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A review by anban
Lord of the Darkwood by Lian Hearn
5.0
When I started The Tale of Shikanoko with Emperor of the Eight Islands I was under the impression that it would be a trilogy, for no other reason than fantasy series often are. But then Lord of the Darkwood started coming to a head and the events which lead up to the Tales of the Otori slotted themselves into place and I had to reassess my preconceived notion: the story was going to end with this book.
What I absolutely love about prequels set some hundreds of years before are the tiny little details which though inconsequential to that particular book are hugely important in the preceding story; they become like historical records to enrich the make believe world the author has created. Rather than just accepting that world as 'because that is how it is' as a reader we have a much wider and deeper understanding. This is turn heightens my enjoyment of the main body of work.
As for Lord of the Darkwood itself, no love nor knowledge of the Otori is required, though the last two pages would be rather meaningless without it. The story is intense, spaning over a decade of time in which the characters grow and change as the environment around them crumbles; the very essence of the world unhinged with it's faux rulers and hidden, evil powers.
Similarly to Hearn's other books, chapters differ in their narrator giving us the perspective of each of the main characters. This method keeps the story fresh, allowing character's whose current story is stationary to be skipped over. Consequently readers are privy to the insights and intentions of both the pro- and antagonists and left unsure as to where the story is headed.
My one and only gripe is the names. One of my own biggest flaws is pronunciation, even in my head, even worse when place and character names are similar, and I struggle to sound unfamiliar words out. Coupled with the quirk of family names and their relation to the city the person is from I found myself frequently flipping back to refer to the map and character list.
The list was invaluable. For a series which I started last year it was useful to reaquaint myself with the cast. Additionally, the whole scope of the story leans heavily on politics and that comprises of two things: people and places. I am not usually one for novels with such focus on domains and their rulers, but what I do love, interesting characters, makes this element secondary. The cast is huge but each is balanced and evolved. As much as I loved Hearn's previous work Lord of the Darkwood demonstrates her improvement; the story fleshier and writing amplified.
I initially gave this four stars but then I felt bad cos I just loved it so much. I will definitely be revisiting the Otori, it is one of the few series which I read as a teen, read in my 20s and will reread again in my 30s.
What I absolutely love about prequels set some hundreds of years before are the tiny little details which though inconsequential to that particular book are hugely important in the preceding story; they become like historical records to enrich the make believe world the author has created. Rather than just accepting that world as 'because that is how it is' as a reader we have a much wider and deeper understanding. This is turn heightens my enjoyment of the main body of work.
As for Lord of the Darkwood itself, no love nor knowledge of the Otori is required, though the last two pages would be rather meaningless without it. The story is intense, spaning over a decade of time in which the characters grow and change as the environment around them crumbles; the very essence of the world unhinged with it's faux rulers and hidden, evil powers.
Similarly to Hearn's other books, chapters differ in their narrator giving us the perspective of each of the main characters. This method keeps the story fresh, allowing character's whose current story is stationary to be skipped over. Consequently readers are privy to the insights and intentions of both the pro- and antagonists and left unsure as to where the story is headed.
My one and only gripe is the names. One of my own biggest flaws is pronunciation, even in my head, even worse when place and character names are similar, and I struggle to sound unfamiliar words out. Coupled with the quirk of family names and their relation to the city the person is from I found myself frequently flipping back to refer to the map and character list.
The list was invaluable. For a series which I started last year it was useful to reaquaint myself with the cast. Additionally, the whole scope of the story leans heavily on politics and that comprises of two things: people and places. I am not usually one for novels with such focus on domains and their rulers, but what I do love, interesting characters, makes this element secondary. The cast is huge but each is balanced and evolved. As much as I loved Hearn's previous work Lord of the Darkwood demonstrates her improvement; the story fleshier and writing amplified.
I initially gave this four stars but then I felt bad cos I just loved it so much. I will definitely be revisiting the Otori, it is one of the few series which I read as a teen, read in my 20s and will reread again in my 30s.