The Beast Player - by Nahoko Uehashi

About the Book

Erin's family have an important responsibility: caring for the Toda, fearsome water serpents who form the core of their Lord's army. So when a number of Toda mysteriously die, it is Erin's mother who takes the blame, and the punishment - she is sentenced to death. Before she dies she manages to use an ancient, forbidden power to send Erin to safety - leaving her daughter alone, far from home but with the knowledge that both she and her mother are somehow different. Soon, Erin finds she can talk to both the terrifying Toda and the majestic Royal Beasts, who protect the supreme queen of her realm. This knowledge gives her great power, but it also involves her in deadly plots and political game playing that she wants no part of. Can Erin save herself and prevent her beloved beasts from being used as tools of war, or is there no way of avoiding the terrible battles to come?

Book Synopsis

Nahoko Uehashi's The Beast Player is an epic YA fantasy about a girl with a special power to communicate with magical beasts and the warring kingdom only she can save.

Elin's family has an important responsibility: caring for the fearsome water serpents that form the core of their kingdom's army. So when some of the beasts mysteriously die, Elin's mother is sentenced to death as punishment. With her last breath she manages to send her daughter to safety.

Alone, far from home, Elin soon discovers that she can talk to both the terrifying water serpents and the majestic flying beasts that guard her queen. This skill gives her great powers, but it also involves her in deadly plots that could cost her life. Can she save herself and prevent her beloved beasts from being used as tools of war? Or is there no way of escaping the terrible battles to come?

Review Quotes

"Uehashi's vivid storytelling, beautiful prose, and shifting perspectives that cover a broad scope of events will have readers relishing every detail of her lush world building." --The Bulletin, starred review, on The Beast Player

"The beauty and power of the natural world is at the core of this intriguing fantasy, whose abrupt ending guarantees a sequel." --Kirkus Reviews on The Beast Player

About the Author

Nahoko Uehashi is one of Japan's most popular children's writers. She has won numerous awards, including the 2014 Hans Christian Andersen Award. An associate professor at a Japanese university, she has a Ph.D. in cultural anthropology and studies indigenous peoples in Australia. Her books include the multivolume Moribito series. She lives near Tokyo, Japan.