Across the Nightingale Floor: Tales of the Otori Book One
By Lian Hearn
Across the Nightingale Floor by Lian Hearn is the first of the original trilogy of the Tales of the Otori. This epic journey starts out with one of the main characters, Tomasu (later changed to Takeo) who finds his village being burned and the people that lived there killed, including his own family. Takeo wasn’t in the village at the time but came across it when he came home. It was the Tohan people that destroyed everything and killed everyone; the village was a village of the Hidden. The Hidden are a religious minority being wiped out by the Tohan. As Takeo runs up the mountain away from some Tohan men, one of whom looks like a wolf, a man saves him.
“With one neat movement he twisted me behind his back and let go of me. I heard for the second time in my life the hiss of the warrior’s sword as it is brought to life. The wolf man drew out a knife. The other two had poles. The lord raised the sword with both hands, sidestepped under one of the poles, lopped off the head of the man holding it, came back at the wolf man, and took off the right arm, still holding the knife.” (Page 8)
He is Otori Shigeru who takes Takeo in and becomes his mentor figure.
Kaede Shirakawa is the other main character and she is being held hostage at Noguchi Castle as part of a political situation occurring at the time. Her only opportunity of escaping the castle would be a marriage to someone from the same class, however she is known for death because multiple men have died trying to obtain her beauty. It is Kaede’s and Takeo’s lives that are intertwined fluidly throughout the Tales of the Otori books for their love seems unconditional…natural perhaps, a love meant to last.
The title is a major part of this book with Takeo training to cross Lord Iida’s nightingale floor to end his reign. For the majority of people who aren’t familiar with nightingale flooring they are floors designed to creak (not like the unintentional creaking of our floors) so when someone walks across one it creates a kind of song of the floor.
These books are a good read for both genders if you like epic journeys. The Tales of the Otori books are as descriptive as the Lord of the Rings and as entertaining as the Harry Potter books. Having the tales of a male and a female figure along with an ancient Japanese samurai type feeling is hat gives this book a different twist. This is my absolute favorite epic fantasy without a doubt.
Thunderstruck
By Erik Larson
Thunderstruck by Erik Larson is an interesting book about Guglielmo Marconi and Dr. Hawley Crippen. Each chapter is either about one or the other with very intricately detailed writing as Erik Larson spent countless hours researching these men’s lives. Guglielmo Marconi is the man who made wireless transmissions useful to the public. Thunderstruck tells of his many attempts and failures to reach longer distances using the wireless technology. One key point is that ships started to add Marconi rooms so Morse code could be sent and received from the ship. While Marconi is developing the wireless technology, Dr. Crippen’s life is composed of his time working. His first wife left him but emotionally he just doesn’t care like a normal person would. It is with his second wife, Belle Elmore, that the plot thickens. She is planning on leaving him butoddly enough he is having an affair with Ethel Le Neve during this time. Belle finally leaves and Ethel is at last with Crippen. As Dr. Crippen and Ethel are happily getting along, Detective Dew is investigating a murder; finding the victim in which
“What Dew saw before him evoked recollection of his discovery of Jack the Ripper’s last victim and begged in comparison: This was worse.” (307)
As Detective Dew is piecing together the evidence, he figures out the murderer’s identity and gets wind that he is sailing across the Atlantic on a ship that Dr. Crippen and Ethel are on so the Detective boards a faster ship to head them off. It is here that Marconi’s wireless transmissions are used to plan the arrest and the case becomes known throughout the world very quickly.
Grass for His Pillow: Tales of the Otori Book Two
By Lian Hearn
 Grass for his Pillow is the second book of the Tales of the Otori. It provides as much detail as the first book but explores the lives of Kaede and Takeo a little deeper. Arai Daiichi, along with his army overthrew the Tohan and he wanted an alliance with Takeo, however Takeo is demanded to join his real father’s family ties. His father was Kikuta, of the Tribe, a group very independent from the clans and much like a group of bounty hunters. The Kikuta further train Takeo in the special skills he possesses, however, he has his own plans and leaves only to be hunted by the Kikuta. They send an assassin but Takeo puts him to sleep hoping he will drown in the river which he ends up in.
Takeo had left Kaede sleeping to go to the Kikuta following his own path, when she awoke he wasn’t their. Knowing what she must do, she returns to her domain to see her father who isn’t doing well. While at home Fujiwara calls on her, she sees him due to the fragile political aspects in play. Lady Shirakawa, as she is called has a period of hardships, falling from a horse and becoming ill herself. As she gets better she starts to use her position of power little by little. Despite Fujiwara’s position and without consent of Arai, Kaede and Takeo wed happily, knowing what the consequences may be.
The ending recites a prophecy given to Takeo.
“The cherry blossoms were already falling, the days lengthening as the season turned. The winter of preparation was over: spring was giving way to summer, and summer was the season of war. Five battles lay ahead of us, four to win and one to lose.” (Page 292)
They knew that if the prophecy was correct there would be some very difficult times ahead of them.
This book is equally as good as Across the Nightingale Floor and when you are reading any of the Tales of the Otori you can visualize everything without a thought. Lian Hearn provides enough detail to satisfy your senses but not overwhelmingly. I also recommend this book to anyone without thinking twice of it.
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