Cloud of Sparrows: An Epic Novel of Japan takes place in 1861, during the time of shogun, samurai, geisha, and ninjas. I specifically sought out this book after watching Shogun on FX, based on the novel Shogun by James Clavell.
On January 1, 1861, a young nobleman named Lord Genji is beginning his day next to Heiko, one of the most prized geisha in all the land. Genji’s bloodline is cursed with having terrifying and disturbing visions of the future. Examples include visions of giant metal beasts (airplanes) and visions of humans working as slaves in giant metal boxes (behind desks in city skyscrapers).
Arriving to Edo Bay on that very same day are a small group of American missionaries, there to spread word about Christianity. Among them is a young woman named Emily, desperate to stay in Japan where she feels safest.
Also, as it just so happens, Lord Genji has had a vision of an outsider saving him after the New Year. He suspects one of the missionaries may be the outsider in question.
There’s a lot more going on than that. For instance, other clans are trying to assassinate Lord Genji. Genji also has a crazy uncle, Shigeru, who is the best samurai in all the land and feared by many. Some of the characters are also spies, making you wonder the entire time where their true allegiances lie.
Cloud of Sparrows is written in multiple POVs, alternating between a long list of characters. In fact, the author includes an actual List of Characters following the Contents, to help you keep track. I found it incredibly useful, as I flipped back and forth a countless number of times while reading.
My paperback copy sits at around 560 pages, but it didn’t feel that long, not at all. I was so sad when it ended, and I ordered Autumn Bridge within a few days of finishing the book.
I’d like to share something that shocked me. It’s not a spoiler, because it’s written in the synopsis on the back of the book and somehow I missed it.
The back of the book says, “…when the handsome lord meets an apparently reformed gunslinger and a woman in flight from her own destructive beauty…” and I missed the destructive beauty part.
When Emily, the young missionary girl, arrives in Japan, all the Japanese characters remark amongst themselves about how ugly she is. They say she has big, ugly features, including a big nose, too-big eyes, big boobs, unsightly curves, etc. But Emily’s fiance obsesses about how utterly enticing she is, and about how he cannot wait to take her virginity when they are married.
I couldn’t put two and two together at the time, and now I feel silly. I couldn’t figure it out until I got to the chapter about Emily’s background
Cloud of Sparrows is incredibly engrossing. Its author, Takashi Matsuoka, has written and published only two books: Cloud of Sparrows and its sequel, Autumn Bridge. I wish he would write more.
What did you think about Cloud of Sparrows? Why did you decide to read it in the first place?
Last Updated on February 26, 2026 by Sarah Ann
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