Gate to Kagoshima

The only thing to fear about the past is it may destroy the future…

A Marie Claire Summer Reads Pick, 2024

2005: While researching her Japanese ancestors, Isla travels from Scotland to Kagoshima. There, a vicious typhoon hurls her through a strange white gate and back to 1877, amid the dawn of the Satsuma Rebellion – the conflict that ended the samurai.

When she meets Keiichiro Maeda, a samurai who introduces her to a way of life only previously encountered in books, Isla begins to wonder if she has found her true home. But as the samurai fight a losing battle, she is increasingly distraught. Should she forewarn Keiichiro and save the man she loves or let him die the glorious death he so believes in, proud to the end that he remained a faithful warrior?

And what will become of Isla? Is she willing to leave the past behind, knowing her future will forever be changed? 

Review

'A terrific ‘what if’ time-travel novel with an intriguing historical element, epic battles, and a dash of romance.' Adrian Cousins, author of The Jason Apsley series

'Refreshingly original... A stunning debut.' Jason Ayres, author of The Time Bubble series

‘Gate to Kagoshima is an action-packed adventure that opens in Scotland and makes its way to Kagoshima, Japan, as our heroine flees the ghosts of relationships past only to find new loves―and new heartbreak. Set at the close of the Samurai era, the story blends Outlander by way of Before the Coffee Gets Cold.’ Marie Claire Summer Reads pick by Mischa Anouk Smith

'As a die-hard fan of Diana Gabaldon’s time-travelling Outlander books, this is going to fill the gap nicely as I wait for book 10...Honestly, this is right up my Jamie Fraser-loving alley.' New Scientist Best Sci Fi Books review by Alison Flood

About the Author

Poppy Kuroki was born in Scotland and grew up in England. She lived in Japan for eleven years, where the country’s history and culture inspired her to pen the Ancestor Memories series. Poppy now lives in a beautiful city in Yorkshire and likes reading, singing and playing video games.