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Tales of the Otori #4
Vid hägerns skarpa skri
The epic conclusion to the bestselling Tales of the Otori-"one of the most thrilling new series of our time."*
The Harsh Cry of the Heron is the rich and stirring finale to a series whose imaginative vision has enthralled millions of readers worldwide, and an extraordinary novel that stands as a thrilling achievement in its own right.
A dazzling epic of warfare and sacrifice, passionate revenge, treacherous betrayal, and unconquerable love, The Harsh Cry of the Heron takes the storytelling achievement of Hearn's fantastic medieval Japanese world to startling new heights of drama and action. Fifteen years of peace and prosperity under the rule of Lord Otori Takeo and his wife Kaede is threatened by a rogue network of assassins, the resurgence of old rivalries, the arrival of foreigners bearing new weapons and religion, and an unfulfilled prophecy that Lord Takeo will die at the hand of a member of his own family.
The Harsh Cry of the Heron is the ultimate conclusion to the Tales of the Otori series that both completes the characters' lives and brilliantly illuminates unexpected aspects of the entire Otori saga.
The Harsh Cry of the Heron is the rich and stirring finale to a series whose imaginative vision has enthralled millions of readers worldwide, and an extraordinary novel that stands as a thrilling achievement in its own right.
A dazzling epic of warfare and sacrifice, passionate revenge, treacherous betrayal, and unconquerable love, The Harsh Cry of the Heron takes the storytelling achievement of Hearn's fantastic medieval Japanese world to startling new heights of drama and action. Fifteen years of peace and prosperity under the rule of Lord Otori Takeo and his wife Kaede is threatened by a rogue network of assassins, the resurgence of old rivalries, the arrival of foreigners bearing new weapons and religion, and an unfulfilled prophecy that Lord Takeo will die at the hand of a member of his own family.
The Harsh Cry of the Heron is the ultimate conclusion to the Tales of the Otori series that both completes the characters' lives and brilliantly illuminates unexpected aspects of the entire Otori saga.
642 pages, Paperback
First published March 7, 2006
370 people are currently reading
6230 people want to read
About the author
Lian Hearn
56 books1,827 followersLian Hearn's beloved Tales of the Otori series, set in an imagined feudal Japan, has sold more than four million copies worldwide and has been translated into nearly forty languages. It is comprised of five volumes: ACROSS THE NIGHTINGALE FLOOR, GRASS FOR HIS PILLOW, BRILLIANCE OF THE MOON, THE HARSH CRY OF THE HERON and HEAVEN'S NET IS WIDE. The series was followed by two standalone novels, BLOSSOMS AND SHADOWS and THE STORYTELLER AND HIS THREE DAUGHTERS, also set in Japan.
Hearn's forthcoming series: The Tale of Shikanoko will be published by FSG in 4 volumes in 2016. Book 1 will be EMPEROR OF EIGHT ISLANDS out in late-April 2016, followed by book 2: AUTUMN PRINCESS, DRAGON CHILD (June), book 3: LORD OF THE DARKWOOD (August), and the final book (#4) THE TENGU'S GAME OF GO (late-Sept. 2016).
Lian has made many trips to Japan and has studied Japanese. She read Modern Languages at Oxford and worked as an editor and film critic in England before immigrating to Australia.
Hearn's forthcoming series: The Tale of Shikanoko will be published by FSG in 4 volumes in 2016. Book 1 will be EMPEROR OF EIGHT ISLANDS out in late-April 2016, followed by book 2: AUTUMN PRINCESS, DRAGON CHILD (June), book 3: LORD OF THE DARKWOOD (August), and the final book (#4) THE TENGU'S GAME OF GO (late-Sept. 2016).
Lian has made many trips to Japan and has studied Japanese. She read Modern Languages at Oxford and worked as an editor and film critic in England before immigrating to Australia.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 491 reviews
January 11, 2019
The fourth book of this Shogunate-ish historical fantasy takes place a good fifteen years after the third book... just long enough for a certain missing son to come back as per the previous prophesy to kill his father.
Oh, boy. Just in case we weren't sure this wasn't a nasty tragedy, we now have ample proof.
This novel brings a ton of new characters and a few of the old into the fold. A solid corner of the empire, a popular rule, and the necessity to go see the emperor. The politics and the brutal necessities were very painful to me and I think I have decided to hate most of these people based only on their treatment of shooting dogs - for sport - as a replacement for war... which eventually comes anyway.
