Keith
Yatsuhashi “Kojiki” (Angry Robot, 2016)
Normally I am not a fan of the secret heritage trope. You know the one. It’s usually a character who upon “coming of
age” finds out that they are secretly the heir to the throne/chosen one/whatever.
But this is the exception that proves the rule. The reason is that the world of Kojiki is so
unlike any fantasy world that I have previously experienced. It’s important to say that I know next to
nothing about Japanese mythology. The
world of Kojiki gives the feel of a world that is based heavily on Japanese
mythology. It is in fact? I have no
idea. But it is complex and very different from the bog standard fantasy
world. Having this familiar trope (&
plot structure) gave me something to hang onto while trying to make sense of
this strange world.
Does it all work? I think that for me, at least, the results
were mixed. I found myself struggling
more than I enjoy. I honestly don’t know
how much was me, & how much was the book.
But regardless, it was difficult for me to make sense of things at
times. At other times, I enjoyed the
uniqueness and originality of this book.
