Customer Reviews

The Scorpion (Legend of the Five Rings: Clan War, First Scroll)

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is definetely one of the best books I've read in a long time.The author did a great job with character developement and plot. Although I dont play the card game this book caught my interest a long time ago(when i saw the advirtisements for it in other books) and am glad to say it was worth the wait. The story is great and also the backround for it is also great because its different involoving eastern mythology instead of western mythology. Eastern mythology is interesting and this book had a lot of it. The book was also a great start off for what i hope will be a great series. I would highly recommend this book for anyone is into the fantasy genre. I hope the other books in the series will be as great at this one.

As some readers already know, The Scorpion is based on the storyline from the popular Legend of the Five Rings card game. Of course, this doesn't in any way mean that people who have never heard of L5R won't enjoy this book - quite the opposite, in fact.

In order to really explain to you how much I enjoyed this book, I'll have to blather a bit. Bear with me, please.

I play the aforementioned card game (a little) and the role-playing game based on it (avidly). I've spent a small fortune in money and time hunting down information about the very same story and characters revealed in "The Scorpion". I've read every preview, every snippet of spoilers. (And yes, I probably ought to get a life, but my local bookstore doesn't stock them...) When I picked up this book, I knew almost exactly what would happen, who would be involved, and how it would all end.

And still, I couldn't put the book down. That's how good it is. Every word, every scene rang true.

Now, other fans of L5R will probably want to know how the book relates to previously released info. The answer is, very well. There are places where Mr. Sullivan has deviated from 'official' info, but in my opinion these differences don't hurt (and sometimes even enhance) the final result.

I think that's quite enough blabbing from me. Go read this book.

Linda Larsson

I read a lot of fantasy, and am a little tired of the fact that most of it is written using medieval europe as the background culture. So when I saw The Scorpion and realized that it was a fantasy novel written using an Asian backdrop I was pretty excited. I did not realize that this was a book based on a card game. I have never played the card game, but I don't feel that you need to have played it to read this book. Now for the review. This is not a great book, so if you are expecting a masterpiece of fantasy you may be disappointed. Throughout reading it I had the feeling that it was written for a younger age group, perhaps the 12-15 year old crowd. The characterization is very crude. I found that the characters just did not have much depth. But despite that, I did find myself enjoying the book. The plot moves along at a rapid pace. At no point did the book seem to drag. And the ending was pretty good. I think that if you enjoy the Asian culture, and are looking for a quick read that is not your typical fantasy, then you should try this book out. I am planning on continuing the series and finding out what happens.

I have been a fan of the L5R world for a few years now. I expected the books to be a decent story but not have the excitement the is in the actual game. I was wrong. The first book in this series pulls you in from the first page and just doesn't let you go. I would recommend this book to anybody who is at all interested in reading a story good enough for legend. I can't wait to see the other novels. The Clan War story arc will make for a great novel series....

I am just dabbling into this game. I'm not playing it, just getting the game books and reading about the world of Rokugan. I decided to get all the 7 L5R novels and read them before I continue reading the gaming manuals.

Scorpion started out kinda [weak]. It seemed too much like a book made for a role playing game that was required to insert a catacomb here, some giant spiders there, and an ogre for good measure. Roll the dice to see how they fare.

As I kept reading, the story got better. Things started to come together and the ending was pretty intense. I really want to see a live action movie or TV show version of this book. I'd even settle for a cartoon.

I totally recomend this book. It ain't Tolkien, but it's still pretty fun. It's also much easier to read than the Lord of the Rings. I finished it in 5 days of 2 hour reads or so a night.

On to Scroll 2: The Unicorn!!!

Bayushi Shoju has it all: power, a loving wife and son, the respect of his colleagues and the admiration and loyalty of his samurai.

In the span of months, he will become the most reviled man in history, an unwitting catalyst for the slaughter to come, and the man who sacrificed all to save the world, only to doom it.

This is his story.

The book, while riveting in spots, suffers from both the necessary compromise between pleasing the gamers and the wider audiences, and this is most keenly felt in the truly terrible prologue. Fortunately, the book gets much better, and indeed is excellent in many spots (the most vivid of which is Shoju's encounter with Togashi, wherein Shoju asks the wrong questions to get the right answers). Sullivan manages to do the near-impossible, to make Shoju a likeable character, but in doing so he tempers the Scorpion's ruthlessness too much - characters like Kachiko stand out in vivid contrast to Shoju, who certainly doesn't act like the lord of a pack of spies, murderers, and thieves.

