6 used & new from $49.84

Have one to sell? Sell yours here
 
 
Lightning in the Void: The Authentic History of Miyamoto Musashi
 
See larger image
 
Tell the Publisher!
I’d like to read this book on Kindle

Don’t have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here.
 
  

Lightning in the Void: The Authentic History of Miyamoto Musashi (Paperback)

~ John Carroll (Author)
3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)


Available from these sellers.


1 new from $131.73 5 used from $49.84

Formats

Amazon Price New from Used from
  Hardcover -- -- --
  Paperback -- $131.73 $49.84

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

The Lone Samurai: The Life of Miyamoto Musashi

The Lone Samurai: The Life of Miyamoto Musashi

by William Scott Wilson
4.3 out of 5 stars (20)  $16.32
Miyamoto Musashi: His Life and Writings

Miyamoto Musashi: His Life and Writings

by Kenji Tokitsu
4.8 out of 5 stars (20)  $23.10
Explore similar items

Editorial Reviews

Review

A result is what the popular press calls "a terrific read," completely takes over and rivets reader to the page. -- Donald Ritchie, The Japan Times, March 2006

A result is what the popular press calls "a terrific read," completely takes over and rivets reader to the page. --Donald Ritchie, The Japan Times, March 2006

Lightning in the Void is a page-turner. Most readers will want to discover what's next. -- Hillel Wright, Tokyo Metropolis, April 21, 2006

Lightning in the Void is a page-turner. Most readers will want to discover what's next. --Hillel Wright, Tokyo Metropolis, April 21, 2006

Product Details

  • Paperback: 520 pages
  • Publisher: Printed Matter Press (March 1, 2006)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1933606029
  • ISBN-13: 978-1933606026
  • Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.6 x 1.6 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
  • Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
  • Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,336,524 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

Miyamoto Musashi: His Life and Writings
35% buy
Miyamoto Musashi: His Life and Writings 4.8 out of 5 stars (20)
$23.10
The Lone Samurai: The Life of Miyamoto Musashi
33% buy
The Lone Samurai: The Life of Miyamoto Musashi 4.3 out of 5 stars (20)
$16.32
Musashi
26% buy
Musashi 4.8 out of 5 stars (129)
$23.10
Lightning in the Void: The Authentic History of Miyamoto Musashi
6% buy the item featured on this page:
Lightning in the Void: The Authentic History of Miyamoto Musashi 3.0 out of 5 stars (1)

Tags Customers Associate with This Product

 (What's this?)
Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
 

Your tags: Add your first tag
 

Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store

If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store. Learn more

 

Customer Reviews

1 Review
5 star:    (0)
4 star:    (0)
3 star:
 (1)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
3.0 out of 5 stars (1 customer review)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars almost no tale, but lots of body, April 21, 2008
By cocktail sage "cocktail sage" (Oakland, CA USA) - See all my reviews
  
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This is a very interesting book, but very little of it is about Musashi - perhaps a third. The author's knowledge of Japan of this period is truly encyclopedic, but at times you feel like you are reading a Lonely Planet guidebook to 17th century Japan, not a novel about one man. There are long sections on the invasion of Korea (in which Musashi did not participate), sections on Shingon and other types of esoteric buddhism which he did not practice, the personalities of Hideyoshi's lieutenants and rivals (who we never meet). The further you get into the book, the more infrequently we find Musashi, or where Musashi is present in a scene merely to ask a question or listen to a monologue about some unrelated aspect of Japanese history - such as pages 421 - 445 where we learn that Lord Fukushima Masanori of Hiroshima really hated Ishida Mitsunari - and Ishida is presented as being a very very unpleasant person. This is presented in the form of a drunken monologue that Musashi sits through, but has no other relevance to the book. For those who have spent time in Japan and had to sit and listen to drunken monologues by superiors, this will enable you to vividly re-live those awful experiences.

For example, starting at page 95, the following sections are background, context, or irrelevant: 95-101; 125-130; 137-163; 179-200. That's ~58 pages out of 105, and as the book progresses it gets worse.

The book is 518 pages, were it cut down to about 250-300 pages it would be a terrific read. Its all well written, but much is too little relevant. Frankly, when the two reviewers say its a page turner, I have to assume that they meant that they were turning pages to skip them, I can't imagine that people who are not at least amateur scholars of Japanese history could read the whole book.

For the reader who is not familiar with Musashi, the historical Musashi is a man about whom very little is known. The author presents what seems to me to be quite a likely portrait of Musashi - as a man with absolutely no scruples whatsoever, and raises the completely valid question of why Musashi lived in Edo but never challenged the most famous martial artists of the day - even those who lived and taught in Edo - such as Yagyu Muneyori and his senior students. Compared with other fiction and biographies, the author does put less emphasis on Musashi's accomplishments as an artist / artisan - sumie drawings, forging tsuba, etc.

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)


Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 
 
Only search this product's reviews



Customer Discussions

This product's forum
Discussion Replies Latest Post
No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
 

Search Customer Discussions
Search all Amazon discussions
   




Product Information from the Amapedia Community

Beta (What's this?)


Look for Similar Items by Category


Look for Similar Items by Subject

Search Books by subject:




i.e., each book must be in subject 1 AND subject 2 AND ...
 

Feedback

If you need help or have a question for Customer Service, contact us.
 Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
Is there any other feedback you would like to provide?

Your comments can help make our site better for everyone.



Your Recent History

 (What's this?)

After viewing product detail pages or search results, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in.