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Tales of the Otori, Volume I
by Lian HearnA world-wide sensation, this first book of The Otori Trilogy is a brilliantly imagined, wholly seductive tale of war, passion, and intrigue, evoking the spirit of medieval Japan.
Every now and then a novel appears, completely unlike anything that has appeared before. Across the Nightingale Floor is such a work-a magical creation of a world beyond time.
Set in an imaginary, ancient Japanese society dominated by warring clans, Across the Nightingale Floor is a story of a boy who is suddenly plucked from his life in a remote and peaceful village to find himself a pawn in a political scheme, filled with treacherous warlords, rivalry--and the intensity of first love. In a culture ruled by codes of honor and formal rituals, Takeo must look inside himself to discover the powers that will enable him to fulfill his destiny.
A work of transcendent storytelling with an appeal that crosses genres, genders, and generations, Across the Nightingale Floor is a rich and brilliantly constructed tale, mythic in its themes and epic in its vision. It is poised to become the most captivating novel of the year.
Many books have kept me up at night but not many have caused me to wake up early to finish them. In this case, I took the book camping and was so hooked that, on waking at 4am, I left the warm confines of my sleeping bag, and sleeping family, in order to sit outside, shivering in the cold early morning, reading by flashlight until the sun rose two hours later! This isn't a particularly deep or intellectual book - just a ripping good mainstream historical fiction yarn.
If you liked Across the Nightingale Floor, try these:
by Kristin Cashore
Published 2009
Katsa has been able to kill a man with her bare hands since she was eight - she’s a Graceling, one of the rare people in her land born with an extreme skill. And now she is forced to work as the king’s thug. But she never expects to fall in love with beautiful Prince Po...
by Da Chen
Published 2004
According to the ancient scriptures, Luka will be the future emperor of China. In preparation, he has been trained in the ways of the kung fu wandering warriors by a wise monk named Atami, but when Atami is captured by the enemy Luka must begin his own journey to become the warrior and leader he is destined to be. Ages 12+.
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If you want to build a ship, don't drum up people... but rather teach them to long for the endless immensity of the...
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Christina Reader, Watermark Books and Cafe, Wichita, Kansas
What a wonderful book of imagination! It reawakens the side of longing for good stories, a desire instilled in childhood and never gone. One looses the tedious realities and escapes into that innocence of fascination. Thank you!
