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Samurai Rising
- The Epic Life of Minamoto Yoshitsune
- Narrated by: Brian Nishii
- Length: 4 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged Audiobook
- Categories: Children's Audiobooks, Fairy Tales, Folk Tales & Myths
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Summary
Minamoto Yoshitsune should not have been a samurai. But his story is legend in this real-life saga. This epic warrior tale may sound like a novel, but this is the true story of the greatest samurai in Japanese history. When Yoshitsune was just a baby, his father went to war with a rival samurai family - and lost. His father was killed, his mother captured, and his surviving half-brother banished. Yoshitsune was sent away to live in a monastery. Skinny, small, and unskilled in the warrior arts, he nevertheless escaped and learned the ways of the samurai. When the time came for the Minamoto clan to rise up against their enemies, Yoshitsune answered the call. His daring feats and impossible bravery earned him immortality.
Critic reviews
YALSA Nonfiction Finalist, 2017
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What listeners say about Samurai Rising
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Amazon Customer
- 10-12-19
Beautiful story fantastically narrated
I've heard of the Tale of The Heike so many times but I've never taken the time to read or listen to the story directly itself. Pamela Turner's writing is so beautiful and so simple at the same time I was pulled directly into the story. Hearing Brian Nishii's narration put my mind in the place of the samurai of ancient Japan, his clear English along with authentic pronunciations of the Japanese used within the book made the whole thing that little but more special. Really loved it, kind of sad that it's over but I guess that's 'mono no aware' in a nutshell.
1 person found this helpful
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- oscar
- 10-04-19
great
loved it!!! brilliantly written and read, gives a great insight into samurai life before the way of the sword.
1 person found this helpful
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- Andy
- 15-01-18
yoshitsune
excellent book well narrated would highly recommend this book to anyone who would like a view into the real samurai.
1 person found this helpful
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- Peter
- 06-04-21
An interesting story
Fast paced and action packed with a few shining bits of wisdom for the listener.
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- Joe F.
- 12-03-20
The first Samurai
Although highly romantic, this account of the life of the great samurai Yoshitsune is as entretaining as it is thrilling. I wish it would have not included some modern language and other anglo references but there were not enough to distract me from the breakneck pace of this book. anyone interested in the life of this great warrior should not miss this. the narration is top notch with what I think is perfect Japanese pronunciation. well done and highly recommended.
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- JT_Artos
- 23-01-20
Great Samurai Story
Excellent telling of some samurai history, at least what is known of the history this story is about. Action, drama, heroes, monks & more. & it isn't that long of a listen.
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- Sarah
- 16-01-20
great story hard to follow
I am not familiar with Japan geography or this time frame in history so it was a challenge in the beginning to keep people and place straight. but very well written and reader did a great job.
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- YCLAESGS8
- 12-12-19
So awesome!
Fantastic, well researched, story; fantastic narration! I knew very little about the subject matter and came away with, not only an amazing story, but a greater appreciation for Japanese culture of the 1100s. Thank you!
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- Dawn Mother
- 11-04-19
very well done
fun and informative. Pamela did this story justice. I'm very glad I bought it and I will buy the paperback immediately to have on hand too.
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- Adiel
- 12-03-19
Very interesting but not for me.
Samurai history was very interesting, sometimes so many names made it hard to follow the story. But I enjoyed it as something else to read.
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- Becky
- 02-01-19
like it vary much
This was my first audio book and I enjoyed it and I highly recommend this book.
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- Jim
- 24-05-17
Great Book
An outstanding and exciting novel, very well read I loved the reader. the tale is true and exciting with everything you could want in a novel.
2 people found this helpful
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- Jonathan Knotts
- 30-08-16
Great history
this story was very well laid out & told. It was very dense with content & slow going, not a leisure book but I still really enjoyed it.
1 person found this helpful