I really did like our MC's gifted twins for quite some time. Until, *spoiler, spoiler*, I want to murder one in particular.
And then there's worse to come. The transformation of intelligence and heart into honorless brutality, misunderstanding, and boundless hate.
Welcome to the Tales of the Otori.
Fortunately, the writing is beautiful and the imagery wonderful. Just be prepared for bloodthirsty Japanese soap-opera.
Oh, boy. Just in case we weren't sure this wasn't a nasty tragedy, we now have ample proof.
This novel brings a ton of new characters and a few of the old into the fold. A solid corner of the empire, a popular rule, and the necessity to go see the emperor. The politics and the brutal necessities were very painful to me and I think I have decided to hate most of these people based only on their treatment of shooting dogs - for sport - as a replacement for war... which eventually comes anyway.
I really did like our MC's gifted twins for quite some time. Until, *spoiler, spoiler*, I want to murder one in particular.
And then there's worse to come. The transformation of intelligence and heart into honorless brutality, misunderstanding, and boundless hate.
Welcome to the Tales of the Otori.
Fortunately, the writing is beautiful and the imagery wonderful. Just be prepared for bloodthirsty Japanese soap-opera.
March 4, 2012
So disappointing! I tore into this book after devouring the original trilogy, but finished the story feeling that my enjoyment of these characters was now compromised. While the story was compelling, I felt the behavior and decisions of some of the main characters were inconsistent with their personas in the first books, thus creating pivotal scenarios that left me questioning the strength of their personas so beautifully developed in the previous books.
As much as I wanted to know the conclusion for the Tales of the Otori series, I would encourage readers to skip this book and savor the strength and depth of the original trilogy. If any final book to an otherwise excellent series needs a rewrite, this is it.
As much as I wanted to know the conclusion for the Tales of the Otori series, I would encourage readers to skip this book and savor the strength and depth of the original trilogy. If any final book to an otherwise excellent series needs a rewrite, this is it.
June 15, 2007
Trying to keep an excellent series going beyond the natural end is always complicated. I was optimistic for this one, however, because Lian Hearn has quite a talent for epic storytelling, and the first three Otori books gripped me from about paragraph 2. In this 4th book Hearn brings some of the more historical threads served as a backdrop to the earlier books to the fore in a story that by its own logic really can't end the way the previous did. The era of feudal kingdoms is over. It is an interesting set up: Otori Takeo, although destined by prophecy to be a great ruler and unifier, also is destined to fall in the way of a Greek trajedy. He believes it, and so can only fight so hard against it. But it isn't just prophecy that determines his fall, and it isn't just Takeo's family that will bear the brunt of this change. Hearn writes the inevitable aftermath of the epic trilogy as the story of outside forces (Portuguese explorers) and the internal logics of nationmanking coming back to undo the very ruler who brought them in. So I like this book on a meta-level, but I was left mostly unsatisfied by the character development. Seeing Takeo as the older, wiser father was a fun change, as was seeing some of the youngest characters grow up. And yet there were so many of them that the book lost focus. It seems like Hearn couldn't decide between writing another trilogy with this new generation of characters or tying up loose ends with one book. Because of this, the reader gets many choices of characters and subplots with which to to identify only to watch them all die, or fade out, or do something stupid before they can really develop before our eyes. It is frustrating. I wanted to really root for someone and watch them survive valiantly despite all obstacles, and I kept getting the rug yanked out from under me. Now, there are books where this kind of disappointment is endemic, and those books are often really good. But I didn't start reading the Otori books for a lesson in pessimism or realpolitik, and greek tragedy has never really been my thing. So I understand what Hearn was trying to achieve, but I was frustrated by all the interesting people left along the way. Still, there undoubtably will be a book in the future about Takeo's daughter, and I will undoubtably read it. Hearn's focus on strong female characters has always been a selling point in this series for me and I'm willing to bet that the new book will be more focused and hence a whole lot better.
January 25, 2016
The best end that this series should have.... Excellent work!!!!
January 12, 2019
This is the last installment telling the family history of Takeo Otori, his wife and children, and part of me wishes I had never read the story.
