Across the Nightingale Floor

Tales of the Otori, Book One

By: Lian Hearn

Narrated by: Kevin Gray, Aiko Nakasone

Length: 8 hrs and 25 mins

Publisher's summary

A tour-de-force novel set in ancient Japan filled with passion, fantasy, and feuding warlords. The first volume in the highly anticipated Tales of the Otori trilogy.

Sixteen-year-old Takeo's village has been massacred by an evil warlord, and he is about to be slain by the men who murdered his parents and neighbors. At the last moment, his life is saved by a nobleman, who claims the boy as his kin and begins his education.

But nothing is as it seems. Takeo discovers that he has rare powers that are useful to those around him. As he grows into manhood, he must decide where his loyalties lie: with his noble master and adoptive father; with the Hidden, a secret, spiritual sect whose beliefs are forbidden; or with the Tribe, the assassins and spies who consider him one of their own.

A story of treachery, political intrigue, and the intensity of first love, set in a world ruled by formal ritual and codes of honor, Across the Nighingale Floor crosses genres, generations, and genders to captivate fans of all ages.

Don't miss the rest of the Tales of the Otori series.

©2002 Lian Hearn (P)2003 HighBridge Company

Critic reviews

"The novel fills a unique niche that is at once period piece and fantasy novel." (Amazon.com)

The Best Otori Book

Would you listen to Across the Nightingale Floor again? Why?

Yes. It is that compelling

Who was your favorite character and why?

Takeo - He is complex

What does Kevin Gray and Aiko Nakasone bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

The emotion conveyed in their voices

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Maybe not moved, but stunned at Kenji's cruelty

Any additional comments?

This is a must read book

One of my favorite books

I've read this book in print format and now listened to the audiobook. It translates to audio beautifully. The story has always touched something inside me. Can't wait to "read" book 2!

Beautiful Asian Fantasy

This is one of my favorite books. The characters are great, the setting is creative yet historical, and the narrators are wonderful.

Fantasy Beauty Violence and ....Love

I loved this AND I need to caution readers that this is a fantasy. It is not historical fiction. The other reviews helped me tremendously on this. I thought I knew at least a bit about Japan and this really didn't match. As long as you realize it's not a history lesson, this is a wonderful book. The style of writing is filled with vivid, lush descriptions and the performances, especially Kevin Gray's, enhance the story and make it come to life in a dramatic and even believable way. I also really enjoyed the structure of the book - one chapter from his point of view the next from hers. I don't want to write too much about the story, I don't want to give it away.
I would recommend this book to readers who can view this through the suspension of disbelief and just go on the adventures .

Excellent story in a world based on feudal Japan

Takeo is a young boy. His small home town is being burned amd everyone in it killed for unlawful religious beliefs. He manages to run away and is saved by Lord Otori. It seems there are bigger plans being made that Takeo can imagine. He and Lord Otori flee and Takeo begins a new life training to assassinate the very tyrant who destroyed his town.

This is a very exciting book. Much of the action plays out in the characters' heads. The fog of war changes their plans a lot more than I expected, keeping my attention peeled to see how it ends. The look this book gives into the rigid morals and tenets of life in that arena is also very intriguing.

Captivating

This is an incredible job of building a captivating world. The author is an artist painting with words. From the first paragraph you will be captivated

beautifully written and narrated

I wish I had time to give this book its due review, but the author has a wonderful way of explaining the details of this foreign time and place and making me feel as if I am there seeing it with him. I am completely invested in the characters and look forward to downloading the next book!

Great start to a series

I love Lien's works and this was another great story by the author. I look forward to the next book.

What a find!

I choose this book as a recommendation "for those who also bought..." and have been quite pleased with this selection. Everything about the book is awesome, although slightly reminiscent of Memoirs of a Geisha, I guess because of cultural similarities. However, the books differ dramatically with respect to plot, and the characters are truly mesmerizing. Can't wait to listent to the second book, and anxiously await the third in the trilogy.

Lovely book! It kept my interest. Good story.

I very much enjoyed this book. It is a very good book to listen to. The sound effects are a nice enhance the mood of the story. It was well worth the money.