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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
The Slip-N-Slide Descent into Evil..., June 25, 2001
By A Customer
This review is from: The Crab (Legend of the Five Rings: Clan War, Fifth Scroll) (Mass Market Paperback)
Hida Kisada is a man who has spent fifty years fighting evil. Not some distant, vague concept of evil, but the actual thing: undead, demons, goblins, and the like. Every day, for fifty years, he has fought them or planned to fight them. So why is it that he hooks up with them so willingly? Granted, the initial offer takes two years for Kisada to mull over, but after that, it's easy - he sacrifices his clan's purpose, his desire for peace, and his son's soul all in one day. Let me say that again: he effectively sells out everything he believes in, in a single day. To be certain, this book isn't absolutely terrible. It's just that, as written, Kisada's not half the man Bayushi Shoju was (see the first novel in this series, there to find a similar character in a similar, but better-written, situation). Worse, Kisada's not a tragic hero - he's a blundering idiot. He makes the kind of flagrant mistakes that should get people questioning his sanity and competence. Finally, stay far, far away from this novel if you don't like the word "ropy" being used more often than the word "the." What makes this novel worse than the Unicorn novel is that the Unicorn author at least had the excuse that the Unicorn never did anything. The Crab were arguably the biggest players in the Clan War, but you couldn't tell that from this.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Despite Few Faults, Character Development Makes Book Great, June 25, 2003
This review is from: The Crab (Legend of the Five Rings: Clan War, Fifth Scroll) (Mass Market Paperback)
I really love this series, and while this is one of the better books of the series it most certainly isn't the best. I think there is very good character development, however you can way too easily see what is going to happen by the end of the book - while there are some twists and turns you from the middle of the book onward know what is going to happen. It does help make sense as to why the Crab would align with their age old enemy, and it does help the rest of the story unfold nicely. I think Kisada is a very well written interesting character who is torn between his own ambitions, his clan, the magic placed upon him, and his ever increasing age. I wish the author had delved more into the character of Sukune, and I also did not like how he spoke of the hidden love between Sukune and Yamako but never ever showed it. Yamako seemed to only have a deep hatred towards his brother by the middle of the book. It is too drastic of a change, and while I can see the attempted show of Yamako's change as a man it was too sudden. Also the author pulls the Hida sister out of NOWHERE, and that is a little surprising considering she didn't come into play until towards the very end of the book. The book can also be a little repetitious at times, such as how many zillion times he explains the murderous rage that Amarao goes into when he fights in battle, and some of the descriptions he uses over and over again. However, the great character development and the interesting storyline make it one of the better books of the series.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
For the Crab, the Wall is everything, the beginning and the, August 12, 2001
This review is from: The Crab (Legend of the Five Rings: Clan War, Fifth Scroll) (Mass Market Paperback)
The Crab Clan have guarded Rokugan for centuries, fighting from the wall. Life begins at the wall, Life ends at the wall, the book reflects this admirably. The Crab depend on their strength and their Iron Will, they serve by protecting the empire, not through politics. However, as in life, Politics impacts their service. A strong empire provides what the Crab needs to do their duty, a weak one does not. When does the duty to the Crab outweigh the Duty to the empire. When is the Strength of the Crab enough to stand alone against the taint? That is delved into in this book. As the other books in the Clan War Scrolls, the central dilemma is a struggle between duty and perception of duty, and a struggle of personal desire against duty. In the Crab, this struggle is very visible. What this book does do is continue the progress of the series. The story covers the longest time of any of the books thus far, and although it doesn't agree completely with the other books as far as events, but then I assume that every book is written from a specific clan-oriented point of view. I would reccomend the book if you have been reading the Clan War Scrolls, or if you are interested Fantasy with a Shogun style flair.
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