snuzzbobble's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
taranath's review
1.25
The actual story being told was very interesting. Unfortunately I could never tell from what point of view it was being told from. I also could not tell who the main character throughout the story, but I assume it was meant to be deer boy. And then at the end of the book he just sleeps with the girl because a mask told him to. It was hard to read as well with how poorly it was written. Would not recommend for anyone to read. 3.5/10
bekabeebooks's review against another edition
4.0
Always a fan of Lian Hearn's work. This prequel series to the Tales of the Otori was a delightful read. I am now rereading Across the Nightingale Floor and loving the way it all fits together.
tasmanian_bibliophile's review against another edition
4.0
‘Your life is not your own. You will die to one life and rise to another, to become what you are meant to be.’
This book contains the first two books of ‘The Tale of Shikanoko’: Book One: ‘Emperor of the Eight Islands’ and Book Two: ‘Autumn Princess, Dragon Child’.
There’s plenty of action in the opening pages: a future lord is dispossessed of his birthright by his uncle, a mountain sorcerer turns a stag’s skull into a powerful mask, a father forces his younger son to give his wife to his older brother, and a priest seeks to change the succession to the Lotus Throne. The rightful heir, a child, escapes from the capital – barely.
The characters, the links between man and nature, the magic, and the setting have all combined to make this a memorable read for me.
This novel is set in a fantasy world, based on a medieval Japan, where animals and spirits are also important characters. This is a world of contrast, where action moves between battlefields, castles, forests, and temples. Where many of the characters are in pursuit of power, and sometimes of truth. While Shikanoko is the main character in this novel, there are many other characters whose stories will intersect with his. The list of characters at the beginning of the novel comes in very handy, especially initially.
‘The dragon child, he flew too high.’
These are the first two of four books in Lian Hearn’s new fantasy saga entitled ‘The Tale of Shikanoko’. All four of the books are scheduled for publication in 2016. I am waiting (impatiently) for the next two books. Having entered this world, I want to see how it will work out, to see how the characters develop, to try to figure out the links with and consequences for the ‘Tales of the Otori’.
If you enjoyed the medieval fantasy world Lian Hearn created in ‘The Tales of the Otori’ then, here’s a chance to revisit.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
This book contains the first two books of ‘The Tale of Shikanoko’: Book One: ‘Emperor of the Eight Islands’ and Book Two: ‘Autumn Princess, Dragon Child’.
There’s plenty of action in the opening pages: a future lord is dispossessed of his birthright by his uncle, a mountain sorcerer turns a stag’s skull into a powerful mask, a father forces his younger son to give his wife to his older brother, and a priest seeks to change the succession to the Lotus Throne. The rightful heir, a child, escapes from the capital – barely.
The characters, the links between man and nature, the magic, and the setting have all combined to make this a memorable read for me.
This novel is set in a fantasy world, based on a medieval Japan, where animals and spirits are also important characters. This is a world of contrast, where action moves between battlefields, castles, forests, and temples. Where many of the characters are in pursuit of power, and sometimes of truth. While Shikanoko is the main character in this novel, there are many other characters whose stories will intersect with his. The list of characters at the beginning of the novel comes in very handy, especially initially.
‘The dragon child, he flew too high.’
These are the first two of four books in Lian Hearn’s new fantasy saga entitled ‘The Tale of Shikanoko’. All four of the books are scheduled for publication in 2016. I am waiting (impatiently) for the next two books. Having entered this world, I want to see how it will work out, to see how the characters develop, to try to figure out the links with and consequences for the ‘Tales of the Otori’.
If you enjoyed the medieval fantasy world Lian Hearn created in ‘The Tales of the Otori’ then, here’s a chance to revisit.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
buuboobaby's review against another edition
3.0
C+
I have a few reservations about this book. The first being the publisher's decision to break the story into 4 overpriced chunks. This is a short novel, about 275 pages, and it's far from a complete story. The ending is abrupt and jarring; not really an ending at all. It's more like a commercial break, so you can scrape together to 12 bucks to purchase the next installment. Hopefully my local library will acquire a copy.
My other concern is all of the questionable consent, and one no freaking doubt about it, rape, conducted by one of the heroes. I had a real problem with most of these scenes, mainly because they did nothing to move the story along and seemed pointless for their inclusion.
I loved the setting, and the political wrangling was interesting, mainly to see who was going to suffer some disastrous setback due to the pride and ambitions of others. The writing felt a bit flat, though, and the author's stark writing style occasionally failed to hold my attention. Then some supernatural event would occur, and I would be immersed in the story again, but I can't say I was ever engrossed by the narrative.
I have a few reservations about this book. The first being the publisher's decision to break the story into 4 overpriced chunks. This is a short novel, about 275 pages, and it's far from a complete story. The ending is abrupt and jarring; not really an ending at all. It's more like a commercial break, so you can scrape together to 12 bucks to purchase the next installment. Hopefully my local library will acquire a copy.
