During the full moon the quiet mountain village of Seibo Mura is struck by a swarm of horrifying spirits and monsters. Their houses are destroyed. Their neighbors slain. The Dragon Clan has sent help in the form of one of their samurai, Agasha no Isao Ryotora, a mage capable of communing with the spirits of the land and, hopefully, able to put things right before the next full moon. To the surprise of all, a member of the Phoenix Clan, a samurai by family rank and training, Asako Sekken, has also arrived, willing to help but with his own mysterious reasons for being there. Both men have dangerous secrets, but the true threat facing Seibo Mura is lost to history, knowledge of stopping it buried beneath collapsed shrines and legends long forgotten.

Sometimes I just want to chew on a book for a little while, to have fun with it and see where it goes. Marie Brennan’s venture into Rokugan, The Night Parade of 100 Demons, is exactly the kind of book that allows for that sort of experience. There is a solid mystery with a number of twists and turns, but it often feels more like an adventure than a mystery. The kind of thing that crops up at a game table readily.

That the Night Parade of 100 Demons is such an ancient issue as to have become seemingly contextless for Ryotora and nothing more than an old literary trope for Asako, adds an interesting layer to things. Both are trying to figure out what demons are part of the problems plaguing the village as well as why they might possibly be as far from their traditional homes as they are. It makes for this delightful feeling of wrongness as all Ryotora can do is address the symptoms and gather more information and hope that the actions he takes will be enough. Meanwhile, Asako helps as he can, but lands himself in trouble because he very carefully does not talk about the inugami following him around despite it being an aggressively stubborn out of context spirit itself, making himself seem hilariously suspicious.

More than that though, I find that I appreciated how the two characters approached the problems of the Parade differently. Ryotora goes about his business as a mage, has interviews done, resets the wards outside of town, and investigates what he can find. Asako on the other hand, is there less for the village's problems and more because he wants to rid himself of the inugami, the dog spirit, that has been haunting him, and yet he also has specialized knowledge that Ryotora needs to make his investigation move at all. He also has something of a tunnel vision problem though, he assumes that he is cursed by a witch, so the village's problems must be caused by a witch despite a lack of evidence for it.

Both protagonists are pining idiots, though for fascinatingly different reasons. Asako is so used to being the useless younger sibling, who does not need to have accomplished anything because his siblings have already advanced the family satisfactorily, so he assumes he is not good enough for Ryotora, a dedicated samurai doing all he can to help this village. He also assumes that Ryotora is so wrapped up in his honor and rote virtues that he would not get involved even if he was interested. Meanwhile, Ryotora is so tied up in knots over having been born to a peasant family before being adopted into the family that raised him, so tied up in a former lover's cruelty, that he cannot see anything but more heartbreak in his future if he did make a move. It gets a little exhausting after awhile because I’m left just wanting them to talk about it at all, but delighted by the dancing around they do because to talk about it risks being rejected, which would be unseemly.

I really enjoyed The Night Parade of 100 Demons, that should be clear at this point. Brennan does a good job with her characters and her setting, the village of Seibo Mura. The mystery aspect is a delight and the threat of failure feels like it has some actual weight to it, especially when our protagonists try something only for it to result in a set back or a greater problem. Five out of five, I already have the sequel and will be reading it at my earliest convenience.

Night Parade of 100 Demons is Aconyte’s latest story in the Legend of the Five Rings setting. So far we’ve seen a group of Crab Samurai try to contend with a mysterious city, and a feckless younger scion of the Crane solve a mystery in a city where Lion and Unicorn are at their throats. This time, it’s the turn of the Dragon and the Phoenix clans to take centre stage in Marie Brennan’s novel.

The story begins with Ryotora, a Dragon Shugenja (priest/wizard), who has been sent to investigate a series of mysterious disturbances in the remote village of Seibo Mura. Whilst this might seem like a fairly simple assignment for an itinerant Shugenja, there are a few complications. For one thing, Ryotora is not the first person sent to investigate the matter, and after the first Samurai dismissed the whole incident as nothing more than a few simple-minded peasants overreacting, one full moon later, everything kicked off again, this time leading to significant loss of life and property. More important however, is Ryotora’s own connection to Seibo Mura – although ostensibly a noble-born man, Ryotora lives with the constant, secret shame of knowing that he was born to a peasant family and was only adopted into his current social rank. This is clearly something which haunts him and is a defining factor in his character at the best of times, but the reminder is particularly acute for Ryotora in this story as he was born in – you’ve guessed it – Seibo Mura. Any villager could be a long-lost parent or sibling. Will they recognise a family resemblance somewhere? What will they say if they do?

