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)

Narration almost ruins the story

Good read, terrible listen.
The new narrators were a mistake on someone's part. They should have waited until the originals were available. Or not published into audio at all if they weren't.
Almost ruins an epic. Good thing the storyline is so compelling.

I miss the former narrators!

Kevin Gray and Aiko Nakasone wove the Tales of the Otori into a graceful and lyrical dance. Their replacements fall flat with overly dramatic reading and wierd accents.

Masterful and Engaging

This whole series of audio novels about classic Japan is fascinating. The characters are substantial, and the plots worth pursuing. Invest a little time and Lian Hearn will take you to some new and interesting places. Highly recommended, especially for the history buff.

Uneven

I enjoyed the readers in this one, though I did not think they were as strong as those who previously handled the series.

Hearn once again shows an ability to create a wonderful setting and story premise. However, she once again shows an inability to conclude a plot line consistently with either the characters or the plot lines she has developed. There are many equally fine places for a story to end and Hearn chose one of them. She just did not get us there in a way that was true to the characters (one in particular) or a logical plot line. I am reluctant to use more detail for fear of spoiling the story.

A bit of a dip from the first several books in the series.

I love the tale of the Otori. I’m not all into whether it matches history like some listeners are. This installment, however, is just a bit too outrageous for me. I can take a little magic tribe skills, but this is just sort of over the top.

The other thing about this installment is the narrators. I don’t care for them at all. I don’t know how i’d have felt about them if I hadn’t listened to the previous installments which had THE perfect readers for the story. I’m always wondering why they would change when they had just the right readers! I don’t think these would be my favorite in another book, but they would probably be okay.

Beautiful world, sad as well

I’m glad to report an improvement of narrators.
This was my fourth in this series and it was as well written as the previous three. As always I am sad to leave this beautiful world. I will read the prequel, but I need a break from the intense events in this book. I enjoyed the nineteen hour listen fully immersing me in fantasy feudal Japan. Well done!

A Beautiful 4th Movement

I listened to the other three books in a row and absolutely fell in love with the setting, the characters, and the narrators. When I saw there was a 4th book (much to my surprise) I was thrilled, but disappointed that the original narrators would not be returning. I bought it anyway and I can't say I was at all disappointed. Although the new narrators aren't quite as good as the one before them, they still bring the story to life and I didn't ever think that they weren't doing the words justice.

As well as following the story of Takeo and Kaede, a vibrant new cast of characters are introduced. I was enchanted from start to finish, and I believe any fan of the series will love this latest volume. I do hope it's not the end, but if that is to be, the ending her is heartwrenching and beautiful.

Still loving the story

I agree with the other reviewers that the readers are not nearly as good as the ones for the original trilogy. I also agree that Kaede has totally changed and that is a real disappointment. Still, I love the story. It brings history alive and makes me want to learn more about the time period. The male reader will sometimes put you to sleep, however.

Good story - not the right readers

Would you consider the audio edition of Harsh Cry of the Heron to be better than the print version?

The first three books in the Tales of the Otori series were read by Kevin Gray and Aiko Nakasone. Both were excellent in reading the narration and various character voices, with very good (as far as I could tell) pronunciation of the Japanese words (e.g., names, places). Aiko's voice made the female characters especially come to life because she made them sound very feminine in a way that I would expect from Japanese women of that time. When I started Harsh Cry of the Heron, I was immediately startled by the very different reader voices and never really settled into the characters. To the very end of this book I kept wishing for the original readers. Julia Fletcher (who sounds Irish), and Henri Lubatti are both good readers, but not for this story. Neither voice really suited the topic or the Japanese culture. Obviously I wanted to finish the series because I really enjoyed it as a whole, so I did listen to this final book, and I did enjoy it, but not to the degree that I did the first three books.

The story itself was good with lots of detail and compelling subplots that keep it moving.

Did the narration match the pace of the story?

I'm not sure about the pace of the story - I suppose that was a match. There were times when I really felt that the voice inflection was wrong though. I would not avoid another book by either of these readers, they are both good readers but just not appropriate for this book when compared to the man and woman who read the first three books in the series.

Final Book of the Otori

I loved the first three books but the ending of the final book was so improbable when, taken in context of the prior three books, was unlikely and a huge disappointment. Read the first three then make up your own ending!