Brilliance of the Moon (Tales of the Otori, #3)

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Brilliance of the Moon (Tales of the Otori #3)

3.98 of 5 stars 3.98 · rating details · 8,142 ratings · 219 reviews

A beautiful, haunting evocation of the medieval Japan of Lian Hearn's imagination, this thrilling follow-up to Grass for His Pillow and Across the Nightingale Floor delves deeper into the complex loyalties that bind its characters from birth. Filled with adventure and surprising twists of plot and fortune, this third book in the Tales of the Otori seriestravels beyond the...more

Paperback, 368 pages

Published June 7th 2005 by Riverhead Trade (first published January 1st 2004)

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Sep 10, 2009 Karin rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-needs-review, audio-edition, borrowed-from-the-library

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Aug 14, 2008 Annie rated it 2 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. The conclusion of the _Tales of the Otori_ Trilogy was ultimately disappointing. After an intriguing but not particularly noteworthy start in _Across the Nightingale Floor_ I started in on the second book, _Grass for his Pillow_ after reading the first chapter and discovering that it developed Kaede in intriguing and unexpected ways.

However, in _Brilliance of the Moon_ the changes Kaede makes in her life, attempting to empower herself basically disappear once she marries Takeo. Although they ar...more

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Feb 21, 2013 Helmut Barro rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: japan

Dass etwas schwer ist, muß ein Grund mehr sein, es zu tun

Otori Takeo hat sich festgelegt - gegen alle Zwänge einer rigiden Kastengesellschaft heiratet er heimlich seine Liebe Shirakawa Kaede, trifft sich mit den Ausgestoßenen seines alten Glaubens, und muss dabei auch noch den geheimnisvollen Ninja-Verein im Auge behalten, die ihn für seine Flucht aus ihren Reihen noch mehr hassen als zuvor. 5 Kämpfe gilt es zu bestehen, bevor er sein Schicksal erfüllen kann...

Lian Hearn ergreift mich genauso,...more

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Jan 24, 2012 Jack rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: i-wish-i-could-give-it-half-stars, disappointment, historical-fiction, fail, wasted-potential

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Words cannot describe how disappointed I am with this book. The series started off so good, but then it all went downhill from there. It's like the Hunger Games trilogy, only this time, there's a fourth book.

Unfortunately, if the book continues the pattern, it'll get 1 and 1/2 stars.

Anyway, onto the review/rant.

So, Takeo is getting his army ready to kill the Otori lords and Arai, and he knows he'll be able to do it because only his son can kill him. Luckily, his child with Kaede is dead. Unlucki...more

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Jan 08, 2012 Lady Entropy rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Brilliance of the Moon, por Lian Hearn é um livro que se passa num pseudo-japão, com ninjas à mistura, sobre um miúdo que nasce numa comunidade pseudo-cristã, e que é raptado por ninjas, treinado, e depois se torna num senhor da guerra.

Ou seja, cultura japonesa a rodos.

O que me deveria fazer AMAR estes livros, certo?

Infelizmente, errado.

Quando sairam originalmente, fiquei entusiasmadíssima, e fui comprar os dois primeiros a correr. Infelizmente, como é meu hábito, pus os livros para ler depois e...more

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Nov 17, 2011 Πέτρος rated it 2 of 5 stars

Notice: I have made a review for every book of this series and they need to be read in order since they are supposed to feel like an on-going impression. So if you read the second without reading the first will feel rather off.

I am mostly focusing on the style of storytelling and a lot less on if it reads well or something sophisticated like that. For the same reason I tend to have lots of SPOILERS which means that if you read this text you will know THE OVERALL PLOT and how much I DIDN’T like...more Notice: I have made a review for every book of this series and they need to be read in order since they are supposed to feel like an on-going impression. So if you read the second without reading the first will feel rather off.

