The debut novel of Lian Hearn's Tales of the Otori series, Across the Nightingale Floor, is set in a feudal Japan on the edge of the imagination. The tale begins with young Takeo, a member of a subversive and persecuted religious group, who returns home to find his village in flames. He is saved, not by coincidence, by the swords of Lord Otori Shigeru and thrust into a world of warlords, feuding clans, and political scheming. As Lord Otori's ward, he discovers he is a member by birth of the shadowy "Tribe," a mysterious group of assassins with supernatural abilities.

Hearn sets his tale in an imaginary realm that is and isn't feudal Japan. This device serves the author well as he is able to play with familiar archetypes--samurai, Shogun, and ninja--without falling prey to the pitfalls of history. The novel fills a unique niche that is at once period piece and fantasy novel. Hearn unfolds the tale of Takeo and the conflicting forces around him in a deliberate manner that leads to a satisfying conclusion and sets the stage for the rest of the series. --Jeremy Pugh

From Publishers Weekly
Mystical powers and martial arts rampage through this pseudo-Japanese story, the first of a projected trilogy by newcomer Hearn, with an abandon that's head spinning. From the entrance of the 16-year-old hero, Takeo, as he is about to be swatted down by a mounted horseman and the way he can become invisible or make a duplicate of himself when he needs to, to the head-rolling decapitations that follow interminably, the impossible becomes the semiplausible. Takeo, who joins the Otori clan, is a religious outcast, and also, surprisingly, a member of "the Tribe," a secretive race that has unusual mental and physical powers that lend them an unworldly air. Takeo learns how to control his burgeoning talents just in time to avenge the death of his mentor, while politics and clan rivalries lead to an increasing amount of graphic bloodshed. Takeo enjoys a few blissful moments with the fetching Lady Kaede Shirakawa but, unfortunately, she is not destined to be his, now or in the future. For fans of Japanese samurai warrior fantasy, this novel is right in the ballpark, filled with swords, clan in-fighting, love affairs, invisibility and magical Ninja powers. However, for those looking for something with a bit of depth, the author tends to gloss over the details of why and how. Takeo learns the craft of the Tribe offstage and all the political maneuvering that goes into the clan warfare is rather murky. Hopefully, the next book will show what Hearn is really capable of.Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal
Adult/High School-Fleeing the slaughter of his village and pursued by Lord Iidu's warriors, Tomasu, 16, expects to die. Raised among the Hidden, he is forbidden to kill and is expected to forgive his enemies, tenets he sets aside in favor of revenge. When Otori Shigeru steps into his path, Tomasu thinks the worst; instead Shigeru kills one pursuer and seriously wounds another. Given the name Takeo by Shigeru, the grieving teen gives up speaking for a time and finds that his hearing becomes preternaturally sharp. Other strange abilities manifest themselves as well, marking him as a member of the Tribe, five families resembling ninjas. Shigeru also desires revenge upon Iidu for the loss of much of the Otori ancestral lands and the death of his younger brother. Takeo allies himself with Shigeru and accepts formal adoption. Meanwhile, Lady Shirakawa Kaede, tarnished with a reputation for bringing death to men, is contracted to marry Shigeru. These story lines converge just as Takeo's life begins to fly apart. His situation is complicated, and his unique talents and background mark him as a hero of epic proportions. Although much about this tale seems to place it in feudal Japan, Hearn states that this is an imaginary country. In this riveting first entry in a trilogy, all major characters are introduced and the various conflicts defined, but readers will have to wait for future volumes to reach the final resolution. This book should be popular with many readers, not just those who admire well-written and intriguing fantasy.Jody Sharp, Harford County Public Library, MDCopyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
Born as one of the Hidden, a pacifistic group opposed to any sort of violence, Takeo meets brutality head-on when a local warlord destroys his villages and murders his family. Rescued by a rival warlord, Takeo becomes the adopted son of Lord Shigeru and learns of his true heritage as one of the Tribe, a clan of assassins with supernatural powers. When his adopted father becomes the victim of treachery, Takeo faces a choice between loyalty to his past and to his new and perilous future. This first novel, a series opener, brings a fantasy Japan to vivid life with a minimum of frills. A good addition to most fantasy collections.Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From AudioFile
In his first novel, Hearn creates an epic tale of secret societies, supernatural powers, intrigue, love, and revenge among warring clans in a country modeled after Japan. Kevin Gray reads first-person chapters as the voice of young Takeo, a member of the Hidden possessing amazing powers, adopted by the Otori clan for reasons that only become clear as the story unfolds. Aiko Nakasone reads alternating chapters written in the third person from the perspective of Lady Kaede Shirakawa, a not-at-all-helpless damsel. Gray's reading of the story is spectacular; his warm, soothing voice transports the listener to a setting worlds away. Nakasone also gives a strong performance, although it lacks the depth of Gray's near-perfect depiction of life with the Otori. H.L.S. © AudioFile 2003, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine

