Rating: 
Summary: Much Different Than I Had Expected
Review: I just finished reading Across the Nightingale Floor - Tales of the Otori (Book 1) and am left wanting more - can't wait for the next release! I mistakingly expected the book to be very Harry Potterish with mystical creatures and magic, but found it to be much more - with true romance, much adventure, and a good amount of mystery, as well - always leaving you wondering what's coming up next or what just happened, making you suspicious of characters that you had previously grown to trust and adore. I found all of the pages filled with details that enabled me to totally visualize the setting - like I was a part of the events rather than just reading about them. Her depth and imagery was incredible - I could close my eyes and see the story unfolding in my imagination. Great book - a touch of Romeo & Juliet with a "Castles, Lords & Ladies" twist. P.S. - I thought it was cool that at the end of the book the author, Lion Hearn, gives you a "preview" of the upcoming book "Grass for His Pillow" due to be released in August!
Rating: 
Summary: A good idea with a mediocre execution.
Review: While self-styled medievalists and other historically-correct types might take issue, England's feudal period has proven over time to be the strongest influence on fantasy fiction, bar none. In recent years other historical influences have crept in, such as C.J. Cherryh's Russian-themed RUSALKA and CHERNEVOG. Now the pseudonymous Lian Hearn tackles fantasy with a Japanese twist in ACROSS THE NIGHTINGALE FLOOR.The fantastic content is quite light in this, the first of three projected volumes that comprise the TALES OF OTORI. Hearn's Japan-esque fantasy world is very much like the "real" Japan depicted in stories of Musashi, or in the popular manga series, LONE WOLF AND CUB. Actual Japanese locations and even historical figures appear in the book. Even so, ACROSS THE NIGHTINGALE FLOOR is not set in Japan, but the fictional Three Countries, where people speak Japanese, have Japanese names, and follow Japanese customs. While fans of authors such as James Clavell might balk at such a literary treatment, authors of fantasy novels have done much the same thing with Britain and Europe for decades. Hearn's story is one of revenge, with elements of romance and tragedy in the mix. The book's young hero is rescued from a slaughter by the noble Lord Otori and introduced to the ruling class of the Three Countries, as well as to aspects of his own past that he never knew. Hearn clearly has an affection for the character of Japan and of the traditional adventure story. He includes all the essentials for such a tale, including ninja assassins (here called assassins of The Tribe), and two variations on forbidden love. The only real trouble arises from the bloodless tone Hearn employs, as well as glacial pacing. Despite the fact that the protagonist, Takeo, is handled in first person - the book's other lead, a young noble betrothed to Takeo's master, is written in third person - there's very little character given to him. All of the players, in fact, are portrayed in the coldest, most removed fashion. This makes certain plot developments, such as Takeo's sudden desire for his master's wife-to-be, and her reciprocal longing, utterly unbelievable, because there's been no indicator that the characters have much in the way of real emotion at all. Perhaps Hearn felt the need to pull back from the reader due to ACROSS THE NIGHTINGALE FLOOR being only the first of a series, but since he fails to invest the reader in the goings-on essential to his plot, he doesn't set a particularly strong foundation for what's to come later. His Japan-of-the-fantastic approach is definitely fresh and interesting, but when coupled with his cast of ciphers, the book becomes something of a chore even to finish. Now that someone has managed to crack Japan as a fantasy setting, it will be interesting to see what follows. It's unfortunate that Hearn wasn't able to keep his story and characters as fresh as his setting ideas, but as is so often the case with pioneers, realizing a concept proves more difficult than coming up with it. Perhaps later volumes of TALES OF THE OTORI will address ACROSS THE NIGHTINGALE FLOOR's weaknesses, but this reader will likely not find out.
Rating:
Summary: Good book with a few flaws.
Review: The first book in the Otori series: Across the Nightingale Floor, by Lian Hearn, is a work of fantasy: It takes place in a semi-realistic world, somewhat like feudal Japan. The main character is Takeo: an adopted lord, and son of an assassin.