I am mostly focusing on the style of storytelling and a lot less on if it reads well or something sophisticated like that. For the same reason I tend to have lots of SPOILERS which means that if you read this text you will know THE OVERALL PLOT and how much I DIDN’T like it. So be warned that this is a mostly negative opinion for the whole trilogy which tends to reveal in detail why I didn’t like it. Better be read after you have read the books or if you want to avoid a not-so-smart series. YOU HAVE NOW BEEN WARNED and I can now initiate the slaughter.

--- Brilliance of the Moon ---

So with little interest I am now reading the third book, knowing very well that Takeo is destined to win in the end no matter what because of that prophesy. Up until the middle of the book nothing of interest was happening. It was practically showing how he was constantly defeating his enemies by being concerned about the weak and planning ahead and taking advantage of the terrain. Meaning, stuff that any smart ruler should be doing all along. Yet look at that all his opponents were barbarians who were slaughtering villagers for fun and brainlessly attacking without checking out for possible traps. Heck, Takeo managed to even ally with pirates and Unseen, kinds of people the noble samurai would never agree to add to their numbers. How the hell did they accept such dishonorable acts on the parts of their leader? Oh whatever, it didn’t make any sense after awhile.

The story became more interesting in the second half, when his whore in a completely retarded fashion heard that her sisters were taken prisoners by a dangerous feudal lord and brainlessly went to take them back. As you can image, she got ambushed and arrested, with the few men with her all killed. Upon hearing this, Takeo rushes with all his army there and is also ambushed by Arai’s army that was hiding in the mist. Man, it became so interesting when the villains were using tactics as well.

Thus his army was crushed and he decided to surrender himself to Arai as means to save the lives of his men and wife. Surprisingly, Arai doesn’t execute him on the spot and instead asks for him to become his ally. With him on his side, the Otori armies will be divided between him and the treacherous relatives of Shigeru, thus the war will end faster. In an even surprising fashion, Takeo agrees and is even forced to execute his own Unseen friend as means to prove his loyalty.

I was intrigued at this point. The hero seemingly gave up and even his wife became an object in the hands of the feudal lord, a part of his collection of rare finds. The story took a turn for darker areas and I was really interested to see how will this end. Unfortunately, I was greatly disappointed. What simply happened is a goddamn Deus Ex Machina earthquake striking the whole land during the final battle. In one strike by forces the protagonist didn’t have any effect on, the opposing army was defeated, the traitors were stranded and killed of easily, the feudal lord’s house was set on fire with him burning alive with his collection while the bitch escapes, and even the dozens of women and children Takeo had captured by the enemy ranks and was forced to execute as traitors as well, were killed by falling debris. THANKS FOR NOTHING LIAM! You ruined the story completely. All this interesting turnaround and you resolve it with a lame natural event? YOU SUCK!

Afterwards it was a one way to victory. Takeo takes on everyone remaining in his way and easily kills Arai and the ninja master before uniting the land under his rule. His son is till a baby so that will happen many years in the future in a fourth book which is the optional fourth book in the series. I was told it has zero action and that it is just talking and plotting, and I was totally disappointed to read on so I gave up on this series. Liam may have a nice way to describe the society but she plain sucks in good storytelling. (less)

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Oct 28, 2011 Bangsamanusia rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Adakah manusia seperti Shigeru saat ini. Lelaki perkasa sekaligus lembut dari klan otori, lelaki ksatria sekaligus petani dari keluarga kerajaan, santun sekaligus penuh strategi, kejam sekalian tabah, patuh namun tak bertuan, berapi-api tetapi penuh perhitungan. Dan, di ujung kematiannya, ia masih mendambakan kematian lain bagi sang penindas Iida.

Seperti ksatria lain yang hak-haknya terampas, maka tak ada keinginan yang lebih besar selain mengembalikan segala yang terampas. Adiknya mati dengan t...more

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Jan 08, 2013 Melanie - iHeartFantasy rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Everyone who loves Japan and paranormal activities in a small amount

Shelves: urban-fantasy, read-2013

Just like the previous books in the Otori-trilogy, Brilliance of the Moon was good. Better than Grass for his pillow, but much worse than Across the nightingale floor which I loved.

