Customer Reviews

The Dragon Scroll (Sugawara Akitada)

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

With her third mystery in three years, I. J. Parker continues her series featuring Akitada Sugawara, a twenty-five-year-old member of the nobility whose family is no longer influential in the emperor's court in 11th century Japan. When three yearly tax shipments from Kazusa province disappear without a trace, Akitada, a minor official in the Ministry of Justice, is assigned to investigate, a task he accepts enthusiastically, believing it to be a great honor. Traveling through the cold countryside by horseback in the "Gods-Absent Month" of November, Akitada is accompanied by an elderly family retainer, Seimei.

From the outset, Parker creates a fast-paced and exciting narrative which keeps the reader interested both in the action and in the revelations of eleventh century culture and tradition. In the first fifty pages, the reader experiences the murder of a beautiful noblewoman, the gruesome death of a prostitute, the attempted robbery of Akitada and subsequent fight to the death with robbers, the attempted assault of a young deaf-mute woman by several Buddhist monks, and a violent attack on a member of Akitada's party by a female martial artist of enormous skill.

Though this novel is the most recent Parker novel to be published, the story line occurs chronologically earlier than both The Rashomon Gate and The Hell Screen, two previous mysteries in the same series. Akitada is a young bachelor here, meeting Tora, a powerful aide who appears in both the previous books, for the first time. As Akitada tries to discover the fate of the tax convoys, he investigates the death of the retired governor of the province, observes the behavior of "monks" who seem unfamiliar with traditional ceremonies, investigates unsavory neighborhoods and elegant residences, and falls in love. The action develops gradually, and builds to a conclusion that is filled with fireworks.

The cultural separation between noble and commoner, the tension between the Buddhist and Shinto religions, and details about government and cultural traditions are included very naturally within the story. Parker develops her characters realistically, allowing her readers to identify with them, also including unusual characters whose idiosyncrasies make them memorable--the Rat, a beggar-informer; Higekuro, a former member of the nobility who is now the paralyzed director of a martial arts school; and Otomi, the deaf-mute artist whose sketches of a monastery figure in the investigation. Often humorous, Parker creates a well-developed and exciting mystery about a different kind of detective, continuing a series which deserves to draw many new readers! Mary Whipple

Historical mysteries are like comedy -- either they work or they don't, and there is no middle ground. This mystery, the first of what I hope will be a long series, works wonderfully well. It is thoroughly grounded in the world of early medieval Japan, and it carries its immense learning and scholarship so lightly that only if you've read Japanese history for this period will you realize just how sound its view of Sugawara Akitada and his world is. The writing is always clear, amusing when it wants to be, and deeply moving at the right times. The plotting is sure and sensible, and the mystery unfolds at just the right pace. I read this one and immediately sought out the next. Highest recommendation.

Cutting to the chase, this is simply a good quick read, nothing more. It is the perfect book to read at the beach or on a plane. The writing is not very deep, vivid or profound. Despite how this book is promoted, do not expect to learn a lot about ancient Japan nor culture. Do not expect this to be a book about samurais since the period portrayed is before the age of the samurai. Do not even expect a classic intense mystery thriller since it becomes obvious early on who did the crime. Instead expect a book that goes out of its way to explain the class differences between nobility and peasants.

Despite all of this, I found it enjoyable only because the setting was interesting. My only major complaint about this book was the sex. I found the description awkward, lacking passion and out of context to the point where had it been omitted I would have assumed that the target audience for this book was young adults.

Still, its good quick read.

I have read few mystery books/novels over the years but I do enjoy material concerning Japan and China (I was stationed in Japan for two years), and when I saw this at the store I decided to give it a shot. I'm glad I did. I enjoyed it throughout. It was difficult for me to put down once I picked it up. Besides the ancient Japanese setting, I also enjoyed the humor that the author found time to put in. I look forward to reading the other novels in this series.

Parker's prose is mediocre at best. The awkward dialogue is the most embarrassing part of her writing. The story itself is mildly interesting, although the mystery is not complex and the resolution lacks drama and suspense. The villains are murderous, pederast monks: they rape boys because it makes them more monstrous, of course. Not because it has anything to do with the mystery. But their abuse of boys makes no sense: Parker claims that they attach themselves to boys because Buddhist monks aren't allowed to be with women. Why Parker's faux-monks would pay attention to that rule, but not to the rule forbidding murder and theft, is beyond me. She never addresses this paradox - no doubt she's never thought of it. The main character is an interesting creation, though I wish another, more talented, writer had thought of him.

This is the third book by I. J. Parker though timewise, the action takes place before the other two. It is an interesting look into the ways of ancient Japan with the plus of being an excellent mystery to boot. I find the characters believable - I wouldn't have read all three books if I hadn't. The premise of the book is that the main character is sent to a province to investigate the disappearance of taxes being sent to the capital. To say more would give away the whole plot.

Having read two of the Akitada thrillers I am really impressed. The books are historically sound, there is psychology in the characters, there is plenty of mystery, great plots, some love. In short a very good read. I am hooked. I have bought all of them. These stories may even be better than Robert van Gulik's Judge Dee stories.
What I particularly like is the understanding of the different layers of ancient Japanese society and their interaction. A joy to read.

The third in the series by I.J. Parker, The Dragon Scroll features young Sugawara Akitada, an impoverished samurai of noble birth serving as a government clerk at the Ministry of Justice. Sugawara is assigned to investigate the disappearance of tax convoys in the distant province of Kazusa, a seemingly impossible mission. He is accompanied by his loyal family retainer and trusted companion, Seimei. Along the way, Sugawara and Seimei befriend Tora, an army deserter who becomes his servant, and a familiar character in the Sugawara Akitada series.

Sugawara must exercise his full powers of diplomacy as he examines the accounts of the outgoing governor Fujiwara Motosuke, soon-to-be father-in-law of the Emperor and confronts Master Joto, the Abbot of the local temple. It is while hunting down the lost tax convoys, that Sugawara comes across evidence of several seemingly unrelated murders - that of a lady-in-waiting of the imperial household in the capital, of a retired former governor of Kazusa province, of local prostitutes in Fujisawa and Kazusa provinces.

Fortunately, Sugawara's good nature and honesty win him friends and allies. He is accompanied by his loyal family retainer and trusted companion, Seimei. Along the way, Sugawara befriends Tora, an army deserter who becomes his servant, and a familiar character in the Sugawara Akitada series. Sugawara is also aided by Higekuro, a crippled instructor in martial arts and Higekuro's two lovely and unconventional daughters.

Review:

I like escapist fiction very much and I'm partial to detective novels that are set in an unusual time or place. The Sugawara Akitada series, set in Ancient Japan, piqued my interest immediately. The style and language fully communicate a different time and place. The dialogue, interaction between the characters, the description of landscape, customs, and culture work so that you are always aware that the action is going on in a very different time and place. However, at the same time, Sugawara and his colleagues are very accessible and I found myself sympathizing with their problems, heartaches, and difficulties and hoping for their triumphs.

I recommend this book to anyone looking for an unusual detective series and with a fondness for Japanese history and culture.

these books are a very poor imitation of the Judge Dee Mysteries by Robert von Gulik. Find the Judge Dee books rather than these wannabe books.

Tora Tora Tora. Always getting lost; always finding a poor defenceless waif as in susequant novels. He just takes up way too much of the plot for me.