eBook Review: The Smoke Dragon

The Smoke Dragon by Shane Jiraiya Cummings was an Aurealis and Ditmar awards finalist.  As part of Shane's Grand Experiment he's released this novelette on Smashwords for Free and on Amazon for 99 cents.


The Tale
It tells the story of  Yamabushi(a wild mountain fighting monk) Kaidan and his sidekicks Aiko and Yumi as they battle against bandits and their Smoke Dragon and an opportunistic Samurai clan.


It's classic mystical Japan with Kaidan casting spells that augment his martial prowess and dispensing wisdom left, right and centre.  The tone is somewhat reserved, perfect for the genre.


What I liked
This piece of fiction took me back to days spent wasted playing  in the pseudo-historical world of Tenchu - Stealth Assassin. 

I'd like to read more of these Characters and from the extra chapter included at the end of this download its seems Cummings will be doing that in the not too distant future. 


What I didn't like
Not too much to dislike really.  


It does feel like the opening to a longer tale and while perfectly self contained as a story in its own right I would have liked more so that the characters and their motivation could be filled out.


Final Thoughts
If your a fan of pseudo-historical oriental tales, anime or games, download it. Hell even if you're not into any of the above enjoy a good free read.