Did you miss ColussusCon Merced last week? We missed you too!
LifesAmazingJourney just posted a wonderful vid talking to many of the authors, artists, cosplayers, and fans. The conversation with Risuko author David Kudler starts at 2:37 — but check out the other wonderful, talented folk! Continue reading Video: Risuko author David Kudler @ColossusCon!
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I was going to post my review of Empire of Storms over on my own blog, but it occurred to me that folks here might be more interested in what I had to say. Have you read the Throne of Glass books? What do you think?
By the way, I avoided spoilers for the book as best I could, and have hidden spoilers for the series behind the cut. — David Kudler
As someone with an interest in YA novels about female teen assassins, I’ve enjoyed Sarah J. Maas’s Throne of Glass series. The latest volume, Empire of Storms, delivers all of the pleasures that have made the previous installments addictive — fast-moving action, well-thought-through epic fantasy, and, at its center, the snarky, sneaky assassin-heroine Celaena Sardothien Continue reading Review: Empire of Storms is a hurricane of epic fantasy
Look what came in the mail today!
Foreword Reviews gave Risuko: A Kunoichi tale a spotlight, five-star review in this quarter’s issue. (Oh, and notice that they used the cover as the central design!)
Risuko is an artfully crafted novel that evokes a heavy sense of place and enchantment. The world in which Risuko lives is filled with lords and ladies, spies, and complicated battles, not all of which are fought out on the field. Lady Chiyome especially is an interesting figure, with a depth that is mirrored in the complicated relationships in the rest of the tale. Risuko becomes an interesting blend of both the historical and the magical, and the stakes of the story are enormous. In turn, Risuko’s development and evolution are fascinating to watch in this powerful and relentless coming-of-age adventure.
Nice. Not only am I happy that they liked the book, but I’m really pleased with what they liked about the book.
What do you think?
Foreword is a leading trade review journal of independently published books. We like them. Especially right now.
I’m going back to working on Bright-Eyes now. 🙂
David Kudler’s teen historical adventure novel Risuko: A Kunoichi Tale is on sale through Thursday, August 18 only. Buy the ebook for just $0.99 on Amazon’s Kindle Store!
Samurai, assassins, warlords…Though Japan has been devastated by a century of civil war, Risuko just wants to climb trees. Growing up far from the battlefields and court intrigues, the fatherless girl finds herself pulled into a plot that may reunite Japan — or may destroy it. She is torn from her home and what is left of her family, but finds new friends at a school that may not be what it seems.
Magical but historical, Risuko follows her along the first dangerous steps to discovering who she truly is.
Kano Murasaki, called Risuko (Squirrel) is a young, fatherless girl, more comfortable climbing trees than down on the ground. Yet she finds herself enmeshed in a game where the board is the whole nation of Japan, where the pieces are armies, moved by scheming lords, and a single girl couldn’t possible have the power to change the outcome.
Or could she?
We’ve completed recording on the audiobook of Risuko!
Here’s an interview by author David Kudler with audiobook narrator Julia Kudler — who happens to be his daughter. They discuss kickass female characters, character voices, dialects, and the joys of recording a book she first read when she was twelve: Risuko: A Kunoichi Tale.
NOTE: CONTAINS SOME SPOILERS!
Though Japan has been devastated by a century of civil war, Risuko just wants to climb trees. Growing up far from the battlefields and court intrigues, the fatherless girl finds herself pulled into a plot that may reunite Japan — or may destroy it. She is torn from her home and what is left of her family, but finds new friends at a school that may not be what it seems.
Magical but historical, Risuko follows her along the first dangerous steps to discovering who she truly is.
Historical adventure fiction appropriate for young adult and middle-grade readers
White Robes, the first of the Kunoichi Companion Tales series of prequel stories to Risuko, is now available to pre-order on Amazon’s Kindle Store!
“White Robes” introduces Lady Mochizuke Chiyome, a recent war widow who is mired in grief. She has become tired of mourning, tired of wearing the white robes that are the traditional Japanese garb of the grieving. On the road, she encounters two young women who open her eyes to a whole new purpose in life — and a new way to end Japan’s century-old civil war.
There are six planned stories: Continue reading Pre-order White Robes now! (Risuko prequel)
I went to see Ghostbusters last night with my wife and my daughter Julia. As we were driving home, we were talking about how funny the movie was, and Julia brought up how much grumbling there had been among her friends — particularly among her male friends — about the fact that the leads were cast as women.
That got me thinking about gender roles, and (not surprisingly) about Risuko.
Here’s how my thinking went: gender difference exists. Vive la difference, and all of that. (I’m not even going to get into issues of gender fluidity or sexuality here — it’s a complicated enough issue looked at through a binary lens. Sorry.) It exists, but in art and entertainment, does it matter? Continue reading Ghostbusters, Risuko, and when gender matters
In a recent interview with book blog A Cup Full of Tea and an Armload of Books, Risuko author David Kudler talks writing, publishing, inspiration, writing history as fantasy, and much more. Continue reading Interview: David Kudler Talks Risuko
John Byrne Barry, award-winning author of political and crime thrillers, interviewed Risuko author David Kudler for the Bay Area Independent Publishers Association web site on the day of Risuko’s release.
In the interview, Kudler discusses the writing process, including:
Continue reading Interview: Risuko author David Kudler talks writing
