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Muramasa: Blood Drinker Kindle Edition

by David V. Stewart (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 83 ratings
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A cursed blade; a legendary tale... At the bidding of his lord, master swordsman Taoka Yoshio follows the bloody trail of a murderer who is seemingly empowered by sorcery. As samurai, Yoshio acts as retainer to the beautiful and enigmatic Amaya, the daughter of his sworn liege, on their quest. Amaya, however, has ambitions and plans that are quite different from the tasks appointed by her father. Along their way, they meet and befriend a legendary swordsmith, with whose help they begin to uncover the terrifying truth of the mysterious killer and his demonic blade. As they all become entangled in the webs of the Ashikaga shogunate’s schemes, they must each face the hard truths of their pasts to survive their trials and defeat evil. Danger, intrigue, bloody revenge, and demons await Yoshio, is he strong enough to survive?
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  1. Print length
    507 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publication date
    June 16, 2016
  5. File size
    4350 KB
  6. Page Flip
    Enabled
  7. Word Wise
    Enabled
  8. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  9. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

From the Author

Muramasa: Blood Drinker was my third book, but it definitely felt like the one I "finally got right." The late Muromachi and Sengoku periods of Japan have always been of interest to me, and I finally got a chance to use that setting to tell a fantasy story I had always wanted to tell. 
I wrote the first sentence while on break when working as a substitute teacher in Los Angeles, and the last sentence in a Starbucks in Sacramento, which might seem like a terrible cliche until you realize I don't drink coffee. Between that first sentence and the last I moved cities, changed jobs, got married, and bought a house; all those things took just three months, proof that I'm at my best when busy.It was a challenging book to write, but the work was very gratifying. I hope you will have as much fun reading it as I had writing it.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B01H6PDVM0
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ David Van Dyke Stewart; 2nd edition (June 16, 2016)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ June 16, 2016
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 4350 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 507 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 83 ratings

About the author

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David Stewart

David Stewart

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David Van Dyke Stewart is a writer, musician, educator, youtuber, and father. A classical and flamenco guitarist trained by the legendary Juan Serrano, he spent the majority of his 20s as a performer in both California and Nevada. In 2013, after more than a decade of performing and teaching while dealing with progressive hearing loss, he returned to an earlier passion, which was writing. He is the author of a dozen books in the fantasy, science fiction, horror, and historical fiction genres.

In 2017, after receiving a bone-anchored hearing system that restored a large portion of his hearing, he returned to music production and released "Memories Adrift," an eclectic instrumental/ambient rock album under "David V. Stewart's Zul."

He lives in rural California with his family.

For more free fiction and non-fiction content, videos, and more, visit: www.dvspress.com, www.davidvstewart.com, www.youtube.com/c/davidstewartwriter, or email stu@dvspress.com. Join the mailing list at dvspress.com/list for a free book.

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
4.6 out of 5
83 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Jerry
5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent book from an author as sharp as the sword itself.
Reviewed in the United States on February 21, 2024
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Muramasa: Blood Drinker by David V. Stewart is the first book by this author that I have read and my attention was brought to it by his fantastic YouTube channel. The novel treats on samurai action, enhanced by a magical element that is handled really well by the author. Taoka Yoshio's journey to complete the task set before him by his liege lord is one made up of intrigue, horror, well-written action and combat, and a good grip of the Japanese setting in which the work takes place. Stewart really did a great job with this one, I cannot recommend it enough.
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trollificus
4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting alt-Japan tale
Reviewed in the United States on September 29, 2019
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I've been kind of a fan of the authors' YouTube channel for a while, he's very smart, very straight thinker and has just the right amount of cynicism in his analysis of different social issues. So I was looking forward to reading one of his books.
I have to admit I enjoy somewhat romanticized alternative (read Western) or "magical realism" takes on Asian history. I liked Shogun many years ago, and enjoyed "Tales of the Otori" and, maybe more obscure, Amanda Salmonsons' "Tomoe Gozen" trilogy (an amazing, and darkly tragic, tale of a magical Nippon). So this was right up my alley.

It's a well-paced adventure with engaging characters up against a monstrous magical entity. Well-done all around.

Four stars because that cover...every time I saw it I thought "Man, that cover is ugly." Right to the end. When I closed the book, I said "Yeah, but that cover is ugly." Heh. Publisher messing up, you can't remove a star for that. But DVS did the cover too, and needs to remember that "healthy bowel movement" is not a great predominant color for a book cover.
2 people found this helpful
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Michael E. Shaffer
5.0 out of 5 stars Excelent read
Reviewed in the United States on August 9, 2016
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A well written story that really captures feudal Japan with the addition that the myths are real. Japan has a rich history of mystical creatures as well as a culture that was maintained with little change until end of WWII. The author weaves a compelling narrative around these main-stays. You feel you are watching things unfold in that actual time period.