15 years have passed since the events of the last book. Takeo and Kaede have three daughters, Shigeko and the twins Miki and Maya. Due to superstitions regarding twins as well as Miki and Maya showing many of the Tribe gifts, the two girls are shunned - even by their own mother which made me hate Kaede.
As Shigeko is the oldest, she is trained in battle as well as accounts so she can one day not only inherit Maruyama from her mother but also the three countries upon the death of her father.
However, one of Arai's illegitimate sons by Shizuka, now married to one of Kaede's younger sisters (Hana), is causing trouble much like his father did. He even converted to Christianity (the new religion in town, so to speak) in order to form an alliance with the Portuguese who are only allowed limited trade on Takeo's orders.
Enter Saga, a military commander conquering all provinces for the all but powerless Emperor, and Akio Kikuta who is still trying to kill Takeo through his illegitimate son Hisao.
Kenji still lives and desperately tries to get to his grandson, there are more Tribe gifts going round these days than ever (which I found odd), and new political dangers are rearing their ugly heads on top of the already known factors.
However, all the fighting and intrigue is nothing compared to the family drama here. After all they've been through, after all the personal tragedies endured, I am supposed to believe that Kaede would fear, hate and even reject her own daughters?! Sure, she's not a fan of the Tribe but Takeo has gifts, too, and she never shunned him so why would she do that to her own flesh and blood?! Nope. It also made me resent her wholeheartedly.
I was always so proud of the deftly included soft feminism of these tales what with Lady Maruyama and Kaede and how they forged their own plans while letting men believe they were soft and useless other than as birthing machines. Here, however, that all fell apart.
If you ask me, it was all pretty much a convoluted mess to crank up the drama and while we already had a lot of drama and heartbreak in the first three, this felt much more stilted than those others.
Let's face it: that prophecy could have been beaten but nooo, this had to be a story of inescapable fate which I always hate (it suggests that we can do whatever we want because everything is preordained anyway).
The writing style was once again beautiful, almost poetic, without being pretentious, but it couldn't make up for the problems I had with where the author took this story. So I can only give this installment 3.5 stars, which I'm generously rounding up because I really loved the setting and previous books.
March 5, 2012
He should've ended it after the second book. That way I wouldn't have to endure the torture the next two books brought me. Luckily, I'm not compelled to finish the series anymore, because the last one is a prequel.
Anyway, onto the rant.
If Brilliance of the Moon was terrible compared to Across the Nightingale Floor, then this book was terrible compared to Brilliance of the Moon. It was that bad.
For one thing, it's set 16 years into the future, so the magic of the characters is gone. They're completely different, and not in a good way. The whole island is on the brink of war AGAIN (that makes it 3 times, right?) but this time, Takeo is a pacifist. Yup. You read that right.
Also, it's all about firearms now, and it's left the traditional Eastern way of fighting.
And I thought Japan was against Western influence.
Anyway, there's a whole new cast of characters this time, including:
Taku, one of Shizuka's son.
Zenko, the other son of Shikuza. He married Kaede's sister Hana and together they're planning on betraying Takeo.
Shigeko, Takeo's oldest daughter.
Maya and Miki, Takeo's twin girls.
Which reminds me another reason I hated the book: Kaede's an asshole. Apparently, her royalty has gone to her head, and she hates her daughters because she wants a son (she doesn't know about the prophecy yet). She also tries overthrow Takeo herself.
And that brings me to the final reason why I absolutely hated this book: The ending.
Basically, Kaede kicked Takeo's ass out of the castle, and then Akio shows up with Takeo's son and tries to kill him.
Then, the son accidentally kills Akio, and somewhere in the fight one of the twins dies.
Then Takeo kills himself.
The worst part about it was that you didn't even experience the fight, you just read about it in a letter.
And then there's the even worse part.
Kaede does a complete 180 and "regrets what she's done". She also mentions that "she can't live without him" even though it was her fault Takeo died.
Ya' dun goofed.
And then the book ends.
I'm not even kidding you.
It just ends.
It's like putting down a rabid dog: it happens really quickly but then you're glad it's over.
Final Rating: 1 and 1/2
Anyway, onto the rant.
If Brilliance of the Moon was terrible compared to Across the Nightingale Floor, then this book was terrible compared to Brilliance of the Moon. It was that bad.
