Young Samurai: The Way of the Sword Young Samurai: The Way of the Sword Young Samurai: The Way of the Sword is a children's historical novel by Chris Bradford, published in 2009. It is the second in a series of action-adventure stories set in 17th century Japan following the exploits of an English boy, Jack Fletcher, as he strives to be the first gaijin samurai. The first book is titled "" (2008) and the third in the series is "" (2010). After a vicious ninja attack left him orphaned and stranded in Japan, Jack Fletcher managed to complete his first year of samurai school. Still, his troubles
In the Shadow of the Sword (book) In the Shadow of the Sword (book) In the Shadow of the Sword is a history book charting the origins of Islam. The author, Tom Holland, had previously written two works on ancient history: "", which charted the fall of the Roman Republic, and "Persian Fire", which is an account of the Greco-Persian Wars during the 5th century BC. According to Holland, "To understand the origins of Islam, and why it evolved in the way that it did, we must explore the empires and religions of late antiquity". In this book, following the research by scholars of Oriental studies such