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Across the Nightingale Floor

(Tales of the Otori #1)

Lian Hearn

4.06 · Rating details · 36,531 ratings · 2,165 reviews

In his black-walled fortress at Inuyama, the warlord Iida Sadamu surveys his famous nightingale floor. Constructed with exquisite skill, it sings at the tread of each human foot. No assassin can cross it unheard.
The youth Takeo has been brought up in a remote mountain village among the Hidden, a reclusive and spiritual people who have taught him only the ways of peace. But ...more

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Paperback, 306 pages

Published April 2nd 2004 by Macmillan (first published August 26th 2002)

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· 36,531 ratings · 2,165 reviews

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Aug 11, 2009 Nicholas Armstrong rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Okay. I'll try to be as kind and heartfelt as possible. This book is insultingly bad. Normally a bad book is just that, but this book is actually infuriatingly bad.

Firstly, it's a fantasy book set in feudal Japan. That's fine. I would think that it being set in Japan, Hearn would have learned anything about the place, but she apparently did not. This book is written as if Hearn simply googled Japan and then decided to write a book on it. I'll go down the list of failings.

Religion Japan wasn't C ...more

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Dec 12, 2015 Χαρά Ζ. rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

_Across the nightingale floor_

So i decided to share my personal story with this book.. I was about 15-16 years old and a classmate, a good friend of mine had lent me this book. I read it, i loved it and then my brain completely erased all the data i had on the book. I mean, literally, i remembered nothing apart from liking it. Life happened and i forgot about it, but last year i was in a bookstore and i saw the second book of the series sitting on the self in front of me. The title is "Grass for ...more

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Apr 10, 2011 colleen the convivial curmudgeon rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: romantic, library-read, historical-fantasy, sword-and-sorcery, group-read

1 1/2

In my review for Graceling I stated that I was a bit of a sucker for romance elements in action type stories. I have, in the past, admitted to, probably, over-rating certain books because the romance element gave me the warm-squishies, even though other aspects of the book were lacking or, at times, downright annoying. (See 'Fire Study'.)

So it's a bit ironic that, for this book, I think the romance element between the two protagonists was the weakest aspect of the book. It was so eye-rollin ...more

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Sep 22, 2020 Dilushani Jayalath rated it liked it

A fascinating story with riveting characters caught in an intricate web of revenge, romance and betrayal set in feudal Japan. To any who are interested in the Asian culture with its beguiling history and elaborate sense of mystery that is oft knotted in its roots, this book would be the ideal solution. Unfortunately, even with every single element that would have ultimately been the journey of a successful trilogy, the execution fails which renders the story to not quite reach the finish line wi A fascinating story with riveting characters caught in an intricate web of revenge, romance and betrayal set in feudal Japan. To any who are interested in the Asian culture with its beguiling history and elaborate sense of mystery that is oft knotted in its roots, this book would be the ideal solution. Unfortunately, even with every single element that would have ultimately been the journey of a successful trilogy, the execution fails which renders the story to not quite reach the finish line with flourish.
With its plot and the precedence of mystery and ambiguity that the era carries, the story does not capture or mystify you but rather the choppy and quick worded sentences leave you somewhat unfulfilled. The sense that the story does have potential but does not quite reach it is simply saddening. The lack of eloquence in writing is one contributing factor. Although the imagination and the knowledge the author carries of Feudal Japan is immense, the lack of that certain beautiful connectivity between everything makes the book fail at its most crucial points. The climax of the story could have been done in a much regal manner, the beginning could have been used to give the beginner reader the true beauty of the crude yet ruthless lives of the Japanese during the era, the ending could have left us with longing for more. Yet none of these were evoked in me and by the end I was rather left with a ‘meeeehhhhhh’ feeling.
The fault is not on the author completely. It is evident that she has given her best and we should truly applaud her on bringing to us such a beautiful beginning of a journey of one family’s rise to power.
This is not the end of the Otori family that we’ve heard. It is saddening that we had to read of so many deaths of characters we’ve grown to love and cherish, yet we are once brought to the fact that in the end the story is set Feudal Japan. A time at which war and insurgences were quite the rage- as one could always see- we cannot expect the safety of anyone’s life. The romance is somewhat subdued, not being part of the central plot line still we cannot help but cheer in a small voice to our star-crossed lovers. I know the second book will bring-about obstacles to the youngsters, mainly by the name of Yuki, I am yet intrigued to know the rise and fall of the Otori Clan. With the premonition of Arai falling under the same spell of power, we can be assured to have much more complicating stories further down the series. The rising of the power in the hands of Kaede is one of the best concepts that I would be looking forward and dearly hope the implementation of that plot line would not be wasted in the coming books.

