false 186668 159448953X 9781594489532 376 51 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1189044502m/186668.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/186668.Heaven_s_Net_Is_Wide 43784 Lian Hearn 9146 819 5 0 false Sat Jun 06 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon Jan 19 09:05:44 -0800 2009 Sat Jun 06 15:56:13 -0700 2009
More than a few years have passed since I happened across Lian Hearn's first book, Across the Nightingale Floor, of what was to be the trilogy, Tales of the Otori. The story takes place in an imaginary country, a fictional Japan if you will, during the feudal period when warlords ruled and the warrior class could still pretty much could do whatever it wanted. Similar to the time line in Clavel's classic story Shogun, Christianity is finding a shaky foothold and the culture is about to be introduced to the outside world. The story had all the elements that appeal to me, characters to identify with and care deeply about, mystery and intrigue, spirituality, multiple heroes journeys, both male and female,and maybe most important, a poetic writing style where pictures are painted with words that intoxicate the senses.

I was not even sure I would remember enough of the story line to get much out of reading Heaven's Net is Wide, which takes place prior to the opening of the trilogy. But once again, Lian Hearn's writing, as poetic and seductive as I remembered, was able to rekindle all the excitement and pleasure that made this series such a joy to read. The story sets the stage for the original trilogy which then morphed into four books and now stands as complete. The circle has been established and the series is now ready to be enjoyed, beginning where it ends and ending where it all begins.

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