Daughter of the Sword Audiobook By Steve Bein cover art

Daughter of the Sword

A Novel of the Fated Blades

Preview

Try for $0.00
Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Daughter of the Sword

By: Steve Bein
Narrated by: Allison Hiroto
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $29.95

Buy for $29.95

Confirm purchase
Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.
Cancel

About this listen

Mariko Oshiro is not your average Tokyo cop. As the only female detective in the city’s most elite police unit, she has to fight for every ounce of respect, especially from her new boss. While she wants to track down a rumored cocaine shipment, he gives her the least promising case possible. But the case - the attempted theft of an old samurai sword - proves more dangerous than anyone on the force could have imagined. The owner of the sword, Professor Yasuo Yamada, says it was crafted by the legendary Master Inazuma, a sword smith whose blades are rumored to have magical qualities. The man trying to steal it already owns another Inazuma - one whose deadly power eventually comes to control all who wield it. Or so says Yamada, and though he has studied swords and swordsmanship all his life, Mariko isn’t convinced.

But Mariko’s skepticism hardly matters. Her investigation has put her on a collision course with a curse centuries old and as bloodthirsty as ever. She is only the latest in a long line of warriors and soldiers to confront this power, and even the sword she learns to wield could turn against her.

©2012 Steve Bein (P)2012 Audible, Inc.
Classics Contemporary Detective Fiction Historical Supernatural Urban Women Sleuths Women's Fiction Mystery Fantasy Paranormal
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2

Critic reviews

"Steve Bein's Daughter of the Sword is a strikingly original saga blending contemporary thriller and historical fantasy. Enthralling ... A noir modern Tokyo overwhelmed by the shadows of Japanese history. The research is convincing, the touch light. A compelling multifaceted vision of a remarkable culture, and a great page-turner." (Stephen Baxter, author of Stone Spring)
"A sharp and superb urban fantasy, Daughter of the Sword is the perfect melding of skillful prose, fascinating characters, and compelling story. Steve Bein effortlessly combines history and legend with a modern procedural in a book that will have you staying up late to finish it." (Diana Rowland, author of Sins of the Demon)
"Steve Bein's Daughter of the Sword really captured my imagination. The interweaving of historical Japanese adventure and modern police procedural, Tokyo-style, caught me from two unexpected directions. A tight read, lots of great tension, and epic stakes." (Jay Lake, author of Green and Mainspring)

What listeners say about Daughter of the Sword

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    91
  • 4 Stars
    76
  • 3 Stars
    30
  • 2 Stars
    12
  • 1 Stars
    4
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    98
  • 4 Stars
    61
  • 3 Stars
    18
  • 2 Stars
    7
  • 1 Stars
    3
Story
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    82
  • 4 Stars
    64
  • 3 Stars
    28
  • 2 Stars
    8
  • 1 Stars
    5

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A spellbinding cultural exploration & time shifting, crime thriller!

Very engaging storyline and amazing character development, with keen insight into the archetypal and historical psyche of Japanese culture and philosophy; past and present.
I enjoyed pausing at various points to search Google maps and associated photos of the geographic locations where (and in what century) the plot unfolds across the magical islands of Japan.

Allison Hiroto is terrific as always - a gifted voice-actor. You had me at your first emtionally tuned-in and perfectly anounciated words. A pleasure to listen and escape into!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Beyond my expectations!

Well, it's worth reading, when I got this book,I expected solid 3*, I never expected it to be this good.

Plot is about 3 artefacts and how they interfere in modern world,the situation occurs in modern day Tokyo,and tells about societal balance between japanese traditions and modern day world, coexistence of police and yakuzas, and of course about newbie police officer and deranged maniac killer under the influence of the cursed blade, it has everything a good book should have, so it was very good....

The only negative thing is the narrator, she is not bad, she just does not fit this book,I would've prefered a male voice.

PS
I also learned a very interesting word:
Karōshi (過労死), which can be translated literally from Japanese as "death from overwork", is occupational sudden death.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

15 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

I loved this book

Fantastic story. I loved how the history and present were brought together. I can't wait to read book 2

Great narration

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Too many ね!

This book was enjoyable for me because I have been reading and watching yakuza/samurai stories sense I was a kid. The only thing that truly bothered me as someone who also studies Japanese is the NE, NE, ね,ね on the end of every sentence. I get it you like the concept Ne, but give the reader a break now and then.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

A good solid read, but not on my must read list.

Where does Daughter of the Sword rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

High middle grade. The story and character writing is solid and interesting. That said I never was on the edge of my seat, laughing out loud, or unable to put the book down. Give this author a little bit more seasoning and I expect him to be churning out some great stuff.

What other book might you compare Daughter of the Sword to and why?

Lian Hearn, due to the Nipon warring states historical settings with a twist of supernatural.

Which scene was your favorite?

Tiger on the mountain flashbacks.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

No but I still very much enjoyed listening to it and found it entertaining.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Great story, great performance, over-written

The story was excellent. The writing is pretentious and over done. Fortunately, it's saved by a tremendous performance.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Fantastic Story, more Fantasy than Sci-Fi

I loved this story. I am a hard core Sci-Fi Reader, but this one seemed interesting to me. It was better than any of the Sci-Fi book I have read recently.

It starts way back when a southern section of China is captured by the Barbarians. Something evil happens throughout year for the owner, including two WWII.

Entering a US Scholar.

Anything more would be a spoiler, except, I think Allison Hiroto is the Absolutely the best fit of a narrator the this book

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Different urban fantasy

Great story. More thinking, not as much paranormal action. If you like swords and Japanese culture, you will love this book.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

An everyday tale with just a touch of magic

-accurate depiction of the life an addict's family leads
-likeable, badass but imperfect main character
-no sappy romance getting in the way of the action
-narrator is perfect!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Pure Excellence

A Compelling story about blades, fate and fascinating characters. Very informative on some Japanese History

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!