Series: The Year of the Dragon #1
Author: James Calbraith
Genre: Fantasy, Historical Fantasy, Epic Fantasy, Alternate History,
Publisher: Flying Squid
Format: Ebook and Paperback
Length: 70000 words
Purchase: Amazon |
Book Description:
"Fast paced and full of
energy"
--Adrian Tchaikovsky, author of the
Shadows of the Apt
-- Publishers Weekly
"The real-world cultures are
incredibly well-researched and truthful, and yet well-balanced with the fantasy
elements. An intriguing and impressive series."
-- Ben Galley, author of the Emaneska
Series
Ghosts and Ghouls of Japan
My books are set in a fantasy world filled with supernatural
creatures from the Japanese folklore. I’d like to share some of the lore of
these mystical beings with the readers of this blog.
The supernaturals of Japan can be broadly divided into two
categories: the Yūrei, or Ghosts, and the Yōkai, or Demons.
YŪREI: the name means “Faint Souls”, and the term describes the lost souls
or spirits (reikon) which have been
prevented from reaching peaceful afterlife and are forced to haunt our world.
Usually it is because they have been killed in a violent manner, or the funeral
rites have not been performed properly.
There are many types of these ghosts in folklore. The following are
some of the most popular:
Onryō – a ghost of vengeance, returned to our world to right a wrong done to
it before death.
Ubume – a mother who died in childbirth, protecting its children in the
afterlife
Goryō – vengeful ghost of an aristocrat who had been killed unlawfully
Funayūrei – a sea ghost, of a human who died at sea, often half-transformed into
a fish
Zashiki-Warashi – the mischevious ghosts of children
Jikininki – ghosts of greedy humans, who are cursed to eat human corpses at
night
Ikiryō – a special case, this is the spirit of a man who is still alive, but
is so angry and vengeful that their spirit has left the body in search of a
victim to haunt.
YŌKAI – the name can be roughly translated as “Mysterious Apparition”. These
are creatures which have a more physical form than the Yurei, and are not
connected to the dead souls.
Obake (or Henge): A great category of beings, the shape-shifters, who can often take
on human forms, or indeed, any form it wishes. Many wild animals of Japan are
said to possess this ability; in stories, they usually play the roles of
tricksters. The most widely recognized Obake
include: Kitsune, the magic
foxes (white in their true form), who serve the Goddess Inari; Tanuki, raccoon-dogs, famed for the
ability to stretch their testicles; Mujina
badgers, Hebi snakes and Okami wolves.
Some cats and dogs can also change their forms, especially if they
are found in service of the Gods or wizards; these shape-shifting creatures are
called, respectively, Bakeneko and Inugami. Finally, the spirits of the
sacred trees, called Kodama, can
also take on hman form, usually that of an old man.
Oni: the giant ogres living in the mountains, the Oni have been variously
called Japanese demons, devils or trolls. Having crossed into our world through
the kimon gate, the Oni terrorize the
villages, eating humans and destroying crops. Although they too can change
shape to some limit, their popular appearance is that of a terrible giant with
bull’s horns, tiger fangs and claws, and tiger-skin loincloth, armed with an
iron-studded mace.
Tengu: the forest and
mountain goblins, the tengu have a long and complex history. Originally, great
humanoid demon-birds, similar to harpies, with beaks, wings and claws, later
grew more human, red faces with long noses. The tengu are variously regarded as
spirits of dead Buddhist monks, or as protective demons of the forests; they
are usually wearing the clothes of the mountain hermit, yamabushi, and are
smart and fierce warriors. Japan’s most famous historical hero Yoshitsune was
said to receive his martial training from the tengu of Kurama.
Kappa: these water sprites are one of the most peculiar of Japan’s magical
creatures. Turtle-like in appearance, with webbed hands and feet, the kappa
have a fondness for pickled cucumbers and an indentation on the top of their
heads called sara, where they keep
water; whenever they leave their home lake or river, the water must always fill
the sara, lest they lose their
magical powers.
The kappa are mischievous, and sometimes dangerous, but not very
smart; therefore, their victims are usually animals and children. A kappa is
said to be able to suck a human’s spirit through the anus, or drink one’s blood
if it manages to wrestle somebody into their under-water domain.
Tsukumogami: In Japanese mythology, all old and great things are inhabited by kami spirits: rivers, trees, stones,
mountains. But so, too, do old household items. Once a broom or a sandal grow
over 100 years old, it’s ready to be inhabited by a Tsukumo-gami. Like
Pratchett’s Luggage, a Tsukumogami-inhabited item becomes animated, can move on
its own and play pranks. But the worst thing you can do to a tsukumogami is to
throw it away while it’s still good to use; nothing angers Japanese spirits as
much as being wasteful!
About The Shadow of the Black Wings:
They don't
know it yet, but their paths will cross... And when they do, nothing will ever
be the same again.
Welcome to
The Shadow of Black Wings, a steam-powered romp across the land of dragons,
wizards and samurai. It's big, it's fast, it's been compared to Tolkien in
terms of world-building, it has strong female characters and lots of carefully
researched detail. You will meet the Royal Marines sailing mighty ironclads and
Chinese walking machines; mysterious warlords and crazy inventors; you will
discover dark prophecies, family secrets and blood-thirsty demons. And all that
in just the first volume!
About the Author:
James
Calbraith is a 34 year old Poland-born writer, foodie and traveller, currently
residing in South London.
Growing up in
communist Poland on a diet of powdered milk, Lord of the Rings and soviet
science-fiction, he had his first story published at the ripe age of eight.
After years of bouncing around university faculties, he moved to London in
2007, found a decent IT job and started writing in English. His debut
historical fantasy novel, ""The Shadow of Black Wings"",
has reached ABNA semi-finals. It was published in July 2012 and hit the
Historical Fantasy and Alternate History bestseller lists on Amazon US &
UK.
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