Till then I will await for more songs of the Nightingale Floor! ...more

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Jan 08, 2019 Bradley rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, 2019-shelf, ya

This is a light Feudal Japanese fantasy that focuses heavily on growing up to be an assassin, trembling with desire and love, and reveals that drive the main character to dire measures.

Does most of this sound familiar in YA fiction? It should. :)

Fortunately, I enjoy light Feudal Japanese fantasies... NARUTO!!! and while this is fairly light on the magic, (sorry, Naruto fans,) the writing is comfortable and predictable and I can firmly put this in the comfort-food category of literature.

Special t ...more

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Jan 31, 2008 Chris rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, japan

This is a weird book for anyone who has more than a passing knowledge of Japan.

The author is a great fan of Japan, its culture and its history. That's obvious just by looking at her name, Lian Hearn, which is a pseudonym. According to Wikipedia, it's a contraction of "heron," an important bird in the Tales of the Otori series, but it's also the surname of one of the most famous Western experts on Japan, Lafcadio Hearn. She's gone to great lengths to instill Japanese culture into every part of th This is a weird book for anyone who has more than a passing knowledge of Japan.

The author is a great fan of Japan, its culture and its history. That's obvious just by looking at her name, Lian Hearn, which is a pseudonym. According to Wikipedia, it's a contraction of "heron," an important bird in the Tales of the Otori series, but it's also the surname of one of the most famous Western experts on Japan, Lafcadio Hearn. She's gone to great lengths to instill Japanese culture into every part of this book, from the names of people and places to social and political customs, even clothing and holidays. For all intents and purposes, this is a story about feudal Japan.

Except it isn't.

The Tales of the Otori takes place in a kind of alternate-universe Japan, a place where everything is the same except where it isn't. Once you get past that, the book becomes a lot of fun to read. And if you don't know much about the history and culture of Japan, that all shouldn't be a problem.

It's the story of a boy from an isolated town, one of the Hidden - a small religious sect that faces political and religious ostracism (see Christians in the Edo Period) from an isolationist and power-hungry warlord (see Tokugawa Ieyasu). Young Tomasu is the only survivor of a raid by that warlord - his family, his friend and his people were burned to the ground and he only lived thanks to the appearance of the Lord of the Otori, Shigeru.

Wracked with guilt over the death of his brother, Shigeru took Tomasu in as his son, renaming him Takeo. The boy found himself in a new land, with a new home... but that wasn't quite all. He soon discovered that he had a secret birthright, passed down through his father. Takeo was a member of The Tribe, a mysterious clan of spies and assassins who possessed near-mystical powers. They could move silently across nearly any floor, they could become invisible, or appear to be in two places at once. They were masters of the shadow and deliverers of death.

See Ninja.

It's a neat story, and the beginning of a series of books which are the author's first major foray into adult-ish fiction. It probably qualifies as Young Adult fiction, so if you're into that (as I know some of you are), it'll be a good read.

