SYNOPSIS
In the haunting depths of Japanese waters and the scarred landscapes of Manchuria, The Tides of March unfolds a tale that intricately weaves the supernatural with the gritty realism of a spy thriller. Amidst the backdrop of a catastrophic tsunami and nuclear disaster, a saga of espionage, ancient curses and forbidden powers emerges.
The story follows the lives of two high-profile Japanese detectives, each with a turbulent past. One, a former sumo wrestler towering at two metres, the other has a keen intellect which he utilises to unravel the web of mysteries in which they become entangled. Their investigation into a series of chilling disappearances and murders leads them to confront a world where reality blurs with the mystical.
Central to the narrative is a bewitched Samurai family, whose current descendants, a brother and sister duo, now serve the Japanese intelligence agency with lethal grace. Their lineage, cursed yet powerful, grants the brother an uncanny ability to perceive the auras of those around him. Together the siblings navigate a perilous path, from the tumultuous waters where a tuna fishing boat faces the wrath of a giant tsunami wave, to the silent threats lurking in the heart of their nation.
A rogue element enters the fray in the guise of a chef by day, who moonlights as a freelance, sword-wielding assassin. His path crosses with that of a Korean spy ring determined to seize weapons-grade plutonium from the wreckage of the Fukushima disaster, plotting to smuggle it out of the country through covert means. Interwoven into this plot is the tale of a corrupt businessman, the architect behind the doomed nuclear plant, whose greed and ambition spell disaster for anyone in his circle.
As the ancient and modern collide, a sinister force is awakened by the fury of the tsunami, threatening to unleash chaos. The Atrocitor, a monstrous creature of nightmares, with flowing silk-like hair and a ferocious appetite, becomes a pivotal adversary as the story reaches its climax.
The Tides of March is a riveting exploration of the consequences of human folly and the enduring strength of its legacy. It is a story of love, betrayal, and the quest for redemption in a world where the line between good and evil is as elusive as the shadow of a samurai sword at dusk.
Reviews
“The Tides of March is an incredible, thrilling, and unforgettable novel that will have its readers turning the pages with haste into the early hours of the morning! As I began to read The Tides of March I immediately knew that this was going to be a captivating novel, and now that I have finished the novel, I can happily write that the book is just this! It is an intriguing, unique, and thought-provoking story unlike anything I have read before, that captivated me and hooked me with its phenomenal literature courtesy of the excellent author S.D. Price.”
“This genre-busting epic, Price’s debut, blends a natural tragedy—the devastating 2011 earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan and triggered a nuclear disaster—with an odd-couple police procedural, a secret-society thriller with historical roots, spirited sword fighting, and a dash of the supernatural. In the days before the disaster, Kurosawa Hikaru, a sword-master with the gift of reading auras, comes to the Coast of Fukushima, looking into a conspiracy that his sister, Azumi, has been investigating back in Tokyo, driven by the siblings’ Samurai heritage and sense of responsibility for their family’s history. The mission: something stinks at the nuclear power plant. At the same time, Tokyo’s best detectives, a comically foul-mouthed, high-tech duo that includes a Sumo wrestler/martial arts master, has also been dispatched to the Fukushima Prefecture on a case that will prove to be related: the governor’s disappearance.
A quick summary can’t do justice to the scope of The Tides of March, a novel fascinated by the history and culture of Japan, by the processes of detectives, fishermen, samurai, serial killers, and more, and by the ways that each major character’s convictions on law, justice, and other heady topics reflect Japan itself. That richness of ambition, combined with Price’s wordiness and eagerness to examine every moment in the detail, means the text is often dense, especially in opening chapters, which tend toward the discursive—especially for a novel with pulpy beheadings, corruption, and a serial killer to come. Readers who persevere will find excitement and many surprises, spanning history and worlds, plus international intrigue, wild murders, and an overall spirit of gusto that’s rare in such a thoughtful novel.
Scenes of confrontation, disaster, and otherworldly presences are vivid and unpredictable, while the pained camaraderie between the Kurosowa siblings, cursed by their grandfather’s actions, is affecting. The detectives’ pointedly tasteless banter, meanwhile, can prove exhausting, but readers on Price’s wavelength may relish it.”
“The search for a killer, corruption, international espionage and something supernatural has risen from the deep, all in the shadow of the Fukushima disaster.
“Two detectives are trying to find the person responsible for a governor’s disappearance and a series of dead bodies leads to a story of high level corruption. Two bewitched Samurai legacies encounter a deadly Korean spy ring wanting to take advantage of the chaos following the earthquake and tsunami in Fukushima. An earthquake that unleashed something supernatural from the depths that adds to the devastation.
“The Tides of March by S D Price has a lot to offer action and thriller readers. With chapters that focus on a police investigation as a Governor goes missing and officials show up dead. You also have action as a supernaturally boosted brother and sister duo work for the Japanese intelligence agency to stop the assailants that threaten their nation and a curious figure, working as a chef by day, sword-wielding assassin by night. Infused throughout with Japanese culture and mythology, it is clear that the author has put in the research to create this authentic feeling, multi-faceted thriller. A storyline perfect for readers who like to follow multiple strands of a story at once, waiting to see how they become connected. The Tides of March is an entertaining relentless read that will keep you guessing until the final pages.”