Summertime of the Dead by Gregory Hughes
Published November 2012 Quercus
From the publisher:
Yukio's two best friends are dead. Tormented and
blackmailed by the Yakuza – the Japanese mafia – they have taken their own
lives. Yukio is a kendo champion and he knows all the stories of the samurai.
Heartbroken and furious, he is determined to avenge the
deaths of his beloved Hiroshi and Miko. And so begins a deadly struggle between
Yukio and the Yakuza, and between Yukio's capacity for love, and his thirst for
revenge.Shot through with the beauty of
A
book about the Japanese Mafia with a Warning: Not For Younger Readers on the
back, this has the makings of a must read for action loving boys
everywhere! Three Japanese teenagers,
friends since childhood, who are as close as siblings. One night while at an underage night club,
and a chance meeting with Riko and Louise, nieces to a gangster godfather in
the Japanese Mafia, the yakuza and their friend Kako changes everything.
While
Yukio is away on holidays, his friends Miko and Hiroshi start spending time
with Kako. The twins were asked to help
with an old gambling debt, and as result an old man became badly hurt. The twins found themselves in deep trouble and
being blackmailed. This is the start of
the older content, because although it’s not described in detail, Miko was
forced to have sex with Kako, and he filmed it, claiming he would show it to
her grandfather if they didn’t do what he asked. The shame of what they were asked to do, is
enough for the twins to commit suicide, and it’s their deaths that Yukio must
avenge.
Let
me tell you that it become obvious quite quickly after this point as to why
there is a warning on the back of the book.
Yukio digs out his family’s samurai sword, gets it sharpened and starts
to plot his revenge. Kako is his first
target, and with his skills in kendo and a sharpened sword, he makes quick work
of him. Then it’s Louise and a few body
guards and then his killing escalates into anyone who has anything to do with
the yazuka. His final kill is the one
that is his undoing, and it is unexpected.
The
other storyline that threads it’s way through this tale is the relationship
Yukio has with his simple cousin the Lump.
She might not say much, but her presence is somewhat stabilising to
Yukio. Her leaving is the point when things really get out of control fro
Yukio.
Yukio
goes from vengeful killer to a full on insane psychopath by the end of the
novel. I think some degree of suspended
belief may be required for this one, as while I understand the Japanese
feelings of honour, the extremes Yukio goes to is a bit much. That said, this book will appeal to boys who
have a love of martial arts, as Samurai way is a real theme in this book.
Who will like this
book: Boys age 14+
Read it if you like: martial arts
Read it if you like: martial arts
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