When Takeo's life is saved by the mysterious Lord Otori Shigeru, he begins the journey that will lead him to his destiny. At the same time, Kaede, a young heiress, must also find her way, to assert herself in a world of powerful men. For both it is a journey of revenge and treachery, honour and loyalty, beauty and magic and the passion of love.
Lord Shigeru, heir to the Otori clan, faces hostility from the shrewdly ambitious Iida family in the East and base treachery at home from his uncles. His noble education and training as a warrior have prepared him for leadership and combat, but fate and Shigeru's youthful determination bring the Three Countries to war, and he must endure terrible and tragic defeat at thebattle of Yaegahara... and its brutal consequences. Heaven's Net is Wide is the first and last Tale, which both closes the circle and introduces new readers to the strange and beautiful world of the Otori. It is an epic historical fantasy of revenge and betrayal, honour and loyalty, beauty and passion and the overwhelming power of love.
The second book in the Tales of the Otori trilogy continues the epic story of Otori Takeo and Shirakawa Kaede, the young lovers whose fate is played out in an ancient Oriental world, where ritualised codes of high honour counter the cruelty of savage bloodfeuds. Takeo has pledged his life to the Tribe, a secret clan of spies and assassins who claim his legendary supernatural skills for their own ruthless purposes, in doing so he must deny his birthright as an Otori lord and his love for Kaede. If he does not serve them, the Tribe will kill him. Kaede, separated from Takeo, must use her intelligence, beauty and cunning to assert her place in a world of allpowerful men who must never know that she is carrying Takeo's child. In growing from boy to man, Takeo must make a choice and the dangerous path he undertakes is a journey of high adventure, treachery and passion that establishes this extraordinary trilogy as one of the most brilliant and enduring works of modern fiction. GRASS FOR HIS PILLOW, the sequel to ACROSS THE NIGHTINGALE FLOOR, shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal, is one of the most eagerlyawaited novels of 2003. Lian Hearn has created a brilliantly imagined culture. Here is epic storytelling whose appeal crosses genres, genders and generations.