Thanks to Mom for sending me this.... ...more

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Sep 19, 2015 Phrynne rated it liked it · review of another edition

It deserves a whole star just for that amazing title! How could you not read a book called Across the Nightingale Floor? So the title was great, the cover was good but how was the story? Well it was pretty good. I enjoyed the Japanese feel to it although by the end I was a little tired of all the honour which obliged people to do anything other than what they wanted to. There were some good characters not all of whom made it to the end of the book! ( a lot of heads rolled). Altogether it was a g ...more

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Aug 04, 2011 Mariel rated it liked it · review of another edition

Recommends it for: the u in honor

Recommended to Mariel by: chinatown

I was protesting the Chinese food place down the block today. It's ridiculous. None of their offered cuisine is truly Chinese. If I want to eat American I'll go to Pizza Hut, thank you very much. If that wasn't bad enough I later had lunch at the restaurant next door. They had these little cookies. If you break open the cookies there's a piece of paper that pops out with a message of something that might happen to you. This time I didn't eat the paper first and read what it said. "The Tales of t I was protesting the Chinese food place down the block today. It's ridiculous. None of their offered cuisine is truly Chinese. If I want to eat American I'll go to Pizza Hut, thank you very much. If that wasn't bad enough I later had lunch at the restaurant next door. They had these little cookies. If you break open the cookies there's a piece of paper that pops out with a message of something that might happen to you. This time I didn't eat the paper first and read what it said. "The Tales of the Otori books are set in an imaginary country in a feudal period. Neither the setting nor the period is intended to correspond to any true historical era, though echoes of many Japanese customs and traditions will be found, and the landscape and seasons are those of Japan...."

Alternate reality and borrowing from life isn't anything new. Judging by other goodreads reviews it seemed to bug some readers quite a bit. One time I watched Darren Aronsky's The Fountain with an ex (a Spaniard) and he snottily asked me if I knew that none of the historical Spanish scenes really happened (I'll remember this when I've forgotten his name). C'mon, alternate history isn't new! I'm sorry, I can't focus on Star Wars because Yoda looks familiar. Where have I seen him before (this is going to bug me)? So, warning in fortune cookie book, I can handle it. If you don't overlap then you are living alone. Originality is valuable for the extra mile we can't walk alone.

There's a bug infestation. Let me get that... Oops. I think I just changed history when I squashed that bug. It turns out that Tom Cruise was not the very last samurai after all. What harm could that have done? I'm sure it's all right.
This is a fantasy novel from 2002. If it came out a little later it would have been published as a young adult novel (market trends and all that). There could be warnings about the odds of young adult fantasy novels being about a young hero who magically has all of the powers he's going to need inside of him? More annoyingly (to me), he also has all of the self righteous fuel he's going to need. One dead mama, coming up. Hey, I met these hot guys and they just gave me all my ideologies. Neat! I don't care if that '80s ya book ripped off the one child policy from China, if George Lucas liked Japanese films. Everything else with WWII. You can make a better dish out of the same recipe your grandma always used. But the odds are so very high it will taste much the same and I've had this meal before. I'm a little tired of it. I spit out honor. Where's the personal touch? The you that doesn't remind me of someone else (honor tastes like chicken). The other person in the same memory. What would you do today if you spent today alone? Set your story in any place you like. Please let me recognize your character from someone else.

Across the Nightingale Floor is good when young Takeo interacts with people he meets, be it villagers or the lords he fears or respects, as if he's feeling out how to behave. Unfortunately, the first person leaves a lot of time for rhetoric as well as doing. The relationships he doesn't know how to already play as if he were Good Will Hunting in front of a chalk board staring down a hard math problem are good. Just live, don't think about the end game of power, please. Then the honor! Groans.

People are kinda the same and different. Why can't worlds and lands be the same way? Kinda different and kinda the same. It's when you can't work with what you've got that I have a problem. Like if it is already finished (duh, the easy magic!). How about something alternative?

Step on another bug (sorry, bugs. I swear that I try not to kill bugs). Change the course again. You can do it if you're writing your own story. Kaede, the female lead and different perspective was pretty good. Maybe doesn't step far enough out of kinda the same stories of female quasi leads in hero quest fantasies (you know, I'm a woman. I have to get married, I love that guy, I want to marry for love). She has potential to offer a life that's not handed on borrowed fine china because it's not magical egotism. At least she wanted someone to trust and the end result wasn't defeating something.

