A brilliant mix of horror and dark fantasy that kept me hooked.
It's a fascinating story, great storytelling and character development.
I never played the Legend of the Five Ring nor read any books set in this universe that I found well developed and rich of details.
I want to read other books set in this world, highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Desperate to get the last supplies of the year delivered safely to Striking Dawn castle and scrape up some evidence of his own worthiness Hida Haru of the Crab Clan finds himself forced to seek shelter for his caravan in a cave, least it be devoured by the coming blizzard. In finding shelter he stumbles across a city lost to time and history. A city that threatens the safety of Striking Dawn and, through it, the Rakugan empire itself. A city that Haru sees as his chance at greatness, only to bring disaster when his return expedition is all but lost and a rescue must be mounted. A rescue that will bring darkness and death to Striking Dawn and a much changed Haru.

With Curse of Honor David Annadale pens a story that, in turns, frustrated me deeply and delighted me. The characters were a similar blend of greatly enjoyable and eye roll worthy, being well written on both counts. There is so much about the latter half of the book that I would very much like to talk about, because it is often quite well handled, but I find myself trying to write around spoilers for the story.

This is a book that took me far longer to read from its first third than it did the entire rest of the story and that lands entirely on the shoulders of the starting protagonist Hida Haru, the son of the reigning Damiyo and bitter disappointment to both his family and the castle of Striking Dawn. Haru finds the perfect blend of pathetic self loathing and complete confidence that if he just accomplishes this one big thing then all of his failures will be erased and he will have proven himself worthy. He is exactly the character who would open his home to demonic invasion in a vain attempt to gain approval. Exactly the character needed to set up the plot of Curse of Honor. And being exactly that character is a testament to Annadale’s writing, no joke. I just found myself really wishing that there was less of Haru’s point of view early on, he is well written and a character of his type was needed for the story, he just slowed everything down and made the early parts of the book easy to put down and start looking for other things to do.

What saved it for me was that last two thirds of the book, where the terror of Night’s Hunger is on the attack and things are getting dangerous for the inhabitants of Striking Dawn and they find themselves being played against each other. The change of protagonists also helps a great deal. Barako is everything that Haru could not be. She has the respect of the other samurai of Striking Dawn and a history of martial accomplishments. And while she finds herself in this position of having to try and solve the mystery of who the oni is and stop it before Striking Dawn can tear itself apart, it feels dangerous but like something that can be solved. The second half of Curse of Honor walks a sort of tight rope between the horror aspects of the oni attacking people and the tension of Barako trying to keep Striking Dawn from eating itself from the inside due to politics and a breakdown of communication. Annadale created this fantastic creeping tension that built in waves as the oni stalked Striking Dawn before finally breaking at the book’s climax. It felt well plotted and thought out.

At the end of the day, I think Barako really won me over on Curse of Honor because of how much the book turned around at around the same time she took over as protagonist. Her dedication to duty and honor lead to some pretty serious personal tragedy that I, admittedly, delighted in even as I found myself wishing for something happier but less fitting. She brought the book up from being a story in which I hoped nearly any other character would take the protagonist spot to a point where I could appreciate the quality of the character work and the writing itself. The plot is solid and seems to be, if not disconnected from, a little distanced from any plot that might have happened within the Legend of the Five Rings setting proper, which makes it a good way to get a feel for the setting without needing to dig into it ahead of time.

Were it not for the first third, with Haru as the protagonist, Curse of Honor would absolutely be five out of five. As it is, that section took me easily ten times longer to get through than the remaining two thirds of the book. Haru is well written and central to the events of the plot, he is just very much not a character type I enjoy reading. A version of the book entirely focused on him would get a three out of five from me. And I would happily read more of Annadale’s writing and I would be happy to see a follow up to Curse of Honor or another book in the Legend of the Five Rings setting from him. So, at the end of the day, I give Curse of Honor a four out of five.

Set in Rokugan, the world of the Legend of the Five Rings games, Curse of Honor follows the castle of Striking Dawn, an outpost uncomfortably close to the Shadowlands, as its hapless heir, Hida Haru tries in vain to bring a caravan home safely. Haru's rash decisions, lack of common sense, and poor combat skills are well known to the castle's inhabitants; Haru, hoping to improve his image, drives the caravan into a blinding storm and from there into a dead city deep inside a cave. Horrors follow him home, steadily destroying families, loves, and allegiances. Creeping dread fills each page, with writing as sharp as a blade. Horror fantasy fans will love it, and no knowledge of L5R is needed to enjoy the intricate trap of this book.

Yep, this book had me from the opening pages and just continued to keep me fixated throughout. There are a number of things that made Curse of Honor an amazing read for me. First, the way the story is relayed is absolutely brilliant.

