Return of the Sistah Samurai
by Tatiana Obey
From time to time, I see people asking for recommendations of books by authors meeting certain characteristics – queer, female, black, etc. Almost always there will be at least one response questioning what the characteristic of the author matters as long as the story is good.
At a glance, and out of context, it’s a valid question. We all want to read good stories, right? The author’s gender identity or relative physical/mental abilities doesn’t matter, right? Right?
Well…
Saying the author doesn’t matter forgets or ignores that stories are written by people. Not only are people different, they also tell different stories and in different ways. Our experiences shape how we see the world, which in turn shapes the stories we tell.
A fat bearded man in his early fifties, who played World of Warcraft for ten years straight (that’s me), will not tell the same stories as a young trans woman who dreams of making it as a yoga instructor on TikTok (that’s a made up example). The author and what they’ve been through matters.
I bring all this up because today’s book is one I never could have written. Well, I could have tried, but I couldn’t have written it like this. At its core, the story is about finding the strength within yourself and defeating the demons that haunt you – figuratively and literally. That’s a universal theme, but with how the story is told, it’s very clear that Return of the Sistah Samurai is written by a black woman. Unapologetic and uncompromising. It’s a story told by someone who grew up and lived a life almost entirely different from mine, and it shines through in every single paragraph – the jokes, the characters, their values and experiences and priorities. The pop-culture references that pass way above my head.
Read it yourself, and you’ll see what I mean.
The book picks up where Sistah Samurai ends, and while it’s clear that it’s a sequel, it can probably be read on its own – although it’d be a shame to miss out on the first book in the series.
If you’ve already read Sistah Samurai, then know that Return of the Sistah Samurai is more of the same, but bigger, stronger, and more confident. We’re introduced to two new characters, Kayla and Imani – young women who aspire to become full sistah samurais – and we follow them as they struggle to live up to the expectations of the older sistahs, Monique and Simone. The story is told through all four characters.
There is also an enemy, and in many ways, the enemy is a snake from the past rearing its ugly head. To avoid spoilers, I won’t go into details.
What I’ll whine about
Action. It’s not that the action isn’t intense or exciting, but there’s a lot of it, especially in the last third of the book. With four main characters each facing their own demons, and each one of them needing their time to shine, there’s a lot of fighting.
Bluntness. This book is not subtle. It’s got a message, and it’s shouting it loud and clear. In fairness, the book makes no effort to be subtle (rather the opposite), so it doesn’t come off as indelicate or ham fisted, which is nice.
What I’ll gush about
Attitude. The first book, Sistah Samurai, had a lot of attitude, and somehow, Return… packs even more. It’s unforgiving and uncompromising, and it’s its own thing entirely. It’s this confidence and attitude that makes the book work despite the bluntness I just whined about.
Action. Yeah, I whined about there being too much action, but the action also deserves credit. The story clearly draws a lot of inspiration from anime, and it manages to adapt the visual aspects of a visual medium in a way that works in writing. Rather than endless (and boring) descriptions of moves that would look spectacular on screen, the essence of those moves is transformed into words that end up looking good in my imagination.
Final Words
Return of the Sistah Samurai is full of action, attitude, and good ol’ ass-kicking fun.
