I rarely write reviews, because opinions of a faceless stranger means nothing. In this way, this is more of a venting than a review. Take what you wish from it.
This book possess information, but reads like a japanese history version of Wikigolf
[A game where you jump from hyperlink to hyperlink to see how you can get from one page to another in the least amount of clicks]
I would say it talks about people who happen to be "samurai" versus the actual samurai way of life.
You can save yourself time and watch a 30 minute history from early Japan to the Edo Period on YouTube and get the same amount of information.

DNF. This is my own fault, no fault of the book. When I saw “A Brief History” in the title, I thought this would be a light read before bed kind of book. However, it is in fact a comprehensive (from a layman’s perspective) account of the political history of the samurai. As a history major way back when, it pains me to say I was getting “names and dates” syndrome. In short, I wanted something light and focused on philosophy and broad history but this book is much more academic than that.

A "surprisingly" easy to read historical book. It is filled with facts and historic figures, most of which I will probably forget in a month.
Still, a solid read and mildly entertaining book.

What an excellent novel for a layman who knows little to nothing about Japanese history! 'A Brief History of the Samurai' presents historical fact and folktale alike, contrasting real events with incredible legends!
This is thoroughly researched, and has an excellent 'Sources and Recommended Reading' section, which will aid my reading on the topic of Japanese history a great deal.
Five stars, and my hearty recommendation to anyone who's interested in Japanese history but uncertain where to start.