From Booklist
This first in the Otori trilogy, set in an ancient Japan, has all the right ingredients-- exotic setting, cruel villains, selfless heroes, magical powers, and star-crossed lovers who will become more important to the fate of their society than they could have ever imagined. Sixteen-year-old Takeo, the only survivor of a raid on his village by the evil Lord Iida, is rescued at the last minute by the kind and charismatic Lord Otori. But was the rescue really the coincidence that it appeared to be? Does Lord Otori have reasons beyond kindness for taking Takeo under his wing? He seems to know quite a lot about the boy, and about the strange abilities that Takeo is just starting to discover in himself--abilities that could help him to play a pivotal role in the fight to wrest power from Iida. Takeo's journey of self-discovery, his first great love, and his transformation from confused boy to brave warrior in a chaotic time will keep readers riveted. The Lord of the Rings phenomenon should pave the way for the success of worthy adventure trilogies (film rights have already been sold for this one), and this tale of love, loyalty, and courage is deserving of comparison to old favorites. Carrie Bissey
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

The Independent on Sunday - UK
The passion and rapture of this story is so compelling that it's almost worth delaying your holiday for.

Washington Post
"[A] page-turner...

Gerald Jones, The New York Times
...a world I anticipate returning to with pleasure.

Book Magazine
A rousing adventure reminiscent of Arthurian legend that's told with all the urgency of a modern-day thriller.

Book Description
This is the first book in a new epic trilogy that has already become a bestselling sensation in England and Australia, earning comparisons to The Lord of the Rings. It begins with the legend of a nightingale floor in a black-walled fortress-a floor that sings in alarm at the step of an assassin. It will take true courage and all the skills of an ancient Tribe for one orphaned youth named Takeo to discover the magical destiny that awaits him...across the nightingale floor.

About the Author
Lian Hearn was born in England and has had a lifelong interest in Japan, where she has lived there and speaks Japanese.

FROM OUR EDITORS

The Barnes & Noble Review
Reading like a cross between Frank Herbert's Dune and the film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, this intrigue-soaked, magic-realist tale is likely to appeal to readers who enjoy experiencing an original world unfold with each new chapter. Those who have read and reread Tolkien will blissfully turn these pages and find themselves missing appointments.

Set in a long-ago world resembling medieval Japan, where warring clans brutally battle it out while the nobility plots political marriages, the action starts almost immediately. Bodies are piling up by the third page, as teenage Takeo witnesses a massacre in his previously peaceful village. He seems to be writing his own ticket to the grave when he knocks an evil warlord from his horse. The boy is saved, though, by Lord Otori, who introduces Takeo to his clan -- hence the subtitle, Tales of the Otori.