I've always thought, from the beginning of the series, that it is A LOT of characters, and for every book the number of them increases. The names of the characters are beautiful but a lot like each other, which made me confused because I always mixed them up with each other.

Just like the other Otori-books, Brilliance...more

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Feb 05, 2013 Michael Schmid rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Der letzte Teil der einstigen Trilogie verspricht genau das, was ich mir erhofft und was ich auch erwartet habe. Alles, was im 2. Band aufgebaut wurde, wird nun ausgearbeitet, verarbeitet und zu einem Abschluss gebracht und ich kann nur sagen, das Ende passt perfekt und ist richtig stimmig und hat mich berührt.

Was ich an dieser Reihe so liebe ist vor allem Lian Hearns Schreibstil, der mich immer wieder an eine Japanerin erinnert. Natürlich trägt dies auch ihre Welt bei, die sich stark an das Jap...more

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Aug 05, 2010 an rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: jepun, roman

this review contains curcol

terlepas dari ketidakpuasan membaca buku pertama dan kedua karena susunan kalimat na yang ga mengalir, langsung melihat penerjemah buku ketiga yang telah berganti orang namun tetap terdapat kasus yang sama, maka diputuskan ripiu saat ini ga akan membahas bahasa dan teman-teman na lagi.

dari pria yang mengejar kekuasaan, dari wanita yang dituntut kelembutan, dari anak buah yang dituntut kesetian, dari rakyat yang diwajibkan membayar pajak (lho... yang terakhir ga ada sam...more this review contains curcol

terlepas dari ketidakpuasan membaca buku pertama dan kedua karena susunan kalimat na yang ga mengalir, langsung melihat penerjemah buku ketiga yang telah berganti orang namun tetap terdapat kasus yang sama, maka diputuskan ripiu saat ini ga akan membahas bahasa dan teman-teman na lagi.

dari pria yang mengejar kekuasaan, dari wanita yang dituntut kelembutan, dari anak buah yang dituntut kesetian, dari rakyat yang diwajibkan membayar pajak (lho... yang terakhir ga ada sambungan na, hehehe....). perjalanan hidup manusia yang mengalami siklus na, begitu juga rasa. dendam yang juga merupakan lingkaran tak berujung. siklus yang terus berulang sampai si pemilik dendam memutuskan tidak akan menuntut dendam na lagi.

orang menuntut dendam akan kematian dengan membunuh. anak menuntut dendam kepada pembunuh ayah na. anak si pembunuh yang dibunuh menuntut si pendendam yang membunuh ayah na. nanti na anak si pendendam yang menuntut dendam membunuh orang yang membunuh ayah na. wah... kisah seperti ini ga akan berakhir sampai ada salah satu pihak yang melepaskan, memaafkan dan menerima itu untuk tidak melanjutkan dendam yang hanya menuntut pertumpahan darah dan kematian.

dari awal cerita, di buku pertama, sudah terasa apakah ajaran hidden mirip dengan apa yang rhe yakini selama ini. hal ini semakin ditegasan pada buku ketiga. saat ajaran tentang kasih dan persamaan derajat, tentang larangan membunuh dan tasbih yang bersalib semakin menegaskan semua na itu. tapi justru karena itu semakin ditegaskan, rhe semakin merasa kalau ternyata selama ini rhe ga bisa sungguh-sungguh menghayati keyakinan ini.

