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Noted without comment, except to say, yes this is a real book. I read the review in Kirkus.

In a secret underworld, ninjas and vampires are one and the same.


BLOOD NINJA: THE DARK MIST OF NIGHT by Nick Lake
Ninjas: silent, deadly and impossibly skilled in the art of combat. Peerless assassins and spies, they pose a terrifying threat to the Japanese nobility. Yet no-one has ever seen them by day…
For all ninjas are vampires. The source of their strength is also their greatest weakness - ghastly blood-sucking spirits, all but invincible in battle, they are vulnerable to one thing: sunlight.

THE DARK MIST OF NIGHT is the first of the Blood Ninja series. It will reveal the long-hidden secrets of ninja society and tell for the first time the astonishing tale of their first great leader – the man who was ninja, samurai and Shogun. It is the story of Taro, a boy from a simple fishing village who is rescued by a ninja when his father is murdered, and who finds himself dragged deep into a bitter conflict between the rival Lords ruling Japan.

What is the connection between Taro and Lord Tokugawa? What could an ancient curse put on the Emperor’s house by an angry spirit possibly have to do with a fisherman’s son? Where will Taro’s love for Lord Oda’s daughter Hana lead them both? What is the Buddha Ball, and why are men and gods alike willing to kill for it? And can a ninja and a peasant ever rule Japan?