Across the Nightingale Floor (Tales of the Otori, Book 1)
1 journaler for this copy...
I mooched this book from Bookmooch.com because I thought the cover art of a book later in the series was really neat.
I guess that's pretty lame.
We'll see how the book is.
--
Amazon.com
The debut novel of Lian Hearn's Tales of the Otori series, Across the Nightingale Floor, is set in a feudal Japan on the edge of the imagination. The tale begins with young Takeo, a member of a subversive and persecuted religious group, who returns home to find his village in flames. He is saved, not by coincidence, by the swords of Lord Otori Shigeru and thrust into a world of warlords, feuding clans, and political scheming. As Lord Otori's ward, he discovers he is a member by birth of the shadowy "Tribe," a mysterious group of assassins with supernatural abilities.
Hearn sets his tale in an imaginary realm that is and isn't feudal Japan. This device serves the author well as he is able to play with familiar archetypes--samurai, Shogun, and ninja--without falling prey to the pitfalls of history. The novel fills a unique niche that is at once period piece and fantasy novel. Hearn unfolds the tale of Takeo and the conflicting forces around him in a deliberate manner that leads to a satisfying conclusion and sets the stage for the rest of the series. --Jeremy Pugh
I guess that's pretty lame.
We'll see how the book is.
--
Amazon.com
The debut novel of Lian Hearn's Tales of the Otori series, Across the Nightingale Floor, is set in a feudal Japan on the edge of the imagination. The tale begins with young Takeo, a member of a subversive and persecuted religious group, who returns home to find his village in flames. He is saved, not by coincidence, by the swords of Lord Otori Shigeru and thrust into a world of warlords, feuding clans, and political scheming. As Lord Otori's ward, he discovers he is a member by birth of the shadowy "Tribe," a mysterious group of assassins with supernatural abilities.
Hearn sets his tale in an imaginary realm that is and isn't feudal Japan. This device serves the author well as he is able to play with familiar archetypes--samurai, Shogun, and ninja--without falling prey to the pitfalls of history. The novel fills a unique niche that is at once period piece and fantasy novel. Hearn unfolds the tale of Takeo and the conflicting forces around him in a deliberate manner that leads to a satisfying conclusion and sets the stage for the rest of the series. --Jeremy Pugh
Rented the audio book from AllEars in Saratoga, CA.
I'm in the middle of disk 6 (of 8 total) right now.
Man this is a great book, full of adventure and intrigue and passion.
Gotta try and track down the second book ASAP.
Man this is a great book, full of adventure and intrigue and passion.
Gotta try and track down the second book ASAP.
Finished today.
This was really, really cool. It seemed 'real' enough that at first I wasn't quite sure what made this a sci-fi/fantasy novel, as it was classified at AllEars Audiobooks. Heck, to be honest I'm not 100% sure I get it now. No, I do...it's not "Japan" but a fantasy world. Right? Did I miss something? I always miss something...
Anyway. Really loved the book. I like how it was written, the plot, the characters...it's all good. I mean, I was so eager to start the next book that I bought a copy of it from Amazon.com - I almost never buy books anymore! (I just have too many as it is.)
So am I correct in my assumption that the "hidden" are basically Christians? I mean, they act in a similar way to how I (think?) Christians acted in Japan, worshiping in secret and that sort of thing. Or am I attempting to draw too many parallels to actual Japanese history? Also seems to have strong parallels to Buddhism and Shinto in some of the other religions practices depicted in the book.
Also, the priest Makoto seems a little gay. Y/N?
Final thought: David Henry Hwang is working on developing the screenplay of this novel?
Awesomesauce!
This was really, really cool. It seemed 'real' enough that at first I wasn't quite sure what made this a sci-fi/fantasy novel, as it was classified at AllEars Audiobooks. Heck, to be honest I'm not 100% sure I get it now. No, I do...it's not "Japan" but a fantasy world. Right? Did I miss something? I always miss something...
Anyway. Really loved the book. I like how it was written, the plot, the characters...it's all good. I mean, I was so eager to start the next book that I bought a copy of it from Amazon.com - I almost never buy books anymore! (I just have too many as it is.)
So am I correct in my assumption that the "hidden" are basically Christians? I mean, they act in a similar way to how I (think?) Christians acted in Japan, worshiping in secret and that sort of thing. Or am I attempting to draw too many parallels to actual Japanese history? Also seems to have strong parallels to Buddhism and Shinto in some of the other religions practices depicted in the book.
Also, the priest Makoto seems a little gay. Y/N?
Final thought: David Henry Hwang is working on developing the screenplay of this novel?
Awesomesauce!
Written for Fashionista Piranha Book Blog:
When Tomasu’s rural village is slaughtered by the cruel leader of the Tohan, he is adopted by Lord Shigeru, who is from a rival clan called the Otori. Shigeru renames the boy Takeo and begins teaching him the traditions of the warrior class. Made temporarily mute by the horrors he witnessed, Takeo discovers that his hearing has grown sharper, a trait that identifies him as one of “The Tribe”, a secret group of supernaturally gifted spies and killers. Other special abilities emerge as well, enabling Takeo to stop an assassination attempt on Shigeru. Shigeru decides to adopt Takeo as his heir, but powerful members of the Otori family are opposed to his wish.