The world-building is wowza, It is where I believe this story really excels. I love books like this where there is a captivating fantasy story but also an inherent mystery at its core. There are a lot of questions that arise about the purpose of the characters. I kept turning the pages wanting (no, needing!) to know the answers to all of these questions. The world that Haru finds himself in is a total mystery and Annandale does an excellent job of keeping the reader invested in what is going on based on that extreme desire to find out what the heck is the meaning behind it all?! He feeds you a little at a time and then lowers the boom in the final few chapters.

My only complaint is I do think this book could have used a few more chapters. I feel like it's shorter length held it back to being truly unstoppable.

David has created a wonderful scary story that introduces new readers to the world of Legend of the Five Rings. He looks at what Honor means in many forms throughout the book and really nails the theme.

Curse of Honor is the first in a line of books set in the Legend of the Five Rings setting published by Aconyte Books. In short, it’s a fantastic story that manages to be both accessible for readers who know nothing about the setting as well as engaging for long time fans.

The story starts with a group of Crab bushi leading a caravan through the mountains home to Striking Dawn Castle. At this point, the story is written from the perspective of a Lieutenant Hida Haru who is leading the bushi. This setup does two things very nicely. It keeps things simple, as we only have a mountain road and a small group of people. It lets the reader get to know how people in this setting think through Haru’s reactions. Although new concepts and words used, they’re always done in context. For example, when Haru’s squad is described we’re given some of their names and descriptions of their armor along with the phrase ‘bushi in the squad’. A brand new reader might not know what a bushi is, but just through context alone they’ll realise that these armored warriors are bushi.


Similarly, as the story is initially told through the perspective of Haru, the writer gets to introduce the ideas of rank and obligation. Haru is in a difficult position where he has to decide between delaying the caravan and disappointing his superiors or risking bad weather and possible disaster! As he is the ranking officer, he’s unable to ask for advice and none of those of lower rank would risk insulting him by offering it.

We also get introduced to the idea of desire versus duty as Haru considers the future that has been laid out for him and the one he would actually like. This tension regularly features in the samurai genre and is a key element in the roleplaying game, so it’s great to see it appear so early in this book. This all happens very naturally without feeling forced, so a reader can enjoy getting to know Haru while gradually picking up these quirks of living in the world of Rokugan.

As the story progresses we get introduced to new characters and new perspectives that help round out the reader’s understanding. I was pleasantly surprised to see the book did contain diverse representation without any judgement. The few characters that the story focuses do feel like they’re more than one-dimensional, even when there isn’t enough space to fully explore them. Although there is some mention of the greater empire, it’s only mentioned in passing and there is no need for a reader to be familiar with decades worth of material. The focus is very much on the characters in the story, how they react to what happens, and how those actions have consequences.

As the story progresses towards its crescendo, we get introduced to some of the horrors of the Shadowlands. Even those without any experience in the background will work out from the cover that there’s something creepy going on and those familiar with the material might think they have an idea. Those familiar with the creatures of the Shadowlands might think they have an idea what to expect, but this book spooked me! Every time I thought the book had peaked, something even more terrifying happened. It kept me on the edge of my seat and did a great job of creeping me out. I felt the end wrapped things up nicely but at the same time, I’d love to know what happens next!


As we learned from the recent Court Games Interview, David is new to the L5R world. I’m not going to pretend to be an expert on the setting, and specifically on the Crab, but I thought he did a great job. By focusing the story on one castle, with a small group of just one clan, in an unspecified time of history, David is able to avoid distracting the reader with too much info. While there are a few aspects that could have been expanded, for example how magic in Rokugan is presented, I can easily put that down to keeping it simple for new readers.

I started reading this book just because it was a Legend of the Five Rings book and for no other reason, but I’m glad I did. Even if you leave all the L5R stuff to the side, it’s a great fantasy novel that anyone can enjoy. The addition of L5R is a nice twist that set’s this book apart from the typical western fantasy tropes and ultimately provides a gateway into the greater L5R setting. Speaking of which they also have 2 more books in the pipeline Poison River by Josh Reynolds about a Crane investigator in the City of the Rich Frog and The Night Parade of a Hundred Demons by Marie Brennan a supernatural thriller set on the border between Dragon and Phoenix lands.


This new series of books has great potential to grow the setting and expand its fan base. The team at Aconyte Books include staff previously from Black Library, and if Aconyte Books are able to the do the same thing for Legend of the Five Rings that Black Library did for Warhammer 40k, then we have a bright future ahead of us.

