The Path Traveler: Crisis of Faith — Ron Marz

On a world racked by war, only one small island nation stands unconquered. The Warlord Todosi leads his troops to victory in a great and perhaps final battle, only to be betrayed by the gods. His brother, a monk, vows vengeance before assuming Todosi's station as the new Warlord of Nayado. He must become a leader of armies, defending a land whose traditions he is coming to distrust. The Path is a new take on the samurai tale, a staple of Japanese entertainment with a growing audience here in the West. In addition to all the action and dynamic artwork that typifies the genre, we have the struggle of one man walking the thin line between honor and duty. Set on an exotic world akin to feudal Japan, The Path tells the story of a man stripped of his faith in not only the gods to whom he prays, but the emperor he is honor-bound to serve. Filled with samurai action and panorama, The Path tells the story of one man's journey and an entire nation's fate. When the monk Obo-san witnesses the death of his brother at the hands of the gods, he swears to have his vengeance by using the gods` own Weapon of Heaven against them. Meanwhile, the emperor teeters on the brink of madness and threatens to lead the nation to ruin. Torn between duty and destiny, Obo-san defies the Emperor and finds himself a wanted man, and not even the all-powerful weapon he possesses can save him. Aficionados of the masterful Lone Wolf and Cub series and the samurai epics of Akira Kurosawa will want to walk The Path.