Shōgun—literally “Commander of a force.” The title of the hereditary military dictator of the Shima Imperium. The current line of rulers is descended from Tora Kazumitsu, an army commander who led a bloody uprising against Shima’s former hereditary rulers, the Tenma Emperors.
Seii Taishōgun—literally “great general who subdues eastern barbarians.”
Tora—literally “Tiger.” The greatest of the four zaibatsu of Shima, and the clan from which the Kazumitsu Dynasty originates. The Tora are a warrior clan, who venerate Hachiman, the God of War. Also: the kami guardian of the same zaibatsu, closely associated with the concept of ferocity, hunger and physical desire.
Yōkai—a blanket term for preternatural creatures thought to originate in the spirit realms. These include arashitora, sea dragons and the dreaded oni.
Zaibatsu—literally “plutocrats.” The four conglomerate clans of the Shima Imperium. After the rebellion against the Tenma Emperors, Shōgun Kazumitsu rewarded his lieutenants with stewardship over vast territories. The clans to which the new Daimyo belonged (Tiger, Phoenix, Dragon and Fox) slowly consumed the clans of the surrounding territories through economic and military warfare, and became known as “zaibatsu.”
CLOTHING
Hakama—a divided skirt that resembles a wide-legged pair of trousers, tied tight into a narrow waist. Hakama have seven deep pleats—five in front, two at the back—to represent the seven virtues of Bushido. An undivided variant of hakama exists (i.e. a single leg, more like a skirt) intended for wear over a kimono.
Jin-haori—a kimono-style tabard worn by samurai.
Jûnihitoe—an extraordinarily complex and elegant style of kimono, worn by courtly ladies.
Kimono—an ankle-length, T-shaped robe with long, wide sleeves, worn by both men and women. A younger woman’s kimono will have longer sleeves, signifying that she is unmarried. The styles range from casual to extremely formal. Elaborate kimono designs can consist of more than twelve separate pieces and incorporate up to sixty square feet of cloth.
Mempō—a face mask, one component of the armor worn by samurai. Mempō are often crafted to resemble fantastical creatures, or made in twisted designs intended to strike fear into the enemy.
Obi—a sash, usually worn with kimono. Men’s obi are usually narrow; no more than four inches wide. A formal woman’s obi can measure a foot in width and up to twelve feet in length. Obi are worn in various elaborate styles and tied in decorative bows and knots.
Uwagi—a kimono-like jacket that extends no lower than mid-thigh. Uwagi can have long, wide sleeves, or be cut in sleeveless fashion to display the wearer’s irezumi.
WEAPONS
Daishō—a paired set of swords, consisting of a katana and wakizashi. The weapons will usually be constructed by the same artisan, and have matching designs on the blades, hilts and scabbards. The daishō is a status symbol, marking the wearer as a member of the samurai caste.
Katana—a sword with a single-edged, curved, slender blade over two feet in length, and a long hilt bound in crisscrossed cord, allowing for a double-handed grip. Katana are usually worn with shorter blades known as wakizashi.
Nagamaki—a pole weapon with a large and heavy blade. The handle measures close to three feet, with the blade measuring the same. It closely resembles a naginata, but the weapon’s handle is bound in similar fashion to a katana hilt—cords wrapped in crisscrossed manner.
Naginata—a pole weapon, similar to a spear, with a curved, single-edged blade at the end. The haft typically measures between five and seven feet. The blade can be up to three feet long, and is similar to a katana.
Ō-yoroi—suits of heavy samurai armor powered by chi-fueled engines. The armor augments the wearer’s strength, and is impenetrable to most conventional weaponry.
Tantō—a short, single- or double-edged dagger, between six and twelve inches in length. Women often carry a tantō for self-defense, as the knife can easily be concealed inside an obi.
Tetsubo—a long warclub, made of wood or solid iron, with iron spikes or studs at one end, used to crush armor, horses or other weapons in battle. The use of a tetsubo requires great balance and strength—a miss with the club can leave the wielder open to counterattack.
Wakizashi—a sword with a single-edged, curved, slender blade between one and two feet in length, with a short, single-handed hilt bound in crisscrossed cord. It is usually worn with a longer blade, known as a katana.
RELIGION
Amaterasu—Goddess of the Sun. Daughter of Izanagi, she was born along with Tsukiyomi, God of the Moon, and Susano-ō, God of Storms, when her father returned from Yomi and washed to purify himself of Yomi’s taint. She is a benevolent deity, a bringer of life, although in recent decades has become seen as a harsh and unforgiving goddess. She is not fond of either of her brothers, refusing to speak to Tsukiyomi, and constantly tormented by Susano-ō. She is patron of the Phoenix zaibatsu, and is also often venerated by women.
