Rating: 
Summary: Scorpion clan novel...
Review: as a big L5R CCG fan, i basically allready knew the storyline behind the SCC. but the way it is laid out in this book, and also, the way the book adds to the personalities well, personality i think is a great addition. kachiko and the scorpions are just how they should be, and many of the other major personalities are much more fleshed out in the book then they are in the card game. it adds a distinct flavor to it, and the storyline itself is quite good. i can't wait until they do the day of thunder book, that one should be even better.
Rating:
Summary: The sting of the Scorpion.
Review: As a fan of Shogun, King Rat and the other Clavel Novels - I was excited to learn that a fantasy novel had been written using the Asian Culture. When I picked up the book, I knew zero about the card game "Lord of the Five Rings" which the book is based upon.The story provides the readers with a great historical background for the card game. I learned this after I read the book and began to speak with the people at my local hobby store. The story is fast paste and provides surprises at every corner. Written in a great style the one annoying thing for some people may be the use "Japanese" words in the middle of a sentence - with no glossary provided. Granted many people know the words that were used - but there are those out there who would like a glossary to provide a definition. I loved this book and loved the story line - I cannot wait until the other two books in this series are completed.
Rating:
Summary: An excellent novel
Review: As a fan of the Legends of the Five Rings CCG, I was a little nervous when I heard that there was going to be a series of novels based on the Clan War. However, after reading the novel, all my fears were put to rest. This book did an excellent job of starting the series off. The characterization was amazingly well done. I felt that it captured what the Scorpion clan represents perfectly. Any fan of L5R cannot go wrong with this book. Even if you have never played the ccg or rpg you can still enjoy this novel.
Rating:
Summary: A great beginning to the Clan War Series
Review: As a huge fan of the Legend of the Five Rings CCG I'm a bit biased, I admit. However, I was never a fan of the Scorpion until this book. It provides an insight into the honor of the clan that is typically viewed in a different light. The main character, Bayushi Shoju, faces a great conflict of conscience and must fight against all odds to save the empire that most believe he is out to destroy. While it is the first of the Clan War series, it is set a few years before the other novels, allowing it to stand alone as a great story. Of course after completing it you might not be able to avoid the subsequent novels, but after reading them all I can definitely say that the Scorpion remains at the top of the list.
Rating:
Summary: A great beginning to the Clan War Series
Review: As a huge fan of the Legend of the Five Rings CCG I'm a bit biased, I admit. However, I was never a fan of the Scorpion until this book. It provides an insight into the honor of the clan that is typically viewed in a different light. The main character, Bayushi Shoju, faces a great conflict of conscience and must fight against all odds to save the empire that most believe he is out to destroy. While it is the first of the Clan War series, it is set a few years before the other novels, allowing it to stand alone as a great story. Of course after completing it you might not be able to avoid the subsequent novels, but after reading them all I can definitely say that the Scorpion remains at the top of the list.
Rating:
Summary: The Scorpion strikes...
Review: As some readers already know, The Scorpion is based on the storyline from the popular Legend of the Five Rings card game. Of course, this doesn't in any way mean that people who have never heard of L5R won't enjoy this book - quite the opposite, in fact. In order to really explain to you how much I enjoyed this book, I'll have to blather a bit. Bear with me, please. I play the aforementioned card game (a little) and the role-playing game based on it (avidly). I've spent a small fortune in money and time hunting down information about the very same story and characters revealed in "The Scorpion". I've read every preview, every snippet of spoilers. (And yes, I probably ought to get a life, but my local bookstore doesn't stock them...) When I picked up this book, I knew almost exactly what would happen, who would be involved, and how it would all end. And still, I couldn't put the book down. That's how good it is. Every word, every scene rang true. Now, other fans of L5R will probably want to know how the book relates to previously released info. The answer is, very well. There are places where Mr. Sullivan has deviated from 'official' info, but in my opinion these differences don't hurt (and sometimes even enhance) the final result. I think that's quite enough blabbing from me. Go read this book. Linda Larsson
Rating: 
Summary: The Doom of the Dark Lord
Review: Bayushi Shoju has it all: power, a loving wife and son, the respect of his colleagues and the admiration and loyalty of his samurai. In the span of months, he will become the most reviled man in history, an unwitting catalyst for the slaughter to come, and the man who sacrificed all to save the world, only to doom it. This is his story. The book, while riveting in spots, suffers from both the necessary compromise between pleasing the gamers and the wider audiences, and this is most keenly felt in the truly terrible prologue. Fortunately, the book gets much better, and indeed is excellent in many spots (the most vivid of which is Shoju's encounter with Togashi, wherein Shoju asks the wrong questions to get the right answers). Sullivan manages to do the near-impossible, to make Shoju a likeable character, but in doing so he tempers the Scorpion's ruthlessness too much - characters like Kachiko stand out in vivid contrast to Shoju, who certainly doesn't act like the lord of a pack of spies, murderers, and thieves. On the whole, though, the book is quite excellent, especially for a game novel, and is well worth the time for players and novices alike.
Rating: 
Summary: Below Average Fantasy Writing
Review: Despite the unusual setting and overall decent plot, I cannot recommend this first book in the Clan War series. I haven't read any of the others, and based on my experience with this book, I probably won't. I'll start with the good, though. The setting, Rokugan, a parallel-world medieval Japan, is fairly vivid. Knowing very little of medieval Japanese culture myself, I have to trust that it was a close enough approximation for the purpose of the story. Also, the plot is pretty decent, though very, very straightforward. I especially enjoyed the last few pages, after the battle. Unfortunately, I cannot say I enjoyed the writing. The characters were quite wooden, and the conflicts forced. The Lion (Toturi?) character was fairly entertaining to read, but the Scorpion king (ha), sort of a nobler Richard III, was not. I think the author let the setting run away with the novel a bit too much, and didn't rely enough on his own ingenuity.
Rating:
Summary: Dumb at first, but gets better...
Review: I am just dabbling into this game. I'm not playing it, just getting the game books and reading about the world of Rokugan. I decided to get all the 7 L5R novels and read them before I continue reading the gaming manuals. Scorpion started out kinda [weak]. It seemed too much like a book made for a role playing game that was required to insert a catacomb here, some giant spiders there, and an ogre for good measure. Roll the dice to see how they fare. As I kept reading, the story got better. Things started to come together and the ending was pretty intense. I really want to see a live action movie or TV show version of this book. I'd even settle for a cartoon. I totally recomend this book. It ain't Tolkien, but it's still pretty fun. It's also much easier to read than the Lord of the Rings. I finished it in 5 days of 2 hour reads or so a night. On to Scroll 2: The Unicorn!!!
Rating:
Summary: An amazing book, a must read
Review: I bought this book to help me understnad the Scorpion Clan Coup, and understand it I did. Sullivan writes a tale that is so intense at times I had to set the book down just so I breathed! The "villians" are sympathetic characters, but by the end of the book you don't think of anyone as the villians. You understand that everyone's choices effects the way the world treats you and your destiny. This is by far one of the best books I have ever read period.
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