Blood Ninja III: The Betrayal of the Living by Nick Lake YP FIC LAKE

The evil Lord Oda is dead (after already being dead, then undead, and now totally dead), but Taro’s greatest challenge is still ahead.  He must vanquish a dragon in order to get permission to marry the girl he loves.  Wait fighting dragons to win the heart of a fair lady is supposed to be for knights, nit vampire ninjas!?  Taro is doomed!  As if that wasn’t enough to worry about the dead are rising.  No, not vampires, ZOMBIES!  The super, evil and very creepy Kenji has crawled back from the dead and is raising an army of corpses to destroy all he sees.  OH!  Also, Taro’s very own flesh and blood family plans to betray him!  Being a vampire ninja in feudal Japan is ROUGH!

Vampire ninjas VS Dragons and Zombies!  What’s not to love!? This is a great finale to a wonderful action series.  This book, like the two before it (read my reviews here and here), have loads of fast paced action and ultra-violence, perfectly evil villains to root for, and enough plot twists to keep things interesting.  Also, Nick Lake does a nice amount of research to make the Japanese setting feel real and authentic.  Basically the Blood Ninja series is like a super awesome manga series without the pictures.  It doesn’t have the most realistic characters, but they aren’t boring or entirely one note either.  The heroes are almost always outmatched and that makes for tense and exciting action sequences.  The romantic plot does get a little sparkly when Taro learns that he can’t be with Hana without turning her into a vampire, but that never drags the plot down to a soap opera.  This is a must read for fans of action, manga, or historical-fiction-fantasy-horror.

You can check our catalog for Blood Ninja III here.

Blood Ninja 2: The Revenge of Lord Oda by Nick Lake YP FIC LAKE

After Taro killed the evil Lord Oda Nobunaga he thought he was safe, but unfortunately Lord Oda is alive, er undead, because he has risen as a vampire! This is bad timing as Taro and his friends are off to find Taro’s missing mother. When they fall into a trap a tragedy occurs that drives Taro to find the Bhudda Ball, a weapon of ultimate power and meet Lord Oda on the battlefield to get Bloody Revenge!!!

Blood Ninja 2 is even bloodier and ninja-ier then the first! It has a great flow of action, awesome swordplay and magic, really evil villains, and exciting plot twists. It is one of the coolest horror-action series in a long while. Fans of the first book or of Darren Shan’s novels should LOVE this book. I love that Lake includes lots of accurate historical detail so it takes you to another place and time. I also think that manga fans will really love the Blood Ninja series, because it totally reads like a really awesome manga. Basically if you like action packed books you should (BAD PUN ALERT) sink your teeth into Blood Ninja 2!

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: The Graphic Novel by Seth Grahame Smith and Jane Austen, Adapted by Tony Lee and Illustrated by Cliff Richards FIC GR

Jane Austen’s classic romance of the bright and beautiful Elizabeth Bennet and the arrogant and cold Mr. Darcy’s love that defied social expectations is given bold new life with the addition of the undead. Can Elizabeth save her fractured family from destitution and land a husband whilst fighting off the zombie hordes? A touching story of true love and how society’s petty concerns with class, appearance, and manners try to stand in its way…and zombies.

If you haven’t read the hilarious novel Pride and Prejudice and Zombies this is a great way to enjoy the zaniness of adding ninja assassins and brain eating monsters to classic Jane Austen. I will say that I enjoyed the novel more because it is closer to Austen’s original novel than a graphic novel can ever be, but the plus side is the art is excellent and makes the gory fight scenes even better than the novel. However, the gore is sort of strong in places so this one is not for the squeamish at all. All and all this is a good read for fans of the book, fans of zombie romance comics, and even Jane Austen fans.

Blood Ninja by Nick Lake YP FIC LAKE

Taro is the son of poor peasants living in feudal Japan. He dreams of one day living a life of adventure and honor, but when ninjas suddenly attack his home everything he thought he knew is destroyed. His father is murdered, a ninja saves him and his mother, and he is mortally wounded. That’s when his ninja savior Shusaku decides to reveal the secret of ninja: they are all vampires. So now Taro is a vampire, training to become a ninja, and on the hit list of the most powerful Lord in Japan, the fearsome Daimyo Lord Tokugawa! On his journey he will be tried, tested, and discover his secret destiny. But he will also learn that revenge has a high price and it is always paid in blood.

The title does not lie; it promises blood and ninjas and it delivers! Blood Ninja is action packed, suspenseful, and thrilling. Even better it is also filled with interesting characters and has a fascinating setting. Nick Lake has clearly done his homework because this novel is filled with interesting Japanese folklore and history, so you can learn about feudal Japan and vampire ninjas at the same time! This makes this a great book for action fans, anime and manga fans, and even fans of historical fiction looking for something a little different. The only complaint I could have is that Blood Ninja is going to be a series and it leaves you wanting the next book right away, but I guess that just shows how deep I sunk my teeth into this one.