Curse of Honour

Curse of Honor: A Legend of the Five Rings Novel is the brand new title from David Annandale and Aconyte Books. Like most Aconyte titles, this is a piece of tie-in fiction, this time taking place in Rokugan, the setting for Legend of the Five Rings. For anyone unfamiliar with it, Rokugan is a Samurai and Monsters setting, the home of card games originally from AEG, and now Fantasy Flight. It’s a world that blends courtly intrigues with battles against dangerous demons, and which has spawned vast quantities of beautifully artwork.
More than perhaps any other fantasy setting, the story of Rokugan has always been strongly tied to the actions of those who play the games – in both the old CCG Legend of the Five Rings card game and the Fantasy Flight LCG version, Tournament winners have been able to make decisions which alter the ongoing story, and FFG have been putting out regular web-fiction, as well as story inserts inside most new products.
Curse of Honour is a step up though: for the first time since FFG took ownership of Rokugan and reset the narrative, we get a full novel. For anyone who has been following the complex political intrigues of Otosan Uchi, Curse of Honour will be a striking change of pace and tone, as Annandale presents an often-chilling horror story, which stands alone without any strong tie-in to the central politics of the Emperor. Instead we find ourselves taken to the south of Rokugan, in the lands of the Crab. Those unfamiliar with the Crab will quickly learn that they are a pragmatic people who eschew much of the ceremony of the imperial court, as they focus with constant vigilance on their single overriding task: guarding the Carpenter’s Wall which separates Rokugan from the demon-infested Shadowlands to the South. This is a story of the Castle of Striking Dawn, a single minor fortress and a handful of lower families and Samurai as they face their own conflict with the forces of darkness/

The first protagonist we meet in Curse of Honour is a young Samurai named Haru, and I found him a remarkably intriguing choice/. Rokugan has no lack of capable warriors, dedicated courtiers, noble Samurai and the like, nor is it short on ambitious political climbers and even those who happily dabble in dark magic for their own ends. Far less common however, is the tale told from the perspective of a notorious mediocrity.
Hida no Kakeguchi Haru, heir to the castle of Striking Dawn, isn’t especially stupid, or greedy, or lazy – he’s just a man consumed by the weight of his own mediocrity. Haru isn’t necessarily a man you want to root for, but it is easy to see how, in the face of a litany of failures, he grows more and more desperate to prove his worth to those around him. Every step he takes is over-thought and sometimes excruciatingly deliberate as he tries to find his own self-worth, his mother’s approval and – perhaps most of all, Barako’s favour.
Where Haru’s life is a litany of failures, Barako is the model of a competent Samurai: despite being a Bushi, she is a thoughtful scholar, as comfortable in the library as on the battlefield. In battle, she is a giant of a woman, tall, strong, and devastatingly efficient as a hammer-wielding warrior. Sadly for Haru, she has no interest in him: being too honourable to publicly voice her contempt for the burden of a man she has to babysit in battle, he allows himself to imagine the possibility of one-day winning her over, entirely oblivious to the fact that her secret love is reserved for another.

The chief catalyst for the events of Curse of Honour, is Haru’s accidental discovery of an ancient, mysterious city, hidden beyond a previously-unknown tunnel through a cave in the mountains. The mysterious, deserted city is soon identified to be the City of Night’s Hunger, a mysterious place hundreds, if not thousands of years old, but spoken of only in whispers.
Annandale mirrors this effectively with descriptions of the city and the things which emerge from it which are intricate yet often leaving deliberate gaps: the horrors are there, but so often you do not get to see them, and it is the imagining that is worse.
Haru sees in this city an opportunity for greatness and renown: he has discovered a threat, and will finally prove his worth to the clan, securing his family’s legacy and earning the respect he has so long lacked. Returning to the city in force, he will vanquish the threat, securing safety of prosperity for the foreseeable future. For Barako and others, this mysterious place seems far more like a threat to the castle, and those who dwell in it. As disagreements spark over what should be done about it, and by whom, Haru makes a fateful decision that could prove extremely costly for all the people of Striking Dawn.
By the mid-point of the book, point-of-view has shifted almost entirely to Barako, and this feels like a well-chosen structure on the author’s part. Haru is something of a novelty as a protagonist, and is probably more intriguing as an appeal for the reader’s attention, but Barako is infinitely more sympathetic in her measured, determined nobility.
Whilst the majority of the events of Curse of Honour circle around Haru and Barako, the supporting cast are well-drawn too, even if they do feel a bit trope-y in conception, the execution is sufficiently well-done to excuse it. There is the castle Daimyo and Haru’s mother Akemi: the stern matriarch who has served clan and castle well for decades in every respect save for providing a competent heir. Ochiba: the captain of the castle’s guard – a figure of hope to Barako’s pessimism, she is the Katana-wielding lightning who strikes down the enemies of Striking Dawn, utterly devoted to her role and to serving the people of the clan, regardless of personal cost. Junji: the scroll-loving scholar who is tasked with researching the true nature of the threat posed by the City of Night’s Hunger, a man who would happily retreat into his library and never emerge to face the political intrigues which roil around him. Doreni: the Samurai from a rival family who waits with baited breath for Haru to finally make a mistake so egregious as to disqualify himself from ever ruling the castle, thereby clearing the way for Doreni’s own family to re-inherit a position that was once theirs. Each of them have their own journey to go on in this novel, and I was pleased to see that character arcs were not being reserved just for the main protagonists.
It quickly becomes apparent that the threat posed by the City of Night’s Hunger is greater than any of the characters had truly been able to imagine, and in a world where the threat from shadow can as easily be a subtle, almost indiscernible taint upon those closest to you as a horde of screaming demons or zombies, the Samurai of Striking Dawn must be as vigilant against the threats within as without. For those who like action to go alongside their atmospheric tension, the latter parts of Curse of Honour have plenty of that to offer as well, and the plot keeps up a good pace throughout
Overall, Curse of Honour is a well-told story that stands on its own, with little knowledge of Rokugan required to enjoy it. The Horror is effectively done, managing to give you a strong sense of the perils whilst leaving the details evasive. The characters are interesting and for those who make it to the end alive, there should be plenty of interest in seeing what comes next for them in any sequel that might follow.

