{"id":6005,"date":"2016-08-21T10:03:00","date_gmt":"2016-08-21T14:03:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/?p=6005"},"modified":"2021-12-16T07:56:08","modified_gmt":"2021-12-16T12:56:08","slug":"the-fires-of-the-gods","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/6005","title":{"rendered":"The Fires of the Gods"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Fires of the Gods<\/a><\/em> (2011) I.J. Parker<\/a><\/p>\n

\"The-Fires-of-the-Gods\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The capital is plagued by unexplained fires, and panic threatens to break out, but Akitada has his own problems to worry about. His ailing wife expects a child and he loses his job to a political appointee. When he tries to confront the nobleman who is responsible for his dismissal, he ends up suspected of his murder.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

There are two primary mysteries: the death of the official and the fires set throughout the capitals.<\/p>\n

There are several passages in this book I quite liked. First is when Tora gives Akitada a silk pouch he found at the scene of the fire.<\/p>\n

\u2018The silk is very good, and there\u2019s something inside.\u2019 He started to open it. <\/p>\n

Tora said quickly, \u2018Don\u2019t! You\u2019ll break the spell.\u2019 <\/p>\n

\u2018What do you care? It\u2019s not your spell.\u2019 <\/p>\n

\u2018Oh.\u2019<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

That’s probably a very good description of Tora.<\/p>\n

I also quite like the thief that Tora helps (and that’s also another good description of Tora’s character–that he’ll help someone in danger just because they are in danger).<\/p>\n

I also like this bit about AKitada with his newborn daughter:<\/p>\n

Yasuko looked back at him with wide eyes and no change of expression whatsoever. <\/p>\n

\u2018She doesn\u2019t smile,\u2019 he complained. \u2018Possibly she\u2019s astonished or sadly disappointed, but I cannot help my face. Do you think I frighten her?\u2019 <\/p>\n

Tamako laughed. \u2018She\u2019s much too young to smile.\u2019 <\/p>\n

\u2018Oh.\u2019<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Again, I like the parallel mysteries, which seems to me how life works.
\nRating: 7\/10<\/strong><\/p>\n

Published by Ingrid J. Parker Inc.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Fires of the Gods (2011) I.J. Parker The capital is plagued by unexplained fires, and panic threatens to break out, but Akitada has his own problems to worry about. His ailing wife expects a child and he loses his job to a political appointee. When he tries to confront the nobleman who is responsible […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[31,33,8],"tags":[393,549,118,558],"class_list":["post-6005","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-asian","category-historical","category-mystery","tag-akitada","tag-high-middle-ages","tag-i-j-parker","tag-song-dynasty"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/piQkW-1yR","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":6022,"url":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/6022","url_meta":{"origin":6005,"position":0},"title":"The Crane Pavilion","author":"Michelle","date":"August 30, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"The Crane Pavilion (2014) I.J. Parker I skipped the book before this after reading the blurb for this book. After the loss of his wife and newborn son, Akitada returns home, ostensibly to care for his motherless children, but really to withdraw from the world into his grief. When his\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Asian"","block_context":{"text":"Asian","link":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/category\/asian"},"img":{"alt_text":"The-Crane-Pavilion","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/The-Crane-Pavilion-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":6002,"url":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/6002","url_meta":{"origin":6005,"position":1},"title":"The Masuda Affair","author":"Michelle","date":"August 21, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"The Masuda Affair (2011) I.J. Parker Akitada is struggling to deal with the death of his son in a smallpox epidemic, when he comes upon a small abused boy alone in the rain. 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Plus the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "7.5\/10"","block_context":{"text":"7.5\/10","link":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/category\/7-5-10"},"img":{"alt_text":"Black-Arrow","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/Black-Arrow.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":5800,"url":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/5800","url_meta":{"origin":6005,"position":3},"title":"Three Tales of Love and Murder","author":"Michelle","date":"April 13, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Three Tales of Love and Murder (2012) I.J. Parker Set in Heian-Kyo (Kyoto) in 11th century Japan. These are three Akitada short stories\/novellas, all about love and murder (of course, from the title). Death and Cherry Blossoms Heian-Kyo (Kyoto), during the Flowery Month (May) This finds Akitada at the start\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Asian"","block_context":{"text":"Asian","link":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/category\/asian"},"img":{"alt_text":"Three Tales of Love and Murder","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/Three-Tales-of-Love-and-Murder.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":3053,"url":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/3053","url_meta":{"origin":6005,"position":4},"title":"Akitada and the Way of Justice","author":"Michelle","date":"July 29, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Akitada and the Way of Justice (2011) I. J. Parker This is a collection of eleven short stories featuring the 11th century Japanese \"detective\" (there wasn't such a term at the time) Akitada, over the span of his career, from the first mystery he was involved in to one towards\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "8\/10"","block_context":{"text":"8\/10","link":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/category\/8-10"},"img":{"alt_text":"Akitada and the Way of Justice","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/07\/akitada-way-of-justice.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":6011,"url":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/6011","url_meta":{"origin":6005,"position":5},"title":"The Emperor’s Woman","author":"Michelle","date":"August 21, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"The Emperor's Woman (2012) I.J. Parker Set in 1028. She was intended to be the emperor\u2019s concubine, but she died at the bottom of a cliff near Prince Atsuhira\u2019s private villa. The palace covered up the scandal. 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