Brilliance of the Moon CD: Tales of the Otori Trilogy

Rating:
Summary: BRILLIANCE OF THE MOON
Review: An amazing tale of a place just beyond the reach of an outside world, the third book of the tales of the Otori once again transports the reader into a fanciful medieval Japan.
The tale follows newly weds Otori Takeo and Shirakawa Kaede and their struggle to claim their rightful domains. With much determination, the couple set out to fulfil the holy woman's prophecy, 'Your lands will stretch from sea to sea, but peace comes at the price of bloodshed. Five battles will buy you peace, four to win and one to lose...'
They prepare for war, but just when victory seems certain, Hearn characteristically uproots her characters with unseen treachery and the two lovers are once again separated. Takeo must summon courage from his conflicted heritage to he fulfil his destiny.
The third volume of the Tales Of The Otori is a thrilling novel. It appeals to all audiences because of the many themes in the plot; Brilliance Of The Moon is a unique blend of romance, action, adventure and fantasy.

The third novel in the series takes us deeper into the complexities of the loyalties that bind the novel's characters at birth - the fates from which they cannot escape - Brilliance of the Moon goes beyond its transcendent storytelling in demonstrating how we are shaped by forces outside of our control and yet must forge our own destinies all the same.
The beauty and strangeness of this gripping tale make Lian Hearn's Brilliance Of The Moon, a must read.

Rating:
Summary: Unimpressed
Review: I eagerly awaited Brilliance of the Moon, and reread the preceding books before BotM came out. I then read it in two days. It is very readable, as were the first two books. My main complaint with Brilliance of the Moon is that the characters seem weaker. Kaide in particular is just a helpless victim of her circumstances. Even Takeo does little to solve his own problems. Instead, we just watch what "fate" or "god" has planned. Consequently, the conflicts are not satisfactorily resolved, and in fact the conflicts themselves are very minimal. Takeo really doesn't exact revenge on many of his main enemies, and there are some loose ends. The characters here are not as strong as the first two books, but are resigned to accepting whatever fate has in store. This is where the prophecy of Grass for his Pillow really hurts the plot. Finally, the climax is deus ex machina, which is very disappointing.

Obviously, fans of the first two books will continue with this one, but if you are thinking about beginning the trilogy, I'd say you'll enjoy it if you are a fan of Japan and/or a spare style of storytelling.

Rating:
Summary: What happened? Bad Editing, Rush To Print?
Review: I really enjoyed the first two books of this series.

So what happened here?! Imagine chopping out the first 75 pages and then condensing the last 75 pages down to 5 or so, and then going to press. Voila!

This is just inexplainable. As a reader, I felt cheated.

I can no longer recommend this author, Gillian Rubinstein.

Rating:
Summary: A LYRICAL, PERSUASIVE VOICE PERFORMANCE
Review: Kevin Gray received plaudits for his readings of " Grass For His Pillow" and "Across The Nightingale Floor," Books One and Two in the Tales of the Otori Series. He delivers another blockbuster performance with the final book in the trilogy, "Brilliance of the Moon." His performing voice is soft yet strong, persuasive, almost lyrical. Aika Nakasone more than holds her own with the sable voiced Gray.

Now safely wed hero Otori Takeo and Shirikawa Kaeda take little time to honeymoon but he sets off to secure what he considers their birthrights. They remember the holy woman's prophecy: "Your lands will stretch from sea to sea, but peace comes at the price of bloodshed. Five battles will buy you peace, four to win and one to lose....."

However, their enemies are formidable as their marriage has infuriated warlord Arai Daiichi and Lord Fujiwara. He is able to emerge victorious in two battles but, meanwhile, he learns that his bride has been kidnaped and turned over to the vengeful Fujiwara.

Obstacles mount and actions escalates, holding listeners in thrall as this mystical tale of medieval Japan unfolds.

"Brilliance of the Moon" is first-rate entertainment leaving listeners hoping for just one more adventure.

- Gail Cooke

Rating:
Summary: Pretty good, but missing something
Review: When this third book came out, I ran to the shelf (I work in a bookstore) amd grabbed it up. I couldn't wait to read it. When i got home, I started it and read the whole thing in four hours. I couldn't wait to find out what would happen to Takeo, Kaede and all the others. The book was as fast paced as the previous two, yet I felt that the battles and the relationships between the major characters were not given enough attention. The first two battles were over and done with in a page or so and the last "major battles" were fought and won more by natural disasters than actual fighting prowess. There were some new characters introduced--Jiro, Hiroshi--that I would have liked to get to know better, whom I thought would end up being Takeo's students, but instead were either killed off or faded quietly into the background. I felt that there should have been more conflict between Arai and Takeo and Akio and the other Kikuta members, not just the master. And Kaede was made into a political pawn and did not seem to have much of a role beyond being a prisoner, which was disappointing, to say the least. Supposedly she had been taking lessons with takeo on being a warrior, but she never even gets a chance to pick up a sword, nor fight against her captor or his sly maid, whom I would have knocked out with something and stuffed in a closet. I felt that Kaede was given short shrift in this book, we didn't even get a chance to see her escape or rescue her sisters or anything.
I also think that Takeo is being way too accepting of the fact that he will one day die at his son's hands. How can he just sit back and say, oh well, one day my son's going to kill me and that's that? He knows his enemies have his son and yet he doesn't even ry and get him away from them. I think it would be much more interesting if he tried to change or defy the "prophecy" and take back his son and raise him as his father, rather than letting the Kikuta turn the boy against him.

All in all this was a good book, thought not as good as expected.

Rating:
Summary: Novels Don't Get Any Better
Review: Wow!!, wow!!, I have just finished reading Brilliance of the Moon and I was totally blown away.
Like the other two novels in the Tales of the Otori trilogy this novel was an absolute pleasure to read.
I have enjoyed many novels over my twenty years of reading but none have ever capitivated me like this trilogy.

I normally read crime, modern mystery or espionage novels but I was drawn to the first of the triolgy Across the Nightingale Floor (ATNF), I must admit by the most beautiful book cover I have ever seen. As a sidenote the book covers for the Australian editions would make a great piece of artwork on any wall.

Once I read ATNF I was hooked, I didn't want it to end but once it ended I was impatiently awaiting the next instalment. I must admit that I have had a fascination for Japan and feudal Japan for a long time ( I recently visited Japan and loved it and imangined many scenes from the novels as I travelled around particullarly at the beautiful and amazing Himeji Castle)and Hearn beautifully captured the country (although a ficitional version of it) and its people.

Hearn has a way with words, that can only be described as art, its like admiring the most beautiful artwork you have ever seen. That may sound like an unusual description but those who have immersed themselves in this story will understand what I mean and hopefully to thosewho have yet to read it they will understand soon.

I can not speak highly enough of these novels and sadly I think all I have to say and all others have to say will never adequately describe the experience of reading these novels.

As another sidenote I read that Across the Nightingale Floor is to be made into a movie, I have some hesitation about this because it surely can not live up to the book, but if anyone involved in the film is reading this you NEED to cast Ken Watanabe (The real star of the Last Samurai) perhaps as either Lord Otori Shigeru or Lord Arai.

So if you haven't read them yet, do yourself a favour, go to the bookshop and buy the trilogy right now, then find a quite comfortable place, open up the novel and have an adventure of a lifetime.

So Lian Hearn (I wish we knew your real name and wish you had an email address so you may get a fan's praise.) take a bow .... Now hurry up and write your next novel.

thank you

Justin