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Summary
Summary
It looks like an accident: a suspension bridge, its cables snapped, a boy tumbling from a carriage into the river. But the wandering moribito Balsa recognizes it for what it is: no less than an attempt at assassination. For the boy is the second Prince Chagum, and the secret he carries could destroy the foundation of the empire. Now Balsa must protect the prince as he delivers that secret--the great egg of the Water Spirit--to its source in the northern sea. But they will find themselves hunted by two deadly enemies: the egg-eating monster Rarunga...and the prince's own father. This extraordinary new fantasy (soon to be a major anime TV series on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim) merges the deep well of Eastern myth with the Western fantasy tradition, for a novel that's as rich in place and culture as it is hard to put down.
Author Notes
NAHOKO UEHASHI is a former anthropologist, an experience that informs the rich fantasy backgrounds of her novels. She lives in Tokyo, Japan. CATHY HIRANO's translation of The Friends by Kazumi Yumoto won the Batchelder Award and the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award for Fiction. She lives in Tokyo, Japan.
Reviews (4)
Horn Book Review
In this vivid, suspenseful martial arts story, Balsa, a female bodyguard and skilled warrior, is hired to protect the Second Queen's son from assassins. The prince is the Moribito, host to a water spirit whose death would bring drought to the country. Despite some flat characters, the thrilling action and thoughtful prose create an intelligent and exciting fantasy. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
Booklist Review
This Japanese import features many familiar martial-arts fantasy elements: magic, nonstop action, swordplay, a puzzling myth, dangerous plot twists, and a strong-willed, flawed hero on a quest. What's surprising is that the hero is a slightly wrinkled, weather-beaten, thirty-year-old heroine: Balsa Spear-wielder, an itinerant bodyguard. After Balsa saves Chagum, the son of the Mikado, following a freak accident, Chagum's mother hires Balsa to protect him; she is certain that Chagum will be murdered because he is host to a mythical creature, a fact that belies the divine nature of the Mikado. Balsa must solve a mystery involving the creature and protect Chagum from both the Mikado's elite forces and an otherworldly monster. Guardian will sell itself in booktalks: the story is intriguing, and Balsa is a smart, crotchety, fully realized heroine. Even the minor characters are interesting. Uehashi's Moribito series is enormously popular in Japan, and if the remaining nine stories are as enjoyable as this one, boys and girls here will be clamoring to read them.--Sherman, Chris Copyright 2008 Booklist
School Library Journal Review
Gr 5 Up-This fantasy takes place in a land reminiscent of ancient Japan, populated by the indigenous Yakoo people and the immigrant Yogo who now rule. Both peoples tell a story of a child and a water spirit but with much different details. For the Yogo, the child was possessed by a water demon, while for the Yakoo, the water spirit was essential to prevent a horrendous drought. Now, it seems that this spirit has returned and is somehow living in Prince Chagum, and his father feels that he must have his son assassinated to defeat the demon. Chagum's mother prevails upon Balsa, a bodyguard-for-hire, to flee the capital with Chagum. Balsa is wounded after fighting off four of the assassins and seeks shelter with her friend Tanda, a healer. As she begins to train Chagum in life outside the palace, Tanda and his teacher Torogai begin researching Yakoo folklore and employing magic to discover more about this water spirit. In the meantime, the Yogo Star Readers research their records. Only through their combined studies are they able to learn the nature of the true danger and the means to defeat it. Whether from the original or through the translation, there are a few rough spots in the dialogue. Still, this book should appeal to fans of medieval and fantasy manga and of Usagi Yojimbo. The forthcoming manga and anime will also create interest.-Eric Norton, McMillan Memorial Library, Wisconsin Rapids, WI (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
This newly translated 1996 Japanese fantasy has spawned nine sequels, a radio drama, a manga comic book and an anime television series in Japan. In New Yogo, a magical land that vaguely resembles medieval Japan (as a typical Western fantasy vaguely resembles medieval Europe), children and adults work together to save the nation from ravenous demons. The wandering spear-fighting heroine Balsa is hired as a bodyguard for the Mikado's 11-year-old son. Prince Chagum is possessed by a water demon, and his mother is afraid that the Mikado will have the boy killed. Balsa spirits the boy into the woods where she spends a winter teaching him independence and martial skills. Balsa, 25, with her tragic past and love story, is the real protagonist here, with Chagum's coming-of-age playing second fiddle to her heroic adventure. While the disparate ages of the protagonists might seem unusual to Western fantasy fans, seasoned manga readers should be less surprised. Jam-packed with monstrous combat, ethnic conflicts and complex mythologies, Balsa and Chagum's story will win many new fans for this series. (Fantasy. 10-12) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
