Most Popular Books by Lian Hearn

Brilliance of the Moon is the third book in the Tales of the Otori series by Lian Hearn. Don''t miss the related series, The Tale of Shikanoko. A beautiful, haunting evocation of the medieval Japan of Lian Hearn''s imagination, this thrilling follow-up to Grass for His Pillow and Across the Nightingale Floor delves deeper into the complex loyalties that bind its characters from birth. Filled with adventure and surprising twists of plot and fortune, this third book in the Tales of the Otori series travels beyond the Three Countries, to the outside influences that threaten to intrude upon this isolated realm.

The new beginning and the grand finale of Lian Hearn''s celebrated Tales of the Otori is "rivetingly elegant" (Washington Post). Don''t miss the related series, The Tale of Shikanoko. Heaven''s Net Is Wide is the prequel that reveals the full story of Lord Otori Shigeru—the figure who has presided in both life and death over the entire series, the man who represents the true spirit of the Otori Clan. The first and the last tale, it introduces readers to the strange and beautiful world of the Otori and closes the circle where it opened in Across the Nightingale Floor. Set in a mythical, medieval Japan, this epic historical fantasy of revenge and betrayal, honor and loyalty, beauty, passion, and the overwhelming power of love, has enthralled millions of readers the world over—and now, with the cycle complete, its audience will only continue to grow.

An international bestseller, Across the Nightingale Floor is the first book in the Tales of the Otori series by Lian Hearn. Don''t miss the related series, The Tale of Shikanoko. In his black-walled fortress at Inuyama, the warlord Iida Sadamu surveys his famous nightingale floor. Constructed with exquisite skill, it sings at the tread of each human foot. No assassin can cross it unheard. The youth Takeo has been brought up in a remote mountain village among the Hidden, a reclusive and spiritual people who have taught him only the ways of peace. But unbeknownst to him, his father was a celebrated assassin and a member of the Tribe, an ancient network of families with extraordinary, preternatural skills. When Takeo''s village is pillaged, he is rescued and adopted by the mysterious Lord Otori Shigeru. Under the tutelage of Shigeru, he learns that he too possesses the skills of the Tribe. And, with this knowledge, he embarks on a journey that will lead him across the famed nightingale floor—and to his own unimaginable destiny...

Grass for His Pillow is the second book in the Tales of the Otori series by Lian Hearn. Don''t miss the related series, The Tale of Shikanoko. Praised for its epic scope and descriptive detail, Across the Nightingale Floor, the first book in the Tales of the Otori series, was an international bestseller and critical success, named by the London Times as "the most compelling novel to have been published this year." With Grass for His Pillow, Book Two, we return to the medieval Japan of Lian Hearn''s creation—a land of harsh beauty and deceptive appearances. In a complex social hierarchy, amid dissembling clans and fractured allegiances, there is no place for passionate young love. The orphan Takeo has been condemned to work as an assassin—an enforced occupation that his father sacrificed his own life to escape. Meanwhile, Takeo’s beloved Shirakawa Kaede, heir to the Murayama and alone in the world, must find a way to unify the domain she has inherited, as she fights off the advances of would-be suitors and hopes against fading hope that Takeo will return to her...

In the second Shikanoko tale, following Emperor of the Eight Islands , "Hearn''s mythic Japan fully unfurls, expansive and engrossing" (Robin Sloan, New York Times– bestselling author). A self-assured warrior stumbles into a game of Go that turns fatal. An ambitious lord leaves his nephew for dead and seizes his lands. A stubborn father forces his son to give up his wife to his older brother. A powerful priest meddles in the succession to the Lotus Throne. A woman of the Old People seeks five fathers for her five children, who will go on to found the Spider Tribe and direct the fate of the country. As destiny weaves its tapestry in Lian Hearn''s Tale of Shikanoko series, an emotionally rich and compelling drama plays out against a background of wild forests, elegant castles, hidden temples, and savage battlefields in Autumn Princess, Dragon Child. "Hearn takes cultural elements from medieval Japan and uses them to create this wonderful fantasy realm, complete with its own supernatural forces . . . Scoundrels and innocents, wizards and itinerant performers, lowly servants and mighty nobles all play their parts on this stage." — Publishers Weekly "Lian Hearn has written a one-of-a-kind epic series brimming with spirits, demons, and warriors. The story is as deeply imagined and immersive as it is addictive. One doesn''t know whether to give in to the desire to turn the pages as quickly as possible or to linger and savor Hearn''s crystalline prose and striking emotional observations. Hearn''s characters grab you by the hand on page 1 and whisper, ''Follow me.'' It''s a pleasure to obey." ―Kelly Luce, author of Pull Me Under

