I Read Books: Across The Nightingale Floor
Lian Hearn’s Japanese flavoured fantasy novel, with feuding warlords, secret religions, ninjas (“The Tribe”) plotting, honour, murder, swords, love etc.
Hearn’s fantasy Japan is a complex place. The villain is the leader of a clan, and the hero Takeo is adopted by his rival, the rightful heir of another clan (who has been usurped by his uncles). Of course each clan has allies and underlings. Kaede, the daughter of a minor lord has grown up as a hostage into possibly the most beautiful woman in the three countries. Unfortunately, or perhaps otherwise, everyone who desires her seems to die. So the villain decides to marry her to Takeo’s stepfather.
The villain, of course, has the eponymous nightingale floor, a wooden construction that squeaks if you walk on it. This will alert the guards, making it impossible to assassinate him. Takeo is a lost member of The Tribe with magic ninja powers (hearing, invisibility, second self) and is trained to cross it.
Of course the villain also has the woman he loves, the most beautiful woman in the three countries, everyone who desires her dies etc.
We see the story from the viewpoints of Takeo and Kaede, both outsiders in various ways, both young and learning about the world. Still, Hearn mostly doesn’t belabour the points, just putting enough description and world-building to make it clear that this is (sort of) (late) medieval Japan, rather than generic Euro-medieval land. If there’s one thing about it that doesn’t quite ring true it’s the two great love affairs, and more interestingly that (in this book) they don’t really impact the plot. The villain would murder the vast number of people he kills anyway, probably using the same schemes to entrap them. Even the finale doesn’t play out much differently; Takeo would still be motivated to avenge the crimes.
Still, tacked on romance or not (open to the argument that it deepens the mood and themes and aware that as the first book in a trilogy it will bear fruit later) this is a competent, enjoyable fantasy adventure.
Read This: For an undemanding, Japanese flavoured fantasy adventure
Don’t Read This: If you hate ninjas
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