Young Samurai 06 - The Ring of Fire, page 24
This story is written as a homage to the film Seven Samurai by Akira Kurosawa, one of the greatest directors of Japanese samurai movies. If you have the opportunity, I recommend that you watch all his films. The Hidden Fortress inspired George Lucas’s Star Wars. Yojimbo (The Bodyguard) was the basis for Clint Eastwood’s classic western A Fistful of Dollars. Seven Samurai was remade as a western too – The Magnificent Seven. Likewise, Kurosawa’s films have greatly influenced my passion for all things samurai and have been a source of inspiration for my Young Samurai novels. For that I sincerely thank him. Arigatō gozaimashita.
With the sixth title in this series, my list of people to thank grows ever longer. My gratitude goes out to all my fans, teachers and librarians. Without your support, these books could never happen.
I wish to express my continued appreciation of Shannon Park, my editor, and all at Puffin for their hard work and endless enthusiasm for the Young Samurai series – Wendy Tse, Helen Gray, Vanessa Godden, Julie Teece, Jayde Lynch, Sara Flavell and Paul Young (for his fantastic covers!).
I also must thank Charlie Viney, a great agent and an even greater friend, as well as Franca Bernatavicius and Nicki Kennedy, my overseas agents at ILA, for their passion and enthusiasm.
And, most importantly, my family – thank you for all your support and encouragement, especially my mum and dad, my godparents Ann and Andrew Smeeton, Sue and Simon Mole, Steve and Sam, my wife Sarah and my son, Zach, to whom this book is dedicated.
If I have one lesson for you in life, my son, it is ‘No man is a failure who has friends’.
And so I want to thank my friends for their support of me …
Karen and Rob Rose, Geoff and Lucy Roy, Matt Bould, Charlie Wallace, Hayley Drewery, Russell and Jackie Holdaway, Andy and Sarah Hitt (and Martha and Ellen!), Nick and Zelia O’Donnell, Emma and Simon Gibbins, the ever-growing Dyson family, Lisa and Simon Martin, Rob and Robbie Cooper, Barbara and Scott Horsfield, Heather and Steve Miller, Nick and Jane Coward, Mike and Sonia Evans, Rob and Michelle Dunkerley, Steve Backshall, Oli Bishop, Stephan Bedelian, Anthony Varney, Danny and Kate Fitzpatrick … to name only a few.
Oh, and Gazebo Man for protecting my ‘swords’!
Any fans can keep in touch with me and the progress of the Young Samurai series on my Facebook page, or via the website at www.youngsamurai.com
Arigatō gozaimasu!
Disclaimer: Young Samurai: The Ring of Fire is a work of fiction, and while based on real historical figures, events and locations, the book does not profess to be accurate in this regard. Young Samurai: The Ring of Fire is more an echo of the times than a re-enactment of history.
Warning: Do not attempt any of the techniques described within this book without the supervision of a qualified martial arts instructor. These can be highly dangerous moves and result in fatal injuries. The author and publisher take no responsibility for any injuries resulting from attempting these techniques.
PUFFIN BOOKS
Published by the Penguin Group
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Penguin Books Ltd, Registered Offices: 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England
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First published 2011
Text copyright © Chris Bradford, 2011
Cover illustration copyright © Paul Young, 2011
Map copyright © Robert Nelmes, 2008
All rights reserved
The moral right of the author and illustrators has been asserted
Except in the United States of America, this book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, resold, hired out, or otherwise circulated without the publisher’s prior consent in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser
A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
ISBN: 978-0-141-96163-7
Table of Contents
Map: The Japans – 17th Century
The Letter
1 Frozen
2 Rice
3 Neko
4 Black Moon
5 Seven Samurai
6 Fire
7 Baby
8 Abducted
9 Recruitment
10 An Old Friend
11 A Helpful Monk
12 Splitting Arrows
13 Hayato
14 Yuudai
15 Out of Time
16 White Shadow
17 Army of Children
18 The Reluctant Leader
19 A Ninja’s Inspiration
20 Through the Eyes of the Enemy
21 Locked Horns
22 Defences
23 A Samurai’s Sword
24 A Dark Secret
25 Divisions
26 Samurai School
27 Thorn Bushes
28 A Lost Cause
29 Wanted
30 Scouts
31 Tracking Trails
32 Akuma
33 Up in Flames
34 Rescue
35 Fire Fight
36 An Icy Grave
37 Healing
38 Straw Soldiers
39 Battle Cry
40 Doubts
41 Fear
42 Night Watch
43 The Raid
44 The Mill
45 The Bridge
46 Ice
47 A Deal
48 Scared
49 Shot Down
50 Assassination
51 Execution
52 The Burning Pyre
53 Gone
54 The Ring of Fire
55 Overrun
56 Shakujō
57 The Pond
58 End of a Nightmare
59 Tears and Celebration
60 Koban
61 Fugitives
Notes on the Sources
Character Names
Japanese Glossary
Acknowledgements
Chris Bradford, Young Samurai 06 - The Ring of Fire