Really enjoyed the first published Legend of the Five Rings (L5R) novel from Aconyte Books. Having read the previously published L5R books published many years ago and other books by the author, I can say this is some of the best L5R fiction so far. The main "villain" was a little annoying at first but came into his own. The two samurai-ko main characters were the best part of the book. They portrayed the very L5R theme of the conflict between duty and desire excellently. This is a book that will appeal greatly to L5R fans and really anyone wanting a samurai-fantasy book. I took away one star only because I felt the beginning dragged some what getting to the meat of the story. I can't wait for the next in the series.

I have been provided with an advance copy of the new Legend of the Five Rings book Curse of Honor by David Annandale, published by Aconyte Books, so here is the honest review I promised in exchange for the book.

So here is an important disclaimer which is always important to put out there first. I have a casual work contact with Asmodee to demonstrate board games for them in stores and at conventions. Asmodee being the parent company of Aconyte the publisher.

Secondly I am a friend of David’s on Facebook, and whilst we aren’t best buds, we do interact with each other on occasion and I consider him a class person.

I am going to try my best to not let these things cloud my judgement in this review, but I accept that subconsciously it might.

I am gonna get the big bit out the way first, if you listen to Edge of Empire, you will know I am not a big fan of David’s writing style. Frankly I find it difficult to process and it’s very short sentences which doesn’t give the best flow for me to read.

But he is good at weird stuff, which in Warhammer translates to stuff to do with the warp. I also think he is best when writing shorter works, such as novellas and short stories.

So let’s crack on with a review then!

What is Legend of the Five Rings

L5R as it’s often known is a fantasy setting for a series of card games and RPGs originally published by AEG, but now taken care of by Fantasy Flight.

It’s set in the empire of Rokugan which is heavily feudal Japan influenced, with a bit of other East Asian influences, like China and Korea thrown in as well.

It’s a fantasy setting with the usual fantasy trips of goblins and rat men, but also oni and kitsune too.

In the Empire there are several great clans, made up of various families, and in this novel we focus on the Crab Clan, who are considered the least cultured of all clans.

Their task in life is to guard the rest of the empire from the taint of the Shadowlands on the Carpenter Wall.

The Story

The story has two main protagonists, initially we have Haru, the heir to the castle of Striking Dawn, and frankly he is a bit of an incompetent warrior.

He discovers when leading a caravan to the castle, a hidden city outpost of the Shadowlands, and in a desperate attempt to prove himself a worthy heir, leads a disaster out expedition to purge the city.

Our second protagonist, Barako, the object of Harus desire, is a more level headed warrior, a woman who wishes only to serve the castle and protect the greater empire. She is a great character with a strong sense of duty, I really love that about her.

When Haru is returned to the castle, well then we get some bad things happening, which leads us into a horror whodunit, with a twist, which to be honest, I kinda saw a mile off.

The story has a heavy horror element, and this is something David is really good at, and yea the sentence shortness was a bit irritating, but I have to say, he is getting better as a writer, he really is.

Not that I could ever write of course, but unlike with some of his earlier work, I couldn’t put this down once I picked it up and read it over a couple of days.

The descriptions of the hidden city were really good and very much put you there in its weirdness and I got a real good feel for Striking Dawn.

He also had the characters kept very much on edge, with absolutely no time to rest, and I found myself feeling their grief, anger, despair, rage and exhaustion.

Conclusion

I won’t lie, I went in with low expectations, L5R was never really my bag, and as I said, David writing doesn’t usually click with me.

But I have to say, it’s an enjoyable read, very well written, very engaging and very well edited, with a nice flow to it.

I kinda want to know what happens next at Striking Dawn.

Solid 4 out of 5 stars.

The book is released on 6th October.

I will be reading The Death of Fallowhearth next by Robbie MacNivan, I had intended it to be The Head of Mimir, but that has expired in my NetGallery account.

This was a weird read for me. I was looking forward to it, the concept seemed pretty well within the realm of my typical preferred fare.

For some reason I really struggled getting into it, it legitimately took me 2 months to get through the first half of the book. I can not even point a finger to why that was the case, there was nothing overtly bad, wrong, or boring about it. I just kept losing interest and putting it down. About halfway through though, it seemed to turn over for me and I finished the second half of the book in a single evening and I enjoyed it.

