Title: Across the Nightingale Floor (Tales of the Otori-Book One)
Author: Lian Hearn
Call No.: SF HEA (book) or CD HEA (audio book)
Before a two-week-long trip, I picked up this book on the basis of the “Staff Pick” list from Borders, and I was glad I did. I’m usually a slow reader, but this book was one I flew through rather quickly.
The story is set in a “fantasy” Japan and is the tale of young Takeo, who was born of the Hidden—a pacifist, secret religious sect—who then finds himself violently thrown from the world he’d grown up in and is tossed right into the world of political intrigue when he is rescued and adopted by Lord Shigeru of the Otori Clan. The story is action packed from beginning to end, and the author’s style of alternating between Takeo’s first-person narrative and, the other main character to this epic saga, Lady Kaede Shirakawa’s third-person narrative flows quite well—making readers think that there are two interlocking stories happening simultaneously and helps keep readers wanting to see these two strong characters come together that much more immediate.
I liked the story so much, especially this first book in the series, that I bought the trilogy for the library’s SF collection and have heard many good reactions from patrons since then. The audio book versions were also highly recommended by other library patrons, and on my next long road-trip, I might just check them out. After all, I wasn’t disappointed with the book version.
Reviewed by: Hope Siasoco
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