Cover Reveal
The Tale of the
Valiant Hero Kenta
By Ezra Jonah Jacobs
Fantasy/Romance/
Historical/Action-Adventure
Date Published: March
22, 2013
Synopsis:
Kenta Takeyama is
a 16 year old martial artist who possesses superhuman strength and abilities and the
Takeyama -ryuu fighting art. He desires to become the most powerful shogun on the
Nikkoujima (Sun Light Islands), as there are much more powerful men in the world. He
lives with his father Tesshin, who trained him in the martial arts, and his mother Amaya,
who is the former princess of a royal family and master fighter; his little sister Mana, who
wants to become a famous play actress and open her own production studio, as well as
his pet bear Kumomori, whom he had since he was 4. Kenta finds that it’s time to follow
his dreams of becoming a great and powerful shogun (using his power to protect people
and build more homes and villages, help the poor and starving, rather than just for pomp
and circumstance.
He wants the people to
live in peace and prosperity with no fear, as the world is already entering another age of
war. Essentially, he wants to change the country). And so, with his parents’ permission,
he decides to travel to Senkyou to enlist in the military and become a true samurai
warrior. He feels confident that the can do so after going through many trials and travels
through his childhood, and training under the tutelage of his father in his family’s
martial arts styles.
During the first part of
the novel, after a little love fiasco with his childhood friend Yumine who has a crush on
him and sparring with some buddies, he travels the lush and vibrant island and helps
many different people out. As Kenta reaches Senkyou, he meets new rivals and friends,
such as Natsumi, a new love interest and Hayate, a mysterious ninja who wants to raise
up his own organization of ninja mercenaries. During basic training, he discovers that
the capital is being attacked by powerful youkai. The powerful beasts appear and disappear
in a flash, even the temple priests are having trouble.
Does the Great
Tengu King of the Gogonji mountain territory know anything about these attacks?
Do our heroes stand a chance against these swift and powerful foes? What is
the reasoning behind all of this carnage?
Note: The genre is
apart of the 'wuxia' (martial arts fiction) works of literature. It is a ancient style originating from
Tang Period China (5th century AD). The style places great attention to detail during fight
scenes (punches, kicks, combinations, throws, etc.) as well as giving attacks exotic names, a
convention originating from Chinese martial arts. It may take some getting used to, yet will very
quickly become easier to follow as you read. -Ezra
Ezra Jonah
Jacobs
Author Bio
Ezra Jonah Jacobs
was born in 1988 in Atlanta, Georgia. He was raised in the suburbs 45 minutes outside of Atlanta by
his father and mother, having one older brother. Growing up in a small country town,
there was plenty of farmland and open plains to play and run around, a good place to let
his young imagination run wild. When not outside, he was usually reading, drawing
pictures, or playing video games. He has also had an interest in martial arts since the
age of 6, first gaining an interest after watching a Bruce Lee documentary and seeing a
movie by the name of Street Fighter. He started emulating the techniques he saw in these
movies. It was also around this age he became interested into becoming an author after
hearing his teacher read a book to his class. He would be influenced more by other books
throughout grade school either by going to the library or during in-school readings.</
div>
In Jr. High School,
Jacobs developed an interest in many new different mediums, including manga (Japanese comics) and
ancient world literature, such as Don Quixote and Beowulf (already having some world
literature in his background the form of Gulliver’s Travels and Aesop’s Fables while in
Elementary school). He also first came across ancient stories of kung fu masters with
enough strength to slay lions, enough speed to out run a cheetah, and being able
to lighten their bodies enough to walk on egg shells. He found these stories rather
fascinating and would spend time reading them, while at the same time trying to find
more.
During his time in high
school, world literature reads had expanded. He also began reading more of a genre called Wuxia
(martial arts fiction), in particular Jin Yong, and was greatly fascinated by the scope of
the stories as well the detailed battle sequences. To him it was as if he were watching a kung
fu movie unfold before his very eyes. He thought this genre was rather interesting,
especially since it influenced all of his other favorite mediums as well, even theater.</
span>
At college, Jacobs
finally made the conscious decision to become an author. It was during this time, after class that he would
spend time typing up many different stories. Many being one-shots (one long chapter),
while others became full length novels. He began trying different genres and styles out
until reading Jin Yong’s “A Smiling, Proud Wanderer”. He then decided to give wuxia a try
and began working on a novel of such style. He had developed many early versions of
his current stories, eventually editing and reforming them into what they are now. He also
began reading many other novels around this time, such as Musashi, even more ancient
world literature such as Canterbury Tales, The Divine Comedy, and The Faerie Queen,
as well as many other things that would later influence his works.
Jacobs graduated from
Oglethorpe University in Atlanta, Georgia with a Major in Literature and a Minor in Arts. He also studied
karate while on campus during these years. As he wrote, he always had in mind to create
stories that would give his readers the impressions they were almost watching a movie or a
TV show, something interesting and exciting yet bearing the allure of a novel. Jacobs
currently resides in Atlanta, Georgia. When not writing, he is usually reading from his
extensive book collection, taking walks in the city, and training.
* Disclosure of Material Connection: I am a member of Reading Addiction Blog Tours. Although payment may have been received by Reading Addiction Blog Tours, no payment was received by me in exchange for this publication. This disclosure is in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255, Guides Concerning Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.
No comments:
Post a Comment