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A review by songwind
Across the Nightingale Floor by Lian Hearn
5.0
This book is the story of Tomasu - a member of a persecuted religious minority whose home is destroyed. He encounters and is saved by the enemy of the man who ordered his village's death. The story of Tamasu (now called Takeo)'s life is one of many highs and lows.
It is also the story of Kaede, daughter of a noble family and hostage to the same lord that destroyed Takeo's village.
Hearn's setting is an alternate Japan, and many of the things in the story have clear parallels in the real world. The warring states period, Christian persecution, samurai culture and ninja.
The story is well written - Takeo is easy to relate to, lady Kaede evokes sympathy and then admiration, and the secondary characters are varied and complex. The political turmoil is rich, multi-faceted, and has plenty of legs for the rest of the series.
It is also the story of Kaede, daughter of a noble family and hostage to the same lord that destroyed Takeo's village.
Hearn's setting is an alternate Japan, and many of the things in the story have clear parallels in the real world. The warring states period, Christian persecution, samurai culture and ninja.
The story is well written - Takeo is easy to relate to, lady Kaede evokes sympathy and then admiration, and the secondary characters are varied and complex. The political turmoil is rich, multi-faceted, and has plenty of legs for the rest of the series.