On the whole, though, the book is quite excellent, especially for a game novel, and is well worth the time for players and novices alike.

I picked up this series on a whim and unfortunately bought the last book in the series, so I had to search around a little to find this one, but I must say I was quite pleased with it. It has a great Japanese flavor in a setting that is accessible to American readers. There are little snippets of Japanese language and culture throughout to guide along those not familiar with them. Similarly, the setting is established entirely within the novel without a need for prior knowledge of it.

I was only familiar with the setting in passing having skimmed over some of the D20 Oriental Adventures book; which I DO NOT recommend reading before this book series or the one that follows it. The game is set after these stories and the summary of them contains many spoilers for the series.

The plot is pretty simple and straightforward, but the characters are excellent and engaging. I thought the Bayushi (Scorpion) clan was done very well. There was a constant uncertainty whether or not they were noble heroes or power hungry villains kidding themselves.

Despite being the first part of a series, I think the book works better on it's own. In fact I found some of the subsequent books lacking, though this may be due to the different authors writing them. There is also a distinctive theme to each book which represents the traits of the clan. I personally found the Scorpion clan very interesting and I think that helped the book.

There is a nice balance between between intrigue, stealth, magic, and combat throughout the book. I think it will appeal to a broad audience of both fantasy and non-fantasy fans. Those interested in Japanese culture or anime will enjoy this book as well as traditional fantasy fans looking for something different.

I was on the search for some Japanese style fantasy books and came across L5R. I did some research and found it was based on the RPG of the same name. I was hesitant because so many series based on games are rather dull and not the good. Many seem to just sport quantity over quality to make a few extra bucks, but I was still interested. I bought the first in a series of 7 books "The Scorpion". I was very pleased with it.

While this is still a series of books based on an RPG and the quality is apparent, It strives above many of the other series, based on games, that I've read.

I thought the writing was smooth and coherent, and had enough interesting events to keep me reading to the end. One of my favorite aspects of this book was the world. A pseudo ancient Japanese land with samurai, ninja, dragons, and magic, It was very fun to read and made me feel almost as if I was watching a good Kung Fu movie.

I think people who like reading fantasy books based on games or those who enjoy those classic Kung Fu movies and/or anime will like these books. While it might not be a work of genius destined for the history books, it was fun to read.

The only TSR series I am familiar with is the Dragonlance series, a great run of books but a series that has more poor entry's than good ones. I thought that this book, the first in the 'Legends of the 5 Rings' would be a weakly written money grab. Instead, it's a deep and fantastically written novel that opens up a beautiful new world for the reader.

The first book, 'Scorpion' does a great job of painting this new world. The series is pure fantasy, but with a more asian influence which is greatly appreciated. Noble samurai, stalking ninja and dejected ronin all share space with dragons and magic, and it's a refreshing change from the more western influenced fantasy that populates most of the bookshelves.

Great characters also prop up the story. What was appealing about the book was that there were no one-dimensional 'good' or 'evil' characters, just men and women who had their own perspectives. This poses an intriguing problem for the reader, as the fun of cheering the hero and booing the villain becomes an ambiguous task. It all depends on whose motivations you agree with most, and this vague morality made the story all the more enjoyable.

Definately a great read, and at 300 pages proves a slim, quick read that'll introduce you to a bold new world. Highly recomended.

Who are the Scorpion? A clan without honor, made up of assassins and ninja, those you cannot trust.

This is true, but it is also false. The scorpion sacrificed the honor as viewed by the other clans, to the honor of the empire.

This is the story of Honor and Hubris, Disloyalty on one hand but a greater Loyalty on the other, Duty in it's utmost.

The tale weaves through the world as an attempt that eventually resulted in a self-fulfilling prophecy, and a lesson to one that is chosen for, a lesson that is hard to learn.

I highly recommend this book to those who are interested in the world of AEG's Legend of the Five Rings, and to those who are interested in a society that is similar, though not identical, to Feudal Asia (China/Japan). This is a High Fantasy novel, but much of the novel tends to deal more with the mundane world than the fantastic, though you can never truly escape the fantastic.