A new generation, a relentless enmity. The thrilling climax of Lian Hearn''s multi-million-copy bestselling OTORI series

A conclusion to the Tales of the Otori series brings the conflicts of its medieval Japanese characters full circle, illuminating unexpected aspects of the entire saga. By the author of Across the Nightingale Floor and Grass for His Pillow. Reprint.

Japan, 1857. For centuries Japan has been on its own; isolated by choice from the rest of the world. But the Western powers are now at its shores demanding to be let in, the government is crumbling and revolution is building. The age of the samurai is ending and in its place a new Japan will be born. A young woman is readying herself for marriage in this, the most tumultuous period of her nation''s history. The daughter of a doctor, Tsuru has been working alongside him and learning the ways of medicine all her life. When her father allows her to marry the man she loves - a fellow doctor - she believes her life will be all she''s dreamed it could be. Happily married, working amongst men as an equal. But Japanese society does not work this way. The men of the times - boys she''s known since childhood - are determined to expel the foreigners, using violence and whatever else they need to make their message heard. The women are expected to be hidden at home, or behind the paper walls of the tea houses. Tsuru is far too able to accept this and she is drawn into a shadowy world of subversion, political intrigue and a dangerous love. In time, she is working on the battlefields, alongside men, to care for the wounded. Blossoms and Shadows is a compelling tale of love and war, women and men, and the rise of modern Japan. It shines a brilliant light on a time in history that few have known about until now, though the change it brought continues to ripple around the world.

From the internationally bestselling author of the Tales of the Otori, comes a tale of families, love, intrigue and betrayal. ''For readers who want to be entertained, but not at the cost of good writing, The Storyteller and his Three Daughters is the best kind of novel - exquisitely crafted prose, fully developed, believable characters, well-researched historically - and above all, a gripping plot'' The Sydney Morning Herald TOKYO 1884: Sei has devoted his life to storytelling, captivating audiences with his tales. But now he is starting to wonder if the new world has left him behind. Just when he thinks he will never write again, his own life and the lives of the people around him begin to spiral out of control - providing the inspiration for the greatest story he has ever told. A story of love, jealousy, intrigue, and betrayal. Set against the background of Japan''s first incursions into Korea, Sei offers a wise and witty reflection on the nature of storytelling, its perils and delights, its lies and, ultimately, its truth. PRAISE for the Tales of the Otori books and Blossoms and Shadows, also by Lian Hearn: ''a tour de force of pure storytelling'' The Sydney Morning Herald ''intelligent, accomplished, audacious and finely written'' The Age ''uniquely charming, flowing and seductive'' The Courier-Mail ''beautifully crafted'' The Herald Sun

"An epic, fantastical adventure in the mythical Japan, a world inhabited by warriors, assassins, acrobats, ghosts, guardian spirits, demons, horses, and monkeys"--

