Scan barcode
A review by tasmanian_bibliophile
Emperor of the Eight Islands by Lian Hearn
4.0
‘Your life is not your own. You will die to one life and rise to another, to become what you are meant to be.’
There’s plenty of action in the opening pages of ‘Emperor of the Eight Islands’: a future lord is dispossessed of his birthright by his uncle, a mountain sorcerer turns a stag’s skull into a powerful mask, a father forces his younger son to give his wife to his older brother, and a priest seeks to change the succession to the Lotus Throne. The rightful heir, a child, escapes from the capital – barely.
This novel is set in a fantasy world, based on a medieval Japan, where animals and spirits are also important characters. This is a world of contrast, where action moves between battlefields, castles, forests, and temples. Where many of the characters are in pursuit of power, and sometimes of truth. While Shikanoko is the main character in this novel, there are many other characters whose stories will intersect with his. The list of characters at the beginning of the novel comes in very handy, especially initially. It’s surprising just how much Ms Hearn has fitted into the 272 pages of this novel.
The characters, the links between man and nature, the magic, and the setting have all combined to make this a memorable read for me. I loved Ms Hearn’s ‘The Tales of the Otori’, own them all in hardcover, and have reread them several times. I hope I’ll be able to buy this series in hardcover as well.
‘Emperor of the Eight Islands’ is the first of four books in Lian Hearn’s new fantasy saga entitled ‘The Tale of Shikanoko’. All four of the books are scheduled for publication in 2016.
Note: My thanks to Farrar, Straus and Giroux and NetGalley for providing me with a free electronic copy of this novel for review purposes.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
There’s plenty of action in the opening pages of ‘Emperor of the Eight Islands’: a future lord is dispossessed of his birthright by his uncle, a mountain sorcerer turns a stag’s skull into a powerful mask, a father forces his younger son to give his wife to his older brother, and a priest seeks to change the succession to the Lotus Throne. The rightful heir, a child, escapes from the capital – barely.
This novel is set in a fantasy world, based on a medieval Japan, where animals and spirits are also important characters. This is a world of contrast, where action moves between battlefields, castles, forests, and temples. Where many of the characters are in pursuit of power, and sometimes of truth. While Shikanoko is the main character in this novel, there are many other characters whose stories will intersect with his. The list of characters at the beginning of the novel comes in very handy, especially initially. It’s surprising just how much Ms Hearn has fitted into the 272 pages of this novel.
The characters, the links between man and nature, the magic, and the setting have all combined to make this a memorable read for me. I loved Ms Hearn’s ‘The Tales of the Otori’, own them all in hardcover, and have reread them several times. I hope I’ll be able to buy this series in hardcover as well.
‘Emperor of the Eight Islands’ is the first of four books in Lian Hearn’s new fantasy saga entitled ‘The Tale of Shikanoko’. All four of the books are scheduled for publication in 2016.
Note: My thanks to Farrar, Straus and Giroux and NetGalley for providing me with a free electronic copy of this novel for review purposes.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith