Harsh Cry of the Heron

The Last Tale of the Otori

By: Lian Hearn

Narrated by: Julia Fletcher, Henri Lubatti

Length: 19 hrs and 55 mins

Publisher's summary

An epic fantasy set in a mythical, medieval Japan, Lian Hearn's Tales of the Otori series has crossed genres, generations, and genders. Grand and complex in its themes, elegantly written, each book in the original trilogy has become a worldwide best seller. This surprise fourth installment (and real conclusion), The Harsh Cry of the Heron, achieves new heights of drama and action.

16 years of peace and prosperity have passed since Lord Otori Takeo united the Three Countries. Takeo and his beloved consort, Kaede, have three daughters and a happy family life. Their success has attracted the attention of the distant Emperor and his general, the warlord Saga Hideki, who covet the wealth of the Countries. Meanwhile, the violent acts and betrayals of the past will not lie buried, and other secrets will not stay hidden. Everything that Takeo and Kaede have achieved is threatened.

In full ninja versus samurai fashion, Hearn delivers a kinetic, heartbreaking, and uplifting resolution to a thoroughly gripping saga.

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

©2006 Lian Hearn (P)2006 HighBridge Company

Critic reviews

"Seizes you from start to finish." (The Washington Post)
"Hearn seamlessly fuses fact and fantasy to create a sprawling, bewitching realm of magic." (Publishers Weekly)
"The Otori saga gets better with each book, and this is the most absorbing entry in the series, complete with intrigue, magic, romance, and action. A perfect final chapter." (Booklist)

Hated it

I'll admit up-front that I only made it through the first couple of hours of the audiobook, but that was really all that I could take. I greatly enjoyed the previous three volumes of the Otori. This one, however, seemed artificial, juvenile, and without spirit.

I would not recommend it based upon either the story itself, or upon the narrators.

narration is GOD AWFUL

Is there anything you would change about this book?

The narrator

How did the narrator detract from the book?

boring going through the motions/words.

Did Harsh Cry of the Heron inspire you to do anything?

Not buy "Heaven's net is Wide". I'm struggling to finish "Harsh cry of the Heron".

Any additional comments?

Really enjoyed the first three.

Be Advised

This audiobook may cause drowsiness. Please do not drive or handle heavy machinery while listening.

Truly disappointing. Loved the first three installments of Tales of the Otori but the narration of this fourth installment is so lackluster and monotonous as to be un-listenable.

Jumped the shark

The first three books in the series were fantastic. But this one ruins the story with unbelievable character behavior that seemed rushed to finish the story. I wish I hadn't listened to this book as it diminishes the quality of the series.

No need to go further with this story....

I truly anticipated this book because I enjoyed the Trilogy so much and really looked forward to hearing more of the storyline, however, I think the original story should have been left untouched. I don't feel this part of the story had the original passion the Trilogy possessed or maybe its because the original readers didn't participate.

Kevin Gray and Aiko Nakasone (the original readers) did such a wonderful job with the Original Trilogy and truly out do the current readers in this book. Yeah, it was a nice addition to the story of Takeo & Kaede, but not really needed. Leaving the untold story to the reader's imagination is sometimes best.

I will admit that i will probably continue to listen to remainder stories that are currently being published just to see what more the author has to say.

Dissapointed

I really liked and highly recommend the first three books of this series. Also I feel there are some people that will like this book, perhaps even see it as profound.

However, I'm listening for entertainment and this story just didn't come together for me. In this book the heroes repeatedly make agonizingly poor decisions. These decisions were based on some kind of radical pacifist honor/philosophy, the "way of the who" which was billed as the best thing since sliced bread but in the end produced nothing positive. To the story's credit these descisions or lack of decisions resulted in fairly realistic outcomes. Outcomes for the heroes that the book tries to show as honorable but to me were pitifully tragic.

I had such high expectations for this book. I kept expecting things to come together but in the end it just made me feel depressed.

Disappointing end to a fantastic series

The first three books drew me in, but this one, not so much. All of the characters that were so warm and enlightened became flat and cold.

Wow how disappointing

Has Harsh Cry of the Heron turned you off from other books in this genre?

I really enjoyed all the other books, including the prequel.

What didn’t you like about Julia Fletcher and Henri Lubatti ’s performance?

The narrators were annoying - I found myself almost enraged with the female narrator and - and the male narrator was trying to do some monotone thing that wasn't working. The narrators in the prequel are MUCH better.

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

Several characters, especially Kaede, were so incredibly dislikable and irritating that I almost had to stop listening. Many other characters were written out or forgotten without any explanation.It seemed to me that the author got tired of writing and attempted to wrap everything up with one letter - literally. Seems like cheating.

Is this the same author??????

It actually did seem as if another person wrote this. I wound up hating all the characters that I cared about before. I forced myself to finish it in case Lian Hearn had a change of heart and made his characters as noble and interesting as in the other books but that did not happen. As for the narration - absolutely terrible. Don't buy this book. Stop at the 3rd book.

Awful Narration

I listened to and enjoyed the first three books. I could not listen to this book. the narrator
sounded like he was reading to a third grade class. When a skillful reader reads a quote from another work, you can tell he/she is "reading". This male narrator sounded that way all the time.
I agree with the other reviewers, they should not have changed.