For one thing, it's set 16 years into the future, so the magic of the characters is gone. They're completely different, and not in a good way. The whole island is on the brink of war AGAIN (that makes it 3 times, right?) but this time, Takeo is a pacifist. Yup. You read that right.
Also, it's all about firearms now, and it's left the traditional Eastern way of fighting.
And I thought Japan was against Western influence.
Anyway, there's a whole new cast of characters this time, including:
Taku, one of Shizuka's son.
Zenko, the other son of Shikuza. He married Kaede's sister Hana and together they're planning on betraying Takeo.
Shigeko, Takeo's oldest daughter.
Maya and Miki, Takeo's twin girls.
Which reminds me another reason I hated the book: Kaede's an asshole. Apparently, her royalty has gone to her head, and she hates her daughters because she wants a son (she doesn't know about the prophecy yet). She also tries overthrow Takeo herself.
And that brings me to the final reason why I absolutely hated this book: The ending.
Basically, Kaede kicked Takeo's ass out of the castle, and then Akio shows up with Takeo's son and tries to kill him.
Then, the son accidentally kills Akio, and somewhere in the fight one of the twins dies.
Then Takeo kills himself.
The worst part about it was that you didn't even experience the fight, you just read about it in a letter.
And then there's the even worse part.
Kaede does a complete 180 and "regrets what she's done". She also mentions that "she can't live without him" even though it was her fault Takeo died.
Ya' dun goofed.
And then the book ends.
I'm not even kidding you.
It just ends.
It's like putting down a rabid dog: it happens really quickly but then you're glad it's over.
Final Rating: 1 and 1/2
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 14, 2021
Sadly this concluding book (I know the prequel was written after this, but this brings to an end the actual tales of the Otori in chronological order) did not live up to the overall enjoyable experience of the trilogy which began their story. I found it so difficult to read that I had to lay aside this long book for days at a time and read something else, hence it took me almost a month lapse time to get to the end. There is so much tragedy, so many characters killed off, and certain ones behaving totally out of character just to get the plot to work and a certain prophecy to be fulfilled, or at least that was how I felt about it, especially Kaede who started out in book 1 of the series as a fiesty, gutsy heroine, became passive and a pawn in later books and in this becomes a character I detested.
To precis, the sixteen year peaceful rein of Takeo and Kaede is torn apart by a) outside forces such as the Portugese and the Emperor and his general, b) enemies within such as Kaede's sister and her husband, and members of the Tribe who have never forgiven Takeo for limiting their power, c) Takeo's inability to be completely honest with Kaede, d) Kaede's negative attitude to some of her children and her giving more prominence to a son.
A major problem I had with the book is that I didn't believe that, even grief stricken, Kaede would have acted as she did, despoiling and destroying certain places and having people put to death. There were also too many characters to keep track of, and by the end of the story it isn't clear what happens to quite a few of them. New Tribe gifts appear which were never aluded to in the earlier books and rather stretch suspension of belief to breaking point especially when a ghost is able to materialise enough to cook dinner and provide accommodation on a regular basis. And the ending is very odd with the climatic scene being narrated in a letter written to Kaede. As before, the writing is lovely but the book is a complete downer with all the negativity. So can only give it a 2 star 'OK' rating.
To precis, the sixteen year peaceful rein of Takeo and Kaede is torn apart by a) outside forces such as the Portugese and the Emperor and his general, b) enemies within such as Kaede's sister and her husband, and members of the Tribe who have never forgiven Takeo for limiting their power, c) Takeo's inability to be completely honest with Kaede, d) Kaede's negative attitude to some of her children and her giving more prominence to a son.
A major problem I had with the book is that I didn't believe that, even grief stricken, Kaede would have acted as she did, despoiling and destroying certain places and having people put to death. There were also too many characters to keep track of, and by the end of the story it isn't clear what happens to quite a few of them. New Tribe gifts appear which were never aluded to in the earlier books and rather stretch suspension of belief to breaking point especially when a ghost is able to materialise enough to cook dinner and provide accommodation on a regular basis. And the ending is very odd with the climatic scene being narrated in a letter written to Kaede. As before, the writing is lovely but the book is a complete downer with all the negativity. So can only give it a 2 star 'OK' rating.
June 10, 2011
Wow...