My other concern is all of the questionable consent, and one no freaking doubt about it, rape, conducted by one of the heroes. I had a real problem with most of these scenes, mainly because they did nothing to move the story along and seemed pointless for their inclusion.
I loved the setting, and the political wrangling was interesting, mainly to see who was going to suffer some disastrous setback due to the pride and ambitions of others. The writing felt a bit flat, though, and the author's stark writing style occasionally failed to hold my attention. Then some supernatural event would occur, and I would be immersed in the story again, but I can't say I was ever engrossed by the narrative.
secre's review
3.0
I'm in two minds about this one. On the one hand it is beautifully written with some wonderful turns of phrase. Throughout the entire novel, you could see how carefully crafted each line and paragraph was and it was really quite a pleasure to read. On the other hand, whilst some characters are carefully crafted and built, there were so many others that it became difficult to keep track of who was who and what was going on at times. This was even more noticeable because many of the names were undeniably similar and individuals might go multiple chapters without a reference, only to be brought up again briefly without warning. The multiple perspectives made this all the more irritating as sometimes it took me several pages just to re-orient myself as to whose perspective I was reading.
The narrative itself is quite strong and I certainly grew attached to many of the characters. Hearn is excellent at keeping you in the dark, never quite sure of what has happened to a character until the moment you possibly hear from them again. I enjoyed the way so many of the characters interlinked in unexpected ways, and how the story lines of each interlinked in so many different ways. There were definitely some issues with how well rounded some of the characters were, but the fact that the author isn't too shy about the death rate of characters meant that there was no shortage of tension.
I suspect my biggest complaint about this book is that it doesn't end, it just stops. This shouldn't be multiple books... it should be one single book, because this isn't a finished novel. It's a novel cut in half and that just annoys me. Either get a decent editor or release a gigantic single volume. Don't make me buy a sequel that shouldn't be a sequel. It's a pet peeve of mine but it drives me damn barmy!
The narrative itself is quite strong and I certainly grew attached to many of the characters. Hearn is excellent at keeping you in the dark, never quite sure of what has happened to a character until the moment you possibly hear from them again. I enjoyed the way so many of the characters interlinked in unexpected ways, and how the story lines of each interlinked in so many different ways. There were definitely some issues with how well rounded some of the characters were, but the fact that the author isn't too shy about the death rate of characters meant that there was no shortage of tension.
I suspect my biggest complaint about this book is that it doesn't end, it just stops. This shouldn't be multiple books... it should be one single book, because this isn't a finished novel. It's a novel cut in half and that just annoys me. Either get a decent editor or release a gigantic single volume. Don't make me buy a sequel that shouldn't be a sequel. It's a pet peeve of mine but it drives me damn barmy!
cliobemuzedbookworm's review against another edition
dnf 100 pages in
I was a bit uncomfortable about it being a japanese story written by a white woman.
I can't speak to whether it's done well or not, but ultimately I just wasn't interested enough at the 100 page mark.
It's written in a fairytale-esque style that I appreciate in fairy tales but that doesn't really work for me for longer stories as it is a quite detached style. At least here I felt like there was real distance between reader and characters and so I wasn't getting what I msot want out of my fantasies.
I live for character work and when there is this much distance I feel like I'm left a bit cheated. Our protagonist also seemed to be someone to whom things happened rather than who makes things happen, which also didn't help my engagement with the text.
I was a bit uncomfortable about it being a japanese story written by a white woman.
I can't speak to whether it's done well or not, but ultimately I just wasn't interested enough at the 100 page mark.
It's written in a fairytale-esque style that I appreciate in fairy tales but that doesn't really work for me for longer stories as it is a quite detached style. At least here I felt like there was real distance between reader and characters and so I wasn't getting what I msot want out of my fantasies.
I live for character work and when there is this much distance I feel like I'm left a bit cheated. Our protagonist also seemed to be someone to whom things happened rather than who makes things happen, which also didn't help my engagement with the text.
juekker's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
disneydaughter's review against another edition
4.0
It seems like it's taken me a while to finish this (well, longer than usual), despite it being incredibly fast paced. It's described as being set in a "mythical medieval Japan" and as such, much of the story is tied up in complex family lineage, with many characters having similar names. I felt like I had to read carefully and often had to re-visit certain pages and the handy character list at the beginning of the book.
A difficult book to describe, but a "Japanese Game of Thrones" is probably the closest thing I can think of. It's written beautifully and the story is completely absorbing (once you settle into the flow).
A difficult book to describe, but a "Japanese Game of Thrones" is probably the closest thing I can think of. It's written beautifully and the story is completely absorbing (once you settle into the flow).