Samurai notions of Bushido and the incredibly formal, stratified society that they produced, are often a significant element of novels set in Rokugan, but I can’t recall another story quite like this one where it seems to be such a cause of constant agonising for a main character. This is a little bit tricky, as Brennan’s depiction of a Ryotora as a man who is constantly tearing himself apart in an attempt to live up to the notions of Bushido of which he feels himself unworthy always felt slightly undermined by my 21st-century sensibilities: in all honesty , it just seems a bit silly that everyone gets quite so bothered by the notion of “low birth.” Despite this dissonance, I think that Brennan has done a good job here of depicting a society that is very different from our own, whilst still letting some of the characters inside the story question some of the established social assumptions in a way that still feels authentic to the setting.

Opposite Ryotora, is Sekken, a Phoenix scholar who shouldn’t really be here, and is hoping that nobody notices that! Although Sekken spends most of his time in enjoyable if slightly irrelevant academic pursuits, he has been brought to Seibo Mura by an unlikely haunting from a dog spirit. After noticing an uncanny correlation between his nocturnal visitations and the reported disturbances from just the Dragon side of the border, he has found himself drawn here to investigate.

Sekken and Ryotora are both surprised when they first encounter each other, and clearly do not know what to make of each other, but their gradually deepening understanding of each other is key to the book’s development, and is ultimately done well. Again, there is a slight element where, as the modern-day reader, you are virtually screaming “just talk to each other” at the page but, of course, the tenets of Bushido require them to remain detached and aloof, and however ridiculous they might feel to contemporary sensibilities, they definitely provide a better reason that simply “narrative tension” for the keeping of secrets and the inevitable recriminations when things are later discovered.

The first half of the book sees Ryotora and Sekken make their enquiries in Seibo Mura – Ryotora focused on what exactly is plaguing the village and he made prevent it from returning at the next full moon and causing further destruction, whilst Sekken has a stronger personal angle to things, searching for a Witch or, failing that, some other link between the misfortunes afflicting this village, and his own disturbing dreams.


Given the title of the book, it should come as no great shock to learn that Seibo Mura’s problem is none other than … the Night Parade of 100 Demons! something lifted from the real-world Hyakki Yagyo, a mass procession of Yogai (demons) in Japanese folklore. Unfortunately for Ryotora and Sekken, identifying the problem is a long way from stopping it, and it looks like the trouble starting to break loose here might well spell doom not only for Seibo Mura, but for the whole of Rokugan unless our heroes can act quickly.

I don’t want to spoil what happens in the second half of the book, but I will say that I definitely preferred it: the mystery is explored in an interesting way in the first part, but it does feel a little ponderous at time. The second half shifts more towards action, as the Samurai and the villagers they have enlisted have identified their enemy, and are now moving actively to thwart it. This faster pace also gives an opportunity for minor characters like Sayashi and Masa to be given a bit more attention, and definitely makes for a more varied, dynamic feel to the latter part of the book. Sayashi in particular was a favourite of mine, providing a much-needed counter to stoic Samurai philosophy.

Out of all the Aconyte books that I’ve read so far, I think that Night Parade of 100 Demons puts the strongest emphasis on a central romance, albeit in a “will-they-won’t-they” fashion. Personally, I’m not hugely into romance being this big a narrative drive but, again, it’s neatly done, and rarely feels forced, or like it’s pushing out more interesting plot elements. Ultimately Night Parade of 100 Demons works as a mystery story, which builds to a satisfying climax and leaves you with all the endings tied off appropriately neatly.

Night Parade of 100 Demons does seem to assume a little bit of prior knowledge of Rokugan, and I could see a reader new to the setting feeling a little confused by Sekken’s concerns about the “Perfect Land” sect. Ultimately though, I think that the places where things might be missed are small enough that a new reader could move past them, and still enjoy the main gist of the story.


Overall I thought that Night Parade of 100 Demons was an enjoyable read. Neither the Dragon nor the Phoenix have ever been clans that hugely grabbed my attention, but Brennan has given us a story here that is worth reading in its own right. Even if the things this story has to say about Duty don’t always hit the mark, the exploration of themes of family, and simply Doing The Right Thing make it worth a read.

*Thank you Aconyte Books and Netgalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review*


While I enjoyed this book, the pacing was a bit slow. Usually with fantasy, I get immersed into the story, however with this book, I found that aspect lacking. This was a beautiful fantasy set in a alternate reality of Japan, but I wasn't as immersed as I would've liked to be.

This book wasn't for me.

I have been provided with an advance copy of the new Legend of the Five Rings book The Night Parade of 100 Demons by Marie Brennan, published by Aconyte Books, so here is the honest review I promised in exchange for the book.

So here is an important disclaimer which is always important to put out there first. I have a casual work contact with Asmodee to demonstrate board games for them in stores and at conventions. Asmodee being the parent company of Aconyte the publisher.

I am going to try my best to not let that cloud my judgement in this review, but I accept that subconsciously it might.

So let’s crack on with a review then!