It's entirely possible that a lot of real life distractions contributed to the trouble I had, but overall now that I've reached the end I did enjoy the book. I think it is fair to say it probably won't be for everyone, but if Samurai and supernatural monsters sounds like fun.... well, that's because it is.

Thank you Aconyte Books for providing pre-release review copy!

“Curse of Honor: A Legend of the Five Rings Novel” by David Annandale is the first full-size novel placed in the fantastic world of Rokugan, created by Fantasy Flight Games. I wanted to read this book because I’m familiar with the card game (which I play quite often with my husband) and I love this world and its elaborate lore. I have to note I am not a hardcore fan – I haven’t read all released novellas and don’t follow on significant world events that are happening in Rokugan. But even if you don’t know this fandom rest assured – you are not required to have any previous knowledge to enjoy reading this book.
Let me tell you a little bit about the book setting. Rokugan is a fantastic land based on feudal Japan with influences of other East Asian countries. We have here different Clans that are competing against each other to win the favour of Emperor and more control, using samurais, court intrigues, spies, and assassins. Just like in real Eastern cultures, honour plays a tremendously important role in shaping a society where disgrace can be fatal. There is also magic here - Shugenjas commanded the power of five elements. And though they are infrequent, they made extremely powerful addition for their Clans. Aside there is a dark land called the Shadowlands – a wasteland where the demons and other unthinkable monstrosities roam free spreading corruption wherever they go. And that’s where the author takes us in his book.
Striking Down Castle is placed at the borders of Rokugan, in the mountains where Crab Clan defends the rest of the world from the foul creatures of Shadowlands. Hida Haru is a sole heir to the daimyo of Striking Down, but unfortunately, so far, he is one big disappointment. It is not easy to prove your worth in society driven by honour, especially in the Crab Clan, where so many Samurais are walking legends because of the constant war with the Shadowlands. Haru is tormented by ill thoughts, while sent on another meaningless escort mission. But the incredible social pressure and unfavourable fate are not making things easy for him. Once again, he found himself in a situation, where all outcomes seemed to be horrible. Surprisingly amidst all the chaos and disaster, Haru discovers something that could change his miserable life and bring glory to his family. Not thinking twice, he let himself pursue the dangerous findings. As it turns out, it is only begging of grave misfortune.
I had mixed feelings while I was reading the first part of this book. It is very well written; the author describes everything in great details, and it is easy to imagine and immerse into the world completely. But the chapters where we follow Haru are a bit depressing. All his thoughts are gloomy, and he was always daydreaming about what could have been. But when the action moves to Striking Down Castle… my, oh my – how everything changes. We meet more characters – Captain Ochiba and Lieutenant Barako who are picture perfect Crab Clan representatives. We also get familiarised with the political situation in a fortress – two competing families. One of them is ruling, but even the slightest mistake may lead to a shift of power. And amid it the Shadowland threat materialised, threatening to consume and corrupt everything it touches.
The story is full of tension which is building slowly but surely. You can see right away that the author is a fan of horror stories. I think he pictured very accurately how the unknown evil presence would feel. Everyone in the castle can feel the danger, the dark energy looming in the darkness in their home, but they can’t pinpoint it until it is too late. This kind of writing will keep you at the edge of your seat for a long time until you finish the book, and all mysteries are reviled.
I liked how David Annandale pictured corruption of the Shadowlands. It was not only a regular walking dead and mysterious dark energy kind of thing. He gave us the evil that is cunning, twisted and manipulative. That play on people’s emotion and cause more harm by sowing doubts and distrust than actually slaughtering innocents. Although there are some very brutal encounters too, and they will give you goosebumps, believe me.
I think all Legend of Five Rings’ fans will appreciate the story author created. The world shown by him is intriguing and very believable. The characters are similar to what I imagined Crab Clans members to be. Firstly, they are warriors, and they find great pride in defending Rokugan from the evil of the Shadowlands. And even though they are stationed at the end of the world, the political intrigues are still present here, although not as sophisticated as they might be in other parts of the empire.
Once again, even if you are not familiar with Legend of the Five Rings fandom, you can still enjoy this book. The setting based on feudal Japan is very captivating, and the novel is keeping suspense for the longest time. If you enjoy dark stories full of a constant fight against evil, you can add “Curse of Honor” to your reading list!

David Annandale’s novel Curse of Honor kicks off the new range of Legend of the Five Rings fiction from Aconyte Books with a sinister tale of duty, ambition, misplaced pride and monstrous darkness. Lieutenant Hida Haru is destined to one day become the daimyō of Striking Dawn Castle, but before then he has to somehow prove himself to his family, a task at which he has spectacularly failed thus far. When he stumbles upon a foreboding city hidden within the Twilight Mountains, he sees a chance to make a name for himself and strike a blow against the Shadowlands, but his ill-timed actions only lead to disaster. With cracks forming in the fragile alliances within Striking Dawn, and a horrifying evil unleashed upon the castle, its defenders must find a way to guard against terrible enemies both within and without.

This is a story in which there’s no safe and stable ground (physically or metaphorically) and nowhere for characters to rest - it’s less epic fantasy, more fantasy horror, with an overriding sense of bleak, wintery atmosphere lending proceedings a consistently dark tone. There’s lots of katana-wielding action as befits a fantasy novel set in a world inspired by feudal Japan, but the focus is more on the costs of Haru’s failures, the complex balancing act his family must engage in to protect their status, and the tensions building within the castle.

Legend of the Five Rings as a setting 4makes for an excellent backdrop here to a nicely characterful story. Annandale doesn’t try to explain too much of the background - that might not appeal to existing fans wanting facts and details, but for readers new to the setting there’s enough to get an intriguing sense of things and encourage further exploration, without getting in the way of a good story. And it really is a good story, providing the perfect opportunity for Annandale to let loose and have fun with horrible supernatural creepiness and haunted, tragic characters.

Very 47 Ronin a bit Godzilla and A bit hollow Earthy. You will constantly think if only the idiot listened to the smart woman.

Penned by David Annandale and published by Aconyte Books, Curse of Honor marks the return of full-length novels to the Legend of the Five Rings (L5R) universe. Inspired by feudal Japan (and, to a lesser extent, other parts of eastern Asia), L5R is a fantasy universe first introduced 25 years ago with the Legend of the Five Rings Collectible Card Game and subsequently explored through board, card, and roleplaying games, a series of novels, and more recently novellas from Fantasy Flight Games. The world focuses on the samurai of Rokugan and conflicts both external and internal, exploring themes of honor, glory, and tragedy.

While the Empire of Rokugan has seven great clans, and a multitude of minor ones, Curse of Honor does not tell the story of Rokugan as a whole, or even of an entire clan. Instead, it takes place in a single stronghold of the Crab Clan. The Crab are tasked with being the Empire’s first line of defense against the Shadowlands, which represent a significant physical threat, but also a spiritual one, capable of destroying mind and soul along with the body. With that narrower focus, Curse of Honor doesn’t ask the reader to go into the novel already knowing the setting or force the reader to sit through a bunch of exposition to catch up.

At its best, Curse of Honor feels like an Alien movie; a tense, dimly-lit thriller where the protagonist gets extended action scenes, discovers horrific tableaus, and has to grapple with the growing paranoia of those around her. It’s too bad that the novel doesn’t have a better opening or conclusion to go with that.

Curse of Honor is the tale of Kakeguchi Barako, the second-in-command of the military forces at Striking Dawn castle. The castle is politically fractured, as the daimyo’s only child, Kakeguchi Haru, is grossly incompetent, lending weight to the Hiruma family’s claim to the land. Meanwhile, Barako’s personal life is permanently on hold, as the object of her affections is pledged to never romance, and so the two women have mutually concluded that honor precludes them from even voicing their feelings.

Then Haru, forever seeking to prove himself, sets off a string of debacles, resulting in the loss of vital supplies, the deaths of scores of the soldiers stationed at the castle, and the incapacitation of Barako’s commander/love interest. Worse, Haru’s actions unleash a supernatural evil. It plagues the castle from both without and within, threatening to fracture the unity of the samurai of Striking Dawn when they need it most. Barako must try to defeat the forces arrayed against the castle, navigate the political fray between the Hiruma and Kakeguchi, and deal with her own emotional disjoint over the incapacitation of Ochiba.

Barako is relatable, presenting a Rokugani point of view in an easily understandable way. Similarly, through her Annandale gives the reader the necessary understanding of Rokugani politics and supernatural practices that lets the reader get what they need without feeling like a lecture. Barako is tough and interesting, playing into samurai drama and against some tropes - her tragedy is not sentimentality, but not allowing herself to be emotional and vulnerable enough. The story really brings home the meaning of the title of the novel.

Unfortunately, to get to Barako’s part of the story, the reader first has to sit through a long section of Haru. He’s the point-of-view character at the start of the book, but it’s obvious that he isn’t going to last. Or maybe that’s my optimism talking, because Haru seemed so insufferably useless that he couldn’t possibly be the main character. He’s self-centered and indecisive. He’s very aware of his own incompetence and yet still possessed of an overweening pride. Annandale even has him act like a bully to the lower-caste characters who are around, a technique that’s frequently used by L5R authors to convey to a western audience that a character is a total jerk. Now, that doesn’t mean you can’t have some material from such a point of view. I’ve read plenty of Stephen King novels where characters are introduced just enough to let you get a feel for them before they die horribly. But Haru does not leave us after a few pages, instead remaining the primary point-of-view character for about the first third of the book. I get that some of this was necessary, because the plot requires an initial set up and the Barako isn’t present for that. But it made the early stretches of the book a slog. Clearly, Annandale succeeded at portraying the character ... I just didn't enjoy sitting through it. Oddly, this overpresence of Haru extends to the book covers, which present the book as if it was Haru’s story and do not even mention Barako, the primary protagonist of the book. The answer to the cover's question - "Can he find glory amongst the ruins?" - is very obviously "not a chance."

