Raven (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

They fly on ebony wings. They walk on both bird‘s legs or human. Tengus can look so much like a human that they could fool another human. Or they can look like several combinations of avian and human in between. They are shape-shifters that can appear as a crow or a raven, only larger than the ones you see outside your window. One of their favorite disguises is to take on the appearance of a Yamabushi, mountain warrior priest. They can also look something like Pinocchio with a red, clown nose. (Strange!)

Intrigued? The reason most people in the western world know nothing about tengu is because they come straight out of Japanese folklore, from the Shinto religion. Known as tricksters, the tengu can prove a helpful ally if they decide they like you enough not to pound in your head. If they think you are worthy of their good intentions, you could learn the craft of wielding a sword. Just ask Yoshitune. Hmm, well, that might be difficult, since he’s been dead for centuries now.

Still, you might find out that you are the half-human child of a tengu. Now, that can get complicated. Just ask Karasu Hinata. Who is he; you wrinkle your forehead in thought, trying to remember just where you heard that name? He’s the son of the tengu king, Sojobo-sama. Karasu appears in the fantasy, action/adventure novel, Legend of the Tengu Prince.

In the meantime, if you happen to see a tengu, for goodness sake, don’t annoy them. They have been known to do very nasty things. Speaking of nasty tengu, just wait until you meet Sojobo’s older brother, Magatsu. Now that is one giant black bird that you do not want to get on his bad side.

Sh-h-h! I think I see one of them staring in through my third floor window… or maybe, it’s just a crow… The strange thing is, this crow has human eyes.

Enjoy!

Synopsis:

Fantasy Action Adventure set in feudal Japan.

During a time of civil war, Karasu Hinata is born the son of a powerful warlord. When he is still a child, his family castle is taken by a rival clan. His father and mother are murdered right before his eyes.

Barely escaping with his life, he is spirited away by the king of the tengu. The shape-shifting raven leads him to the hidden mountain retreat of a sect of mystic warriors. Mountain priests who practice the magic of Shugendo.

Ten years have passed. The time has come for Karasu to leave the mystic’s protective lair and face his demons in the world beyond. But the fiend that haunts his nightmares is also the one that shattered his life. More than a bad dream, it wants him dead.

In Legend of the Tengu Prince, nothing is as it seems. Shape-shifting creatures, both good and evil, populate the magical world of feudal Japan. And a young man will pay the ultimate price for a deadly rival spawned in the mists time. This riveting first volume of a epic fantasy adventure will leave you stunned and begging for more.