Sisters of the Sword
Encyclopedia
Sisters of the Sword is a historical fiction
series under the pseudonym Maya Snow. The first two books were written by Helen Hart
. Sisters of the Sword 1: The Warrior’s Path was the first book in the series published in June of 2008. Sisters of the Sword 2: Blade’s Edge (also released as Chasing the Secret) was published in 2009. Sisters of the Sword 3: Walking Through Fire (also released as Journey Through Fire) was published June 2009. A fourth installment, Crushing the Stone is expected in June 2012.
Sisters of the Sword tells the tale of two sisters in Japan
during the feudal era who are from an aristocratic
family, namely, the daughters of the local "jitō
" or lord. Their world is ripped apart when treachery strikes and they must flee for their lives. They disguise themselves as boys
and enter a dojo
as servants until the time they can exact their revenge.
Kimi is the narrator and main character
of the story. She tells her story of her escape with her sister, Hana, and how they come to realize how hard commoner life is.
. There they find a note from their mother saying that she and Moriyasu, the youngest brother had escaped and that they would some day meet when Moriyasu was old enough to take their house back from Hidehira. This was all in the disguise of a poem.
Kimi and Hana make a plan to disguise themselves as boys and make their way to a prestigious dojo
that had taught all of the men in their family. They are not allowed in at first and are confronted by their cousin, the son of Hidehira, Ken-ichi. Luckily he does not recognize the girls and simply looks down upon them as two poor farm boys. It appears he is not even aware of his father's doings. He challenges Kimi to a sword fight after an accidental clash of swords (a sign of disrespect) and, though she loses, her potential catches the attention of the master of the dojo, Master Goku. He lets the girls in as servants and allows them to attend classes when they are not working.
During their time there they begin to realize their cousin's ignorance
and ill behavior. Along the way; they befriend a boy named Tatsuya whom they aid through the book. Slowly their skill increases, and to the point Kimi can knock down a tree. During this time; Tatsuya figures out they are the daughters of the deceased jitō.
As time goes by, they realize that Goku has known from the start who they were.
In time, there is a tournament
held at the school that takes place every year in which anyone, in or outside of the school, may compete. Kimi and Hana decide to participate in a way to get revenge and to challenge her uncle. But Tatsuya in the process takes Hana out of the tournament. Kimi blows through the tournament; making her way into the top six students participating. During a competition, Ken-ichi injures Tatsuya on purpose as a trick. Then his father disowns him and leaves. Ken-ichi then challenges Master Goku in anger and poison
s him before hand. Then he kills Goku and leaves after Kimi defeats him in combat. The book then ends with Kimi and Hana finding a note from their mother.
lord, but their privileged lives are shattered when their father is murder
ed. Hunted by his killer, it is up to the sisters to salvage what is left of their broken family-and avenge their fathers death.
The story continues in the second book, Sisters of the Sword 2: Chasing the Secret.
Historical novel
According to Encyclopædia Britannica, a historical novel is-Development:An early example of historical prose fiction is Luó Guànzhōng's 14th century Romance of the Three Kingdoms, which covers one of the most important periods of Chinese history and left a lasting impact on Chinese culture.The...
series under the pseudonym Maya Snow. The first two books were written by Helen Hart
Helen Hart (author)
Helen Hart has been a published author since 1999. Represented by London literary agency Pollinger Ltd, she has written a number of novels under pseudonyms for Scholastic, Virgin Books, OUP, HarperCollins and a range of overseas publishers. Her work has been translated into many languages including...
. Sisters of the Sword 1: The Warrior’s Path was the first book in the series published in June of 2008. Sisters of the Sword 2: Blade’s Edge (also released as Chasing the Secret) was published in 2009. Sisters of the Sword 3: Walking Through Fire (also released as Journey Through Fire) was published June 2009. A fourth installment, Crushing the Stone is expected in June 2012.
Sisters of the Sword tells the tale of two sisters in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
during the feudal era who are from an aristocratic
Aristocracy (class)
The aristocracy are people considered to be in the highest social class in a society which has or once had a political system of Aristocracy. Aristocrats possess hereditary titles granted by a monarch, which once granted them feudal or legal privileges, or deriving, as in Ancient Greece and India,...
family, namely, the daughters of the local "jitō
Jito
were medieval land stewards in Japan, especially in the Kamakura and Muromachi Shogunates. Appointed by the shogun, jitō managed manors including national holdings governed by the provincial governor ....
