GENPEI
Kara Dalkey
Tor Books, 2001
ISBN:0-312-89071-0
Reality and fantasy collide in this engrossing tale of two warring clans
vying for power, prestige and the chance to influence the man who sits on
the chrysanthemum throne. Setting her tale in Japan during the last days
of the Heian period (roughly 1153-1185 C.E.),
Dalkey (Blood of the Goddess) deftly uses her knowledge of Japanese
culture, mannerisms and bloodthirsty politicking to chronicle the
wars of rebellion and counter-rebellion that end in the death of the
emperor and the rise of the first Japanese shogun.
Two rival clans,
the Taira and the Minamoto, clash numerous times over a period of 30
years, with each clan calling on the aid of demons or gods to gain
superiority and power. Did demons and gods play a part in the brutal
wars of competing emperors and the rise of the Japanese shogunate?
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