There are two more books in the series. I'm probably not going to read them. Not unless I am hungry and don't know what else to read. The odds are better that I'll find something I couldn't have found on my own in someone else's day.

P.s. Hearn should have kept her real name. Rubenstein! How about taking Lafcadio (where the Hearn comes from)? Lafcadio Rubenstein! Pen names are mightier than swords. That's not my fault. I became lame when I changed history. ...more

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Jul 12, 2009 Felicia rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

This book was great, I would love to see it made into a movie. It was like reading the plot of a great Kung Fu movie, with a touch of "Memoirs of a Geisha" and some magic thrown in. I will eagerly read the next book. ...more

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Nov 17, 2011 Shannon rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy-scifi

This is actually a fantasy novel, but, for marketing purposes it's being sold as fiction. Perhaps it's because the magical elements in this tale are very light and it focuses more on a Japan that never existed.

Focus is on two character viewpoints only: a teenage boy in first person and a teenage girl in third person. The mix works and it's one of the first times I've seen such a viewpoint mix, though, I'm sure this author isn't the first to do it.

The boy, Tomasau/Taeko, hops around with differ ...more

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Apr 25, 2010 Janina rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: romance, fantasy

Great epic/pseudo-historical fantasy with an amazing setting reminiscent of medieval Japan. This first installment of the Tales of thr Otori managed something epic fantasy rarely does for me: it captured me from the very first page.

When you take a look at the plotline, Across the Nightingale Floor has all the ingredients of an average epic fantasy: We have the orphaned hero, who is rescued by a noble stranger and discovers he has special abilities. We have the heroine, who is a pawn in her fath ...more

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Jan 09, 2019 Trish rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

This is the second time I've read this book, but the first time I've read it in English, its original version.

The setting is a fictional feudal Japan. There used to be magic in this world but most of it is gone by now. In addition to that, there is a rivalry between two religions, one of which subsequently is prosecuted by some of the warlords in power.
Enter Takeo, formerly known as Tomasu, a 15-year-old member of the Hidden (those hiding due to their religion). His village is attacked and he is to be killed but saved last minute by Lord Shigeru Otori. Takeo therefore follows Lord Shigeru and becomes his adoptive son even. Unfortunately, that also places him square in the middle of the power struggle between several clan families that can only end in blood.
Caught in this power struggle is another teenager: Kaede. She's a political hostage and, since she is female, moved around like an especially precious sack of grain. She is distantly related to the only clan where the female of the line inherit the land (endangering those females even more than great beauty or political alliances already do).
However, while Takeo and Kaede are the narrators of this series, they are not really this story's center as the author knows how to weave all characters in this story into a tight net. What is more, this first installment definitely is more about Lord Shigeru and Lady Maruyama and the history that has led to where we are now, only setting the stage for Takeo and Kaede.

What always gets to me (in real life and fiction) is how the Japanese culture praises nothing so much as "honour" but their behaviour shows anything but. How they treat their enemies long after they've won, how they even treat the dead and dying (not to mention how servants or poor(er) people are usually treated), is despicable. To say nothing of their view of women which is, of course, atrocious (in many ways not only as bad as but even worse than it was in countries farther to the west at the same time).

The author is a scholar of Japanese culture and language and it shows. Not only has she a beautiful and respectful way of bringing the tales to the page, making every sentence sing as much as the Nightingale floor this first installment of the series is named after.
Her knowledge also shows in the people she populated this world with, from high lords to lowly servants. Which is probably also why I always cry like a little girl - in this first book most of all but also in the third and fourth. The injustice of it all, how a little bit of patience on part of one group of people could have resulted in a completely different outcome ... yes, yes, I know, "it's only fiction" but it all feels so real.
(view spoiler)
And the nature descriptions (especially of snow and rain and forests) are poetical and sublime!

Yes, due to the age of Takeo and Kaede, this can be categorized as YA but it never felt like that to me. Rather, it's an epic story of tradition, duty and treachery worthy of any of the old Japanese tales (they sure liked their epic dramas).

