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)

Great story!

There weren't many unexpected twists, but the character development more than made up for it. You really find yourself emphathizing with Takeo and others. The narrator does a fantastic job in putting feeling and uniqueness behind each persona. There is some sex and violence in this story. It's done tastefully, but I wouldn't recommend it for younger readers. The only difficulty I had was distinguishing the names of the different characters when hearing them in audio format. Because all the names are foreign to me, it was hard at first to remember which of the similar sounding names belonged to which characters.

Wow! Ninjas & Samurai in a Fantastic World

4.5 stars. I had a ton of fun listening to this book! It?s basis in historic medieval Japan sets a strong foundation for an intricate fantasy world in which warlords battle for dominance. Characters are diverse, bound by honor or willing to do whatever it takes, many use deceit and cunning, others brute force and terror tactics. An ancient mysterious clan of people called the Tribe, masters of subterfuge, uses their meta-human powers to shift the balance of power among the warlords. The charisma, vileness and personalities of the characters shine through and hone the sharpness of their excitement and pleasure, their pain and loss. Gripping, Enthralling and Tragic!

The story is told from the perspective of each of the two main characters, Takeo and Kaede. This makes for a very intimate experience with each of these people, knowing their every thought, sensation and feeling. I loved following Takeo through his self realization of his buried talents and the unfolding of the huge role he would play in the world after growing up in such a sheltered small town. The end of the story left me feeling unfulfilled and wanting more. Fortunately, this is the first book in a trilogy.

I liked the fact that this book used two readers, one for each of the characters whom the story follows (male for the voice of Takeo, female for the voice of Kaede). My only objection would be that I didn?t particularly enjoy the female reader. She reads slowly, to the point where she is annoying and her intonations do not fully capture the passion and suspense of the moments. The male reader is very good.

hard to put down

This book isn't the best I've ever read (or listened to), but it's impossible to put down. It suffers from a common problem of long build-up and quick resolution. The characters are well-developed, but some disappear so abruptly at the end of the book, it's unclear why so much time was devoted to them in the beginning. The narrators are generally good, and it's nice to have two voices. The female narrator is sometimes a bit annoying though - she often sounds as if she's talking to 5-year-olds or ESL students - very s-l-o-w and clear, waaayyy too clear. Still, I couldn't stop listening (literally), and enjoyed every moment of it. I would definitely recommend this.

Enchanting

The plot, characters and the reader combine to make this an enchanting story. I did not want the end to come. I would listen to almost anything by the same author and/or reader. Totally engrossing.

Sharon

Great adventure

I had to get used to the two voices as both of them speak rather monotones. However, the story is so intriguing that it didn't matter anymore. The story line is very crisp, nicely divided in the male and female part. Overall a great book.

Pleasantly surprised

I have wanted to read this series for a number of years and actually forgot it existed. I came across it on Audible and made the purchase. I had to start the story over a few times because I didn't really "get into it" right away. I am now well into the second book and am thoroughly enjoying them!!

Captivating and Elegantly Worded !!!

Bravo!! This story paints an extraordinary tale filled with ancient culture, honor and love. The narrators were spectacular and I will most certainly be listening to the second book in this series. Bravo!!

Wonderful and capturing

this audio book was wonderful to listen to, and captured me. the authors writing style and the 2 readers were fantastic. if you looking for a novel with clan wars in fudel japan, with assasins, loyaly, love and adventure, mixed with a little fantasy this is the novel and trilogy for you.

So enjoyable!

Love this series. Have gotten so many friends hooked on it! Highly recommended you will not be disappointed

Talles of the Ottori Rules!

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

Great read, aurthor draws you into Feudal Japan, you are transported to a time and place and feel part of that magic!

What was one of the most memorable moments of Across the Nightingale Floor?

When the protagonist tries to kill Iyeda and has to cross the singing floor!

Which character – as performed by Kevin Gray and Aiko Nakasone – was your favorite?

Both the girl Kaede and the boy Tomasu

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

When Tomasu has to give up his Ottori heritage and follow the Tribe

Any additional comments?

Two books down three to go!