Across the Nightingale Floor (Tales of the Otori, Book 1) | 
 enlarge | Author: Lian Hearn
Publisher: Riverhead Trade
Category: Book
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Rating:  172 reviews
Sales Rank: 85780
Media: Paperback
Pages: 320
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.5
Dimensions (in): 8.1 x 5.1 x 1
ISBN: 1573223328
Dewey Decimal Number: 823.914
EAN: 9781573223324
ASIN: 1573223328
Publication Date: June 3, 2003
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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
Product Description
This is the first book in a new epic trilogy that has already become a bestselling sensation in England and Australia, earning comparisons to The Lord of the Rings. It begins with the legend of a nightingale floor in a black-walled fortress-a floor that sings in alarm at the step of an assassin. It will take true courage and all the skills of an ancient Tribe for one orphaned youth named Takeo to discover the magical destiny that awaits him...across the nightingale floor.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 167 more reviews...
 Fantastic July 28, 2008
CaliReader (Concord, CA United States)
After reading this novel, I was hooked. I then went and purchased all books in the series. This series is fantastic and very addictive. The writing is artistic and sensitive. Very very good!
 I am hoping the series gets better... July 7, 2008
Peter Shermeta (Rochester, MI)
A teenage boy named Takeo is chased out of his peaceful village as it is attacked by a local warlord. He escapes pursuit with the help of a strange man, who then takes him in and adopts him as his son. As they get to know each other the man tells Takeo more and more and soon he realizes that their meeting was not random, nor was the attack on his village. Takeo, unbeknownst to him, is from a long line of assassins. They are a race of people with extraordinary abilities, and his father was the best of them all. And now Takeo's fate has come to meet him as he is asked to do that for which he was born to do.
I picked this book up off the shelf having never heard of it, but I read the synopsis on the back and became very interested. I love feudal Japan and the idea of a young man born with specially-heightened senses to facilitate his fate as the world's next great assassin sounded great. And the book was good, I just believe it missed it's mark.
It had everything I described above, but what I didn't like was the disparity between the assassin race and everyone else. I was hoping that the advantages wouldn't be so extraordinary. I afford sci-fi/fantasy authors a lot of creative license, but at some point it goes too far. And I felt like that happened, to an extent, in Across the Nightingale Floor.
But, at least for now, I am not so turned off that I am unwilling to give this series another shot. I do plan to read Grass for His Pillow, which is the second book in the Tales of the Otori series, but I'm not sure when I will get to it.
A good start to a decent series June 20, 2008
Jeremy Casterson (Craig, CO USA)
Hearn builds an interesting world, a feudal Japan with just enough elements of magic to make it a fantasy novel. The characters are interesting and I found myself ready to read the second book immediately after I finished Nightingale Floor. The plot moves quickly and there is little filler. These books are quick and easy reads so don't expect something overly complex and challenging. Otherwise, you will probably enjoy it.
 Is he or isn't he? May 5, 2008
Nikki D. (Ocala, FL, USA)
2 out of 8 found this review helpful
Along with much of this book that confused me, I still had to wonder even at the end if the main character Takeo was bi-sexual. It's not a sticking point for me - but if he is bi-sexual, say so and make it clear. I like to know what is going on in the story - not be left at the end thinking, "Hunh?"
There is a great deal that goes horribly wrong at the end of this book which feels terribly forced. Not much happens until the last chapter and a half and then (SPOILER ALERT)
An important main character is killed with only a brief mention following it and then Takeo rescues his mentor and adopted Father only to BEHEAD him. Supposedly out of some kind of bizarre code or something but it is bloody, gruesome and horrific.
It doesn't end there as there is another attempted rape, a killing with a needle in the eye and a knife in the heart and yet another beheading. These heads are also carried around from location to location over the next several days. It is beyond horrible.
The author kills off his/her (it's a pseudonym, but others have said it is a she, who knows?) potentially best two characters without a second thought and then there is not much left after that.
Also I had no idea the "Hidden" were supposed to represent Christians - since when do Christians NOT believe in killing, war and bloodshed and Buddhists do? That is the inference in this book.
This book is confusing in its effort to NOT be Japanese but some kind of feudal fantasy Japan-land.
Only after finishing the book did I read that it was intended for Young Adults - yowza! Too much beheading and ambiguous sexuality for tweens! If I had read this at thirteen, I would have had nightmares. Actually, I read this in my thirties and I am having nightmares. I will not be continuing with the series.
Beautiful description and interesting setting April 23, 2008
K. Eckert (Minneapolis, MN)
This is the first book in the Tales of the Otori series by Lian Hearn. Originally I believe this was supposed to be a trilogy; with the addition of the Last Tale of the Otori and the First Tale of the Otori there are now 5 books that deal with the subject matter presented in this book.
This book tells the story of Takeo and Kaede. Takeo is a orphaned son of a tribe of the Hidden. After the decimation of his tribe he is found and taken into custody by the Lord of the Otori. Kaede is a young girl who has been held as a hostage at a lord's estate for many years as assurance for her father's cooperation. Their stories start out separately and are expertly woven in and out of each other throughout the book.
This is the second time I have read this book. The book is full of beautiful descriptions and the action scenes are fun to read. The world of the Otori is complex and dangerous, as well as full of intrigue.
While this is a well-written book I found that at times it got a little slow to read. At the end of the book there are many plotlines left unresolved. I remember being irritated with that the first time I read this book. The second time through I am just glad that I have the other books in the series on hand.
Overall this is a good book, well-written, and interesting. I am not sure how accurate it is to Japanese culture and history but some effort appears to have been made to make that as accurate as possible. I look forward to reading the second book.
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