What is Legend of the Five Rings
L5R as it’s often known is a fantasy setting for a series of card games and RPGs originally published by AEG, but now taken care of by Fantasy Flight.

It’s set in the empire of Rokugan which is heavily feudal Japan influenced, with a bit of other East Asian influences, like China and Korea thrown in as well.

It’s a fantasy setting with the usual fantasy trips of goblins and rat men, but also oni and kitsune too.

In the Empire there are several great clans, made up of various families, and in this novel we focus on the Crab Clan, who are considered the least cultured of all clans.

Their task in life is to guard the rest of the empire from the taint of the Shadowlands on the Carpenter Wall.

The Story
Chaos has broken out in the isolated Dragon Clan village Seibo Mura, when during full moons, vicious demons rampage throughout the village, causing havoc, destroying buildings and killing villagers.

The Dragons send the samurai Agasha no Isao Ryotora to investigate the situation in the village, but an unexpected helper has arrived in the form of Asako Sekken of the Phoenix Clan.

Lets get this out the way, I have seen criticism in other reviews that the novel doesn’t have much action and the demons don’t actually feature that much, well if that’s what you want, this book isn’t for you.

This book is one that focuses on the spiritual, so it delves into the Kami, guardian spirits, demons, holy rituals and prayer. Its deeply engrained in Japanesse spiritual culture and is heavily based on the Hyakki Yakō. Not all that surprising as the author is a folklorist and anthropologist.

There is also an almost spiritual procedural investigation aspect to the story, as the pair figure out what exactly is going on in the village by interviewing the inhabitants and researching the background of the demons.

The characters are, well I will be honest, its hard to get into their heads at first. They both have secrets to hide, and they both try their best to solve the mystery whilst keeping those secrets hidden from the other. They are a bit of an odd couple, Rytotora is serious and sombre, a very straight character who despite his humble background, embodies the very nobility of the Samurai.

Sekken on the other hand is more laid back, care free, a scholar who prefers to spend his time reading rather than doing, and gives off an aura of only being there because its a break from his boredom.

The story alternatives between their points of view which is interesting, and there is a frustration that they clearly are attracted to one another but both too caught up in the whole idea that the other wouldn’t be attracted to them that you can almost tear out your hair.

And that leads me to another point, the fact that Aconyte have been very good about putting queer characters in their books, front and centre, with no song and dance about it. LGBTQ characters in their books are part of life, they exist and there is a wonderful, almost ordinary way in which they are presented.

Conclusion
I actually really loved this book, but I will be honest, it wasn’t the characters which drew me in, it was the background.

The fascinating and rather beautiful way that Marie has presented the culture and world of Rokugan drew me in and kept me turning the page.

The characters whilst mildly interesting really took a backseat to the wonderful world of L5R and this for me would be a better background read for anyone wanting to get into the RPG than any other background book as it makes the world really come to life.

Solid 4 out of 5 stars.

You can buy the eBook now and the paperback on the 15th April!

“The Night Parade of 100 Demons“ by Marie Brennan [5/5]


Thanks to Aconyte and Netgalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review


This is a book set in the world of the tabletop RPG Legend of the Five Rings. I am not really familiar with it except I know there is a lot of Japanese mythology stuff going on and that samurai and different clans are a thing. My ARC provided me with a quick overview of the setting and while I appreciated it I do not believe one needs to understand the setting to like this book as this book does a good job to introduce the aspects of the setting that are important to its plot. On the other hand I am not qualified to decide whether this is a good representation of the tabletop RPG's world.


The Night Parade


This book's setting is as mentioned a setting of a tabletop RPG called Legend of the Five Rings. As this tabletop RPG is full of Japanese mythology, so is this book. I do not know a lot about Japanese mythology – mostly the things I picked up while watching Anime or reading Manga and other books inspired by Japanese mythology. I really loved how what I knew was used in this book and how Marie Brennan uses the setting for her story. It is maybe not the most innovative way, but I have to say I have heard about the mythological phenomenon of the Night Parade of 100 Demons, but I am not sure if I have seen it used in a novel before.


The other aspects of the world-building are great too. Brennan uses words in a very nice way to show the reader hoe the small village looks the story takes place in, and I really loved how she described it and the surrounding nature. But I kind of expected this of Marie Brennan because I also loved her descriptions in her Lady Trent series. But this book is not that long, so I am very pleased to report that I don't think that the descriptions are too long or take away from the story.


From Samurai and Village People


There are two POVs in this novel – one is the samurai Ryotora from the Dragon Clan. He was sent to the village of Sebo Mura to investigate the horrifying creatures that appeared during the full moon in the village. The other is a member of the Phoenix Clan – his name is Sekkan, and he has a reason of his own to be in the village, even though it is not on Phoenix territory. Both of them have secrets that play a big role in their part of the narrative and are finally related to the village in one way or another. Both POVs are interesting to read even though I have to admit I was a bit more invested in Ryotora's side of the story – even though some people might argue he is less interesting.


