The Leopard Mask

by Kaoru Kurimoto

Book Overview

The Guin Saga is epic heroic fantasy in the same vein as Robert E. Howard's Conan, the Barbarian. More than a hundred books strong and growing, the saga has sold more than twenty-five million copies in Japan. Vertical will publish the first five installments that comprise "The Marches Episode" arc. Each paperback edition will feature artwork taken from the original Japanese editions.

In a single day and night of fierce fighting,...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1932234810
• ISBN13: 9781932234817
• Release Date: December 2007
• Publisher: Vertical
• Length: 288 Pages
• Weight: 0.60 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.6" x 7.6"

Customer Reviews

Perhaps if one is just going to read book one and stop...

I have just finished reading The Guin Saga: Book Five: The Marches King (Bk. 5), and I have to say that this series is not uninspiring at all. Then again, I'm a fan of heroic fiction, so my perspective may be considered skewed. I picked up the books on a whim, and, although I can say that the first couple of books are mostly setting scenes as well as introducing characters and the world in general, books 3-5 were more about developing the characters. Admittedly, Guin not having a memory and being able to do things inexplicably is a big plot device, but even Kurimoto recognized that, and has reminded us in book 5 that Guin is basically a hand of the gods. I think the twins develop well as the story progresses, and are recognizable as separate beings with their own personalities and ways of thinking. If there was no or little character development, I think this wouldn't be true. Rinda is definitely spunky and too proud, and Remus is too cautious, but watchful. Also, one may not start out liking Istavan, but by book 5, he too has developed in ways. He's mischievous and cheeky, with a foul mouth, but he's interesting because of all the characters he shows the most flaws. I should lastly like to say, for the most part, all of the characters in this series are very young. The twins are only 14; Istavan is merely 19; Suni is just a child; and even Amnelis is just 17-18. They are guided and protected by the older and wiser people in this story, but they are STILL children. They are developing even as the story develops. Kurimoto tends to reinforce that they are just young teenagers trying to deal with the turmoil around them, all the while trying to achieve their destiny. The writing improves as the characters become more rounded, and it's a shame to play this off so simply. The first book may not be ground breaking, but it does lead to a much more interesting world. I would say give this a try through book three and see if it grabs you then. There must be a reason that this series has captured so many people in so many places for so long. I mean, there are 126 novels that are translated in a few languages. There must be something more than just the first two books can give us.

An amazing tale

Having read the first through third books in English, I'm completely hooked on this incredible fantasy series. Imaginative and inventive, they're 100% worth your time (not that these books take long to read). The mysteries introduced in this first book carry though the following installations, keeping the story multi-layered as the chararacters continue their journey. Definitely recommend for anyone with the slightest interest in fantasy literature. Would love to see more of the books published in English.

Sword and Sorcery at Its Finest

In 1979, Kaoru Kurimoto wrote the first of what was planned as a 100-episode fantasy series. Now, with 86 of those in print, the Guin Saga is a Japanese bestsller, and thanks to Vertical Publishing US fans will be able to find out what the excitement is about.Anyone partial to heroic sword-and-sorcery is a shoo-in to like THE LEOPARD MASK, the first of five books in the saga to be reprinted. However, there is a richness of both story and world-building that sets this book above simple action adventure and leaves the reader eager for the next installment.Fourteen-year-old royal twins Rinda and Remus are hiding in a dangerous haunted marsh from the minions of the evil Vlad, Duke of Mongauli. Vlad has destroyed their own country and exterminated their family, but the valiant Rinda is determined she and her brother will one day regain what they've lost.They are rescued from a patrol of Vlad's soldiers by a mysterious and powerful warrior whose head is eerily encased in a metal mask shaped like a leopard. Other than his name-Guin-he remembers nothing, not where he comes from or how he acquired the mask. When, despite his efforts, he and the twins become prisoners in Vlad's fortress, they discover there is a greater evil behind the savage warlord than they could ever have imagined.One might describe this book as literary anime, for it contains many of the elements of both that and manga. It has the feisty young heroine, a thoroughly perverse villain and a mighty hero who vanquishes overwhelming odds despite his own troubles. The complex plot, which hints at difficulties to come, never goes beyond the boundaries of disbelief, and the dangers the twins and their protector face are as often psychological as physical.There is nothing simplistic about the characters, either. Although her brother is the heir, it is Rinda who has all the mystical powers that are supposed to go with that position, and Remus is understandably jealous of that despite his clear devotion to her. Worse, he perceives his lack of ability as weakness, and shrinks from danger his sister confronts headlong.As for Guin, he is no mindless mass of muscle. There are emotional depths to him that are barely skimmed in this first book but which are clear nevertheless. It is the process of unearthing them, along with his missing history, that makes it difficult to wait for the second episode.This same economy of revelation applies to the world Ms. Kurimoto has created, a richly modeled place full of demons and ghosts, gods and monsters, dark towers and hidden treasures. She implies an underlying complex mythology, tastes of which she doles out just often enough to whet the appetite.Suitable for anyone old enough to read and appreciate a terrific imagination, THE LEOPARD MASK is a marvelous introduction to a series that has swept Japan like Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series has the US-and for far better reason. This is basic storytelling at its finest, and could even give Harry Potter a run f

Guin's search for his identity and destiny

The Guin Saga Book One: The Leopard Mask By Kaoru Kurimoto is a disturbing and dramatic fantasy of a deadly war between ancient kingdoms. The only surviving royalty of the losing kingdom are rescued by a creature with a man's body and a leopard's head, a being who remembers nothing of his past except for his name - Guin. It is Guin's search for his identity and destiny that leads to an exciting political intrigue and an evolving, exhilarating journey of discovery.

The Guin Saga,Book 1 !

This is surely the greatest SF fantasy novel that I came across in my life.Called the eheroic fantasyfcategory in Japan, this novel is about one'sdestiny and how the heroes in the story fight for their own lives and loveone another.@There are 90 novel series/sequels currently published with anunprecedented plan of publishing 100 within a few years. When the new seriescome up, this novel immediately becomes the number one seller for months inJapan.I guarantee that you will not be able to put it down once you start readingone.@You are sure to find more than one character thatfs your favoritewithin the story. You will feel the happiness of experiencing the timetransition through this unique world the exact same way many of the Japaneseare already experiencing.Definitely a must! Pick up the first volume and see what you think.