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  • ARC Review: Eliza and Her Monsters by Francesca Zappia
  • ARC Review: The Secrets We Keep by Trisha Leaver
  • Review: A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
  • Review: Karmic Hearts by Jhing Bautista
  • Review: The Conspiration of the Universe by Kenneth Olanday

Thursday, January 19, 2012

Stormdancer by Jay Kristoff + Giveaway!

It's day... uh, I've lost track. What day is it for our Dystopian Domination blog event? :)

How fitting is this book to my blog? Stormdancer is Japanese inspired and based on Japanese mythology, and Amaterasu (from my blog's title) is the Japanese Sun Goddess!


One of the most awesome authors I've had a chance to talk to, we are featuring Jay Kristoff on our blog today! He'll be talking a little bit about his upcoming book, Stormdancer, and basically just being awesome while doing so.

Follow Jay: Blog | Twitter | Facebook

People call STORMDANCER a Japanese Steampunk novel, but it’d be less like lying to say that Stormdancer is Japanese-inspired. It’s set in an island empire called Shima (Japanese for ‘island’). The customs, language and culture are inspired by Japan’s samurai age, but they have contraptions like air-ships and chainsaw katanas, the sky is choked with pollution, and animal life on the island has been virtually extinguished. Shima is a dystopia, with a capital D. No fluffy squirrels or cuddly bunnies here, friends.


So how does mythology tie into this dying land? I based the religion in Stormdancer on Shinto, a religion in ancient Japan that’s made of awesome. The most important Shinto story is the myth of Lord Izanagi and Lady Izanami – the great maker gods with the easily confused names. Izanagi and Izanami were in wuuuuv, but Izanami died giving birth to the world (and yes, I imagine that would be quite painful). Izanagi went to the underworld to reclaim her, but she’d become corrupted by the darkness (no, not that kind, the other kind). Izanagi fled, and in a rage, Izanami vowed that she’d kill a thousand people every day to punish her husband for leaving her. To which he replied, “Then I will give life to fifteen hundred.” Snap.

Now sure, on the surface STORMDANCER is a story about a girl who can speak to animals, and her friendship with the last griffin left alive. But underneath, Shinto mythology (particularly the tale of Izanagi and Izanami) is at the heart of the series. I had to figure out how the other gods of Shinto would fit into a dystopia too – how would people feel about the Sun Goddess Amaterasu, for example, when the sun is bright enough to barbeque your eyes if you look at it with your naked eye? Or Tsukiyomi, the Moon God, when the pollution is so dense you can’t even see the stars at night? It was a lot of fun figuring out the answer to these questions, and creating a brand new world that’s interwoven with a mythology that’s thousands of years old.

But now I’m running over-length, so as to exactly how it all fits together, I guess you’ll have to read the book to find out 

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Stormdancer by Jay Kristoff
Add Stormdancer to your Goodreads list!

A DYING LAND
The Shima Imperium verges on the brink of environmental collapse; decimated by clockwork industrialization and the machine-worshipers of the Lotus Guild. The skies are red as blood, land choked with toxic pollution, wildlife ravaged by mass extinctions.

AN IMPOSSIBLE QUEST
The hunters of Shima's imperial court are charged by their Shōgun to capture a thunder tiger – a legendary beast, half-eagle, half-tiger. But any fool knows thunder tigers have been extinct for more than a century, and the price of failing the Shōgun is death.

A SIXTEEN YEAR OLD GIRL
Yukiko is a child of the Fox clan, possessed of a hidden gift that would see her executed by the Lotus Guild. Accompanying her father on the Shōgun’s hunt, she finds herself stranded: a young woman alone in Shima’s last wilderness, with only a furious, crippled thunder tiger for company. Even though she can hear his thoughts, even though she saved his life, all she knows for certain is he’d rather see her dead than help her.

But together, the pair will form an indomitable friendship, and rise to challenge the might of an empire.

Stormdancer comes out September 1st 2012 and is published by St Martin’s Press (US) & Tor (UK)
Preorder your copy now on: BOOK DEPOSITORY

GIVEAWAY TIME!
WIN A SIGNED ARC OF STORMDANCER!

Yes, you can! And it'll be signed! And it's also open internationally!
All you need to do is fill out the form and then answer this simple question:

Place yourself into Stormdancer's world. You're in Shima. If you were a Japanese God / Goddess, who would you like to be and why?


a Rafflecopter giveaway


45 comments:

  1. Either Benten or Amaterasu:) Thanks for the giveaway, and thanks for making me look up Japanese deities - I love Mythology but this is the first time I've ever looked at the Japanese branch!

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  2. I love the Kitsune-Tsuki. Evil snowy fox goddess? YES, PLEASE. And I seriously want to read this book. The Kristoff is a cool dude.

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  3. Ko-No-Hana - the goddess of spring as this is my favorite season!

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  4. I just Googled Japanese deities, because I know next to nothing about them. I tried Wikipedia, forgetting this is Hate Evil Censorship Day. *sigh* I was able to find Kojin (ancient tree deity and goddess of the kitchen), so I'll go with her. If I am the goddess of the kitchen, then I can eat all of the cake and pie! :D

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  5. Kyuubi no Youko, the most powerful of the tailed beasts and the elemental god of fire :D

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  6. Benzai-Ten; Japanese goddess of language, wisdom, knowledge, good fortune, and water

    love culture

    [i googlwed Japanese deities]

    good luck all

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  7. I would like to be Benten, goddess of love, the arts, wisdom, poetry, good fortune, and water. According to my sources anyway. As to why? Why not?

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  8. I think it would be interesting to be a great mountain spirit. Not much the puny humans could do to damage you, and you could watch all the goings-on.

