Johnson, Kij Books

The Fox Woman

Kij Johnson

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 27 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

In Western fairy tales, we've got the werewolf, the man who changes into a wolf. But in the East, it's the fox who does the changing, into a man--or, more often, a sensuous, seductive woman. In her skillful debut, Kij Johnson takes this classic Japanese myth (based in large part on a Royall Tyler translation of a particular story) and spins it into a luminous, lyrical tale, a tender and whisper-quiet study of love, desire, joy, and the nature of the soul.

The Fox Woman follows two families, one of foxes and another of humans. The restless Kaya no Yoshifuji fails to receive an appointment in the Emperor's court and, distracted and seemingly unfazed, decides to relocate to a rural estate to pass a pensive winter, accompanied by his wife Shikujo and son Tadamaro. But a young fox named Kitsune and her brother, mother, and grandfather have set up their den in the run-down estate, and soon the fate of both families becomes intertwined; Yoshifuji becomes bewitched by the foxes, and Kitsune in turn falls in love with him, much to the distress of all others involved, especially Shikujo.

Johnson tells her tale in measured, intimate passages, through Kitsune's diary, Yoshifuji's notebook, and Shikujo's pillow book. The rich, truthful depiction of the Heian-era setting, punctuated by exchanges of poetry and steeped in emotive descriptions of both the fox and human worlds, establishes a still, meditative, and rewarding pace. With her thoughtful ear, Johnson offers a mature and knowing first effort. --Paul Hughes

Fudoki

Kij Johnson

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 12 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Enter the world of Kagaya-hime, a sometime woman warrior, occasional philosopher, and reluctant confidante to noblemen--who may or may not be a figment of the imagination of an aging empress who is embarking on the last journey of her life, setting aside the trappings of court life and reminiscing on the paths that lead her to death.

For she is a being who started her journey on the kami, the spirit road, as a humble tortoiseshell feline. Her family was destroyed by a fire that decimated most of the Imperial city, and this loss renders her taleless, the only one left alive to pass on such stories as The Cat Born the Year the Star Fell, The Cat with a Litter of Ten, and The Fire-Tailed Cat. Without her fudoki--self and soul and home and shrine--she alone cannot keep the power of her clan together. And she cannot join another fudoki, because although she might be able to win a place within another clan, to do so would mean that she would cease to be herself.

So a small cat begins an extraordinary journey. Along the way she will attract the attention of old and ancient powers. Gods who are curious about this creature newly come to Japan's shores, and who choose to give the tortoiseshell a human shape.

Dragon's Honor (Star Trek: The Next Generation, No. 38)

Kij Johnson, Greg Cox

List Price: $5.99 By: Star Trek Amazon Marketplace: 174 new & used starting at $0.01

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Subjects -> Science Fiction & Fantasy -> Media -> Star Trek -> Next Generation

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 9 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Interesting Cultures 4 out of 5 stars.
0 of 1 people found this review helpful.

I have to give this book four stars because : 1) I like alien races. 2) I enjoy books that deal with Asia and this book has the 'Dragon Empire', who seem to have a society based on early China. 3) It also has a mystery and I love trying to figure out things before the characters in the book.

It starts out with action and has enough to keep you going to the end.

Editorial Review:

DRAGON'S HONOR

Isolated for centuries, the exotic Dragon Empires finally ready to join the United Federation of Planets. But first the emperor's eldest son must marry the only daughter of his oldest enemy, bringing to an end decades of civil war. Without the wedding, there can be no peace -- and no treaty with the Federation.

As honored guests of the Dragon Empire, Captain Picard and the crew of the Starship Enterprise™ must ensure that the royal wedding occurs on schedule, despite the Empire's complicated and difficult codes of honor. And Dr. Beverly Crusher finds her loyalties torn when she wins the confidence of the unusually reluctant bride-to-be.

More than just a treaty is at stake, for a vicious race of alien conquerors will stop at nothing, from assassination to invasion, to keep the Empire out of the Federation. Picard must now use all his skills to save the Empire...and preserve the Dragon's Honor.