bukan bearti tidak mempercayai keberadaan tuhan, ntah apa itu bentuk na. hanya saja sebagai pembaca, rhe masih belum bisa memaafkan sebuah pengkhianatan. padahal tokoh cerita na sendiri telah mampu memaafkan. dia yang menyangkal kepercayaan masa kecil na, yang tidak punya kebebasan untuk mengekspresikan na malah bisa dengan baik mengaplikasikan ajaran na. sedangkan dengan segala kebebasan yang ada, dan sekedar sebagai pembaca, rhe malah belum bisa melaksanakan na. kekecewaan tetap ada, dan pengkhianatan itu tetap menyakitkan sampai-sampai susah memaafkan na.

untuk orang-orang yang selama ini dengan kepura-puraan, memasang senyum manis di satu sisi kalian dan menyimpan bangkai di sisi sebalik na, rhe harap ga perlu bertemu dengan kalian lagi. berinteraksi dengan bangkai walau ditutupi senyum manis sungguh tidak nyaman. dan bodoh na rhe masih saja mau dikelabuhi bangkai-bangkai itu.

bapa, maaf rhe belum bisa memaafkan dengan sepenuh hati, hanya bisa tersenyum dengan separo hati ^.^

-43-(less)

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Aug 10, 2009 Karlo rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: alt-history

Having purchased all five books on the strength of the first, I am at a crossroads. This book delivered the lyrical, descriptive language that I found so enchanting in Book 1, and it also provided some plot twists that kept me on my toes. Where I felt it faltered was in the resolution of the story; which seemed to get wrapped up in what seemed like 15-20 pages or so. The denouement was even less palatable, with a fell of "and 20 years later...."

***SPOILER ALERT: The pivotal role that the pirate...more

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Jun 09, 2009 ana "a kecil" rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiksi-terjemahan, serial

wow.wow.wow. cool. amazing. mesmerizing.

keree...n!!! saya ga bisa konsentrasi ngapa2in sebelum buku ini selesai dibaca!!! semua aspek di buku ini bener2 bagus!! ceritanya, plot, tokoh, dan segala detail dari penggambaran perasaa, pemnadangan, sampe pembunuhannya.

Bagi yang menyukai novel2 jepang yang berbau sejarah, peperangan, cinta, dan keindahan ga akan nyesel baca buku ini. semua serinya sama menariknya, walopun karna di buku ini dimana akhirnya adabagian happy endingnya, saya jadi lebih su...more

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Jan 10, 2010 Teresa rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: fans of Tales of the Otori, fantasy

I read the first Tales of the Otori about a year ago and I loved it for its originality and concept. Three books later, I have to admit that the initial spark I felt from Across the Nightingale Floor (book one) wasn't present when I read Brilliance of the Moon.

Maybe it was because Hearn's style was too simplistic for my liking. I felt that I wasn't being challenged enough like I was reading a children's book. The characters were unrelatable to a point that I got annoyed with Takeo and Kaede (th...more

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Jun 01, 2009 Brian rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, did-not-finish

Midway through this book I was cherishing every page, prepared to give it five stars. But then the female protagonist does something so incredibly stupid and out-of-character, it ruined the entire triology for me. This story is about two young people that are driven by passion, fate, and justice. They make some mistakes, but they have enough intelligence and luck to progress. The female character, in particular, is struggling in a male-dominated world to exert herself and is doing so brilliantly...more

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Apr 02, 2013 Arax Miltiadous rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

χμ..
Σαν σύνολο τώρα.
Έκαστο το κάθε βιβλίο της Hearn, παρότι είχε τις προδιαγραφές για κάτι πολύ κάλο, κάπου μου φαινόταν πως υστερούσε.
Τώρα που ολοκλήρωσα όλη την τριλογία δεν μου φάνηκε και τόσο κακό. Το ιαπωνικό τοπίο καθώς και όλες οι γλαφυρότατες περιγραφές της κουλτούρας δημιούργησαν ένα σκηνικό έντονο στην φαντασία μου, το οποίο αγκάλιασε τους ήρωες και τις περιπέτειες τους εναρμονισμένα.
Ο Οτόρι Τακέο επανδρώνει τον απαραίτητα ταλαιπωρημένο, διχασμένο μα απίστευτα χαρισματικό ρόλο που θα...more