After the central action horror, Curse of Honor doesn’t quite stick its landing either. There’s a point where the story gets to what could be an ending point. It’s not an end point that represents wondrous victory for the protagonist. But that can be a great way to end an L5R story. The setting, and the samurai drama from which it draws inspiration, have tragedy as a central element. There is a cost to honor. The “good guys” don’t always win. Or, even if they win in some sense, they lose in others - victory has a cost, or is only temporary. For me, the story felt complete at this earlier point in time. But then it kept on going - not feeling like there was really more story to tell but more like the book was obligated to get to an ending point with more “finality.”

Ultimately, then, Curse of Honor is a solid middle with a compelling protagonist and chilling narrative, bookended by an overly-extended introduction and a conclusion that takes the story past its natural ending point. It’s a welcome return of novels to the Legend of the Five Rings universe, but not one without its flaws.

Curse of Honor

David Annandale

Aconyte Books

Although Aconyte Books, the newly-established publishing arm of Asmodee Games, has only been in operation for a short while, I’ve rapidly become a huge fan of the titles that they have been releasing, with editor Charlotte Llewelyn-Wells taking advantage of the impressive range of gaming properties that Asmodee Games has available to commission some fantastic titles. The Tales from the Crucible anthology was one of the best sci-fi/fantasy anthologies that I have read in a very long time, filled to the brim with fresh, original stories brimming with positivity and excitement from a range of talented authors; and Josh Reynolds’ occult detective novel Wrath of N’Kai, based on the venerable Arkham Horror range, was a fantastically grimdark and chilling tale that used Reynolds’ skills as a writer to great effect.  A whole slew of new titles have been announced by Aconyte on social media, or can be found on Amazon and Goodreads with a little digging, and I am genuinely excited to see all of these wonderful gaming properties brought to life in a range of novels and anthologies.

This wide of range of properties that can be utilised is one advantage that Aconyte has, but the other must surely be Llewelyn-Wells and her ability to bring in some of the best writers in the sci-fi, fantasy and horror genres to develop those properties. Tales from the Crucible had a number of great veteran and up-and-coming authors, such as Thomas Parrott and Robbie MacNiven, and of course Josh Reynolds needs no introduction. But for the publisher’s third title, they have managed to acquire one of my favourite writers – David Annandale, who has written a host of absolutely amazing Warhammer stories, including some of the best novels and novellas in Black Library’s new Warhammer Horror imprint. Annandale’s first contribution (for there appear to be more coming down the pipeline) is Curse of Honor, based on the Legend of the Five Rings RPG and CCG setting from Fantasy Flight Games. While I hadn’t been familiar with Five Rings before picking up an Advanced Review Copy of the novel, some research showed that it looked like an awesome setting with a huge amount of potential for cool storytelling. I loved the cover art by Nathan Elmer which really set the mood for the novel, and the back-cover blurb which promised demons, samurai and supernatural horrors. As those are some of my favourite things - especially the whole supernatural horror! - I couldn't wait to dive in.

Curse of Honor opens with Hida no Kakeguchi Haru, junior member of the aristocratic family that resides in Striking Dawn Castle, leading a merchant caravan towards the castle and safety. An experienced soldier but also deeply arrogant and desperate to prove himself to the Daimyō Akemi that he has earnt the right to be her heir, Haru has recklessly pushed ahead with the final caravan, despite the obvious dangers of the coming Winter. Much-delayed by landslides and then rockfalls, Haru, his guard contingent and the caravan are unable to escape the coming snowstorms and are cut off from the safety of the Castle. Trapped in a cavern system that is perilously close to the immense Walls that protect humanity from the demon-infested Shadowlands, Haru's exploration of the caverns leads to a terrifying discovery. He finds a mysterious, abandoned city that sits behind the Wall, yet seems wreathed in the essence of the Shadowlands. Arrogance and pride bond together to make him become obsessed with the city; seeing a way to finally prove himself worthy of the Kakeguchi name, Haru returns with an expedition to explore the city, only to lead his warriors into disaster. A single samurai is the only survivor, returning to Striking Dawn Castle to tell of Haru's disapperance within the city.

From there the garrison of the castle, and the Kakeguchi family, are thrown into chaos as a relief force is sent into the city to rescue Haru, only to discover that the heir presumptive has been altered by his time there. Time spent in a place that is twisted, deceptive and utterly terrifying in nature; a location that Annandale imbues with a deeply unsettling nature and malign kind of intelligence, populated by monsters with all-too human faces. Haru is returned to Striking Dawn, at great cost and after some amazingly choreographed action sequences against an undead foe; but those in the castle must now contend with the insidious evil that has returned with him, and attempt to defeat it - if that is even possible given the immense power it can wield over the environment and the undead.