When Takeo's town is attacked, he is saved by Lord Shigeru. He later adopts Takeo after the village is completely decimated. At Shigeru's home, Takeo is visited by a stranger who turns out to be an assassin named Kenji. Kenji used to work with Takeo's father, and he came to teach Takeo the skills of an assassin. Both Takeo's new teacher and Lord Shigeru have different plans for Takeo. And while all this is going on, Lord Shigeru's bitter enemy Iida, is becoming more powerful. When wars erupt between Shigeru and Iida, Shigeru wants Takeo to assassinate Iida, much to the displeasure of Kenji. In this book Takeo is forced to choose between following either the man who saved him, or the man who taught him all his skills. He finally must decide whether to inherit his adopted father's place and become an important lord or follow his family roots and become a powerful assassin.
I thought Across the Nightingale Floor was a good book with a few flaws. The characters where really stereotypical, especially the villain Iida, Lord Shigeru, and the princes Kaede. The story itself was interesting and I loved the setting. The story takes place in an imaginary world with its own countries, laws, religions, class systems etc. This is what made the book worth reading.
Rating:
Summary: Entertaining but far too predictable
Review: I was extremely excited when I heard of this book: I've been a great fan of the Japanese culture, and a book which was not exactly set in Japan, but in a "fantasy-Japan" held a lot of promise. Unfortunately, the book fell far too short of my expectations. The writing is simple and light, and that is perhaps the best part of the book, as it allows a simple and rather quick reading, making it rather fun to read in the bus or train. However, the story is EXTREMELY predictable -- the part which each character will play is far too easily guessed, and the plot never bears any surprises. The characters are introduced into the story too quickly (the word 'forced' springs to mind), and many of them have little if any psychological depth -- especially the evil guy, who, in this book, is nothing more than a typical evil guy -- so it's very hard to form any empathic bonds with them. Even the protagonist's pain for the losses he suffers falls short, and leaves the reader indifferent. The auther obviously tried to create her own ideal Japan (a less mysogenistic and more Christian place) and this effort shows up pleasantly in the map and the clan mons (or crests, if you will) that show up in the first pages of the book. But this quickly gets very confusing, as the readers are force-fed with the geographical, social and political environment in too little space - which obviously results in massive confusion and quite some headaches to the reader. The auther seems to have forgotten that worlds like Tolkien's occupied at least a dozen books just to present that kind of information. By all means read it, but don't expect an epic or something to read more than once.
Rating: 
Summary: Five Stars it not enough!
Review: Not in several years have I read a book this good, and I have read most fantasy-type books out there. To tell you the truth, I have read so many books that are trash that I have grown used to, perhaps even expecting, poor quality when I read a fantasy novel. Pure drivel like Robert Newcomb's "The Fifth Sorceress" or Terry Goodkind's "The Naked Empire" are popping up like weeds these days. But amidst the piles and piles of rubble, sometimes you find that rose of exceptional beauty. And "Across the Nightingale Floor" is that rose. It's vastly different than the usual run-of-the-mill fantasy novels, unique even. The setting of the book takes place in a mythical Japanese-like society, though it's not a direct allusion to actual history, and it features a smattering of magic. It's a coming of age story, but not in the usual Robert Jordan type of way. Perhaps the best way to describe it is as a recipe: Take the majestic backdrop of "Shogun", mix it with the cool assassin factor of Stoover's brilliant "Hero's Die", imbue it with the oriental mysticism of Eric Lustbader's "Ninja", then toss in a fabulous plot, superlative characterization, a good dose of pathos, a chunk of romance and you have what I consider to be one of the best books, ever. If you have read "A Song of Fire of Ice" fifteen times, spun through the "Wheel of Time" more times than Nynaeve pulls her braid, consumed every Hobb novel, then give this book a shot; it won't disappoint. It's a sweeping epic of love, betrayal, loyalty, magic, and a high quest for revenge, and so damn fine a read you will want to lick the cover when you're done. I HIGHLY recommend you check this book out.
Rating:
Summary: Pleasant surprise - can't wait to read part II and III
Review: This is the story about a young boys destiny, his claiming of his heritage and the discovery of his identity. I really enjoyed this book, set in a medieval Japan-ish world.
It's disturbing, agonizing and in my opinion very well written. Takeo, as our main character is called, becomes involved in politics, and conflicts involving warlords, religion and love. He desperately tries to find out, where his loyalties and sympathies lie, but a mysterious past and friends and enemies who's motives are veiled, makes this a rather difficult task! The rigidness some reviewers criticize - I think is due to the myth-like nature of the story. I however find this very much in accordance with it's subject/style. This is an epic tale, written as a legend.
If you like legendary tales, and books like Clavells "Shogun", this is a book for you!