Meanwhile, in the castle of the Noguchi, Kaede Shirakawa has been held hostage since she was seven years old. She has developed a reputation as a cursed woman because men who desire her die, although through no fault of her own. It is decided that she will marry Lord Shigeru, forming an alliance between the Tohan and the Otori. Kaede is sent to meet her future husband, but it is Takeo that she falls in love with.
When I first picked up this book, I was puzzled that it was shelved in the fantasy/science fiction section. It seemed like it was set in feudal Japan and involved ninjas and samurai – what’s so fantastical about that? But the book is conveniently not set in Japan, but in “The Three Countries,” a decision that allows author Lian Hearn to run wild with Japanese mythology and history without being bound to it.
Some of the Japanese influences are obvious, of course. The Tribe = ninjas. The social classes all follow feudal Japan – there’s the Emperor, nobles/courtiers, warriors, merchants, peasants, and outcasts who do the jobs no one else will do – and of course all the names are Japanese. It’s friggin’ Japan. I thought it interesting that the religions of the book also follow Japanese history. I don’t know *why* this surprised me, but there it is. Takeo’s family were members of “The Hidden”, a religious sect with practices and beliefs that sound suspiciously like Christianity, while others follow the teachings of the Enlightened One (Buddha-but-not-Buddha) or a Shinto-esque religion. A lot of careful research went into the making of this book, which makes me wonder: did the author always intend to write a book set in not-Japan, and if not at what point did he decide to move his setting to a fictional universe?
So anyway. Yes. Across the Nightingale Floor. It is so, so good. The story’s a little predictable, since it follows the standard Hero’s Journey (thanks, Joseph Campbell!) but it’s well-written, with great characters. But there’s tons of action – like I said, samurais and ninjas – and the fight scenes are really well-written. Too well, in some cases…a couple of passages are pretty freakin’ graphic.
This is probably the first book in a long, long time where I finished it and IMMEDIATELY had to hunt down the next book in the series. I just had to know what would happen to Takeo, who is torn between the worlds of the Tribe and the Otori, and whether Kaede’s fierce independence would be enough to let her determine her own destiny. I recommend it very highly!
When Tomasu’s rural village is slaughtered by the cruel leader of the Tohan, he is adopted by Lord Shigeru, who is from a rival clan called the Otori. Shigeru renames the boy Takeo and begins teaching him the traditions of the warrior class. Made temporarily mute by the horrors he witnessed, Takeo discovers that his hearing has grown sharper, a trait that identifies him as one of “The Tribe”, a secret group of supernaturally gifted spies and killers. Other special abilities emerge as well, enabling Takeo to stop an assassination attempt on Shigeru. Shigeru decides to adopt Takeo as his heir, but powerful members of the Otori family are opposed to his wish.
Meanwhile, in the castle of the Noguchi, Kaede Shirakawa has been held hostage since she was seven years old. She has developed a reputation as a cursed woman because men who desire her die, although through no fault of her own. It is decided that she will marry Lord Shigeru, forming an alliance between the Tohan and the Otori. Kaede is sent to meet her future husband, but it is Takeo that she falls in love with.
When I first picked up this book, I was puzzled that it was shelved in the fantasy/science fiction section. It seemed like it was set in feudal Japan and involved ninjas and samurai – what’s so fantastical about that? But the book is conveniently not set in Japan, but in “The Three Countries,” a decision that allows author Lian Hearn to run wild with Japanese mythology and history without being bound to it.
Some of the Japanese influences are obvious, of course. The Tribe = ninjas. The social classes all follow feudal Japan – there’s the Emperor, nobles/courtiers, warriors, merchants, peasants, and outcasts who do the jobs no one else will do – and of course all the names are Japanese. It’s friggin’ Japan. I thought it interesting that the religions of the book also follow Japanese history. I don’t know *why* this surprised me, but there it is. Takeo’s family were members of “The Hidden”, a religious sect with practices and beliefs that sound suspiciously like Christianity, while others follow the teachings of the Enlightened One (Buddha-but-not-Buddha) or a Shinto-esque religion. A lot of careful research went into the making of this book, which makes me wonder: did the author always intend to write a book set in not-Japan, and if not at what point did he decide to move his setting to a fictional universe?
So anyway. Yes. Across the Nightingale Floor. It is so, so good. The story’s a little predictable, since it follows the standard Hero’s Journey (thanks, Joseph Campbell!) but it’s well-written, with great characters. But there’s tons of action – like I said, samurais and ninjas – and the fight scenes are really well-written. Too well, in some cases…a couple of passages are pretty freakin’ graphic.
This is probably the first book in a long, long time where I finished it and IMMEDIATELY had to hunt down the next book in the series. I just had to know what would happen to Takeo, who is torn between the worlds of the Tribe and the Otori, and whether Kaede’s fierce independence would be enough to let her determine her own destiny. I recommend it very highly!
