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The Rainshadow Orphans : The Rainshadow Series, Book One
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Overview
Featuring stenciled edges and original art for the front and back endpapers. The first novel in a dazzling fantasy trilogy inspired by Japanese folklore and Studio Ghibli films like Spirited Away, set within a mythical archipelago brimming with dragons and Sun Spirits, high-tech hackers and bubble tea. Life is hard for the inhabitants of Rainshadow City, a place where poverty and corruption are rife and where they are terrorized by an underground criminal organization known as the Lucky Crows. Toshiko, Jun, and Mei Kawakami are a family, bonded through loyalty if not blood, who live outside the increasingly corrupt law and who are seeking revenge for the murder of their beloved ''aunt'' Reiko by the Lucky Crows. Haru is the son of the Emperor, destined to one day rule over the Archipelago and uphold his mother's ignoble legacy, but he is more interested in making friends with the magical Sun Spirits it seems only he can see. Theo, forced to leave his homeland, is a reluctant foot-soldier for the Lucky Crows. He doesn't want to be a gangster, but as an illegal immigrant to the city, his choices are severely limited. When Toshiko steals a dragon pearl from the leader of the Crows, it sets them all on a thrilling path which will determine the future of Rainshadow City. Tightly set across two days and peopled with unforgettable characters, The Rainshadow Orphans blends the anime fantasy of works like Pok mon and Studio Ghibli and the anime science fiction of revolutionary cyberpunk like Akira to explore what it means to stand up to corruption and take charge of destiny.
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Details
- ISBN-13: 9781668206874
- ISBN-10: 1668206870
- Publisher: S&s/Saga Press
- Publish Date: May 2026
- Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.9 x 1.8 inches
- Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
- Page Count: 640
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- 1
Since the death of their adopted aunt at the hands of a gang called the Lucky Crows, the three Kawakami siblings have rebuilt their lives with an eye toward revenge. But just when their target is within reach, Toshiko Kawakami blows her cover. In a moment of panic, she steals a magical pearl from one of the Crows’ chief lieutenants.
The decision not only puts her family in jeopardy but also changes the lives of two others. For Haru, the young crown prince of Rainshadow Island and unwitting accomplice to Toshiko’s theft, the incident is a catalyst that will shake his trust in the emperor who has held him at arm’s length his entire life. And for Theo, a new recruit to the Lucky Crows whose legal prospects are hamstrung by his immigration status, the theft will force him to choose between committing to a life with the Crows and the moral compromises that brings, or to maintaining his humanity and forfeiting his life. Over the next two days, all five unlikely protagonists are pulled into a web involving advanced robotics, attempted political assassinations and magic beyond their comprehension. The question is not simply whether these individuals will survive. It’s whether Rainshadow City itself will ever be the same.
The Rainshadow Orphans, the first in Naomi Ishiguro’s Rainshadow series, is a doorstop of a book that combines an imaginative technopunk setting with the hidden magical details of movies like Spirited Away to create a multilayered world as enchanting as it is dangerous. Rainshadow City is a dystopia ruled by a ruthless emperor on one side and a dangerous gang boss on the other. While its citizens reap the benefits of the island’s recent technological boom, generations of noncitizens live in the impoverished Keeper’s Crescent. The disparities highlight the two-tiered system that allows the fictional city to prosper, providing a timely real-world commentary on refugee and immigrant labor across the globe. These heavy themes, however, are balanced by moments of hope, whether through glimpses of the spirits that inhabit the island or the small moments of joy that unite the Kawakamis’ found family. Fast-paced and unrelenting, The Rainshadow Orphans is a perfect read for anime and cyberpunk fans alike.
Since the death of their adopted aunt at the hands of a gang called the Lucky Crows, the three Kawakami siblings have rebuilt their lives with an eye toward revenge. But just when their target is within reach, Toshiko Kawakami blows her cover. In a moment of panic, she steals a magical pearl from one of the Crows’ chief lieutenants.
The decision not only puts her family in jeopardy but also changes the lives of two others. For Haru, the young crown prince of Rainshadow Island and unwitting accomplice to Toshiko’s theft, the incident is a catalyst that will shake his trust in the emperor who has held him at arm’s length his entire life. And for Theo, a new recruit to the Lucky Crows whose legal prospects are hamstrung by his immigration status, the theft will force him to choose between committing to a life with the Crows and the moral compromises that brings, or to maintaining his humanity and forfeiting his life. Over the next two days, all five unlikely protagonists are pulled into a web involving advanced robotics, attempted political assassinations and magic beyond their comprehension. The question is not simply whether these individuals will survive. It’s whether Rainshadow City itself will ever be the same.
The Rainshadow Orphans, the first in Naomi Ishiguro’s Rainshadow series, is a doorstop of a book that combines an imaginative technopunk setting with the hidden magical details of movies like Spirited Away to create a multilayered world as enchanting as it is dangerous. Rainshadow City is a dystopia ruled by a ruthless emperor on one side and a dangerous gang boss on the other. While its citizens reap the benefits of the island’s recent technological boom, generations of noncitizens live in the impoverished Keeper’s Crescent. The disparities highlight the two-tiered system that allows the fictional city to prosper, providing a timely real-world commentary on refugee and immigrant labor across the globe. These heavy themes, however, are balanced by moments of hope, whether through glimpses of the spirits that inhabit the island or the small moments of joy that unite the Kawakamis’ found family. Fast-paced and unrelenting, The Rainshadow Orphans is a perfect read for anime and cyberpunk fans alike.