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)

Outstanding series

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I would recommend this books to everyone who loves historical stories of love, war,and adventure.

What did you like best about this story?

The wonderful love story between tako and his wife no matter where it took them.

Which character ??? as performed by J. Paul Boehmer and Julia Fletcher ??? was your favorite?

Paul Boehmer and Julia Fletcher out did themselves with each character.

Any additional comments?

I recommend them anyone who likes this type of book. I could listen to them many more times.

Mixed Review

I was so excited to see this book available! The first books in this series were awesome. While I could not stop listening to this book till it was over and it did inspire me to listen to the complete series again, it was somewhat of a let down. I found it hard to keep track of who everyone was and how they fit in this story and the sequels. It has been several years since reading the other books and I agree with the previous reviewer who suggests this one would not make much sense if you have not read the other books. At times I wished there were family trees available for reference. The author seemed to throw people into the story without any development of their place or character. If you have read the other books, I would still recommend Heaven's Net Is Wide.

Rarely take the time to share my experiences

My pleasure in "reading" and rereading all the Tales of the Otori books nudged my to share my experience with others. I very rarely reread books, but these are never boring. They seem to provide a pleasant experience even as the protagonists face terrible challenges. I presume it is the wisdom and strong principles with which the lead characters face their difficulties that keeps the experience uplifting. The atmosphere set by the reading and music adds much to the listening pleasure.

Disappointing

Since I was a big fan of the first three Otori books, I was delighted when this was released. However, it never engaged me. Just a weak effort to capitalize on the success of the original trilogy.

Overall rather boring. If you're looking for more of the magic of Tales of the Otori, don't bother.

Best of the quintet - but I think read it last

Positives: best male narrator (both Julia and Aiko were superb). Storyline easier to follow. No giraffes and earthquakes. Spicier content may attract more teen boys. As a prequel, may attract me to reread the the series, except I get no joy out of the story. Did find the mentions of collecting ghost stories amusing, as a tip of the hat to Lafcadio Hearn, Kwaidan.

Loved it!

Read the first Otori series and loved them as well. I especially loved the ending of Heaven's net which leads me to believe that there is another book coming. When I finished Heaven's net I went to Audible to see if there was a sequel to this book by Lian Hearn but sadly "no". I'm was having trouble connecting the prequel to Book 1, Lord Sagaro to Lord Takao, but it didn't matter I still enjoyed the book.

Good job!

A wonderful prequel

it is absolutely fine to start the series with the prequel. I wonderful read, enjoy!

enjoyable if you read the previous books

I found this last novel in the series enjoyable, especially because I had read the previous novels in the series. It is a prequel but is best read at the end. The story comes full circle and some things you already read about in previous books are explained (others were already obvious in the first books), which is fun and satisfying. The other books might stand alone but this is probably only really interesting if you have already read them.

Bummer this is a continuing saga

Easy to become involved in the story, then I found we just stop and I have to now find the rest of the story.

Listen to this first

This is a prequel to the Otori trilogy. I wish I had listen to this first because an answered so many questions about who is who and what is what and why.