But there are also some more important characters in the village. They are nowhere as interesting as the both POV characters, but that does not mean, that they are not important. There is a small subplot regarding the religious sect in the village and how both main characters come to terms with the way the people in the village worship the gods and the main characters wonder if this is in some way connected to the mystery of the monsters appearing in the village. I think all the people in the village work as characters even though a lot of them are mostly characterized by two or three traits. But I don't think all of them have to be multilayered characters with a lot of depth and the main reason this works in this novel is the distance between the main characters as samurai/nobles and the people in the village as the people who should bow to them.


The Mystery of Seb0 Mura


Whether you will like this novel or not will probably lie in the question of how long you can wait until the plot has to kick in. Do not get me wrong – I really liked the slower pacing Brennan decided on and that the Night Parade itself only appears in the last 25% of the novel was a good decision in my opinion. Until the last 25% this is not a book with a lot of action – it is much more about mystery and the character relationships. If you are not into this I would advise against picking this book up.

I think the mystery is a compelling one -mainly because both characters have secrets and are not willing to discuss them with the other one even though those secrets might in some way or the other related to what is happening in the village. There are also a lot of red herrings at the beginning – depending on what you expect the problem to be and what you already know about Japanese mythology you might be surprised by some of the secrets revealed or might not. I think how well this mystery works depends a lot on your knowledge and expectations. For me the mystery worked, and it took me as long as the characters to be sure about what is happening and why.

The last 25% might be the most interesting part of this novel – it has action, it has the solution to the mystery, and it has a journey into the spiritual world. I flew through this part and was not able to put the book down. But when talking about the last 25%, one has to consider the ending. This is still the point I am most unsure of in this novel. I was really happy that the novel ended the way it did. But I can already see a lot of people disliking it as well. So I would say if your overall enjoyment of the book is directly related to your enjoyment of the ending I am not sure what to tell you without spoiling way too much.


I will certainly pick up other books set in the world of The Legend of the Five Rings, and I am very interested in trying out the tabletop RPG now.

What is speedily apparent by the blurb alone, is that this swords and sorcery adventure takes place within a Japanese setting, using their pantheon of demons and otherworldly creatures. While the trained samurai dealing with the outbreak are two very different young men from completely different backgrounds. What might not be quite so apparent – I certainly hadn’t realised it while reading the book – is that the world is also part of a very popular role-playing game. To be honest, I offer that info-nugget more as a matter of interest. If it encourages you to go and out and get hold of a copy, then I’m delighted – what I don’t want it to do is discourage you from doing so. Because you’ll be missing out a wonderful story.

This tale drew me in from the first. Told in third person viewpoint through the characters of the two samurai who end up in the village trying to help this desperate state of affairs, I loved the setup right from the start. Brennan’s brilliant characterisation and scene setting came to the fore – and then the plot grabbed hold of me and wouldn’t let me go. I’m a tad tired this morning as I stayed up far too late into the wee hours of the morning, unable to put this one down. And I dreamt of it as I slept…

The plot is also a joy – I didn’t see any of the twists coming, and the growing relationship between the two young men is beautifully and tenderly handled. I’m not the most romantic soul – but from halfway into this book, I was willing both these likeable characters to get together. There is plenty of action and lots of tension as the stakes go on growing ever higher – so the appearance of a very sassy cat in the last third of the book was a welcome slice of humour, in amongst the threat and battle. All in all, this is an absolutely cracking read and comes very highly recommended to all fans of excellent fantasy – whether you’ve heard of The Legend of the Five Rings game, or not… While I obtained an arc of The Night Parade of 100 Demons from the publishers via Netgalley, the opinions I have expressed are unbiased and my own.
10/10

Aconyte Books’ growing range of Legends of the Five Rings novels continues to impress with Marie Brennan’s fantastic The Night Parade of 100 Demons, a “supernatural investigation adventure” featuring a pair of mismatched samurai and a horde of creepy spirits. Dragon shugenja Ryōtora travels to the remote village of Seibo Mura, where rampaging yōkai have been causing havoc and killing villagers. There he meets Phoenix scholar Sekken and begrudgingly, albeit politely, agrees to accept the other man’s help in discovering what’s causing the disturbances, and how to prevent any further chaos. Despite their apparent differences the two samurai forge an effective partnership, but both men must find ways to deal with the secrets they carry if they’re to succeed in saving Seibo Mura.

Whether you’re familiar with the concept of the ‘Night Parade’ from Japanese mythology or not, it’s pretty clear from the title alone that there are going to be plenty of monsters in the book, and sure enough Brennan populates its pages with all manner of creepy yōkai for Ryōtora and Sekken to identify and, at times, to battle. All of the supernatural elements here are vibrant and brilliantly (sometimes scarily) drawn, but the world building goes way beyond just the yōkai and the spirit world. With tensions running high in the village and the inherent differences between the two samurai – one lowborn and one highborn, each from different class – to explore, there’s an intriguing opportunity to dig into the realities of life in rural Rokugan and the caste inequality that exists between the samurai and the ‘peasant’ villagers.

