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)

Excellent

I’ve read all of these and so wonderful to listen to it. It creates a world that I get lost in on my morning walks

Thank goodness it’s in Audible format now

Great book. The story was told well.

Only gripe I have was having to turn it up all the way to hear everything.

Solid 4 Stars

I found the narration by Kevin Gray and Aiko Nakasone to be interesting. Mr. Gray did not have to many distinctions between voices, but dialogue is not this book's strong point. Ms. Nakasone did a good job of keeping her female side of the story delicate and yet compelling and strong. The only reason I do not give them 5 stars is that they read well worn character roles in well worn voices. That said, it is like comfort food, easy to listen, and enjoyably predictable.

The story itself is the same enjoyable predictability. There is a certain poetry to the prose, (here the narrators should receive credit along with the author). For those expecting lavish detail and colorful descriptive world building, look elsewhere. But the story and the pace do a good job mimicking the pace of koans and what other few original works from this period I have read . The characters stay in line with gentle stereotypes that, while they do not challenge, do not fail to entertain. This is not a fantasy book per se, though there is a bit of magic, it is more a piece of historical fiction with sprinkled with a little magic to help the heroes win.

I hate reviews with spoilers or that read like an 8th grade book report, so I won't summarize the plot. But I will say that the plight of "the hidden," was in fact a historical fact in 17th Century Japan and it works in the context of this story quite well. I particularly enjoyed the fact that it was used subtly as a plot device to add flavor rather than as some sort of coded message. If you want understand what I mean listen to/ read the book.

The only reason I don't give it 5 stars is that it wasn't over the top amazing, but it was worth the money and the 8 hours it took to finish it.

Well written and inteiguing

I enjoyed the author’s deft conjuring of voice and description. I will read more of their work.

Fantastic

I will have to respectfully disagree with the other reviewers who did not like the narrators. This is a Japanese tale, so their voices are calm, gentle- it fits well for this tale. They are also far from "robot-like", there are definite inflections, and separate "voices" for different characters. One quality I look for in a good narrator is the ability to get lost in the telling of the story, without being distracted by inconsistencies in character voice inflection or odd noises made by the narrator. I easily got lost in this tale. So much so that I had a hard time putting down my iPod to pause from the book.

The tale itself is delightful, poetic and vivid. It is technically a fantasy, but I found it also romantic and full of political intrigue. A very well done story. I'm looking forward to listening to the second book.

Enjoyable narrators

I was interested in this book but was put off by the reviewers who did not like the narrators. I finally did listen and I have to disagree with the the negative reviews, especially as regards the female narrator. She sounds as if she may actually be a Japanese speaker and her inflections, pacing, and articulation are precise but convey the appropriate emotion, as well. I enjoyed both performances very much.

The book itself was absorbing and enjoyable. I had a slight problem with the ocassional lapses of the author into 20th century colloquialisms which broke the illusion of feudal-era Japan, but I look forward to reading the next books in the series.

Light entertainment

This book was fun to listen to, although it is entertainment rather than literature. I know virtually nothing about Japanese history prior to the 20th century, so I have to wonder at the accuracy of the historical and cultural setting. A glaring example of questionable background information are the various comments about unfair taxes. These comments "read" like 20th century USA Libertarianism. The author can reasonably assume we have a basic grasp of feudalism and abuse of power, but the juxtaposition of taxes and Japanese feudalism leaves me with more questions than answers. Absent further explanation, the issue of taxes adds nothing to the story. I can't help wondering whether Mr Hearn is tossing political plugs into his story, like product placements in a movie.

As other reviewers have commented, we are left hanging at the end of the story. I presume this is to leave us craving the sequel - kind of like watching an episode of ER and wondering what will happen to Julianna Margulies and George Cloony next week, same time, same station. Still, I plan to listen to both "Grass for his Pillow" and "Brilliance of the Moon," because this book was fun despite its flaws, and I have to say that I like Takeo and want to know how the rest of his life turns out.

I enjoyed Aiko Nakasone's reading. Kevin Gray left me confused, at times, as to who was speaking.

Fantastic

I am hooked. The readers are great. Both have very appropriate, soothing voices to listen to. The story kept me spellbound and I look forward to the times I can listen to the story. I will definitely get the other books in the series.

Falls Short

The author failed time and again to develop story lines that might have made this a spectacular book. The story line suggested by the name of the title was carefully developed and created high expectations in the reader, but in the end the "Nightingale Floor" story line spins off and becomes irrelevant to the climax. After the story played out, I could only say, "Huh?" I'm not sure I will go on to read the next books in the series.

Slow Starting, lots of tea drinking

While I didn't dislike this book, I didn't get into this book nearly as much as some of the others I have listened two which had similar ratings. I found that the main characters were not that likable compared to some of the minor characters. Kenji and lady Shirakawa's maid seem like much cooler people than the whiney Takeo. Lord Shigeru is supposed to be this great guy but he doesn't do much.
Years ago I had read Jame Clavell's Shogun, and really enjoyed it, so I though I would like this book. But although this book held my interest, it just only just barely did so. I would not recommend this book to people simply looking for an entertaining listen. For those who are interested in stories about historical japan, this may be a good choice as the narrators did a very good job, and the story might very well appeal to those with such an interest.