Rating:
Summary: Utterly engaging!
Review: yeah, it may have been written by a woman (someone seems to have a problem with that), but this book is great! There is also, of course, lots of action. The character development throughout the book is wonderful. You really feel like you know these people. Pick it up. No matter what, you will be entertained.
Rating:
Summary: not fooling anyone....
Review: "He grabbed her by the right hand and pulled her close to him pushing one leg between hers, forcing her thighs apart. She felt the hard bulge of his sex against her..." (Across the Nightingale Floor, pg. 40, Hardback) Someone tell me a woman didn't write that!? I have nothing against female authors J.K. Rowling is one of my favorites, but having read some Mercedes Lackey and some other female authors I had made a conscience decision to NOT read anymore Sci/Fi Fantasy written by women. The blurb about the author is totally gender neutral it's too gender neutral to be...it's fishy. I feel like i was tricked, I went in expecting a book about assasins and got a romantic drama centered around pre-arranged marriages. WITH LITTLE TO NO ACTION (i am on ch. 11 and unless the last two chapters can make up for the first 11...doubt it) and most of the descriptive language used to describe the female and her feelings, not a problem if the assasin was the female but she wasn't. I feel like this woman, in my opinion, thought if she could just get people to pick up the book they would like it. Maybe I am being prejudice but how many of these soft action-less books do i have to go through before i can justly say "it's women writers?" Call me a barbarian but I know what I like. If you are looking for a good story with lots of action, look somewhere else. Oh yeah, through 11 chapters 8 people have died (not including the protagonists village which was destroyed leaving him as the only survivor, but since that is the standard method for introducing these type of characters his village doesnt count) 4 killed by assisted suicide, 1 who was surprised by a guy behind a tree, and 2 beaten to death for standing in the street (seriously).
Rating: 
Summary: Not bad
Review: It was good, but light. For one thing, the author, who uses a pseudonym, claims she was trying to represent a fantasy world that was Japan-like without actually referring to the classes of people involved by their Japanese names and titles. So, while it was obvious that she was referring to ninja and samurai, she never used those terms, but instead used vague descriptions or descriptive words. To me, it seemed a little forced sometimes. Also, I felt as if the book was written for someone in about the 8th Grade. Of course, USA Today is written at that level, so maybe I'm just biased towards the more well read.
In any case, those two small issues aside, it was a good book. The story focuses on an orphan who is taken in first by a great lord in exile or disgrace, depending on your point of view, and, later, by a clan of enigmatic mystics who are basically ninja. There are numerous plot twists of varying degree, though none are too surprising to the well-read. The themes are classically Japanese and the author is unabashedly enamored with Japanese culture. In fact, on her website, she cites a trip to Japan as the inspiration for the novel. Well, series, actually. This is the first book in the Tales of the Otori series and the last has just recently been published.
As a fantasy book goes, Across the Nightingale Floor is rather similar to any of a number of others, but as a novel about a fantasy Japan, which is not historical fiction, it stands virtually alone. In fact, I haven't seen a book similar since I read Barry Hughart's Bridge of Birds, which is about an Ancient China that never really was. And, though I have to admit Lian Hearn could have done more with her work, I still liked the first book enough to buy, and read, the rest of the series.
Rating:
Summary: Nightingale Comes Up a Little Lite
Review: I just finished reading Nightingale and although I was not disappointed with the work as a whole I found there are some problems I feel that Hearn could have improved on.
Although the plot flows seamlessly, if somewhat predictably, towards its conclusion it does leave many things undeveloped; many of Hearn's characters start out interestingly enough, such as the female character Kaede, but then fall into stereotypical roles such as the helpless female and the typical arch-villain of the Tohan Lord who is "drunk on his own power". These characters at first seem to break the stereotypical, purely white vs. black mode, except for Tohan lord who of course never breaks it, but then Hearn steers the characters back into familiar roles that are at this point a little cliché.
Hearn does well enough exploring the traditional Kabuki-esque theme of tragic love, but I feel if he is going to go with the traditional Japanese samurai tale than he should have used feudal Japan as his world seems two-dimensional due to a lack of depth, or he should at least develop his world more.
Hearn's writing style however is excellent and by far the best thing about the work, and in fact Hearn uses words very well to illustrate the severity of a situation, but it is the lack of detail and character development that leaves the book standard instead of excellent.
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