Tales of the Otori

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Just finished reading the second in the trilogy: Grass for His Pillow. Across the Nightingale Floor was the first. I thought they were both super. Set in a feudal, ancient Japan, these fantasy novels are completely engrossing. There are different factions of people (the Tribe, the Hidden, the Otori, the Tohan), each with their own set of beliefs and rules. The main character is named Takeo and is completely in love with a girl named Kaede. I haven’t read about young love (Romeo and Juliet style) that moved me like this in a long time. These two can’t be together but pine for each other. But the books aren’t all sappy; there’s lots of samurai/ninja style assassinations and killings taking place. Very good reads, I thought. I will definitely get the third.

― Vermont Girl (Vermont Girl), Thursday, 19 February 2004 14:16 (twenty-two years ago)

Vermont Girl, who wrote this trilogy? And by fantasy, do you mean liek real Fantasy, with magic and everything? Because magic along with ninja assassinations sounds appealing to me right now.

― otto, Thursday, 19 February 2004 22:54 (twenty-two years ago)

Lian Hearn is that author, but I heard it's a pseudonym.

I would say that there's magic in it, but no old men with long, white beards on a mountain top casting spells. It's more subtle, in that Japanese way. The Tribe have amazing abilities (a la Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon), Takeo having more than anyone else. In the first book, the Nightingale Floor is a floor made of wood that sings (i.e. squeaks) when an intruder walks across it. So, as you can guess, paranoid people fearful of assassination build it around their homes. Can anyone cross this floor without making it sing? Will Takeo learn to control his abilities?

This is a book that basically reads itself. The author put in a lot of effort into creating a rich history for the characters, time period and setting.

― Vermont Girl (Vermont Girl), Friday, 20 February 2004 13:06 (twenty-two years ago)

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