Fudoki Book

n her skillful debut novel, Kij Johnson turned the classic Japanese myth of the fox who dared to be-come a woman into a luminous, lyrical tale of love, desire, joy, and the nature of the soul. Set in the same universe as The Fox Woman, Fudoki reveals the world of the creature who comes to be known as Kagaya-hime, a sometime woman-warrior and confidante to noblemen. This is the story of a being who started her journey on the kami road as a tortoiseshell cat. Her family was destroyed by a fire that decimated most of the Imperial city. She has been rendered taleless, with no one left alive but her to pass on such stories as The Cat Born the Year the Star Fell, The Cat with a Litter of Ten, and The Fire-Tailed Cat. Without her fudoki-self and soul and home and shrine-she cannot keep the power of her clan together. And so a small cat begins an extraordinary journey. Along the way she attracts the attention of ancient gods who are curious about this new creature come to their lands. They will give the little cat a different shape and set her on a new kami road . . . .Read More