In
a fantasy version of Heian Period Japan, a series of seemingly
unconnected events puts into motion a battle over the throne
of the Eight Islands. Young Shikanoko sees his father killed
by supernatural creatures as a young child and grows up in
the care of his uncle. But the uncle wants the estate for
himself and contrives to get rid of his nephew in the forest,
but fate has other plans for him. Shikanoko instead ends up
being a sorcerer in training, whose destiny is to interact
with the main players in the coming conflict.
Anybody
who enjoyed the international bestselling Tales of the
Otori will be thrilled to discover this new series by
Lian Hearn. It doesn’t matter either whether you have
read the earlier books as this series is totally new, although
also set in a slightly tweaked version of Japanese history.
There is a lot in here, and unlike most fantasy series you
won’t be propping a door open with this book. The author
manages to say a lot in comparatively few words, and drops
the reader straight into the story. Each chapter is told in
the third person from the viewpoint of a particular character,
and there are quite a few of these. There is a helpful list
of characters at the beginning plus a map, and you will need
these to sort everything out and remember who is who. Fortunately,
this is mostly useful for the minor characters as the main
ones are interesting and memorable individuals whose stories
weave and intersect like the threads of a tapestry. While
Shikanoko learns magic and enters the service of a number
of different masters, a man has to give up his wife to his
brother, a mysterious woman has to find five fathers for her
five sons, and the emperor dies and an ambitious sorcerer
priest plots to overthrow his rightful heir. Expect plenty
of action, some lyrical descriptions and many surprises; this
is one of the standout books of 2016 so far. I can’t
wait for the next instalment.
|