Annandale has given us an engaging, atmospheric and expertly paced narrative, but this is far from the only element in the novel that makes it such a success. Just as important are the carefully-crafted characters that populate Curse of Honor, and also the detailed background work that has done to integrate the Five Rings setting into the novel’s overarching plot. Annandale continues to have an incredible eye for characterisation, with each major character in the novel feeling like fully fleshed-out, three-dimensional people that react according to the customs, culture and social norms of the Five Rings world, rather than merely to the requirements of the plot. To take just one example, when protagonist Haru is introduced in the opening moments of the novel, we are able to understand the motivations and flaws in his character within only a few pages. He is arrogant, demanding, utterly disdainful of lesser castes and hollowed out by lack of self-confidence; yet he is also an experienced warrior and traveller, and able to make calculated decisions based on that experience. In turn, that experience means he over-estimates his own abilities and potential to resolve situations in his favour, which leads to the disastrous confrontation with the mysterious city.

With Haru, Annandale is able to create a fully-formed and multi-faceted character within a few hundred words, where other authors might take entire novels to flesh out a character to the same degree. The other characters in the novel are just as well written and portrayed, even those that take relatively minor roles in the narrative; I was particularly taken with Ochiba, veteran warrior of the Crab Clan who has chosen the way of the sword in the face of the immense pressure from both social norms and the wishes of her family, performing her duties for the Daimyō Akemi in spite of the fact that by doing so, she has cost herself the possibility of ever entering into a romantic relationship. Annandale has created a cast of thoroughly engaging characters whose interactions seem realistic, and dictated solely by the realities of their universe. For Annandale also does a stellar job of showcasing the politics that coalesce around Striking Dawn Castle, and the rival families populated the fortification; the constant politicking and careful social and political manoeuvres by every major character form an intriguing background to the main plot, as we see the powers in play that attempt to ensure that the Kakeguchi family remains in command of Striking Dawn and the tremendous (yet deeply honourable) duties attached to the castle. All of this, of course, is also enmeshed in the rigid class and clan system of the Tokugawa-era culture used for the Five Rings setting – the firm, unyielding boundaries between merchant and aristocrat, and senior and junior members of a household, and the inherited arrogance and disdain that comes with such a system.

With Curse of Honor David Annandale once again demonstrates why he is one of the best authors currently writing in the fantasy (and science fiction) genre, able to utilise his absolute mastery of atmosphere, sublime prose and skilful characterisation to turn his hand to any setting that he is tasked with writing. Curse of Honor is a deeply compelling and sophisticated novel, with Annandale using the Five Rings setting to weave a thoroughly enjoyable story about arrogance, ambition and rigid caste systems that are deftly merged with the grim realities of the supernatural, demon-infested Shadowlands and its many occult dangers. As with all of the other novels and novellas I’ve read from Annandale, I found myself drawn effortlessly into Curse of Honor; indeed, there were several times where I found myself losing track of the time and reading deep into the night, something I'd considered almost impossible after being exhausted dealing with two small, hyperactive children and a full-time job amongst other demands on my time. I really cannot recommend this novel strongly enough – Annandale is a deeply talented author and I look forward to seeing what his next project is, both for Aconyte Books and also should he ever strike off into his own unique settings.

This book started off so brilliantly, I was nearly blown away. But alas, 35% in it becomes page after page after page of battle summary about characters I didn't care about. If it had stuck with Haru, it could have been my favorite of the year. DNF. Sorry.

Thank you to Aconyte Books for providing me with an advance review copy

Curse of Honor takes place in the Legend of the Five Rings setting (specifically in Rokugan), think feudal Japan but with magic and demons. Curse really doesn't delve too far into the setting, preferring to focus on its characters and the ongoing power struggle between some of them. We're still shown a fair bit about the setting but it's all in service of the characters, don't expect lengthy exposition dumps about the nature of magic or a comprehensive guide to Rokugan.
The story is centered around Haru, the heir of Striking Dawn castle, desperately trying to prove himself a worthy heir. This ambition inadvertently causes a catastrophe when he uncovers a demonic city and can't leave well enough alone.
Curse almost exclusively plays out in Striking Dawn castle, a bulwark against invasion from demons, and the recently uncovered city in the mountains. This is where some issues start to show for me, as the plot zips back and forth between the two locales with nothing in between. That being said the two locales we get are really cool, especially the city; it gives of this incredibly menacing and creepy vibe that got me when the city was first introduced.
Most of the characters here are interesting and compelling, though my favorite is probably going to be captain Barako: a woman who has to solve a demonic whodunnit while also withstanding a power struggle for the entire castle, for no other reason than "this is my duty."

Curse of Honor works well as a peak into the setting, with a strong cast and interesting set pieces.