as well. It kept me interested all the way through from page one to the end. I recommend this book to my friend Ayanna!
My daughter recommended this book to me, and I absolutely enjoyed it! The characters are rich in Japanese culture, it contains mystery, romance and time travel. What a combination! It’s also very well written and doesn’t leave you hanging, I especially enjoyed the ending of the book as well. It kept me interested all the way through from page one to the end. I recommend this book to my friend Ayanna!
March 6, 2021
An enjoyable romp in ancient Japan
This was a quite diverting time jump story with a lot of knowledgeable writing about the past culture and mores of Japan. The characters were attractive and the story just good enough to keep turning the pages. It's not great but competently written and well worth reading.
This was a quite diverting time jump story with a lot of knowledgeable writing about the past culture and mores of Japan. The characters were attractive and the story just good enough to keep turning the pages. It's not great but competently written and well worth reading.
June 19, 2022
Such a gift
Beautiful story. It was wonderful to escape this crazy year and immerse myself in a different world for an hour or two. Don't miss out on this one, its wonderful!
Beautiful story. It was wonderful to escape this crazy year and immerse myself in a different world for an hour or two. Don't miss out on this one, its wonderful!
December 29, 2020
A story worth reading
Once again a well written book. The history and characters in the book are great. Keep writing such great stories. Thank you S.A Ison.
Once again a well written book. The history and characters in the book are great. Keep writing such great stories. Thank you S.A Ison.
April 15, 2025
Great read ,held my interest in every page .
Would recommend this book to anyone . described the islands beauty and their clothes. Really enjoyed reading , great author.
Would recommend this book to anyone . described the islands beauty and their clothes. Really enjoyed reading , great author.
September 19, 2022
Intrigue and war in ancient Japan
Superb tale of time travel and life and struggles on the islands. I liked the characters and the storyline. Great
Superb tale of time travel and life and struggles on the islands. I liked the characters and the storyline. Great
June 6, 2022
S. A. Ison is a great author
This story blends sci-fi and historical romance. I would love a sequel. Every one of Ison's books carry the reader to different times and places. The reader developed memories of the lives of the characters that feel so real.
This story blends sci-fi and historical romance. I would love a sequel. Every one of Ison's books carry the reader to different times and places. The reader developed memories of the lives of the characters that feel so real.
October 9, 2025
An American, who speaks fluent Japanese, and who has lived in Japan for a decade or so, washes up in feudal Japan, 300 years before any Europeans arrive. Given that her appearance looks nothing like a native Japanese woman, she is immediately an oddity. Fortunately, another time traveler is already in the past with her, and immediately recognizes what her appearance means. Her fluency in Japanese allows her to adapt and with the assistance with the other time traveler, she tries her best to become accepted in the Japanese village. Given her stark appearance, other people take an interest in her...
February 15, 2021
Almost a 5 star story
I don't give 5 stars out very often, but this one came close. This is a good story that starts slowly and then takes off. I really liked the contrast of new Japan and the very o!d. Having read many books on this topic, but not in the 14rh century, I enjoyed the contrast of this era and the mores of the later periods. It's easy to read and has just enough action.
I don't give 5 stars out very often, but this one came close. This is a good story that starts slowly and then takes off. I really liked the contrast of new Japan and the very o!d. Having read many books on this topic, but not in the 14rh century, I enjoyed the contrast of this era and the mores of the later periods. It's easy to read and has just enough action.
June 12, 2021
loved the rich detail about Japan
the method of time displacement is different in each book, but makes sense. a lot of original think I g before setting own to paper so to speak. humans are mean and self centered at any time in history, so the continuing answer is to adapt and be happy where ever you land. a solid A for this one.
the method of time displacement is different in each book, but makes sense. a lot of original think I g before setting own to paper so to speak. humans are mean and self centered at any time in history, so the continuing answer is to adapt and be happy where ever you land. a solid A for this one.
December 17, 2020
I liked the book, maybe my Love of martial arts & movies helped my understanding. I loved how well that time in history was portrayed, along with the problems of a modern person showing up in that isolationist era.
December 19, 2020
It's All in the Details
Another pleasant read by this Author. No lack of descriptive details here. Semi-fascinating to live in feudal Japan. Probably a little rougher on women than portrayed here but all in all ,it's worth reading 📚
Another pleasant read by this Author. No lack of descriptive details here. Semi-fascinating to live in feudal Japan. Probably a little rougher on women than portrayed here but all in all ,it's worth reading 📚
March 30, 2021
5 Stars
Amy betrayed by her boyfriend dives off a yacht to escape her captures. She goes through time and ends up in Japan during the time of the Shoguns and Samurai. She is rescued by Hiroki who at the age of 10 was transported back 27 years before. Good book.
Amy betrayed by her boyfriend dives off a yacht to escape her captures. She goes through time and ends up in Japan during the time of the Shoguns and Samurai. She is rescued by Hiroki who at the age of 10 was transported back 27 years before. Good book.
June 16, 2021
What a great imagination.
I really enjoyed reading about the samurai and what it would have been like to live back then. Very different from life in the United States.
I really enjoyed reading about the samurai and what it would have been like to live back then. Very different from life in the United States.
September 22, 2022
Time travel to ancient Japan
I disturbance carries a modern woman back in time. Great story and characters. Very enjoyable, I highly recommend. Also a love story.
I disturbance carries a modern woman back in time. Great story and characters. Very enjoyable, I highly recommend. Also a love story.
April 9, 2024
An engrossing, enjoyable historical time travel story, set in ancient Japan. I had this loaded on my kindle for a few months, but once I started reading it I quickly become involved in the story and finished it quickly. This story has made me now want to read the book Shōgun, which has been languishing on my bookshelf unread for many years.
Read
April 21, 2021Mandatory rating
Mandatory rating. Kindle pressure mmm yay huh huh Bob mmm frfr high hmmm adds to high TTYT huh qq yyy
Mandatory rating. Kindle pressure mmm yay huh huh Bob mmm frfr high hmmm adds to high TTYT huh qq yyy
April 22, 2023
good Read
If you are interested in the feudal era of Japan then this is the book for you. Clearly the Author has either experienced it himself or he did a great deal of research.
If you are interested in the feudal era of Japan then this is the book for you. Clearly the Author has either experienced it himself or he did a great deal of research.
September 14, 2023
Good story and writing, could have been better
I enjoyed the writing style and premise of the book, but the ending was abrupt and should have been a large slice of the story
I enjoyed the writing style and premise of the book, but the ending was abrupt and should have been a large slice of the story
July 5, 2024
An abridged Shogun (Clavell). Well done.
September 9, 2025
Ironically, reading Shogun made me understand more of this book set in feudal Japan. And made me appreciate this book more. While it wasn't as epic in length as Shogun, it got the ambiance correct. The sci-fi factor wasn't even that much of a factor as it's only the beginning that's mostly sci-fi, the rest of the book is set in feudal Japan with no real hints that the future affects it. There's one major action sequence and no real "climax" action piece but overall a good story.
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews