Rating: 
Summary: a great read
Review: I have been a fan of the L5R world for a few years now. I expected the books to be a decent story but not have the excitement the is in the actual game. I was wrong. The first book in this series pulls you in from the first page and just doesn't let you go. I would recommend this book to anybody who is at all interested in reading a story good enough for legend. I can't wait to see the other novels. The Clan War story arc will make for a great novel series....
Rating:
Summary: Exciting!
Review: I have no previous experience with L5R or any other card game. My only reason for picking up this book was the cover and the title, having been born in early November. When I read the capsule on the back I immediately deviated from my normal book selecting process, which is to look at the cover, read the first chapter then read the last chapter. I figure that if the ending isn't good enough to make me read how it came to that conclusion, then why bother??? The Scorpion grabbed me and pulled me in. The only complaint about this book is that I wish it had been longer! I wanted to know more about Shoju, Kachiko and Tetsuo. To finally read a sowrd & sorcery book on Asian Myths is refreshing. I can't remember ever reading about a disgraced knight requesting that he be given a chance to commit ritual suicide to restore his lost honour! Incredible!
Rating:
Summary: This book is best served cold.
Review: I mean that if you know nothing about the L5R setting this book is even better. I read the book knowing a very little bit. I know I don't like Ninjas and Samurais. I still don't care for ninjas and samurais. Yet this book should be among the great fantasy novels of the last five years. The story is intriguing and has brought me into the other products they make involved in this rich story line. The real fun part about this book is the way it leds into the rest of the books. The story rotates around to men and the actions effecting the hole Emerald Empire. From mis-placed faith to mis-placed duty this book will hold you from the very start. I highly recomend this book.
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent book, maybe the best of the series
Review: I picked up this series on a whim and unfortunately bought the last book in the series, so I had to search around a little to find this one, but I must say I was quite pleased with it. It has a great Japanese flavor in a setting that is accessible to American readers. There are little snippets of Japanese language and culture throughout to guide along those not familiar with them. Similarly, the setting is established entirely within the novel without a need for prior knowledge of it. I was only familiar with the setting in passing having skimmed over some of the D20 Oriental Adventures book; which I DO NOT recommend reading before this book series or the one that follows it. The game is set after these stories and the summary of them contains many spoilers for the series. The plot is pretty simple and straightforward, but the characters are excellent and engaging. I thought the Bayushi (Scorpion) clan was done very well. There was a constant uncertainty whether or not they were noble heroes or power hungry villains kidding themselves. Despite being the first part of a series, I think the book works better on it's own. In fact I found some of the subsequent books lacking, though this may be due to the different authors writing them. There is also a distinctive theme to each book which represents the traits of the clan. I personally found the Scorpion clan very interesting and I think that helped the book. There is a nice balance between between intrigue, stealth, magic, and combat throughout the book. I think it will appeal to a broad audience of both fantasy and non-fantasy fans. Those interested in Japanese culture or anime will enjoy this book as well as traditional fantasy fans looking for something different.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent book, maybe the best of the series
Review: I picked up this series on a whim and unfortunately bought the last book in the series, so I had to search around a little to find this one, but I must say I was quite pleased with it. It has a great Japanese flavor in a setting that is accessible to American readers. There are little snippets of Japanese language and culture throughout to guide along those not familiar with them. Similarly, the setting is established entirely within the novel without a need for prior knowledge of it. I was only familiar with the setting in passing having skimmed over some of the D20 Oriental Adventures book; which I DO NOT recommend reading before this book series or the one that follows it. The game is set after these stories and the summary of them contains many spoilers for the series. The plot is pretty simple and straightforward, but the characters are excellent and engaging. I thought the Bayushi (Scorpion) clan was done very well. There was a constant uncertainty whether or not they were noble heroes or power hungry villains kidding themselves. Despite being the first part of a series, I think the book works better on it's own. In fact I found some of the subsequent books lacking, though this may be due to the different authors writing them. There is also a distinctive theme to each book which represents the traits of the clan. I personally found the Scorpion clan very interesting and I think that helped the book. There is a nice balance between between intrigue, stealth, magic, and combat throughout the book. I think it will appeal to a broad audience of both fantasy and non-fantasy fans. Those interested in Japanese culture or anime will enjoy this book as well as traditional fantasy fans looking for something different.
