Basilik: The Kouga Ninja Scrolls by Futaro Yamada

The Kouga Ninja Scrolls is a historical fantasy novel written in 1958-1959 by the Japanese author Futaro Yamada. The novel was adapted into several comics, a live-action film and an animated series. It has been translated into English by Geoff Sant, and was published by Del Rey in December 2006.

This story is quite similar to Romeo and Juliet. The story centers around two rival ninja clans; the Iga and the Koga; whose no-hostilities treaty is lifted by retired shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu to settle a succession dispute within the government concerning which of Ieyasu's grandsons is destined to become the third Tokugawa Shogun. Due to years of selective breeding, the members of Koga and Iga have all developed inhuman abilities at the cost of several of them being born physically disfigured or otherwise abnormally mutated.
At the center of the conflict is Koga and Iga's two young heirs; Gennosuke and Oboro respectively; who had fallen in love in the hopes of not only bringing their clans together in peace but also to mix the bloodlines of their families so as to undo the genetic damage endured by both. The novel traces the course of the conflict as both clans endure heavy losses and ultimately bringing Gennosuke and Oboro to face each other on the field of battle.

I will be picking this book up on my next trip to the bookstore. Anyone ever read it or care to read it with me?