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  9. I would go with Otohime. I like dragons. :)

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  10. I think I'd be a Tengu - a bird-like mischief making goblin who can shape shift AND is a patron of martial arts :)

    bookyurt(at)gmail(dot)com

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  11. I'd like to be the goddess Kishimojin since she vowed to protect children.

    Thanks for the giveaway!

    clockwork.revery(at)gmail(dot)com

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  12. Okame - She is a goddess of luck in Japan. Which is awesome!

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  13. I'm dying to read this book for so long!!!!! If I were a Japanese Goddess I would mostly be like Uzume, the Japanese shinto goddess of joy and happiness. Who doesn't want to spread some cheer to people?

    Thanks for the giveaway!

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  14. Oh my god!! I WANT!!! Oh wait I can't enter. Since I'm your partner and we organized Dystopian Domination 2. *long heavy sigh* But me wants it!!!

    This post is made of awesome, Kristoff!

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  16. I forgot to add my god/goddess so I deleted my comment lol!
    I would probably choose Amaterasu but honestly I love Raijin and Ryūjin but they are both dudes haha but oh well!

    This is an awesome giveaway! I can't wait to read this book now!

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  17. I'd choose to be Izanami. I rather like the idea of being the Earth Goddess.

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  18. I'd be a protector of nature and al things free and happy; I'd be kind but firm and I'd always make sure things were as they ought to be. Safe.

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  19. I would have to say... Akuma, because he just sounds fierce as hell. Who wouldn't want to be like that?

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  20. Otohime, because I love dragons and to be able to fly would be fantastic!!! :D
    Thank you for the awesome giveaway!

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  21. I've always had a soft spot for Ame-no-Uzume. She's the naughty dancing goddess of revelry who got Amaterasu out of her cave and brought light back to the universe. <3

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  22. I was going to say Nio but then I found Toyotama-hime. :) I love dragons reason enough to like her. :D

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  23. Thanks for the chance. Please count me in. :)

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  24. I love the sound of this book, can't wait to read this!
    I've loved Amaterasu since I first played Okami (shameful, I know) but I also really love Benzaiten, since I originally had down a project of her as Saraswati back when I was twelve.
    Thanks for the giveaway ^_^

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  25. A Tengu definitely, shape-shifting and fighting abilities? HECK YES! Thanks for the giveaway! Stormdancer sounds wicked :D

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  26. Being a dragon goddess would be neat!

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  27. After googling the gods in Shinto, I've decided I'd definitely agree with Erin's choice! Uzume, because she spreads happiness and health to the world and really, aren't they the two main things we all want? I'd love to bring that to people!

    AHHHH and thank you SO much for the amazing giveaway! Dying to read Stormdancer, it sounds incredible. Love this post and getting a glimpse into the mythology that inspired the story!

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  28. Thanks for the giveaway! This sounds like such a cool, unique dystopia!

    I'm not sure which goddess I'd want to be because, unfortunately, I don't have much knowledge of the Japanese pantheon. Benten looks interesting, as she's the goddess over literature, among other things.

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  29. I don't know many, but there's a type of sea goddess/god which takes the form of a dragon,

    I find that pretty interesting

    =)

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  30. I don't know much about the Japanese god system but being a sun goddess sounds awesome to me, so how about being Amaterasu? :)

    Cherry Mischievous
    cherrymischif-darkward [at] yahoo [dot] com

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  31. Hey everyone! Thanks for the kind words, and especially to Kai and Precious for hosting the comp, and all their hard work promoting our books! We love you guys!

    Good luck for the competition, everyone! :D

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  32. Akibimi because she's the Goddess of Autumn.

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  33. Susanoo. The God of the Ocean. I like his temper and he would make everything interesting. :)

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  34. definitely uzume, spread the happiness this world needs!

    sugoi book!

    - juhina

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  35. Otohime. Turning into a dragon would be cool :)

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  36. Oy, the only gods I definitely can remember that is Japanese is Amaraterasu from the videogame Okami, but being a goddess of the sun sounds like a great deal!

    Anme Burgess

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  37. Oh no! I don't know any Japanese gods! Does Izanami count? I just read about her in the guest post so that's the only one I really know. I feel culturally inadequate :(

    Ana @ BookSpark

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  38. Hmmm...I'm going to go with Benten, Goddess of Good Luck! I read she rules over inspiration, wealth and romance, and I'm all for that!

    Thanks for this giveaway!

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  39. I am going with Benzaiten because she's the Goddess of All Things ThaT flow - which includes music and words :)

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  40. I'd definitely want to be a badass like Susano-o. Who wouldn't want to wield an awesome sword and slay a multi-headed dragon? Oh, and rescue a girl. That too.

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  41. I love the Kitsune-Tsuki Loved what Neil Gaiman did with it!

    lesly7ch(at)yahoo(dot)com

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  42. Thanks for the amazing giveaway! I've never really read any Japanese Mythology, so I'm glad I got to look it up! I think I'd love to be Benten (not only for the name of Ben Ten :P) the goddess of good luck :)

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  43. Thanks for this international GA ^^ I'd love to be Kitsune-Tsuki, i love foxes *o*

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  44. I've picked Koshin God of the Roads, because I've spent a lot of time on the road myself. Thanks for hosting this event.

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  45. I would want to be Benzai-Ten because they are that of knowledge and language and wisdom - everything we all strive for everyday

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I love getting comments from my readers and fellow bookworms, and I try my best to respond to all of them. Feel free to give me a piece of your thoughts. Also, this is an award-free blog. I simply don't have the time to highlight them anymore, but thank you for thinking of my blog!

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