Genpei
Review
by: Li
Rapkin 
Written
by: Kara Dalkey
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Genpei
is a historical fantasy-more fantastic than historical-- set
in Japan during the period immediately after the end of the
Heian Era. During the twelfth century, the Taira and Minamoto
clans fought each other in a series of civil wars and in the
Imperial court, vying for positions, power, and lands. It’s
a fairly well documented historical period, during which Japanese
culture shifted its focus from aesthetic to martial pursuits.
The samurai culture of later centuries took root during
this era. Dalkey’s novel focuses on the Gempei Wars, during
which the Taira and the Minamoto battled back and forth across
the main islands, setting up different infant emperors and
effectively dividing the country. This particular historical
period is characterized by the idea that the world was rapidly
declining into a state of chaos and disregard for Buddhist
lay, the age of mappo. Dalkey has captured this wonderfully,
and tells her story with a finely tuned sense of Japanese
aesthetics. She’s obviously put a lot of effort into researching
Japanese mythology and incorporates historical events into
the story. She has previously written about Heian Japan in
a retelling of Hans Christian Andersen’s The Nightingale,
so it’s a return to familiar territory for her. The style
of the novel follows the typical Japanese literary conventions
of the time, somewhat updated and simplified for western readers.
The archetype of the Heian Japanese novel is The Tale of
Genji, which is an incredibly dense, sprawling work. Dalkey’s
style is considerably more streamlined, but loses nothing
of the feeling. The story follows several generations of characters
as they weave their way through various supernatural influences.
If you’re
a fan of anime and manga, you’ll probably enjoy the
novel, as would fans of historical fiction and fantasy and
devotees of Japanese culture. At 448 pages, it’s a substantial
read, but it’s divided into many small sections that make
it quite manageable. It’s definitely one of Dalkey’s better
efforts, along with The Nightingale, so go ahead and
read both.
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