** CELEBRATING 21 YEARS OF OTORI ** FOUR MILLION COPIES SOLD. In 40 languages. One of the most thrilling series of our time. Enter the feudal world of the Otori - filled with magic, treachery and intrigue - inspired by medieval Japan and created by acclaimed Australian author, Lian Hearn. ''The best story of magic, love, sex, revenge and suspense to have come this way since Philip Pullman.'' INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY In his fortress at Inuyama, the murderous warlord Iida Sadamu surveys his famous nightingale floor. Constructed with exquisite skill, it sings at the tread of each human foot. No assassin can cross it unheard. Brought up in a remote village among the Hidden, a reclusive and spiritual people, Takeo has learned only the ways of peace. Why, then, does he possess the deadly skills that make him so valuable to the sinister Tribe? These supernatural powers will lead him to his violent destiny within the walls of Inuyama - and to an impossible longing for a girl who can never be his. His journey is one of revenge and treachery, beauty and magic, and the passion of first love. INCLUDES an extract from GRASS FOR HIS PILLOW PLUS three chapters of EMPEROR OF THE EIGHT ISLANDS, the first novel in Lian Hearn''s spellbinding Tale of Shikanoko series. ''One of the most thrilling series of our time.'' THE TIMES '' ... a world that is rich with character and detail, yet effortless to read'' SYDNEY MORNING HERALD ''An engrossing fantasy saga of literary quality.'' THE AGE ''Lian Hearn''s marvellous storytelling talent ... makes reading these books a moment of pure bliss.'' LE MONDE

A FREE ebook exclusive short story, including a personal letter to readers, by the bestselling Australian author of TALES OF THE OTORI, Lian Hearn. The publication of my new series, THE TALE OF SHIKANOKO, sees me celebrating a career that has spanned fourteen years and nine novels. ACROSS THE NIGHTINGALE FLOOR was published in 2002 and I''m delighted that new readers are still discovering the Tales of the Otori. I''m very grateful to all my readers - many of you who''ve stayed with me from the beginning. To show my gratitude I''m making available this very short story, HIS KIKUTA HANDS (first published by Ragnarok in their anthology Blackguards). It takes place behind the scenes of BRILLIANCE OF THE MOON, the third Otori novel. I''d always wanted to expand these pages where a lot happens in a short space of time: Otori Takeo has come to Maruyama, the furthest city to the west in the Three Countries, to confront the Tribe families and secure what is his by right. The Tribe don''t believe he possesses the requisite ruthlessness of a competent ruler. They will be proved wrong. I also hope you will enjoy this early extract from my new novel, EMPEROR OF THE EIGHT ISLANDS, set 300 years before Otori. Lian

Orphan warriors fight for survival in a brutal medieval world in this fantastically thrilling adventure that continues the multi-million-copy selling TALES OF THE OTORI series ''It was as if they were pieces on a board which had been kicked over, each scattered in the dirt and alone.'' Orphaned or left fatherless: such is the fate of many children of the Otori and the Tribe. Sunaomi and Chikara, sons of Arai Zenko, also carry the burden of their father''s treachery, but their aunt, Kaede, is able to save their lives on condition they become novice monks and never leave the temple at Terayama. Sunaomi has been brought up as a warrior, yet his grandmother is Muto Shizuka. He cannot escape that he is also a child of the Tribe. As he discovers unimagined talents within himself he comes up against Hisao, Takeo''s son, the ghostmaster, as well as Saga Hideki, the most powerful warlord in the realm, the Emperor''s General. Taking place in the magical medieval world of Tales of the Otori and following on from The Harsh Cry of the Heron, Orphan Warriors is a coming-of-age adventure story in a human world of courage and sacrifice behind which always hovers a supernatural world of danger and dread. Praise for Lian Hearn: ''Brutally thrilling historical fantasy'' Herald Sun ''Much like Game of Thrones, the book can be read as political intrigue. Nobody is black or white, rather shades of grey'' The Age ''Huge imaginative vitality. Moves onwards with the narrative force of a flood. It is easy to let the book sweep the reader away'' Sydney Morning Herald ''The action comes thick and fast . . . Compelling characters and captivating worldbuilding'' Japan Times

"The rightful emperor is lost. Shikanoko is condemned to live, half-man and half-deer, an outlaw in the Darkwood. Yet the mighty lords who now rule the Eight Islands are prey to suspicion and illness, and drought and famine choke the realm. Only Shikanoko can bring healing, by restoring the preordained ruler to the Lotus Throne. And only one person can bring him back from the Darkwood . . . "--

At the temple of Terayama, the words of the blind sage''s prophecy continue to haunt Takeo as he readies his armies for battle.

In this final book in the series, "the rightful emperor is lost; illness and murder give rise to suspicions and make enemies of allies. Unrest rules the country. Only Shika can end the madness by returning the Lotus Throne to its rightful ruler"--Amazon.com.