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Oct 19, 2012 Mark rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction

A satisfying end to the trilogy, and far more engaging than the second volume, Grass for His Pillow , which didn't grab my attention as the first volume had. Hearn's strength is in constructing plots, and this book is plotted to the hilt (to borrow an apt sword metaphor). Her prose is less impressive (and can in fact be occasionally repetitive) but she doesn't spend too much time painting a literary picture of the beautiful mountains or evoking the clack of a heron's wings as it takes flight, an...more

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Mar 09, 2012 Sandy rated it 3 of 5 stars

Recommended to Sandy by: Chamness

Shelves: adult, action-adventure, teen, fantasy, fantasy-classic, multicultural

The last book in the trilogy stands out from its predecessors in that it focuses very heavily on the war that Takeo must fight to secure his domain and take his revenge for Shigeru's death. There are several battles and lots of musing over religion, caste, etc. Anyone who read the first two volumes should be satisfied with this book.

My one disappointment was that poor Kaede, who spent all of Grass for His Pillow transforming herself into a strong, self-sufficient character, was again relegated t...more

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Apr 18, 2009 Jeph rated it 4 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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May 02, 2011 emily rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011, fiction-alternate-universe, fiction-grownup-books, fiction-young-adult, fiction-historical, strong-heroines

i liked the ending to this series a lot. i thought it was a little abrupt; the action seemed to wind down in the last thirty pages, following through the resolution of takeo's story without giving the same amount of resolution to kaede's; but it was a great book nevertheless. i love lian hearn's writing style so much, it's stunningly beautiful and she really has a way of driving the plot while switching between two narrators that i love. her characters are wonderful, too; i feel strongly for bot...more

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Apr 22, 2012 Gloria Esquerra rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: asian-fiction

Book Three of the Tales of the Otori. Takeo has escaped the Tribe and reclaimed his title as Lord Otori Takeo. He and Lady Shirakawa Kaede have married, enraging the warlord Arai Daiichi who controls most of the Three Countries. Yet Takeo and Kaede are resolved to strengthen their domains and consolidate their powers and to fulfill a holy woman's prophecy (to Takeo): Your lands will stretch from sea to sea, but peace comes at the price of bloodshed. Five battles will buy you peace, four to win a...more

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Apr 08, 2011 Celici rated it 4 of 5 stars

Pleasantly surprised by this series. I knew nothing about it going in. I literally went to the library to find something to read (before I had joined Goodreads and now have way too many on my to-read list!) and there these books were, waiting for me. The story about an elite group of assassins didn't seem overdone or similar to anything I've read before, and the plot twists aren't trite or expected. The story was engaging and I'm excited to see that there is a fourth book out, as well as a prequ...more

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Nov 22, 2012 Michiyo 'jia' Fujiwara rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: japanese-literature, asian-literature, adventure, novel-dewasa, australian-literature, ebook

Atas nama..Kekuasaan..
Arai dan Takeo..kawan seperjuangan kala melawan klan Tohan..harus menjadi lawan yang saling berseteru..tujuannya; yaa apalagi kalau bukan kekuasaan..siapapun pemenangnya akan memiliki 3 wilayah kerajaan ini..

Balas dendam, perjodohan yang dilakukan demi mempererat persekutuan, dan pertempuran mewarnai kisah dalam seri ketiga ini...ada kisah cinta Takeo dan Keade yang lagi-lagi mendapatkan masalah karena Lord Fujiwara adalah salah satu penyebabnya..

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Mar 17, 2012 sinta nisfuanna rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Perjuangan Takeo untuk membalas dendam masih berjalan dengan alot. Dimulai dengan perjalanan Takeo dan Kaede ke Maruyama demi mengambil wilayah warisan dari Lady Maruyama, cerita terasa sarat dengan ketegangan dan konflik. Begitu sampai di Murayama pun rombongan Takeo disambut dengan pembunuhan akibat perebutan wilayah Murayama. Maka tak salah jika buku ini lebih ‘berdarah-darah’ dibandingkan seri sebelumnya.

