Heaven's Net Is Wide

A Prequel to Tales of the Otori

By: Lian Hearn

Narrated by: J. Paul Boehmer, Julia Fletcher

Length: 17 hrs and 49 mins

Publisher's summary

As Tolkien's The Silmarillion is to The Lord of the Rings, Liam Hearn's Heaven's Net Is Wide is to Tales of the Otori. This is the back story fans have been yearning for.

Set before the Tales begin, Heaven's Net recounts the life of Lord Otori Shigeru, the series' spiritual warrior-godfather and the adoptive father of the Tales' Takeo. We learn about Shigeru's training in the ways of the warrior and feudal lord; his relationship with the Tribe of mysteriously powerful assassins; his fateful meeting with Lady Maruyama, who would become his secret lover; the battle of Yaegahara, where his father is killed; and other turning points that shaped the Tales. The first four volumes gave us only glimpses. Now we are treated to rich detail and more of Hearn's fantastical Japanese world.

Gripping and bewitching, Heaven's Net is a new beginning and a grand finale; a story of monumental battles, supreme loyalty, triumphant love, and heartbreak. It ends just before Across the Nightingale Floor begins, bringing the Otori epic full circle.

©2007 Lian Hearn. Recorded by arrangement with Riverhead Books, a member of Penguin Group (USA) Inc (P)2007 HighBridge Company

Critic reviews

"Equal parts historical fiction, high fantasy and revelatory Taoist fable, the now complete Tales of the Otori is a saga to be treasured." ( Publishers Weekly)

review

Tales of the otori was always a favorite and this nicely adds to the rest.

Highly recommended!

I discovered Lian Hearn's Tales of the Otori many years ago. It was a happy accident, while shopping at our local Deals store bargain book bin. All sizes, genres, and interest, only $1. I had found many books over the years, usually cookbooks, so I always perused the selections. There was a small soft cover volume of Across the Nightingale Floor that caught my attention. Unfortunately, the book was only the first 193 pages. I was so enthralled with the story, that it sent me searching online to secure the full book. Not only was this story available, but there was an entire trilogy and a prequel to explain the character developement! I purchased all of the books at once. Several years later, I discovered them in audio book form. This discovery was why I joined Audible. I love this format! The stories are wonderful, the narrators are perfectly suited to the stories. I can not adequately express how immersive your listening experience will be!

A great Listen

I enjoy everything about this series - the images and characters are well defined and the narrator is excellent.

Much better than I expected!

I loved the Otori Series, but I was some what sceptical that this story would live up to the first three (I was slightly let down by book 4). Sometimes prequels released after a succesful trilogy seem to be an attempt by the other and publisher to make some extra cash off the series' popularity (i.e. Starwars etc). Not so here. This book was a great story about Otori Shigeru and the events leading up to his discovery of Otori Takeo. Shigeru makes for a fantastic main subject and he deserved to be the focus of his own story. I have been inspired to continue listening to the stories all over again.

Very Pleased

I'm very pleased with this prequel. I was wondering if I would really like it, but I could not unplug my ipod. Better than book 4.

Good prequel

This books rounds out the Tales of Otori nicely. Anyone who wants to go back into the world of warlords and samurai will enjoy this story.

Excellent prequel--a pleasure to listen to

I enjoyed the first "Nightingale Floor" book of the Tales of the Otori series. This prequel fills in the back story that is told in "Nightingale Floor" so it's not entirely a surprise, but it's a pleasure to find out the deeper history behind Lord Otori Shigeru and what happened at the Battle of Yaegahara. If you are looking for a good series of pleasure-listening novels and you liked "Shogun"--this is a fine series if a bit predictable. It is imaginative and the reading is done well, with none of the usual problems of pronouncing foreign words that can be jarring in the best of productions. Recommended.

What an enthralling beginning.

What made the experience of listening to Heaven's Net Is Wide the most enjoyable?

The story, the character development, the ease of association with earthly history, the eager anticipation to listen to the next step in the adventure, the absolute belief in the reality of the entire volume.

What did you like best about this story?

There was nothing to dislike

Have you listened to any of J. Paul Boehmer and Julia Fletcher ’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

N/A

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

A story of love,adventure, and Bushido.

Any additional comments?

It truly sets the stage for the 4 volumes which follow. What a masterpiece of excitement and adventure mixed with treachery and regrets.

Great story only one issue with audio book

I’ve read the first three stories and thought they were great. This one is very good too, but I didn’t like the double narrative. I was through almost 1/2 the book then all of a sudden another narrator. I didn’t like her voice and it made me want to skip those chapters. Lian Hearn is a great writer though. Guess I’ll just stick to reading his actual books rather than the audio books.

Love the Otori series. This prequel tells the events that led to the 1st. Across the Nightengale Floor

I reccommend to anyone who loves early Japan, warriors and a little maagic. Vivid characters