Across the Nightingale Floor seems straightforward enough at first, but in Hearn's world, there are plots within plots, schemes within schemes, and skillfully interwoven elements of fantasy. The author does some neat narrative juggling by alternating chapters between Takeo's first-person odyssey and the you-go-girl, third-person story of the Cinderella-like Kaede. Romance is neatly combined with adventure, and it seems likely that any reader arriving at the close of this story will readily pick up the next volume in the series. Lou Harry

FROM THE PUBLISHER

"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 nightingale floor and to his destiny within the walls of lnuyama." Overcome by the intensity of first love and conflicted by split loyalties and his own divided nature, Takeo realizes that he must make his own way on this journey of revenge and treachery, honor and loyalty, betrayal and love.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishing News

It has a magical quality and the power of the story is truly awesome.

Publishers Weekly

Mystical powers and martial arts rampage through this pseudo-Japanese story, the first of a projected trilogy by newcomer Hearn, with an abandon that's head spinning. From the entrance of the 16-year-old hero, Takeo, as he is about to be swatted down by a mounted horseman and the way he can become invisible or make a duplicate of himself when he needs to, to the head-rolling decapitations that follow interminably, the impossible becomes the semiplausible. Takeo, who joins the Otori clan, is a religious outcast, and also, surprisingly, a member of "the Tribe," a secretive race that has unusual mental and physical powers that lend them an unworldly air. Takeo learns how to control his burgeoning talents just in time to avenge the death of his mentor, while politics and clan rivalries lead to an increasing amount of graphic bloodshed. Takeo enjoys a few blissful moments with the fetching Lady Kaede Shirakawa but, unfortunately, she is not destined to be his, now or in the future. For fans of Japanese samurai warrior fantasy, this novel is right in the ballpark, filled with swords, clan in-fighting, love affairs, invisibility and magical Ninja powers. However, for those looking for something with a bit of depth, the author tends to gloss over the details of why and how. Takeo learns the craft of the Tribe offstage and all the political maneuvering that goes into the clan warfare is rather murky. Hopefully, the next book will show what Hearn is really capable of. (Sept. 2) Forecast: With movie rights sold to Universal Studios and foreign rights sold in 11 countries, this one seems a sure bet for genre bestseller lists. Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

KLIATT - Francisca Goldsmith

This first book gives the series both a promising start and a satisfyingly complete first episode. The story of teens Takeo and Kaede unfolds in an imaginary world inspired by medieval Japan and medieval China. Takeo's ancestry is connected to a sect known as "the Hidden," but he loses his family in a horrific invasion. Soon thereafter, he is able to defend himself and wreak a degree of vengeance as he severs the heads and arms of two of the marauders. That act will bring his own execution, of course, if he is caught, but fortunately a young lord, Otori Shigeru, saves him. Meanwhile, Kaede's childhood ends when her body matures and men in her household make a play for her sexually. The first two such incidents happen to end in death for the men, giving Kaede a reputation that makes it difficult for her lord to find her a willing suitor. She and Takeo meet when she becomes engaged to Shigeru, a political arrangement intended to unite tribes against a common enemy. Takeo is perceptive in the extreme, able to hear the most muffled voices distinctly, and to cross silently a floor built expressly to "sing" and thereby give warning of any approach. Shigeru plans to use these skills of his newly adopted son to ward off their enemies. A balance of intrigue, romance, and daily life's cultural idiosyncrasies keep this fantasy moving quickly and compellingly. Readers of historical fiction will find this an easy bridge to fantasy, and vice versa. (Tales of the Otori, Book One).. KLIATT Codes: JSA;Recommended for junior and senior high school students, advanced students, and adults. 2002, Penguin Putnam, Riverhead, 305p.,

Library Journal

Born as one of the Hidden, a pacifistic group opposed to any sort of violence, Takeo meets brutality head-on when a local warlord destroys his villages and murders his family. Rescued by a rival warlord, Takeo becomes the adopted son of Lord Shigeru and learns of his true heritage as one of the Tribe, a clan of assassins with supernatural powers. When his adopted father becomes the victim of treachery, Takeo faces a choice between loyalty to his past and to his new and perilous future. This first novel, a series opener, brings a fantasy Japan to vivid life with a minimum of frills. A good addition to most fantasy collections. [Previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 5/1/02.] Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

School Library Journal