See book 1 for my review of the series ( )

The best way to describe the Young Samurai books is Harry Potter at Samurai School. I can just imagine teen boys (and girls!) salivating over these. Set in Japan in the early 17th century, THE WAY OF THE DRAGON had everything: Ninjas, poison darts, at least twenty different types of weapons, non-stop action, and surprising twists. However, Bradford also managed to throw in characters I really cared about, haiku, Japanese folktales, and all sorts of contemporary school issues, bullying, competitiveness, romance, all in a way that was believable and absorbing. I was a little thrown when the war started, as I had completely forgotten I was in historical times, but the book also has a serious edge about history, violence, and what it means to be a Samurai. ( )

Anders dan de voorgangers van dit boek blijft dit toch ook een zeer goed boek. De intense inleving van de karakters doen je snakken naar meer. Terwijl in de twee eerste boeken de nadruk ligt op opleiding tot samurai, ligt de nadruk hier in opoffering en overleving. ( )