This is a hard book to pin down in terms of genre, with elements of investigation, mystery and supernatural adventure all combined into one story, not to mention a slow-burn thread of romance running through it…but that mixture of styles makes for an impactful, entertaining tale that’s more than the sum of its parts. At its core is a brilliant central pair of characters – stiff, formal Ryōtora who holds himself to the highest standards of honour and refuses to allow himself luxuries or respite, contrasting with spoiled, easy-going Sekken who sees everything through a scholarly lens and struggles to understand the realities of life for the villagers of Seibo Mura. The push and pull between these two very different characters plays out beautifully with plenty of ups and downs along the way, and really provides the heart of the story.

It’s not all pointed conversations, samurai politics and ‘will they, won’t they’, of course (although there’s lots of all of that, and it’s fantastic) – as the narrative progresses the danger ramps up in intensity, and the action when it comes is pacy, exciting and inventive. The focus here is predominantly on the relationship between the central characters though, and the tension between their natures and upbringings helps to really bring the supernatural mystery and the vivid world around them to life, the whole thing feeling rich and vivid and believable. While it could certainly be read purely as an enjoyable exploration of how the Legend of the Five Rings world works, in truth it transcends its tie-in roots to deliver a powerful, emotional tale of loyalty, honour, duty and love.

"That is the meaning of duty. To do what you can, and what you must, even if it is not enough."

"The Night Parade of 100 Demons" by Marie Brennan is a fantasy novel based in Rokugan, the world from Legend of the Five Rings universe. It is firmly based on a feudal Japan, but also includes elements of other Asian cultures as well as magic.
Dragon Clan's samurai, Agasha no Isao Ryotora, travels to help the remote village deep in the mountains. During the full moon, horrifying creatures of all kinds are attacking the settlement wreaking havoc wherever they go. He finds the situation is far worse than he expected and is also surprised to see another samurai already on the site – a visitor from the Phoenix Clan, Asako Sekken. They are forced to join forces to investigate the case while trying to keep their secrets.
This novel is a real feast for Japanese culture fans. The focus of the book is on spiritual matters – holy rituals, guardian spirits and demons. Everything was described in great details showing us the wealth of Japanese mythology. As the title of the book suggests, the story is based on the folklore tale Hyakki Yakō. I enjoyed discovering all those different creatures and even felt encouraged to read more on Japanese folk tales. It shows that the author is genuinely fascinated with the culture (Marie Brennan is a former anthropologist and folklorist).
Unfortunately, as I love the setting, I didn't care much for the characters. They are both brave samurais doing their best to live by the virtues of Bushido; each has different backgrounds, troubles, and secrets. They also feel mutual attraction toward each other and try hard to keep an appropriate distance. Their stories weren't poorly written, but, ultimately, they fail to ignite any emotions in me. I far more fascinated by intricate culture than their dilemmas.
With novels from Legend of the Five Rings universe, I always consider if it can be read without prior knowledge of this world. And in this case, you don't have to be familiar with the setting at all. Everything specific to Rokugan is neatly explained (there is not much though, mostly the relation between the Clans), and the rest is pure Japanese folklore.
I think "The Night Parade of 100 Demons" can be immensely enjoyed if you like Japanese myths, legends, and folk tales. I didn't have a broad knowledge of the topic but found it even more fascinating after reading this book.

A bit slow in developing, this great fantasy set in an alternate reality Japan definitely pays off in the couldn't-put-it-down action of the ending. By the time we get to the big appearance of the Night Parade, Brennan has expertly developed every character that will have a part in the story and made it impossible not to care about them.
Both Ryotora and Sekken are complex characters. The fact that they're apparently complete opposites only makes it that much better to see how well they interact. In fact, I'd say that even above the phenomenal fantasy elements, it's in the character interactions that this book is made.
I am a huge fan of how Brennan paces her plots and the way she incorporates learning actual, real-world facts so seamlessly into the story. It makes the incredibly fantastical elements of her story feel that much more realistic. And that's not even touching on the fact that it's based on actual legends and stories.
A great read for fans of fantasy and Japanese folklore.

Many happy thanks to NetGalley and Aconyte books for the early read!

I leapt at the chance to read Night Parade of 100 Demons because while I have only loose knowledge of the world of the Five Rings game, I love Japanese folklore and the Night Parade is a tale that I’m both familiar with from other books and media, but it is also one of my favourites. There is also the fact that this was by Marie Brennan, who I’ve read before and I enjoy the way that she writes, her prose is beautiful and really carries you away, so I was excited for the combination of the two.

