In Darkness, Death is the third book in what the Hoobler’s are calling
“The Samurai Detective Series.” This post is going to build off my posts about
the first two books in the series, The Ghost in the Tokaido Inn and The
Demon in the Teahouse, so if you’re interested you can check those out. And while were at it, there will probably be
spoilers ahead, so you’d probably do well to read the book first and come back
here. Seriously, it’s a short book and a
good one.
First things first, I need to talk about the physical book. This edition I have is different from the editions I have of books 2 and 4 in the series. Those two books are published by Penguin under their Sleuth Puffin imprint. Those two books have great covers, great dimensions, and great paper, that I never realized made such an impact on the reading experience. This book, In Darkness, Death, is all different because it is printed by a vanity press. Presumably the Hoobler’s didn’t like the deal they had with Penguin and decided the popularity of the series could profitably allow for some kind of self-publishing arrangement. For that desire, I applaud them, but man do I miss the feel of the other books. Not only is the cover unprofessional and amateurish, but the layout is non-existent. I had no idea how important the feel of a book in the hands was to me. Obviously, it’s one of the reasons I haven’t switched over to e-books, but I thought that was just about being able to feel the physical movement through the pages of the story. But I had a hard time starting this book, and that difficulty had nothing to do with the writing and everything to do with the physical book itself. How strange is that?
Now on to the story itself.
On the Hooblers’ tour through Edo Period Japan, we were bound to tangle with ninja at some point, and when I realized that’s what this book was doing, I admit I was nervous. But in the end, I think they did a great job handling the topic, by giving some context for their existence while leaving a lot of mystique around them. The world of magic and kamis has always been at the surface in these stories, and the Hooblers have adeptly handled their presence for intrigue and psychology while always resolving problems outside of them. This is the first story to suggest something stronger, with Seikei’s journey on Miwayama, Kitsune’s literal fox footprints, and even with Tatsuno’s ability to make the horse disappear, though that last one can be seen as an expertly executed trick. I’m a fan of the way the Hooblers walk that line of fantasy and reality in such a way that they elevate both aspects.
I have complained in the past about the books’ firm support for the
shogun’s authoritative power and the deadly social ordering of the times. This is the first book to question that order,
even if it does so with a gentle hand.
The Hooblers have never flinched from the harsh realities of punishment
and power, butting Seikei’s idealism up against the realities of how power is
executed, but they go a step further in this book. Seikei gets a lot of people
killed because of his idealism and his belief of what a Lord should be
like. Of course the Hoobler’s get to eat
their cake and have it too by making Seikei’s idealism the thing that attracts
people to him, so that Tatsuno, for example, saves Seikei’s life because of
Seikei’s boneheaded determination to do what is “right” even though it is
manifestly wrong. It’s a clever way to
solve the problem and lets them have a “young adult” novel without avoiding or
sweeping harsh realities under the carpet.
When I think of all the things in this book that a conservative white
parent would recoil from if they knew their child was reading it, it gives me
heart.
There is still a horrible representation of women in the novels. I was glad for the return of Michiko, but her
stay was too brief and her admiration for Seikei too strong. And that was it. The only other woman in the story is Sada,
and while she is a great character, she is but a blip on the page when all is
said in done. This is firmly a man’s
world in the story, and it doesn’t need to be that way. That and the physical book are the only
disappointments with which I walk away from this reading.
