Shinobi With Extending Fists
March 15, 2008
The eighth book of Koike and Kojimas historical manga about Ieyasu, founder of the Edo-period (16031868) Tokogawa shogunate, resolves, delightfully lubriciously, the cliffhanger with which Center of the World (2007) ended, then turns to a key episode in the life of Ieyasus eventual predecessor in power, the schemer Hideyoshi: the overnight construction of the fort of Sunomata and consequent facilitation of Oda Nobunagas 1567 victory at Inabayama Castle. In this retelling, Ieyasus right-hand man, Hanzo, is crucial to Hideyoshis machinations. With plenty of superbly drawn action in field and boudoir offsetting the verbal plotting, Path of the Assassin maintains its edge and allure.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2008, American Library Association.)