Customer Reviews

The Samurai's Tale

5 star:		(31)
4 star:		(25)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

This is a beautifully written tale of the life of the orphaned son of a samurai. It is filled with the dramatic changes of fortune that are commonplace in times of war, and imbued with the alien values and atmosphere of ancient Japan.

In the space of a day, the petted son of a noble samurai loses not only his family, but all his status. Rather than being killed with the rest, he unintentionally charms a samurai of the lord who killed his father and family, and is allowed to live - as a servant. Throughout his life, the boy seeks to return to the heights from which he descended. He meets wonderful friends, and learns many hard lessons - always in a state of war, or on the edge of it.

This is an excellent tale, filled with adventure and contemplation both. As is obvious by the schoolkids reviews on this site, it is not necessarily for the average child. But an intelligent kid, who is a good reader, and capable of understanding the differences between cultures, will enjoy this coming-of-age adventure.

I found this book to be a beautifully written tale of the life of an orphaned son of a samurai. One of the aspects I enjoyed the most about Erik Haugaard's Samurai's Tale is that the novel's story line is deeply sub-merged in war, friendship, love and death. I especially liked all of the various morals found within the novel's text. For example, one of the morals was "no one wins a war, just one side losses less." There were also dramatic changes of fortune that are common place in time of war, such as death. This is an excellent adventure book because of its enormous amount of suspense, that is the main reason why I like this novel so much. For example there is one scene where 10,000 samurai charge an enemies castle, the author does an exquisite job on making you want to find out what happens next. Erik Haugaard's novel does an excellent job of exposing its readers to the lives and culture of the upper classes of ancient Japan. This novel offers a window to the alien values and atmosphere of ancient Japan.

This very well written novel is set at the beginning of the period that saw the unification of Japan under the Tokugawa shogunate. There is an excellent and unsentimental depiction of feudal life and the often horrifying warfare of that period. Haugard is able to make his characters sympathetic without sacrificing their historical reality. As with many fine juvenile novels, the maturation of the main character is a central element. In this book, the concept of loyalty and the conflicts between feudal loyalty and family loyalty are important themes. Recommended strongly for early teens.

This adventure will stay with you and won't let go. We are 5 sixth graders who were assigned "Samurai's Tale" by our language arts teacher. It kept us reading for nights and we ended up finishing weeks before the deadline. This story takes you through the feudal period in Japan with a young orphan named Taro; his dream is to become a samurai just like his dad. Read The Samurai's Tale to see if Taro's dream comes true.

The Story Of The Young Samurai The Samurai's Tale by Eric C. Haugaard is an interesting and well-written book and appeals to anyone who enjoys an adventure. After his family gets killed and the estate gets ruined, young and devastated Taro is captured and made into a servant under Lord Akiyama. He starts out as a young stable boy and grows into a very skilled warrior. When Taro is forced into war he must leave behind his close friends and the girl that he loves. The action-packed novel describes the long adventure of Taro and Lord Akiyama's army battling the stronger army of their rival, Oda Nobuaga. I would recommend this book because it is action-packed and teaches the reader about some of the life styles of servants in Japan. An example of some of the action in this book is when the young warrior Taro is on his horse in the mountains and checking for bandits, he suddenly sees a samurai who is his enemy. Taro then draws his sword and starts to fight and then stabs his enemy and kills the samurai. An example of when the reader sees the life styles of a servant is when Taro is a stable boy and you see the living conditions of a stable boy in Japan. The living conditions are pretty harsh because he doesn't get nearly enough food and he works for nothing. He also sleeps in the freezing cold on beds that aren't good to sleep on. There are many fascinating parts in the story that make the book interesting and enjoyable. Even though this book is action packed and informative at some points of the book the book is really slow moving. For example in the beginning of the book it takes a while for the action to start piling on. Also in many places in the book, for many pages, Taro is just thinking to himself. Except this is not a good enough reason to not read the book because there is still so much action that it doesn't really matter if there are a couple of slow moving parts because these slow moving parts are almost always informative. So if you like a good adventure and lots of action, then read the book The Samurai's Tale!

This is the story of a boy named Murakami, whose family gets killed when he is not yet five. Soldiers want to kill him, but he defends himself, which saves his life. Someone gives him "as a present" to Lord Akiyama, a samurai who is fighting to help his master, Takeda Shingen, become Shogun.

The story is GREAT and there are a lot of parts to it. There is a part about his childhood, about how he became a samurai, about how he fell in love with a girl named Aki-Hime. Some parts can be boring but overall it is a fantastic book and a touching story!

The Samurai's Tale is the story of Taro, later known as Murakami Harutomo. His entire is family is killed except for him. He is taken in as a kitchen worker for Lord Akiyama Nobutomo. After witnessing the death of his master Togan, Lord Akiyama makes him a stable boy. From a stable boy he becomes a messenger for his lord. After that he becomes a warrior. He works his way up the ranks and becomes a samurai and one of the most trusted retainers of Lord Akiyama. However, he loses his master to Lord Oda Nobunaga. Now he is a ronin and knows he must take revenge for his master.
This book is one of the best books I have ever read. It has lots of action and feeling in it. I especially liked the part about the siege of Irwamura Castle. It shows Lord Akiyama's brilliance as a military strategist. I would recommend this book to anyone because it is a very interesting book with real facts about Medieval Japan.

The Samurai

This book offers excellent input into the lives and Culture of the upper classes of ancient Japan. The Samurai, begins with a young boy, the son of an honored military hero. News of his fathers death has just reached the household, along with the news that the victorious army is approaching their home. Unaware of the danger, the boy is shocked and disgusted when his mother forces him into the clothes of a servant and orders him and his nursemaid to hide in the cellars of their manor. For a day and a night they reside there, with no idea of outside goings ons. Then suddenly they hear voices from outside the room and are soon discovered. Pulled back into the light of day, they are led throughout the house that was once their own. Lying on the blood soaked floor he sees the butchered forms of his mother and her servants. He stares, unmoving in his shock until he is pulled away. Without explanation he is taken from the house and marched far away, to the house of a lord where he than serves, constantly attempting to recover the lost respect that his name once held. Slowly, and with a series of masters and events, he gets what he most desires, while discovering that it mattered not. A fine novel, it is highly recommended. This book offers an informative and entertaining view of life in ancient Japan.

I was browsing my school library on an impulse and this book popped out sinse I have just seen "The Last Samuri" and I picked it up and rented it on a whim, just to see what it was. I already was reading a good book, but couldnt set "The Samuri's Tale" down once I started it. This is one of the most amazing books I have ever read, the things I have learned from it keep me turning pages and my favorite I have heard so many good quotes and buetiful metaphors I cannot stop reading. After reading a few chapters I finally looked at who wrote it, I was amazed that it wasnt a Japanese guy. The detail and grapping story have touched me, not that this book is by any means boring or uneventful, there is fighting and death and saddness and drops of joy that comes w/ it and always reminding you to keep hope and work hard.

I read this book for a school report, and I didn't expect it to be very good. After I read the first page, I was hooked. I couldn't stop reading! Somehow, Haugaard combined history, action, sadness, joy, romance, and wisdom all in one amazing book. This book is the best book I have ever read, and don't let anyone tell you any diffrent.