" or lord. Their world is ripped apart when treachery strikes and they must flee for their lives. They disguise themselves as boys
Cross-dressing
Cross-dressing is the wearing of clothing and other accoutrement commonly associated with a gender within a particular society that is seen as different than the one usually presented by the dresser...
and enter a dojo
Dojo
A is a Japanese term which literally means "place of the way". Initially, dōjōs were adjunct to temples. The term can refer to a formal training place for any of the Japanese do arts but typically it is considered the formal gathering place for students of any Japanese martial arts style to...
as servants until the time they can exact their revenge.
Kimi is the narrator and main character
Protagonist
A protagonist is the main character of a literary, theatrical, cinematic, or musical narrative, around whom the events of the narrative's plot revolve and with whom the audience is intended to most identify...
of the story. She tells her story of her escape with her sister, Hana, and how they come to realize how hard commoner life is.
Plot
Kimi's uncle, Hidehira, comes over for what seems to be a normal visit. It appears as if Kimi's father was leaving and her uncle was taking his place as jitō. As Kimi and Hana watch the sacred ceremony in secrecy, they witness their uncle plunge a knife into their father and then proceed to do away with their older brothers. After witnessing the struggle, they flee and hide in a family shrineShrine
A shrine is a holy or sacred place, which is dedicated to a specific deity, ancestor, hero, martyr, saint, daemon or similar figure of awe and respect, at which they are venerated or worshipped. Shrines often contain idols, relics, or other such objects associated with the figure being venerated....
. There they find a note from their mother saying that she and Moriyasu, the youngest brother had escaped and that they would some day meet when Moriyasu was old enough to take their house back from Hidehira. This was all in the disguise of a poem.
Kimi and Hana make a plan to disguise themselves as boys and make their way to a prestigious dojo
Dojo
A is a Japanese term which literally means "place of the way". Initially, dōjōs were adjunct to temples. The term can refer to a formal training place for any of the Japanese do arts but typically it is considered the formal gathering place for students of any Japanese martial arts style to...
that had taught all of the men in their family. They are not allowed in at first and are confronted by their cousin, the son of Hidehira, Ken-ichi. Luckily he does not recognize the girls and simply looks down upon them as two poor farm boys. It appears he is not even aware of his father's doings. He challenges Kimi to a sword fight after an accidental clash of swords (a sign of disrespect) and, though she loses, her potential catches the attention of the master of the dojo, Master Goku. He lets the girls in as servants and allows them to attend classes when they are not working.
During their time there they begin to realize their cousin's ignorance
Ignorance
Ignorance is a state of being uninformed . The word ignorant is an adjective describing a person in the state of being unaware and is often used as an insult...
and ill behavior. Along the way; they befriend a boy named Tatsuya whom they aid through the book. Slowly their skill increases, and to the point Kimi can knock down a tree. During this time; Tatsuya figures out they are the daughters of the deceased jitō.
As time goes by, they realize that Goku has known from the start who they were.
In time, there is a tournament
Tournament
A tournament is a competition involving a relatively large number of competitors, all participating in a sport or game. More specifically, the term may be used in either of two overlapping senses:...
held at the school that takes place every year in which anyone, in or outside of the school, may compete. Kimi and Hana decide to participate in a way to get revenge and to challenge her uncle. But Tatsuya in the process takes Hana out of the tournament. Kimi blows through the tournament; making her way into the top six students participating. During a competition, Ken-ichi injures Tatsuya on purpose as a trick. Then his father disowns him and leaves. Ken-ichi then challenges Master Goku in anger and poison
Poison
In the context of biology, poisons are substances that can cause disturbances to organisms, usually by chemical reaction or other activity on the molecular scale, when a sufficient quantity is absorbed by an organism....
s him before hand. Then he kills Goku and leaves after Kimi defeats him in combat. The book then ends with Kimi and Hana finding a note from their mother.
Blurb
Kimi and Hana are daughters of the jitō, a powerful samuraiSamurai
is the term for the military nobility of pre-industrial Japan. According to translator William Scott Wilson: "In Chinese, the character 侍 was originally a verb meaning to wait upon or accompany a person in the upper ranks of society, and this is also true of the original term in Japanese, saburau...
lord, but their privileged lives are shattered when their father is murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
ed. Hunted by his killer, it is up to the sisters to salvage what is left of their broken family-and avenge their fathers death.
The story continues in the second book, Sisters of the Sword 2: Chasing the Secret.
External links
- http://www.harpercollins.com/books/9780061243875/Sisters_of_the_Sword/index.aspx