Review: The Swords of Satsukawa
As one reads through history, it’s hard not to think that life in ancient Japan would be fairly mundane. Samurais ruled the country, and the social order, at first glance, seems fairly set into stone. Sam Browne’s first book of historical fiction calls this narrative into question. This coming-of-age tale follows the life of a samurai named Tanaka as he learns how to balance his lifestyle as a ronin (a traveling samurai without a set…