Tidak jauh berbeda dengan seri sebelumnya, musuh-musuh besar yang dihadapi Takeo masihl...more Perjuangan Takeo untuk membalas dendam masih berjalan dengan alot. Dimulai dengan perjalanan Takeo dan Kaede ke Maruyama demi mengambil wilayah warisan dari Lady Maruyama, cerita terasa sarat dengan ketegangan dan konflik. Begitu sampai di Murayama pun rombongan Takeo disambut dengan pembunuhan akibat perebutan wilayah Murayama. Maka tak salah jika buku ini lebih ‘berdarah-darah’ dibandingkan seri sebelumnya.

Tidak jauh berbeda dengan seri sebelumnya, musuh-musuh besar yang dihadapi Takeo masihlah sama, seputar Tribe, Arai, dan Fujiwara. Saya suka dengan kemampuan Lian Hearn, si penulis, yang berhasil menciptakan dan mendeskripsikan musuh dengan karakter dan cara masing-masing untuk menunjukkan kekejamannya, kelicikan Arai yang terlihat dari caranya berbicara, Tribe yang khas dengan kesadisannya, Fujiwara yang terlihat lembut tapi secara halus ‘menusuk’ orang yang tidak disukainya.

Meski Takeo dan Kaede telah menikah, hubungan mereka tidak dianggap sah karena tak ada restu dari pemimpin klan, yaitu Arai. Hingga Kaede yang sempat bertingkah menantang, berhasil ‘diringkus’ oleh Fujiwara. Well, bisa dibilang Fujiwara emang rada psikopat, karena saudara Kaisar ini sendiri adalah seorang homoseksual dan keinginannya mendapatkan Kaede lebih disebabkan untuk menjadikan pewaris Shirakawa itu sebagai barang koleksi. Edan!

Sejak seri pertama, saya merasa Takeo orang yang diselubungi dengan keberuntungan, meski mungkin sebagian pembaca lebih menyebutnya takdir, karena semua pertarungan atau perjalanannya sangat jarang membuatnya terluka parah, kecuali pertarungan terakhir dengan Kotaro yang menyebabkan jarinya terpotong. Rasanya agak janggal, dengan perjalanan panjang dan pertarungan yang bertubi-tubi, Takeo ‘sehat-sehat’ saja. Bahkan musuh-musuh utamanya, Iida, Arai, dan Fujiwara, mati bukan di tangan Takeo.

Terlepas dari kejanggalan itu, saya masih menikmati cara Lian Hearn merangkai alur dan plot, menyukai caranya mendeskripsikan suasana dan tokoh, dan pernik-pernik seperti reaksi tubuh kuda pada majikannya. Meski rencana awalnya Klan Otori bakal dijadikan trilogi, ternyata munculnya juga seri 4, karena meski Taeko telah menjadi pemimpin Tiga Negara, ramalan Si Perempuan Suci masih belum tuntas. Ramalan yang membuat saya penasaran dengan kematian Takeo di tangan anaknya sendiri.
(less)

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Feb 01, 2011 Dave Johnson rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

more like a 4.5

it's hard to really give this series a definable rating, because there are many highs and lows throughout, but this book "ended" the trilogy very well. i say "ended" because there are still unanswered questions that spill over into another sequel that Hearn wrote. and a prequel. but overall, this book capped off the tale nicely. i almost gave this book a 5 because she had such a great ending that it really leaves you both satisfied and longing to read further. i had made up my min...more

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May 09, 2012 Marsha Stokes rated it 3 of 5 stars