Rating:
Summary: Most RPG novels are just bad. This is a nice change.
Review: I play the rpg pretty heavily, but I have never followed the events the game. The book was well written and interesting. The characters were compeling and you do not need to know much about the world or samurai to enjoy it. If the series stays as strong as this first book, then this could be quite the epic tale in the making. I recommend this book immensly.
Rating: 
Summary: If you like Asian Culture, you should try this out
Review: I read a lot of fantasy, and am a little tired of the fact that most of it is written using medieval europe as the background culture. So when I saw The Scorpion and realized that it was a fantasy novel written using an Asian backdrop I was pretty excited. I did not realize that this was a book based on a card game. I have never played the card game, but I don't feel that you need to have played it to read this book. Now for the review. This is not a great book, so if you are expecting a masterpiece of fantasy you may be disappointed. Throughout reading it I had the feeling that it was written for a younger age group, perhaps the 12-15 year old crowd. The characterization is very crude. I found that the characters just did not have much depth. But despite that, I did find myself enjoying the book. The plot moves along at a rapid pace. At no point did the book seem to drag. And the ending was pretty good. I think that if you enjoy the Asian culture, and are looking for a quick read that is not your typical fantasy, then you should try this book out. I am planning on continuing the series and finding out what happens.
Rating:
Summary: sting of the scorpion
Review: I thought this was an awesome book. The author did an awesome job with the characters.
Though I knew nothing about L5R until I bought it, it was an awesome book, and I sort of bought it on a whim. The interlocking storylines made the book even greater. The battles were great. The only dislikeable thing about this book is its really hard to find on amazon.com.
Rating:
Summary: A fun and enjoyable read.
Review: I was on the search for some Japanese style fantasy books and came across L5R. I did some research and found it was based on the RPG of the same name. I was hesitant because so many series based on games are rather dull and not the good. Many seem to just sport quantity over quality to make a few extra bucks, but I was still interested. I bought the first in a series of 7 books "The Scorpion". I was very pleased with it.
While this is still a series of books based on an RPG and the quality is apparent, It strives above many of the other series, based on games, that I've read.
I thought the writing was smooth and coherent, and had enough interesting events to keep me reading to the end. One of my favorite aspects of this book was the world. A pseudo ancient Japanese land with samurai, ninja, dragons, and magic, It was very fun to read and made me feel almost as if I was watching a good Kung Fu movie.
I think people who like reading fantasy books based on games or those who enjoy those classic Kung Fu movies and/or anime will like these books. While it might not be a work of genius destined for the history books, it was fun to read.
Rating:
Summary: A fun and enjoyable read.
Review: I was on the search for some Japanese style fantasy books and came across L5R. I did some research and found it was based on the RPG of the same name. I was hesitant because so many series based on games are rather dull and not the good. Many seem to just sport quantity over quality to make a few extra bucks, but I was still interested. I bought the first in a series of 7 books "The Scorpion". I was very pleased with it.
While this is still a series of books based on an RPG and the quality is apparent, It strives above many of the other series, based on games, that I've read.
I thought the writing was smooth and coherent, and had enough interesting events to keep me reading to the end. One of my favorite aspects of this book was the world. A pseudo ancient Japanese land with samurai, ninja, dragons, and magic, It was very fun to read and made me feel almost as if I was watching a good Kung Fu movie.
I think people who like reading fantasy books based on games or those who enjoy those classic Kung Fu movies and/or anime will like these books. While it might not be a work of genius destined for the history books, it was fun to read.
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