Overall, I wasn’t disappointed, and the worldbuilding, in particular, stood out for me in this book, not least because it is a culture and mythology that I have been interested in for a long time. A lot of the exploration of the world is done through the characters, as it's through them that we get to learn a lot of the beliefs, the role and conflict of class in this world, as well as the yōkai. However, Brennan does an excellent job of creating a living, breathing setting that went beyond just the supernatural elements, and that really brought the story to life for me, and I was quite happy to keep reading and exploring that aspect of the world. And it has certainly left me wanting to read more within the setting of the Legend of the Five Rings, and it will be interesting to see what different authors bring to this world.

This is a slower-paced story, sometimes to the point where it feels as though we’re not really getting anywhere despite the mystery, and there were a few times where I wandered away from this one and it took a while to come back to it. Not, because I didn’t enjoy it, because whenever I was reading it, I was lost in the worldbuilding and the prose, I just wasn’t hooked into the plot itself. The pace does pick up towards the end, and the final twenty per cent or so I was firmly in the story itself and needing to see how it was all resolved, but I feel as though some of the action could have been brought forward or interspersed a bit more. That said, the slower pace is not necessarily a bad thing, as it gave us the time to explore the world and to get to know the main characters.

I say the main characters because I did find it hard to feel much attachment to any of the other characters, even when they were endangered by the events happening in the village. However, Sekken and Ryōtora more than made up for that as they are both fantastic characters. While they’re both Samurai and bound by the rules and the beliefs that come from that lifestyle, they are enriched by their own individual struggles and strengths, and different situations and backgrounds. I felt that they both worked so well, not just because they complimented and contrasted against one another beautifully, but because the slow pace allowed us to witness their struggles, with themselves, the situation and a village that wasn’t particularly welcoming to them, as well as the attraction (and whether to act on it) between them. The emotion of the story very much lay with them, and through their investigation and the development of their relationship, we get a rich tale of honour and duty and love.

This is a book that slides between genres, cresting between mystery and supernatural fantasy, with a vein of slow-burn romance throughout, but the combination of different approaches helps to bring this book to another level. It wasn’t without its faults, but it was an entertaining and impactful read, that went far beyond its supernatural elements to create a very human, emotional story.

Set in Rokugan, the world of the Legend of the Five Rings, The Night Parade of 100 Demons is an appealing story for fantasy fans with or without knowledge of the series. A small town in Dragon lands endures monthly attacks by the spirit world, drawing a Dragon shugenja and a Phoenix scholar to help however they can. Suspenseful and worth re-reading, The Night Parade of 100 Demons draws on Japanese mythology to create a fun and fascinating fantasy novel with a perfectly executed romance that leaves the reader with the lasting impression of wonders and horrors.

Ahoy there me mateys!  I received this fantasy eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  So here be me honest musings . . .

I love Marie Brennan and requested this book based on a) her being the author; and b) it dealing with Japanese folklore.  I did not know that this book took place in a fictional world called the legend of the five rings which apparently is a card and role playing game.  I cannot speak about how it fits into that world but I can speak to how it stands alone.

In this story, Agasha no Isao Ryotora, a samurai goes to a small isolated village to determine why supernatural creatures descend on the town at the full moon leaving destruction and death in their wake.  While there, he unexpectedly meets samurai Asako Sekken from an opposing clan.  The two of them are drawn into a much bigger problem that could destroy the world.  Can they work together and solve the issue?

This book centers around Yōkai, which are historical Japanese monsters, and the legend of the Hyakki Yagyō or parade of demons.  I very much enjoyed getting to learning more about these concepts.  The highlight was the characters.  I loved watching Ryotora and Sekken's relationship develop in the novel.  It is slow-burn in terms of relationship development and plot but unfolded more like an older style myth so I very much enjoyed it.  Additionally, I liked how the chapters switched back and forth between the two samurai.

The mystery itself was fun to watch unfold.  Though the pace was steady, the ending ramped up.  And I adored the ending which is rare for me.  I am very glad that I picked this book up.  Arrrr!

So lastly . . .

Thank you Aconyte Books!

I love Marie Brennan's work but wasn't sure about this one because I had no prior knowledge of the game world it's based in and I have only a smattering of knowledge about Japan's mythological creatures. I requested it anyway and I'm so glad I did.

Apparently I've read more about Japan's yokai than I'd thought, because I recognized a great many of them. The setting was easy to accommodate myself to, as it's just a small mountain village in Imperial Japan.

What really shines here is the two main characters. Ryotoro and Sekken are samurai from different clans who arrive at the town for different reasons that eventually turn out to be the same. Told through alternating perspectives, we get a slow, thoughtful investigation of what exactly has been happening in the village. We also are privy to the secrets they are keeping from one another and their slowly burgeoning attraction as they work to save the village from the rampaging yokai.