Enma-ō—one of the nine Yama Kings, and chief judge of all the hells. Enma-ō is the final arbiter of where a soul will reside after death, and how soon it will be allowed to rejoin the wheel of life.
Hachiman—the God of War. Originally a scholarly deity, thought of more as a tutor in the ways of war, Hachiman has become repersonified in recent decades to reflect the more violent warlike ways of the Shima government. He is now seen as the embodiment of war, often depicted with a weapon in one hand and a white dove in the other, signifying desire for peace, but readiness to act. He is patron of the Tiger zaibatsu.
The Hells—a collective term for the nine planes of existence where a soul can be sent after death. Many of the hells are places where souls are sent temporarily to suffer for transgressions in life, before moving back to the cycle of rebirth. Before Lord Izanagi commanded the Yama Kings to take stewardship over the souls of the damned in order to help usher them toward enlightenment, Shima had but a single hell—the dark, rotting pit of Yomi.
The Hungry Dead—the restless residents of the Underworld. Spirits of wicked people consigned to hunger and thirst in Yomi’s dark for all eternity.
Izanagi (Lord)—also called Izanagi-no-Mikoto, literally “He who Invites,” the Maker God of Shima. He is a benevolent deity who, with his wife Izanami, is responsible for creating the Shima Isles, their pantheon of gods and all the life therein. After the death of his wife in childbirth, Izanagi traveled to Yomi to retrieve her soul, but failed to return her to the land of the living.
Izanami (Lady)—also called the Dark Mother, and the Endsinger, wife to Izanagi, the Maker God. Izanami died giving birth to the Shima Isles, and was consigned to dwell in the Yomi underworld. Izanagi sought to reclaim his wife, but she was corrupted by Yomi’s dark power, becoming a malevolent force and hater of the living. She is mother to the thousand and one oni, a legion of demons who exist to plague the people of Shima.
Raijin—God of Thunder and Lightning, son of Susano-ō. Raijin is seen as a cruel god, fond of chaos and random destruction. He creates thunder by pounding his drums across the sky. He is the creator of arashitora, the thunder tigers.
Susano-ō—the God of Storms. Son of Izanagi, he was born along with Amaterasu, Goddess of the Sun, and Tsukiyomi, God of the Moon, when his father returned from Yomi and washed to purify himself of Yomi’s taint. Susano-ō is generally seen as a benevolent god, but he constantly torments his sister, Amaterasu, Lady of the Sun, causing her to hide her face. He is father to the Thunder God, Raijin, the deity who created arashitora—the thunder tigers. He is patron of the Ryu zaibatsu.
Tsukiyomi—the God of the Moon. Son of Izanagi, he was born along with Amaterasu, Goddess of the Sun, and Susano-ō, God of Storms, when his father returned from Yomi and washed to purify himself of Yomi’s taint. Tsukiyomi angered his sister, Amaterasu, when he slaughtered Uke Mochi, the Goddess of Food. Amaterasu has refused to speak to him since, which is why the Sun and Moon never share the same sky. He is a quiet god, fond of stillness and learning. He is the patron of the Ki
tsune zaibatsu.
Yomi—the deepest level of the hells, where the evil dead are sent to rot and suffer for all eternity. Home of demons, and the Dark Mother, Lady Izanami.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Jay Kristoff would like to offer Big Scary Hugs to the following outstanding human beings:
Amanda, for just about everything.
Pete Wolverton and Julie Crisp, for giving me permission to kill my babies.
Brunch Bitch, Sharkgrrl, and The KitKat for still being on speaking terms with me after the trauma of crit-reading this screaming murderfest.
Matt Bialer and LT Ribar for breaking the right thumbs and always shooting straight.
As always, a special shout-out to the fantabulous Anne Brewer, Mary Willems, Justin Velella, Melissa Hastings, Paul Hochman, Cassie Galante, Courtney Sanks and the PR/Marketing posse at St. Martin’s Press, Bella Pagan, Louise Buckley and all @ Tor UK, Charlotte “Don’t call me Reetard” Ree, Hayley Crandell and crew @ PanMacMillan Aus, and all the ground crews in all the countries my book has visited before I did.
Scott Westerfeld, Pat Rothfuss, K. W. Jeter, Stephen Hunt, Marissa Meyer and Kevin “Droogie” Hearne for the pimpage.
Lance Hewett, Narita Misaki, Sudayama Aki and Paul Cechner for being my sounding boards and guides in all things Japanese.
Kira “Imperatritsa” Ostrovska for her help with the Rus.
My web-mastah Brad Carpenter, for not punching me in the throat every time I make a change. And to the inimitable Mr. Hart, for the crash space.
