Blood Ninja is a 2009 British fantasy martial arts vampire novel by Nick Lake, published by Corvus in the UK and Simon and Schuster in the USA. It was followed by sequel novels Lord Oda’s Revenge: Blood Ninja II and Blood Ninja III: The Betrayal of the Living.
Plot teaser:
1565: Taro is a boy from a coastal village in rural Japan, fated to become a fisherman like his father. But in just one night, Taro’s world is turned upside down – and his destiny is changed forever. Skilled in the art of silent and deadly combat, ninjas are the agents of powerful nobles who rule sixteenth-century Japan.
So, why did a group of these highly trained assassins creep into a peasant’s hut and kill Taro’s father? And why did one ninja rescue Taro from their clutches, saving his life at enormous cost? Now on the run with this mysterious saviour and his best friend Hiro, Taro is determined to learn the way of the ninja to avenge his father’s death…
Reviews:
‘ …this is more martial arts adventure than horror. The vampire element takes something of a back seat for long passages in the story, emerging only when really necessary. I think the book is even better for this – Nick Lake could ‘easily’ have written an over-the-top vampire ninja horror story with blood dripping from every page but instead he shows restraint (until the final scenes that is, when it becomes something akin to a Quentin Tarantino Kill Bill bloodbath, not that there is anything wrong with this).’ The Book Zone (for Boys)
‘While the ending sets up an inevitable sequel, the riveting, often gruesome, action and rich, comprehensible mythology should have readers racing through the chapters … Lake uses the story’s familiar elements skilfully, combining them into an imaginative and original whole. And, really, with vampire ninjas, how can you lose?’ Publishers Weekly
‘ …all the minor parts in the book form an amazing, suspenseful plot… Teen Ink
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