This is the first in a series that takes the reader to feudal Japan, during the time of warlords, samurai and rebelling ronins. The story revolves around Takeo, a young man who is endowed with mysterious paranormal powers. Takeo finds himself flung into the web of deceit and the cruel fate, as he witnesses his village razed to the ground, and owing his life to Lord Otori Shigeru. As the wheels of fate turn, Takeo discovers the origin of his strange powers, and the fact that he is none other than a descendent of the ‘tribe’, a group of deadly assassins.
A very descriptive novel that tries it’s best to instill and instruct the reader in ancient Japanese customs. The language makes it easy to read, but I wasn’t sure about the homosexuality that makes a show every now and then. I don’t know how necessary that was – it seemed more like a ploy to pique the interests of YA readers.
All in all a fairly good debut novel. I especially liked the theory of ‘the nightingale floor’. Very stylish.
I give this 4/5 Stars.
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I read this whole series a while back and I agree pretty spot-on wioth your review. The other books have their ups and downs, but overall I liked Hearn’s construction of the world and the characters.
Hi Lisa,
I’ve read books 1 and 2, and yes, I did like the overall storyline, but there were some things that struck me as odd or fabricated. Still, I don’t think anyone’s tried to write a YA book based on feudal Japan before, so it’s unique in that aspect.
This is a good one, and at the bookstore it’s one of my easy recommendations to teens. Beautifully written.
One of the things that used to puzzle me was Hearn’s shying away from recognizable terms like samurai, ninja, etc. But it sort of puts this world in a vacuum, forces you to look at feudal Japanese culture on its own terms– a unique choice that stuck with me.
Definitely, I think you are right there. But it worked well, I felt a little closer to the culture. Those terms carry their own cliches and baggage of ‘meaning’ in todays popular culture. I suppose it would have meant different things to various readers. Hearn was probably aiming to avoid that kind of ‘pop culture’ image sticking to her characters.
One other thing I forgot to mention too is that I read an interview with Lian Hearn and she pointed out that all her book titles in the series are either five or seven syllables as an homage to haiku. It was odd that I never realized it before it was pointed out. Also, the last book in the series is definitely my least favorite, but I did really enjoy the prequel Heaven’s Net is Wide which tells Shigeru Otori’s story before he meets Tomasu/Takeo.
Thanks for that information Lisa! I’ll def. watch out for the prequel. I didn’t know about the haiku thing. Seems like Hearn pays a lot of attention when planning her books. I like that.