I just finished reading Brilliance of the Moon, by Lian Hearn. It is the third book in the Tales of the Otori series. I enjoyed this book more than the second book because the plot felt like it was really taking you to the conclusion of the story. The action and battles all lead up to the big battle at the end. When it was all over, I was really pleased and satisfied with the ending. I knew all the characters at this point, and it was easy to get absorbed in their life and want to see how things...more

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Mar 24, 2013 John Wiswell rated it 4 of 5 stars

This may be more mixed than most of my four-star reviews, but remember that the number only equates to “I really liked it.” And honestly, even with some glaring flaws, I deeply enjoyed gobbling this trilogy. Typically a slow reader, I started this book Friday night and am finishing the review Sunday. Among highly consumable fiction, it aims higher and more diversely than most.

Still, I took heavy disappointment with how Kaede was handled. Book 2 positioned her for significant character growth and...more This may be more mixed than most of my four-star reviews, but remember that the number only equates to “I really liked it.” And honestly, even with some glaring flaws, I deeply enjoyed gobbling this trilogy. Typically a slow reader, I started this book Friday night and am finishing the review Sunday. Among highly consumable fiction, it aims higher and more diversely than most.

Still, I took heavy disappointment with how Kaede was handled. Book 2 positioned her for significant character growth and increasing her agency, putting her at the head of a household growing in political and military power heading into Book 3. In Book 3 she is quickly deceived into essentially getting kidnapped, and spends most of the book as a damsel in distress, actively pining for Takeo to come save her. It’s such an unfortunate trope, made far more disappointing when thrust upon what was becoming the best character in the series, and her bondage reduces her back to two-dimensionality, between her severity and her desire for Takeo. The romantic angle has never been the strongest part of this series, simply the great motivation for the two main characters, and spending the third and final book of the trilogy with one of them being helpless and waiting for the other to do something simply reads like a waste.

With that ceding, Takeo once again becomes the most interesting protagonist. He is the man of action, partaking in five prophecized battles, four of which is he is supposed to win, and one he will lose. It’s the best setup he’s seen in the series, being so skilled, with the force of the pirates and outcasts he’s banded together, and looming overheard is that prophecy, which he doesn’t consciously believe, but grows more worried about over time. It’s both a better take on matters of faith than most Fantasy fiction typically achieves, as he’s neither wholly a rational disbeliever nor a dogmatic believer, and he reflects in ways I’ve often wished characters would in such circumstances. If he has to lose one of the five big battles of his insurrection, why not throw an early fight? Or is that foolishness that will only put him on weak footing to cost him everything?

Hearn’s prose remains painfully beautiful throughout this book, and her core trilogy has as much as any contemporary Fantasy on the market. Characters reflect on their feelings and schemes clinically, wise and yet yearning, emphasizing details like cuddling or posturing on a horse while skipping weddings, tragedies and mass murders in few sentences, all stemming from the points of view of their culture. This is what the characters pay attention to. Few Fantasists are willing to risk this much, even when they’re so plainly drawing from real-world cultures, as Hearn is plainly basing hers on Feudal Japan. It’s in the aphorisms, the lines of dogma the zealots spill, and in the moments of relief, as when Kaede bathes and reflects, “The water was as soft as milk.” That is a detail of texture that I’ve experienced so often and cannot recall another writer capturing. Hearn does this regularly, and makes them striking because these are the things her culture pushes people to focus upon. Even the title of the novel is a sly self-reference.

So even as the weakest novel in the trilogy, Hearn’s prose is strong, and Takeo has a bloody path before the finale. Apparently she’s written a fourth novel at twice the length of any of these books. I don’t fathom what you’d accomplish beyond this trilogy within the surviving characters’ lives, but I may just have to stop into the bookstore this week and find out.
(less)

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Apr 11, 2008 Sarah Gessel rated it 4 of 5 stars

Takeo has married Kaede and they seek to consolidate their power and win supporters to their cause. The tribe has issued a death sentence on Takeo but some members of the tribe want to ally themselves with him.

