I purchased an electronic advance reader copy of this book directly from the publisher at baen.com. I encourage you not to wait for the official publication date and to do the same.
Over a hundred ninja clans rule the world of One-Fifth Dragon, each one descended from a magical god-beast that grants its descendants powers and unique eye colors. The ninjas of the Chollima Clan, descendants of the Pegasus, can alter gravity and have storm-cloud gray eyes. The ninjas of the Bake-Kujira Clan, descendants of the Lich Whale, can siphon life and have black-gray eyes.
In revenge for the near-complete annihilation of his clan when he was a child, a descendant of the Red Dragon (with red eyes to match) has spent his entire life learning how to kill from the most ruthless man in his adopted clan, until he is a feared master ninja known as Wraith.
Then, in chapter one, Wraith learns that he has spent his entire life slaughtering the wrong people.
The fight scenes are realistic, the tactics used by Wraith and enemies alike are sound, and he rarely walks away from a serious battle unscathed. Despite his obvious skill, Wraith is also constantly seeking to improve, noting ways he could have done a better job killing people despite the high bar he sets from the first page. He is driven, too stubborn to die, and too stubborn to turn from the path he set for himself, despite everyone telling him his plan is a bad idea, which is going to get him killed.
I have been a long-time fan of Shami Stovall, and every year I come across one book that is better than all she has written before. For 2026, I think that book is One-Fifth Dragon.
I purchased an electronic advance reader copy of this book directly from the publisher at baen.com. I encourage you not to wait for the official publication date and to do the same.
Over a hundred ninja clans rule the world of One-Fifth Dragon, each one descended from a magical god-beast that grants its descendants powers and unique eye colors. The ninjas of the Chollima Clan, descendants of the Pegasus, can alter gravity and have storm-cloud gray eyes. The ninjas of the Bake-Kujira Clan, descendants of the Lich Whale, can siphon life and have black-gray eyes.
In revenge for the near-complete annihilation of his clan when he was a child, a descendant of the Red Dragon (with red eyes to match) has spent his entire life learning how to kill from the most ruthless man in his adopted clan, until he is a feared master ninja known as Wraith.
Then, in chapter one, Wraith learns that he has spent his entire life slaughtering the wrong people.
The fight scenes are realistic, the tactics used by Wraith and enemies alike are sound, and he rarely walks away from a serious battle unscathed. Despite his obvious skill, Wraith is also constantly seeking to improve, noting ways he could have done a better job killing people despite the high bar he sets from the first page. He is driven, too stubborn to die, and too stubborn to turn from the path he set for himself, despite everyone telling him his plan is a bad idea, which is going to get him killed.
I have been a long-time fan of Shami Stovall, and every year I come across one book that is better than all she has written before. For 2026, I think that book is One-Fifth Dragon.