I loved the slowly building layers of story and will definitely be seeking out more of Marie Brennan's work.

*Thanks to NetGalley and Aconyte Books fro providing an e-arc to review.

I tried to read this and honestly couldn't get through it, despite loving Marie Brennan so much. It's not a bad book, there's just something about it that's not for me.

I don't want to review a book I couldn't finish so instead I'm going to do a spotlight post for the author/book on the release day!

If this is an issue and you want me to review the parts of the book I did read just let me know and I will!

What a fantastic story! "The Night Parade of 100 Demons" has it all - action, adventure, a bit of mystery, great characters, thrilling story, terrific writing, and a satisfying ending. What more could you ask for?! Maybe a bit of folklore and legend? Yep, has that too! So, go grab yourself a copy - you won't regret it!

My thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley. This review was written voluntarily and is entirely my own, unbiased, opinion.

I enjoyed this book a lot but I found the pacing to be a bit slow, most of the plot doesn’t pick up until the last half/third of the book and it felt like it could have been dispersed better throughout the book instead of backloading the book

Marie Brennan writes some good science fiction. This was no different. A town taken over periodically by everything imaginable. Sounds good to me. But, weirdly, it took me a long time to read this book. I'd put it down and when I started reading again I'd pick up something else. I somehow did not feel engrossed in this town. I wasn't invested in it or any of the characters. It was more like an action movie. A lot happening and entertaining at the time, but not really sticking with me outside of the reading experience.

The Night Parade of 100 Demons* is a tie-in book to the Collectable Card Game/RPG Legend of the Five Rings (commonly referred to as "L5R"). I have basically no familiarity with L5R other than the knowledge of its existence that comes from seeing other authors and people I know who are past fans, but was interested in this novel because of its author: Marie Brennan. Brennan's work that I have read (The Memoirs of Lady Trent, Driftwood) is usually both very character based and anthropologically based, showing cultures under different conditions, and I've always really enjoyed it. So I was interested to pick this up despite my lack of knowledge in the background.

*Note: "The Night Parade of 100 Demons" is a Japanese idiom/myth, and as such, this is not the only book with this title, so you may want to check you get the right title if you are seeking to buy/borrow this.

And The Night Parade of 100 Demons is pretty fun and enjoyable even if you have no background in L5R, featuring two samurai from different clans investigating a village suffering from strange Yokai attacks - all the while each tries not to think about their growing attraction to the other. Brennan imbues both of her very different samurai characters - one a scholar and one essentially a mage who communes with Kami - with very different but excellent characters, and imbues the setting with just the right amount of intrigue to keep the readers' attention. So while this isn't a must read of any sort, or even up to the level of Brennan's other work, it's still a really fun fantasy story involving a Japanese Myth inspired world (or L5R inspired if you're familiar with it) with some extremely slowburn M-M romance on the side.

------------------------------------------------Plot Summary-----------------------------------------------
Dragon samurai Agasha no Isao Ryōtora carries a shameful secret - he was not born into the role of a samurai, but instead into a peasant family in the small village of Seibo Mura. But now, Ryōtora - a shugenja capable of speaking to the kami and asking for their aid - returns to the village of his birth, where two months in a row, on the new moon, a mass of strange yokai have attacked the village and its people. Ryōtora hopes to solve the mystery of what is happening there without being recognized, but to his surprise the village has another Samurai investigating: a Phoenix Samurai named Asako Sekken.

Sekken carries his own secret: he's not supposed to be this far into Dragon territory, and has only come because an inugami, a dog spirit, has been haunting him, and the timing of its visits matches the timing of the Yokai attacks. And so he searches the village from the point of view of a scholar, confused by the seemingly heretical cults that exist there, but mainly looking for an answer to what has happened and its connection to his haunting.

But Sekken and Ryōtora did not and could not expect what they find in Seibo Mura: yokai attacks that make no sense, wards that shouldn't be there, and a people on the edge of panic. But most of all, what neither of them expected was what they each find in the other....and what might be possible if they can survive the potential of another Yokai attack.....
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This book is set in the L5R universe, but Brennan makes it fairly easy for new readers like myself to catch on to how the universe works - the story is essentially inspired by Japanese myth, with Yokai and Kami present and a clear part of this world. You have clans of Samurai and other noble lords each jockeying for power and control, with their own philosophies on how rule should be imposed, and a dedicated L5R fan undoubtedly knows all the details about all these clans. But the story Brennan tells here doesn't require any of that knowledge - all you need to know is that the village is in Dragon lands, that the Dragon and Phoenix clans are not adversaries but have some differing views, and that the tension between them underlies the interactions between our two protagonists, Sekken and Ryōtora. All of this is spelled out through the two protagonist's internal thoughts (we alternate between their point of views) so it's easy for the reader to understand.