Last but not least, I have to mention the audio version I've been listening to because both the male and female narrator were very good in correctly pronouncing the Japanese names which is not to be taken for granted. And it's certainly wonderful that the producers were thoughtful enough to have a male and female narrator team up to read Takeo's and Kaede's chapters. ...more

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Oct 30, 2020 Gabi rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: sff-group-shelf, grouplist-2020, series-to-follow

I only picked this book up, cause I found it on the book shelf of the "Science Fiction and Fantasy Book Club" group here on GR, otherwise I guess I would have never stumbled over this series or the author. And I'm really glad I did!

This is a heart-breaking, bittersweet story set in ancient Japanise times and it has got all the things I love (and love to hate) about those stories. Deep melancholy, beautiful writing, the perpetual feeling of loss and doing the wrong things out of loyalty and a str ...more

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Jun 14, 2018 Allison Hurd rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, fem-author, sff-bookshelf, sff-2018-challenge

Pretty, overall. Very "wuxia." I wanted a little more binding everyone together, and a little less sex next to corpses, though.

CONTENT WARNINGS: (not actual spoilers, just a list of topics) (view spoiler)

Things to love:

-The writing. It really created a painting in your mind of what was happening. I'm going to also includ ...more

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Jan 03, 2021 Rachel (TheShadesofOrange) rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

4.0 Stars
I love Asian inspired fantasy and this book really scratched that itch. I particularly enjoyed the world building and politics of this imagined nation. I thought the character development was a touch weak at times.The two main perspectives were frustratingly very naive and weak at first, but thankfully they grow throughout the book. The romance was a bit of instalove and I could have done without it.
This first book was surprisingly short and honestly I would have liked it to be longer ...more

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Nov 25, 2020 Dawn C rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 7th-read-all-the-books-challenge

Welllll, it won't pass the Bechdel test, but too much about this was surprisingly good so that I have to give it 4 stars. It takes place in a gorgeously painted historical fantasy Japanese world amidst warring clans and secret societies. Seriously, it's beautifully written and there was a tenderness in the prose I couldn't resist. I loved Takeo's and Shigeru's meeting, I loved Takeo's devotion and Shigeru's easy nature. I just wanted to put Takeo and his stupid trusting personality in my pocket ...more

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Nov 05, 2012 Paula rated it did not like it · review of another edition

I call Twilight on this one.

Man, you can waste so many cool things just by adding magic into the story. It removes any sense of struggle, any effort on the part of the characters.

Also, destiny is a dark and sometimes tragic thing, losing control over your own life - not just a way to get everything from life without having to earn it!

The characters are flat, the language simplistic, the description basic and lackluster, the cultural coloring nothing beyond popculture crap, the plot contrived, t ...more

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Mar 26, 2011 ♥Xeni♥ rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Recommends it for: Adventure fans!

Shelves: fiction, ebook, asia, young-adult, historical, adventure, coming-of-age, japan, fantasy, 2011-books-read

It took me only about four hours to finish this book. I zoomed through it due to the gripping storyline and the vivid scenery and characters.

In a land that is similar to feudal Japan, warlords are battling for power. Takeo is caught in between, inadvertently, when his village is destroyed by the evil Lord Iida and he is taken under Lord Otori Shigeru's wing. Not so surprisingly, Takeo has not manifested powers that come to light while living with Shigeru. While training these powers, he realizes ...more

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Mar 18, 2011 Jessie (Ageless Pages Reviews) rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, hf-japan, historical-fiction, all-surface-no-substance, le-sigh, donated, your-premise-is-showing, blah-blah-blaaahhhh, you-call-it-love-i-call-it-hormones, magical-realism

Quick thoughts:

-stilted dialogue and flat characters dominate the book

-the pseudo-Japanese aspects feel more like lazy research and lack of care especially when...

-the narrative misuses the importance and meaning of the tea service, the bowing/social hierarchy that shaped Japan, etc.

