Shike

Robert Shea’s Shike saga follows Jebu, a warrior-monk of the secretive Order of Zinja, and Shima Taniko, a noblewoman whose arranged marriage places her inside the politics of the imperial court. Their relationship develops during the struggle between the fictional Takashi and Muratomo clans, counterparts to the historical Taira and Minamoto. Jebu’s religious discipline and military obligations repeatedly pull him away from Taniko, while her intelligence and adaptability carry her from a vulnerable bride to a woman with influence over warriors, courtiers and rulers.

The two volumes deliberately compress Japanese history so that the Genpei War, the creation of the Kamakura shogunate and Kublai Khan’s invasions of Japan occur within the protagonists’ lifetimes. The story moves between Kamakura, Heian Kyo, Song China and the Mongol court, combining large-scale warfare with political intrigue, mysticism and a long, obstructed love story. Historical figures and events are often renamed or rearranged, making the series a broad historical adventure rather than a literal reconstruction of twelfth- and thirteenth-century Japan.