Across the Nightingale Floor

Across the Nightingale Floor is the first book in a trilogy known as Tales of the Otori, an historical/fantasy series set in a land based on feudal Japan. They are written by an Australian author, "Lian Hearn" (more about the author at the bottom of this review), and have become tremendously popular since their release not so long ago. So much so that two follow up books eventually followed in their wake (making the trilogy a series of five).

Most of the book's events take place from the point of view of Takeo, an orphan fugutive who was one of the Hidden - a pacifist religious minority who are persecuted by Lord Iida, Warlord of the Tohan clan. The Tohan clan rule the majority of the Three Countries through a cruel and careless kind of tyranny. Takeo is rescued by Lord Otori, who sees in Takeo some unique talents and subsequently adopts him into the Otori clan.

The other parts of the book are told from the point of view of Kaede, a 15 year old Lady who is being used as a bargaining tool by the Tohan and their allies to lure Lord Otori into a trap. She is said to be cursed, for any man who dares touch her meets a bloody death. She is distraught by the situation and reputation she has been forced into.

Much of what follows between the various warring clans of the Three Countries is twisted and complicated, and it took me the best part of the book to figure out the full rammifications of what was happening. Thankfully, Hearn writes in a simplistic and graceful manner that ensures the book never loses you... sometimes I thought the writing was a little too simple, but then Hearn would unveil a beautifully descriptive passage that transports you completely to this other time, and I think the style is entirely suitable to the subject matter.

The manners and customs of the clans are uniquely Japanese and the author never once slips up in her depiction of the way these people relate to each other and the strict ways of life to which they are bound. It makes for fascinating reading, sometimes the choices these characters make are very different to what a western reader like myself would expect, and Hearn does an excellent job of making it seem nothing less than realistic.

By around the halfway mark, I simply couldn't put this book down. I was rip-roaring to get stuck into the next two novels, Grass for His Pillow and Brilliance of the Moon. "Lian Hearn" is actually a pseudonym for popular children's author Gillian Rubenstein (previously best known for the 80s arcade game-inspired Space Demons). The follow up novels are titled The Harsh Cry of the Heron and Heaven's Net is Wide.