-the insertion of Christianity into even a faux-version Japan is not awesome or accurate

-awkward tense shifts from third to first for different narrators

-the narrators each sound exactly the same

-ridiculous case of ...more

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Jan 13, 2015 Alina rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: asian, fantasy

A great series about ancient Japan with its samurais and their conduct codes, ninja-like fighters, Christians' persecutions; it has political scheming, interesting twists and turns, intriguing liaisons between characters, sword fights, love, treachery, friendship.
The characters are well-developed, complex, with inner turmoil and weaknesses.

The only thing that disappointed me was the romance element, exaggerated a tad too much in my opinion: when she first laid eyes on him, she started trembling ...more

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Jan 04, 2017 Silver Thistle rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: romance

Across the nightingale floor was a little step away from my usual reading material but the rave reviews intrigued me so I gave it a shot. I rashly bought all 5 books in the series and now I'm doubting the wisdom of that.

Just because it's aimed at a lower age group, doesn't mean it has to be childish but if I'm honest, I found it quite slow despite the killing and the violence and the love interest. The lead character finds he isn't the person he thought he was and discovers special talents he di ...more

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Sep 09, 2014 Martini rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: z-challenge-lies-mich-2015, japan, female-author, series, fantasy, female-protagonists

Interesting setting in a (fantastical) Japan. Enjoyable story and characters. I especially liked that Kaede, the female protagonist, was not simply a damsel in distress.
But I could have done without the instalove.

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Jul 07, 2018 ❄️BooksofRadiance❄️ rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: adult-fantasy-sci-fi, historical, east-asia

3.5⭐️

A great potential wasted on nonsensical romance between two raging hormones.

This was a fantastic read minus that painful insta-love that literally developed the very moment the two laid eyes on one another.
At the very least learn each other’s fucking names first!

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Apr 14, 2020 Cynthia Hamilton rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I had never heard of this book or the author until a new acquaintance suggested it to me, but I was instantly swept off my feet, from the very first paragraph. Right away, I was caught up in an epic saga—and I don’t use that word “epic” lightly. This story, rich in history and traditions, stretches across a vast landscape, peopled with three main warring tribes, plus The Hidden, which is what the young protagonist belongs to before his life is forever changed the day his village is destroyed.

In ...more

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Jan 17, 2015 Karolina Kat rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

The worst issue of this book is a promise of great historical fiction setting, that turns out to be a fantasy one, loosely inspired by the Japanese culture. Another thing is the choice of protagonist and main plot - the first one is a typical cliché (teenager who turns out be the most important in the entire world, who holds immense powers), the latter - a quite predictable story of vengeance and rather cringing romance.

It could still be an ok adventure story but there is just one more unbearabl ...more

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Oct 03, 2020 Juho Pohjalainen rated it it was ok · review of another edition

This one's something of a slow boil. An unauspicious start and a middle, it nonetheless builds up into a few good bits in the end. At its best it's all the good bits of Game of Thrones - the low fantasy, the far-reaching politics, foul villains, and people dying you didn't want to die, all of it in a much tighter package that didn't leave anything hanging. At its worst, on the other hand, it's a melodramatic out-of-place fairytale romance where two characters fall for one another at first sight ...more

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Jun 18, 2010 Catherine rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Recommended to Catherine by: new_user

Shelves: series, assassin-killer-bounty-hunter, magic-mystical-ability, young-adult, ninja-samurai, japan, fantasy-paranormal-sci-fi, historical

I'm really conflicted about what to grade this book. I enjoyed it, but it was really depressing. When I closed the book all I felt was the futility of these people trying to make their own decisions. Someone is always there to take away their choice in one way or another.

Takeo, who is the main character, was an interesting person to follow. He seems strong in the sense that he is able to adapt to any new situation and still retain the core of who he is. But, he also seems weak because he lets hi I'm really conflicted about what to grade this book. I enjoyed it, but it was really depressing. When I closed the book all I felt was the futility of these people trying to make their own decisions. Someone is always there to take away their choice in one way or another.

