Endsinger (Lotus War #3)

Endsinger by Jay Kristoff is the third book in his Lotus War trilogy a fantasy / science fiction blend about a world based on Japanese mythology.

There is civil war across the Shima Imperium. What is left of the ruling Kazumitsu Shogunate and the Lotus Guild are fighting the Kage rebels and other dissidents lead by a young woman who has tamed a Thunder Tiger.


The four clans have always pledged allegiance to the Shogun. But with his death, two clans have not committed to his successor - a man the Lotus Guild is using as a puppet to take over total control of Shima. 

The Lotus Guild has been keeping people in line with the growth of the blood lotus - a drug to which much of the population is addicted and has taken over so much crop land there is not enough food. The Guild is mechanized and the resulting pollution have gone too far.

In this third volume, war will decide who is to rule the land of Shima - who will be in charge of the final destruction or the slow healing of that land. Kristoff has created a fascinating world combining fantasy / mythology with science fiction machines.

Kristoff, Jay. (2014). Endsinger. New York: St. Martin's Press.

Kinslayer (Lotus War #2)

Kinslayer by Jay Kristoff is the second book in his Lotus War series that takes place in a land reminiscent of ancient Japan, the land of Shima ruled over by the Shogun.

Only now the Shogun is dead and Shima is on the brink of civil war to put another in his place. Only one person of the bloodline lives, and the Lotus Guild that controls the land has a plan to wed her to their new puppet. But the Kage rebels have a different idea, as do the other clans of the land.

Most of the upheaval was caused by one young woman. Yukiko tamed a thunder tiger, a mythic creature not seen in many years, and her bond with him lead to the change in power. But now the kenning, or mental connection she has always had with animals, threatens her sanity. The thoughts of others is becoming too loud and she must find some answers about how to control it.

Meanwhile, in the Shima capital city of Kigen, the Guild uses its machines to keep an eye on the public while rebels work their way closer to the palace to rescue the one remaining heir before she can be married off and turned into an heir producing slave.

Filled with espionage, fantastical creatures, technology and Japanese lore, the Lotus War series is a must-read for fans of fantasy, science fiction and steampunk.

Kristoff, Jay. (2013). Kinslayer. New York: Thomas Dunne Books.

Stormdancer (Lotus War #1)

Stormdancer by Jay Kristoff is the first book in his Lotus War trilogy - set in the fictional world of Shima that resembles Japan and lead by a Shogun.

The Shima Empire is run by one man - the ninth Shogun of the Kazumitsu Dynasty. Though he is in charge of the running of the empire, he is more concerned with getting what he wants personally. And others in the Tiger Clan as well as the other three clans (Fox, Dragon and Phoenix) must no offend him or they will be killed. What he wants now is a thunder tiger - a mythical griffin-like creature that has been extinct for years.

Yukiko will join her father on a wild griffin chase to the Iishi mountain range - a place where humans do not travel due to legend of demons - knowing that failure will result in the death of the whole hunting party.

When Yukiko and a thunder tiger meet, her secret gift of being able to communicate with animals may be the only thing that will save her life.

Kristoff has created a dystopian world where the Blood Lotus is destroying much of the population - either with it opiate or by destroying the land in which it is planted. The regime is oppressive and ripe for someone to challenge it.