Marc, B-Money, Rafe, Weez, Surly Jim, Eli, Beiber, The Dread Pirate Glouftis, Tomas, Steve, Mini, Sam, Patrick, Lucky Phil, Dave, Handsome Tom, Xav, Snack-Daddy and all other splendid members of my nerd posse, past and present, for preventing my slow spiral into Howard Hughes-esque isolation and madness.
Dr. Sam Bowden, for advice on all things doctor-y. Yes that’s a word, shut up.
Eamon Kenny, for his help on the airwaves.
Araki Miho, once again, for her beautiful calligraphy.
Jimmy the Orrsome for our clan logos and company at all things metal, and Sir Christopher Tovo for bringing out my handsome side.
Jason Chan, again, you killed it, dude. So many beers do I owe thee.
The book bloggers—always too many to mention, never too many to remember. Your passion and energy and dedication never ceases to amaze me. You know who you are. I know who you are. Never stop being awesome.
My family for always being there. Sorry I’m not most of the time.
Anyone who made me poetry or music or artwork or helped spread the word, anyone who got a Lotus War tattoo (!!!) or came out to see me at a con or show, or wrote/tweeted/FB’ed me about the series, anyone who has accompanied me on this amazing journey, even if it was simply by visiting these pages. This series changed my life in more ways than I can describe, and for your company on this long and often lonely road, I am forever grateful.
And finally, Yukiko and Buruu, for opening the door to this, the most amazing chapter of my life. I’ll miss you guys.
The rest of you—see you in the next world. It’s a killer.
Jay Kristoff
April 2014
ALSO BY JAY KRISTOFF
Stormdancer
Kinslayer
The Last Stormdancer
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
JAY KRISTOFF grew up in the most isolated capital city on earth and fled at his earliest convenience, although he’s been known to trek back for weddings of the particularly nice and funerals of the particularly wealthy. Being the holder of an arts degree, he has no education to speak of. He is six feet, seven inches and has approximately 13,160 days to live.
He lives in Melbourne with his wife and the world’s laziest Jack Russell terrier. Visit him online at JayKristoff.com.
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Contents
Title page
Copyright Notice
Dedication
Mons of the Shima Imperium
Map of Shima Isles
Map of Kigen City
Map of Yama City
Epigraph
Lotus War Character Refresher
I: Birth
Prologue
1. Schism
2. Capitulation
3. Shedding Skin
4. Scarification
5. Waking
6. Insurrection
7. In the Shadow of Colossus
8. Lord of Foxes
9. What Will Be
10. An Iron Sea
II: Grief
11. The Battle of Kawa
12. The Hand We Are Dealt
13. About a Girl
14. Smoking and Screaming
15. Seed
16. Blood and Thunder
17. Earthcrusher Rising
18. Mockingbird
19. Falling
20. Can’t and Won’t
21. Slowly to Scarlet
22. Severed
23. A Thousand Red Suns
24. Within
25. Harbinger
26. This Moment
III: Death
27. The Boy Who Does Not Ask
28. Sigil
29. Anew
30. Purification
31. Seeing and Believing
32. Legacy
33. The Wake of the Light
34. Slumber’s End
35. Eve
36. Black Snow
37. According to Plan
38. Disintegrating
39. An Orchestra of Bone and Blood
40. Flowers Fallen
41. The Shape of Loss
42. What Will Be
43. Bright as the Sun
44. Incendiary
45. All That Would Have Been
46. Intersection
47. A Grand Way to Die
48. Before the Dawn
49. Or Nothing at All
50. The Vicious Horizon
51. Endsinger
52. The Art of Ruin
53. Epitaph
54. Eulogy
Epilogue
Glossary
Acknowledgments
Also by Jay Kristoff
About the Author
Copyright
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
THOMAS DUNNE BOOKS.
An imprint of St. Martin’s Press.
ENDSINGER. Copyright © 2014 by Jay Kristoff. All rights reserved. For information, address St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010.
www.thomasdunnebooks.com
www.stmartins.com
Map artwork © David Atkinson: handmademaps.com
Kanji designs: Araki Miho: ebisudesign.com
Clan logo design: James Orr
eBooks may be purchased for business or promotional use. For information on bulk purchases, please contact Macmillan Corporate and Premium Sales Department by writing to
[email protected] The Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available upon request.
ISBN 978- 1-250-00142-9 (hardcover)
ISBN 978-1-250-02295-0 (e-book)
e-ISBN 9781250022950
Simultaneously published in Great Britain by Tor, an imprint of Pan Macmillan, a division of Macmillan Publishing Limited
First U.S. Edition: November 2014
Jay Kristoff, Endsinger
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