Description
Set fifteen years after the seismic events of Brilliance of the Moon, The Harsh Cry of the Heron is an elegiac and bittersweet successor to the bestselling series by Lian Hearn, Tales of the Otori.
Their realm is held in balance by their union . . . Break that union and the Three Countries will fall apart.
Otori Takeo and Kaede have ruled the Three Countries peacefully for over sixteen years, following the events laid out in the epic Tales of the Otori. They have three daughters: Shigeko, fifteen years old and heir to the Otori, and Maya and Miki, thirteen-year-old twins who have inherited the supernatural skills of their father. Kaede knows nothing of the prophecy that Takeo will die at the hands of his son and longs to give him a male child. Nor does she know of the boy he fathered sixteen years ago - a boy whose heart is filled with hatred and whose skills as a Ghostmaster give him the power to incite the dead.
Takeo is determined that clan conflicts will never again ravage the Three Countries, but warriors are born to fight: the warlord Arai Zenko has deadly ambitions, the Emperor himself has challenged Takeo's rule and, despite a delicate truce between the deadly Tribe and the Otori, revenge still eats at the heart of renegade leader Kikuta Akio . . .
Against these gathering threats Takeo draws strength from his love for Kaede, but even this is not beyond the reach of their enemies . . .
An outstandingly beautiful and haunting final sequel to the Tales of the Otori, which does for medieval Japan what Game of Thrones does for medieval Europe.
About the Author
Lian Hearn studied modern languages at Oxford University and worked as a film critic and arts editor in London before settling in Australia. A lifelong interest in Japan led to the study of the Japanese language, many trips to Japan, and culminated in the writing of the Tales of the Otori series.
Hearn is also the author of a two-volume prequel series to the Tales of the Otori, The Tale of Shikanoko, consisting of Emperor of the Eight Islands and Lord of the Darkwood.
Reviews
Much to enjoy - treacherous plots, possession by the spirits, cracking battle scenes, and Lian Hearn writes with a delicate attention to detail that creates an all-encompassing world around her characters. * Sunday Telegraph *
[The Harsh Cry of the Heron] builds to a climax that proves both fittingly cataclysmic and wholly satisfying. * Independent on Sunday *
An exquisite story . . . An involving adventure. * Daily Telegraph *
Gorgeously violent, complex and well-written. * The Times *
Book Information
ISBN 9781509837793
Author Lian Hearn
Format Paperback
Page Count 640
Imprint Picador
Publisher Pan Macmillan
Series Tales of the Otori
Weight(grams) 428g
Dimensions(mm) 197mm * 131mm * 39mm
