Across the Nightingale Floor by Lian Hearn
September 2nd 2006 03:28
Across the Nightingale Floor by Lian Hearn
Lian Hearn's Across the Nightingale Floor is the first novel of the trilogy called Tales of the Otori, set in a fictitious country based on medieval Japan.
Takeo is raised in far-off village called Mino among a secret sect called the Hidden. But the powerful clan of Inuyama and their lord Iida are bent on destroying the Hidden, slaughter the villagers. A running Takeo is rescued by Otori Shigeru, of the Otori clan, who quickly takes him under his wing. Both make the perilous journey back to Hagi, the Otori stronghold, where Lord Otori declares to his surprised servants that he intends to adopt Takeo as his brother. Takeo comes to know that he resembles Shigeru's brother who was killed in a war and slowly realises that he is being groomed to take revenge on Iida. It quickly becomes apparent that Takeo has unusual skills, skills possessed by one born in the Tribe, a group of thiefs and assassins who sell their skills to the highest bidder. Soon enough Kenji, one of the tribe arrives to reclaim Takeo.
The third clan in this jigsaw are the Seishu, and Iida has designs on them too. To appease him, Kaede the eldest daughter of Shirakawa, is held as hostage to one of Iida's regional allies. Kaede grows up to be a beautiful young woman and is bethrothed to Shigeru as part of a reconciliation plan. Iida's real plans are to kill Shigeru, once he arrives for the wedding. Along the way, Kaede falls in love with Takeo.
Most of what I have described happens in the first fifty pages, so you can gauge the pace of the novel. It is paced with superb action, plenty of intrigue and romance. One has always watched with mouths agape, the incredible feats of Bruce Lee or Jet Li on screen. But to read deliciously scripted martial art scenes is another thing altogether. The biggest strength of the novel however, is its setting. The medieval Japanese country rises in all its splendour and though Hearn is spare with her words, her creation never fails to mesmerise.
Though marvellously plotted, Hearn's efforts are undone in the final act when the breath-taking climax that you were waiting for fails to materialise. The title refers to the nightingale floor Iida has built in his mansion which erupts in sound if an intruder steps on it. Part of Takeo's training is to negotiate the floor without making a sound and thus reach Iida in his sleep and slay him. From the moment it is described, you wait in delicious anticipation for this to happen. It never does. That probably is the biggest flaw in this otherwise enchanting book. The ending is a copout.
All in all, one of the best and most original fantasy series in recent memory. Wonder why nobody is making a movie yet.
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Comment by nagster
Cenacle
The fight scenes are awesome and so cool. Before reading this novel, I never thought you could write martial arts scenes so well.