Arai, warlord is displeased with news of the Shirikawa Kaede and Otori Takeo alliance. What will he do to them for not asking for his blessing/support for their marriage.

Takeo angers some of the warrior class because he treats all men equally. The warrior class has long been the ruling cla...more

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Feb 24, 2008 Courtney rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book concludes the Tales of the Otori trilogy, as originally planned by author Lian Hearn, although later she published a fourth "surprise" installment as well as a prequel to further flesh out the series. I can't comment on the bonus books, but the original trilogy is a short, poetic, and enjoyable read.

Like the other two books in the core series, "Brilliance of the Moon" centers around the lives and experiences of Takeo and Kaede, an unconventional man and woman in feudal Japan. Takeo is...more This book concludes the Tales of the Otori trilogy, as originally planned by author Lian Hearn, although later she published a fourth "surprise" installment as well as a prequel to further flesh out the series. I can't comment on the bonus books, but the original trilogy is a short, poetic, and enjoyable read.

Like the other two books in the core series, "Brilliance of the Moon" centers around the lives and experiences of Takeo and Kaede, an unconventional man and woman in feudal Japan. Takeo is of mixed heritage and cultural background at a time and place where people are defined by their roots. Kaede desires power and autonomy, although women have no legal rights and are shunned by the masculine culture. They long to be together, but warring clans and political intrigue keep them apart.

The early battle scenes in this novel were one of my greatest frustrations. Takeo wins the loyalty of a diverse crew of followers, then confidently leads them to several victories in battle - although he is still a teenager, and has no experience or training in warfare. Education, artistic ability, supernatural skills, prowess at hand-to-hand combat -- all of these I accept. But I have a hard time believing that a teenager could have an instinctive grasp of strategy and tactics.

Also frustrating was Kaede's role through most of the book. In the first two novels, she finds ways to excerpt herself even when all of society would hold her back. Through much of "Brilliance of the Moon" she is held captive and rendered completely powerless. It's believable, but it takes away what I love most about the character.

These complaints, however, aren't enough to overshadow my greater appreciation for the series. I especially love that the characters aren't, for the most part, bound by Western or Christian morality. They can be protagonists, good guys, heroes, and still long for revenge, commit murder, plot and break oaths. It's fun. So's the writing, and that's what really makes this series sing. Lian Hearn can spin a yarn, keep it poetic, and limit it all to 300 or so quick-reading pages. Good times.(less)

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Nov 19, 2007 Jennifer rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, fiction, japanese, own

The stories take place in a fantasy world based on ancient Japan. The stories follow a boy, Takeo, as he is thrust into a warrior-based society after his family is slaughtered. It also follows the tale of Kaede, a beautiful, but cursed girl who becomes the love and passion of Takeo's life.

The stories are derivative of many boy-hero books, you'll see hints of Lord of the Rings, and even Star Wars if you look carefully enough. While the book relies heavily on this style, it doesn't take away from...more

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Feb 04, 2009 Rick rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy

The Otori trilogy ends with this book, which was nearly as good as the first and a major step-up from the "bridge" feel of the second. The only negative I can even summon is that the end felt a little rushed, but even then, the book delivered.

The action was excellent, the story developed nicely and Hearn continued to add little details that just push this over the top. Be it a bird singing in the background, or a character noticing a rabbit or heron, these little touches added much to the overal...more

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About Lian Hearn

A pen name of Gillian Rubinstein

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Books by Lian Hearn

Across the Nightingale Floor (Tales of the Otori, #1)

Grass for His Pillow (Tales of the Otori, #2)

The Harsh Cry of the Heron (Tales of the Otori, #4)

Heaven's Net is Wide (Tales of the Otori, #0)

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“It's like a spell. It's so strong I can't fight it. Is love always like this?” — 13 people liked it

“She entered a state where prayer and poetry became one and the everyday world seemed full of holiness and significance.” — 6 people liked it

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