A very enjoyable read. The pace is steady but never slows. All turns and twists are completely obvious only after the action. So many authors through "surprises" in that they not only didn't foreshadow, but are actually counter to the narrative they have built up. Not so in this case. At each point you can look back and go "yeah, that was set up that way!" The fight scenes are mostly realistic with only the addition of the "magic" that he introduces in the story. All the humans seemed very real and fleshed out. While not all the characters you meet get the full treatment in the book (it would be massive), his words make it clear that in his mind that they aren't just throw-away.

I would classify this as a definite read. Not only is it enjoyable, but you will learn a number of things about a vibrant culture that too often gets reduced to stereotypes.
11 people found this helpful
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Adon Wolfe
5.0 out of 5 stars A great historical-fictional book about feudal Japan
Reviewed in the United States on February 23, 2018
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A great historical-fictional book about feudal Japan. The story is simple, but engaging with a great cast of Characters, descriptive fight scenes that make you feeling like your watching an old Samurai movie, but with more blood and gore and the pacing of the story is well executed. All of the characters are all well written with great story arcs that make you really feel for what happens to these characters and the struggle they have gone through and the ones they go through in the story. While there were grammatical errors at places this is most likely because I have the first edition of the book which I think Mr.Stewart has gone back for the newer addition and has fixed these errors. Over all if you want a cool story about Samurai then you should get this book.
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A.Stewart
5.0 out of 5 stars Incredibly well done
Reviewed in the United States on January 2, 2019
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I bought this book and it sat on my Kindle for a few months (yes, I am a book hoarder...), and when I started reading it I couldn't believe that I hadn't read it sooner. What an awesome book! It has something for everyone: mystery, adventure, romance, supernatural, and history. I devoured this book. I also hope (and this is a BIG nudge for the author) that there are more- please make this a series of some sort. Or, just go back to Feudal Japan and write for another couple somehow. PLEASE!

This was an incredible read, and extremely well written and researched. Very enjoyable characters and over-all solid writing. Buy with confidence that this book will entertain.
3 people found this helpful
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Robert DeFrank
4.0 out of 5 stars Like a samurai film
Reviewed in the United States on November 24, 2019
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An atmospheric tale with the feel of a samurai film, and a celebration of Japanese culture and history. Like a samurai movie, there are periods of contemplation and explorations of the characters’ histories, interspersed by intense battles of skill and courage.
One person found this helpful
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Todd B
5.0 out of 5 stars An Interesting Story Told Well
Reviewed in the United States on July 11, 2018
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This is a great adventure tale. I appreciated that the scale of the supernatural element didn't overwhelm how the conflict between the heroes and the antagonist(s) played out. By scale, I mean that the supernatural aspect of the villain leant an eerie and dangerous quality to the conflict without the need for some kind of deus ex machina or unbelievable luck or plot device to attain a resolution. I always believed that the skilled Yoshio and determined Amaya (with the help of some important friends) were up to the challenge even if not guaranteed success. I enjoyed getting to know these characters and the nice little plot twists at the end. Mr Stewart, time to start writing. I need a sequel!
One person found this helpful
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Goldstein
3.0 out of 5 stars Rurouni Kenshin before the Meiji era
Reviewed in the United States on January 8, 2018
This book was like a combination of Captain America Civil War, and Rurouni Kenshin (the manga series) without the polish. If you can look past numerous spelling errors and the impossible machination of the main female character -- much like what Zemo had concocted in Civil War -- you can have a good time reading this book. This book relies on the same gimmick as Greg Iles, a gifted writer, indeed, who heavily relies on quick caricatures that moves the plot along. You can picture this book easily as an anime with familiar tropes: the stoic samurai, sexy love interest, perverted old man, blood thirsty villains, goofy young female, etc. I recommend this book to anyone looking for an alternative to a good samurai anime.
One person found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Trevor S.
5.0 out of 5 stars Check this guy out!
Reviewed in Canada on October 8, 2019
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Author knows how to craft a story, more people should check out his stuff. I was hooked from the opening line.
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Dude
5.0 out of 5 stars Enthralling samurai action with a touch of fantasy
Reviewed in Germany on April 23, 2019
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I already read other works of this author and looked forward to read this one. I wasnt disappointed; tough samurai action/thriller/adventure with a pinch of fantasy and magic. I have a feeling the author researched feudal japan in-depth. I am not an expert but armor, weaponry, fighting, culture etc come across as very authentic. The book is fast paced and goes down like a good wine. Can recommend it to everyone who likes samurai & adventure.
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Piotr Borowski
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 3, 2016
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good story, great characters
One person found this helpful
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Riley
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book!
Reviewed in Canada on June 14, 2017
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Great story, fun read.
Seems well researched but what do I know about ancient Japan?
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Stuart Pringle
3.0 out of 5 stars Thumbs up for plot; some of the prose felt awkward
Reviewed in Canada on August 18, 2018
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The characters and setting were well thought out and enjoyable. The dialogue was well-written for the most part, but some of the descriptions and regular prose felt slightly stiff and awkward.

Overall a good read and definitely worth the price, but doesn't rate the 4 stars that it otherwise would if the issues mentioned were fixed.
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