WRITER'S DIGEST: First Place Award - 11th Annual Self-Published E-Book in Mystery/Thriller Category READER'S VIEW: First Place Award - 2023/24 Historical Fiction Classics The Girl with the Face of the Moon is a combination of two of the oldest stories of humanity, the hero's journey and that of love a driving force with a power that can triumph over death: a mother seeking to save her child from hell.A young woman of samurai lineage is raised in an impoverished mountain village by bitter parents, identical to the peasants ...
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WRITER'S DIGEST: First Place Award - 11th Annual Self-Published E-Book in Mystery/Thriller Category READER'S VIEW: First Place Award - 2023/24 Historical Fiction Classics The Girl with the Face of the Moon is a combination of two of the oldest stories of humanity, the hero's journey and that of love a driving force with a power that can triumph over death: a mother seeking to save her child from hell.A young woman of samurai lineage is raised in an impoverished mountain village by bitter parents, identical to the peasants among whom they live, but for their ancestry. Unloved and mistreated, she runs off with a Matagi, a man of a caste of hunters, who were outcast but nearly free from the rules that governed the rest of Japanese society. After a few years of happiness, their child is stolen by a being perhaps human, perhaps not. Bereft, the young woman will challenge death itself to recover her child.The Girl with the Face of the Moon is set in Bakumatsu and Meiji Japan, a transitional period in the mid-1800's, when Japan went from Medieval to Modern in only a few years. This, however, is not a book about the privileged few; rather, this is a story of those on the fringes: a blind wandering masseuse, the abalone divers, the aboriginal mountain folk, a wild yojimbo (body guard and bar thug both), the hunters who worship bears, seeing them as the true power of the mountains, and a woman with no place in any of Japan's societies. The description of the hero's training and that of her allies are based on historical figures and the actual training methods and techniques of archaic Japanese martial arts, something the author learned, first hand, for thirteen years in Japan. Threaded throughout is the terrible question how one can retain one's humanity, and even further, what happens to love, in a world of pervasive terror.
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Add this copy of The Girl with the Face of the Moon to cart. $12.04, new condition, Sold by Ingram Customer Returns Center rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from NV, USA, published 2018 by Createspace Independent Publishing Platform.
Add this copy of The Girl with the Face of the Moon to cart. $23.27, new condition, Sold by Ria Christie Books rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Uxbridge, MIDDLESEX, UNITED KINGDOM, published 2018 by Createspace Independent Publishing Platform.
Add this copy of The Girl With the Face of the Moon to cart. $33.63, good condition, Sold by Bonita rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Newport Coast, CA, UNITED STATES, published 2018 by CreateSpace Independent Publis.
Add this copy of The Girl With the Face of the Moon to cart. $63.44, new condition, Sold by Bonita rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Newport Coast, CA, UNITED STATES, published 2018 by CreateSpace Independent Publis.
The Girl with the Face of the Moon� is set in Bakumatsu and Meiji Japan during the mid-1800s. The heroine in this tale is a young woman of Samurai lineage. She lives in harsh conditions with her family in a hillside village. The village is poor, and the people must work hard to grow their own food. This young woman has an angry, pride-filled father who feels that, because of her samurai lineage, she is too good to marry a local man. She toils away for her family until one day when a lowly mountain hunter, known as a matagi, shows up asking for water. Feeling a connection, this woman runs off with him. While their living conditions are severe, she finally finds happiness with him and her son.
One day, an evil creature known as a Mantis shows up and destroys their peace. Brutalizing her family, the Mantis takes off with her son. He intends to raise him as his own, in his depraved, violent world. Left with nothing but horrific wounds, this woman decides to train so that she can go after this creature and free her son from his grasp. This tale takes us along the way, as she works to overcome severe obstacles in order to be prepared to defeat him.
It is a bit intimidating to write a review for an author who has such an eloquent way with words. This story flowed so smoothly, I found myself completely captivated. This eloquence brought the words to life, which in turn made it more difficult to bear the depravity and pain that the heroine had to suffer. However, it was the depth of suffering that forced her to rise up against her antagonist. It was the pain that made her more determined to defeat him. She had to make agonizing decisions to take the action needed.
The inclusion of true historical information, including that about ancient Japanese martial arts makes this story even more interesting. This tale is beautifully illustrated with sixteen thought-provoking artistic works by Ben Trissel. Each work, including the cover, invokes deep feelings that add poignancy to the writing.
I found ââ?¬Å"The Girl with the Face of the Moonââ?¬Â? to be reminiscent of Japanese folklore books that my mother saved from her childhood spent in Japan. While there is no other tale like this one, it did bring back some memories of the stories I had read. A story like this will leave the reader contemplating it for a very long time.
I will be reading more books by Ellis Amdur. As a matter of fact, as I am a woman who trains in martial arts and a community college public safety adviser who has dealt with crisis issues, I find all his books currently in print to be relatable to me. I look forward to seeing what his imagination has in store for future fictional works. Readers who appreciate historical Japanese fiction, especially those with an interest in East Asian martial arts, will revel in ââ?¬Å"The Girl with the Face of the Moon.ââ?¬Â?