And it works so well because both Sekken and Ryōtora are wonderful characters. Ryōtora is a samurai ashamed of his heritage (because the religion/tradition practiced by these characters suggests that to be a samurai requires one to be born as one based upon one's past deeds, and since he wasn't born as one or chosen for his powers, it shows that he isn't worthy) and always acts extraordinarily proper pursuant to the Samurai's code as a result, to try and make up for it. He's also trying to deal with a break up with a lover due to the revelation of his secret, which makes him even more concerned over it. And yet for all this, Ryōtora is clearly pained by it all and always tries to act not just proper, but for good, and when dealing with Sekken, he can't help but feel like he should share his secrets even if he doesn't dare act on the attraction he ultimately feels for Sekken. And of course there's Ryōtora's magical powers that allow him to commune with Kami and to wield their power, which allows him to perform interesting tricks.

Sekken by contrast is both more open and more closed than Ryōtora. His own secret - the fact that he might have a connection to a witch in this village in his blood - is one he's afraid to tell, like Ryōtora for fear of how others will see him if they know. And he's offended by the heretical cultish views held by many of the villagers, who follow a sect that suggests that Samurai and nobles have no higher value or purpose than that of commoners (and in fact that Samurai are the cause of this era's misfortune) - a sect outlawed in Phoenix lands. But at the same time he's a scholar at heart, who is fascinated by the mystery in the village and wants to learn as much about it as possible, taking notes on the various yokai that were seen. Sekken is just as good at heart as Ryōtora - and just as attracted though unwilling to act upon it given that he thinks the attraction is not mutual - and his curiosity and intelligence leads him to think about potential solutions in a way that complements Ryōtora's abilities, and makes the two of them have tremendous chemistry in addition to mutual attraction.

And the plot works with both of these characters wonderfully, forming a strong mystery at first as to what's happening and finishing with dramatic conflicts with Yokai as they try and avoid the worst case scenario - and then concluding with a very satisfying happy ending. Both characters' backgrounds involve them dealing heavily with this universe's version of class issues, as they each grapple with self loathing over their own places within it, while dealing with an entire village of people of the lower class who mainly dislike Samurai in general. And the story uses the tale of yokai and humanity to preach the wonder of humanity, in how they can establish honor and respect through it all and how wonderful it is that they both can do that and can find love through it all. It's all really well done and made me smile at the very end - even if it takes way way too damn long for the two protagonists to act on their mutual attraction.

So yeah, this isn't a must read but it's still a lot of fun and highly enjoyable - if you want a tale of Samurai in a Japanese-inspired world (or are familiar with L5R) who are dealing with both yokai and their own attraction to one another? This is definitely for you.

I requested this book through Netgalley because of it’s author (and the cover to be honest), not knowing anything going into it. I was definitely excited though… and sadly somewhat disappointed.

I love the idea of this. Every full moon a remote village gets attacked by a whole host of mythical and magical creatures, and it is up to two samurai to find out why and stop it. Both samurai have their own secrets, the being born into the village and spirited away at a very young age, the other is haunted by a spirit dog. I loved the idea and the setting was immersive and magical. I am not familiar with the world of Legends of the Five Rings, nor with the Japanse mythology a lot of this is based on, so I cannot judge its accuracy. But for someone as ignorant as me it genuine and like Brennan knows what she is writing about. I would at times get a bit lost in all the different creatures, but again, that is because I am not familiar with them, and I did enjoy looking them up online from time to time.

So why was I disappointed? Well, at no point did I feel invested in the story. While I was reading it I was enjoying myself, but when I put it down I never felt inclined to pick it up again. Nothing really happens till about 85% into the book. The rest is spent talking to villagers and finding out why the attacks happen there. If the book had started with one of such attacks it would have already made a big difference I feel. And sure, Marie Brennan’s Lady Trent books aren’t the most action packed books either. But they have good characters. These guys? Not so much. We switched perspective between the two samurai, but I barely noticed a difference in their inner voice. They are good and proper man… which makes them lack in personality. Only one of the side characters sorta stood out, but again not enough to make me care for her. And then there is the romance… I appreciate the idea, but the execution was so annoying. These two characters are constantly just lusting after each other, but don’t bother to tell each other of their feelings. It is so angsty, which never fails to infuriate me. And it is not like these characters have any chemistry either. I just didn’t care for it whatsoever.

So I am sorry to say I am not a massive fan of this book. It did succeed in making me interested in the world though, so I would love to check out some of the novellas (and hope they suit me better). I ended up giving this a 3* rating. It definitely isn’t a bad book, and I can see people enjoying it for sure. I just needed a bit more from it.

ARC COPY...it's been a long time since I last heard of the "Five Rings" World but still the world building is being upheld and even if you don't know the franchise, there is alot of Japanese mythology style goodness combined with mysterious intrigue. The final battle was a fast paced/yokai joy to enjoy.