Takeo, who is the main character, was an interesting person to follow. He seems strong in the sense that he is able to adapt to any new situation and still retain the core of who he is. But, he also seems weak because he lets himself be taken by these different groups who don't really value him. They just seem to value the services he can provide. It's hard to blame him for that weakness though, because it seems like there's no way to escape these groups who want him. I'm very torn over my attitude toward him.

It was hard at first to get into this book. I have a difficult time being immersed in a storyline when I constantly feel that I'm being told the story. It was like Takeo was an old man at the time and was reciting his coming of age story. Entertaining, yes, but also very distancing.

I really liked the fact that there were so many side characters. Even if they didn't play a big part it was nice to see them as part of the atmosphere. A lot of books have a bad habit of making their characters seem like they live in a vacuum. I'm pleased that wasn't the case here.

I felt so bad for the women in this world. They seemed to never win. They were hostages and pawns and controlled at all turns. Even women with control over their property were in a very precarious position. It was a little disheartening.

Even though I did feel distanced from the story it succeeded in making me root for characters. When that situation with Kenji pops up toward the end I was absurdly angry on Takeo's behalf. If I could have reached through the book and stabbed him in the eye I would have. I was also rooting for Takeo and Kaede. I wish there was a simple solution for them.

I guess that's why the book was so depressing. I got attached to the main characters and couldn't help but feel for their plights. Whether that was sympathy, concern, or anger depended on which point I was at in the story.

Overall I enjoyed it, so I guess I'll have to give it four stars.

Thanks for the rec new_user! ...more

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Apr 28, 2010 Margaret rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy-and-science-fiction, authors-gh, culled

When I finished Lian Hearn's Tales of the Otori series (of which this is the first), I felt as though I'd been eating Hershey's chocolate when I expected Valrhona (or at least Lindt).

These much-heralded books are set in a fantasy version of medieval Japan, and on the face of it, the story is promising: Takeo is the lone survivor of the massacre of his village by an evil overlord. He is rescued by the mysterious Lord Otori Shigeru, who adopts Takeo and brings him into his plans to overthrow the ...more

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Mar 31, 2009 Kat Hooper rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: audiobook

Across the Nightingale Floor has a beautiful, concise writing style, good characterization, fast pace, and interesting plot. It's main weakness is the ridiculousness of the love-at-first-sight. It makes the characters seem a bit shallow.

Warning about the audiobook: I listened to this book on CD. There are two readers — a man for the voice of Takeo, and a woman for the voice of Kaede. The man is an excellent reader with a lovely voice (he's got the oriental speech sounds just right). I think his ...more

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Nov 29, 2019 Sabrina rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: sff-club

“Across the Nightingale Floor” is a lyrical and bittersweet tale set in a fantasy-medieval, feudal Japan. The magic of “enhanced senses” was beautiful and very appropriate to the setting: I loved my inner picture of how Takeo was (view spoiler). The peaceful and poetic descriptions of the world, like the analogy with the heron, moved me. And yet, there was a cruelty to it – rape, murder, torture and probably a few too many visits t ...more

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topics	posts	views	last activity
Fantasy Buddy Reads: Hearn - Across the Nightingale Floor [Jan 19, 2020]	54	22	Feb 19, 2020 07:20AM
What's the Name o...: SOLVED. A Fictional/Fantasy book about a young hunter's revenge for his destroyed village. [s]	9	28	Apr 09, 2018 02:19PM

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About Lian Hearn

Lian Hearn

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Lian Hearn's beloved Tales of the Otori series, set in an imagined feudal Japan, has sold more than four million copies worldwide and has been translated into nearly forty languages. It is comprised of five volumes: ACROSS THE NIGHTINGALE FLOOR, GRASS FOR HIS PILLOW, BRILLIANCE OF THE MOON, THE HARSH CRY OF THE HERON and HEAVEN'S NET IS WIDE. The series was followed by two standalone novels, BLOSS ...more