The Beast Player by Nahoko Uehashi, translated by Cathy Hirano (Pushkin)

Naoko Uehashi is a well known fantasy and children’s book author in her native Japan. She has won many awards including the international Hans Christian Andersen Award in 2014. The chairman of the International Board on Books for Young People, Maria Jesus Gil, has said of Uehashi, “Uehashi tells stories that are replete with imagination, culture and the beauty of a sophisticated process and form. Her literary subjects are based on ancient Japanese mythology and science-fiction fantasy that are deeply rooted in human reality”. 

The Beast Player is the English translation of the first two books in her series 獣の奏者: 闘蛇編と王獣編 (Kemono no Soja : Toda hen and Oju hen). Originally published in the Japanese language in 2006 by Kodansha Bunko. It is translated by Cathy Hirano who has translated a number of Marie Kondo books which have gone on to become international bestsellers.

In the world of The Beast Player, the kingdom of Lyoza is ruled by Yojeh, the divine ruler of the kingdom. Protecting the land of Lyoza is the Aluhan (Grand Duke) who is responsible for protecting Lyoza. There are also the Se Zan who guard the Yojeh. 

Elin is the ten-year-old daughter of Sohyon who comes from a nomadic tribe called the Ahlyo. Sohyon  became an outcast when she married outside her people. She and her daughter live with the Toda stewards. The toda being dragon-like water serpents. Sohyon is the head Toda doctor. It is her duty to take care of the kiba, the fiercest of all the toda. Everyone knows that toda cannot be tamed, but they are controlled by a silent whistle. A whistle that Sohyon doesn’t really like to use. 

One night, all of the kiba mysteriously die. Sohyon is blamed for their death and sentenced to be eaten alive by wild toda. On the day of her execution, Elin tries to save her. The Aluhan and their warriors were willing to let the child die as well as they considered her to be Akun Meh Chai, the “devil-bitten child”. 

As Elin tries to help her mother, they can see the wild toda coming for them. Sohyon tells her daughter, “Elin, you must never do what I am going to do now. To do so is to commit a mortal sin”. The last thing she says to her daughter is, “I want you to survive. And to find happiness”. She then used her fingers to whistle and the piercing sound made all the toda stop immediately. 

As Sohyon continued to use her finger whistle, the toda came near. Sohyon set Elin on one of the toda’s backs and said, “grip hard with both legs and don’t let go of the horns”. She then yelled, “Go! Don’t look back. Go!”. Elin manages to escape but witnesses her mother being devoured by the wild toda, 

Elin ends up stranded on the shore of a land far from her own home. She is found by Joeun, a solitary beekeeper. He takes her in and raises her as his own child. He senses that she is different. He also notices the color of her eyes. They are green. Only the Ahlyo have such green eyes and they are rarely seen by others. 

One summer as the Joeun takes Elin to the mountains, they see Royal Beasts in the wild. Elin is captivated by them. They appear to be large dragons that are the symbol of the Yojeh. The toda are the natural enemy of the Royal Beasts. However, the Royal Beasts can render the toda immobile by the whistling sound they make. 

As Elin grows older, Joeun sends her to Kazalumu Royal Beast Sanctuary and learns to become a beast doctor. Unknown to Elin, she becomes a pawn in a political struggle between the Aluhan and the Yojeh. There’s also a plot to assassinate the Yojeh as well. 

Uehashi’s epic saga can be enjoyed by children and adults alike. You will meet a whole host of characters which you will become to love (or hate) as the case may be. The story teaches one compassion and cooperation. It also focuses on ambition, greed, corruption, and the pursuit of power. The saga continues in the sequel The Beast Warrior. ~Ernie Hoyt