What a way to finish the tale of the Otori, 16 years after the 'happy ever after', Lian Hearn truly did capture the essence of Japanese tales in all it's tragic beauty coupled with the usual innter turmoils of emotions in relation to their roles and duties in their daily lives.
To be honest, the ending left me curious to see 'what happened next', thus I have some affinity to the characters throughout the tales.
Best of all, I suppose, the author protrayed the beauty and tragedy that is human nature, how events and emotions can drive someone from the 'good side' to the 'bad side', how not everything is black and white, good or evil, but through the complexity of it all, we still must strive for peace and harmony until it's our time to leave the Earth as we know it.
- It definitly has been an enjoyable read, and I now look forward to checking out the prequel to how it all began with 'Heaven's Net is Wide' ^^
It's a 4 star from me, however I would place this as one of my favourites, since it inspired me as a foreigner living in Japan who also dabbles in writing as to what can work as a successful tale based on traditions of old on a culture that is so removed from the West.
So 5 stars just to get it up there on my favourite shelf ^^
What a way to finish the tale of the Otori, 16 years after the 'happy ever after', Lian Hearn truly did capture the essence of Japanese tales in all it's tragic beauty coupled with the usual innter turmoils of emotions in relation to their roles and duties in their daily lives.
To be honest, the ending left me curious to see 'what happened next', thus I have some affinity to the characters throughout the tales.
Best of all, I suppose, the author protrayed the beauty and tragedy that is human nature, how events and emotions can drive someone from the 'good side' to the 'bad side', how not everything is black and white, good or evil, but through the complexity of it all, we still must strive for peace and harmony until it's our time to leave the Earth as we know it.
- It definitly has been an enjoyable read, and I now look forward to checking out the prequel to how it all began with 'Heaven's Net is Wide' ^^
It's a 4 star from me, however I would place this as one of my favourites, since it inspired me as a foreigner living in Japan who also dabbles in writing as to what can work as a successful tale based on traditions of old on a culture that is so removed from the West.
So 5 stars just to get it up there on my favourite shelf ^^
April 18, 2017
I always find it incredibly hard to review, or even rate, a book I read as a child, because, first, how much of said book do I really remember? But most importantly, how much of what I remember feeling about this book is actually the book's doing, and how much is just nostalgia?
I read The Harsh Cry of the Heron when I was in high school. It certainly wasn't my favourite book, and it wasn't the first one I read that made me cry. But it's the book that introduced me to bitter endings.
My uncle had given me the first book in this series as a birthday gift when I was in middle school, and I had loved it, though it had seemed really weird to me. So when I found out the local library had the rest of the series, I couldn't wait to read it. I had to wait some time, though, to read the last one, and when I finally did, it had been, what? two years, maybe, since I had read the third book in the series.
The first three books aren't sweet or comforting AT ALL, okay? Awful things happen to good men and most of them seem pointless, and people have to make sacrifices that really feel like sacrifices (by this I mean they don't just forget about the sacrifice they made because in the end it was worth it - though most of the time they still believe it was worth it.)
But I didn't expect the last book to be so harsh.
From what I remember, this book takes place some years after the third one. Takeo and Kaede (not sure about the name - I did say it's been some time since I read this book) are older
I don't really remember anything I didn't like about this book. It's well written, the characters are well fleshed out, and the plot is alright.
But it is so dark, so depressing! There are few books that make me want to curl up under my blankets for the rest of my life and forget the world even exists, but this one did. When I said bad things happen to good characters in this series, I meant it, and as far as I'm concerned, I found no hope left in this book, in the end.
In short, this is what I remember of this book: it is filled with a sort of quiet despair, and the harsh battles the characters fought in the previous books seem to have been fought and won in vain.
I read The Harsh Cry of the Heron when I was in high school. It certainly wasn't my favourite book, and it wasn't the first one I read that made me cry. But it's the book that introduced me to bitter endings.
My uncle had given me the first book in this series as a birthday gift when I was in middle school, and I had loved it, though it had seemed really weird to me. So when I found out the local library had the rest of the series, I couldn't wait to read it. I had to wait some time, though, to read the last one, and when I finally did, it had been, what? two years, maybe, since I had read the third book in the series.
The first three books aren't sweet or comforting AT ALL, okay? Awful things happen to good men and most of them seem pointless, and people have to make sacrifices that really feel like sacrifices (by this I mean they don't just forget about the sacrifice they made because in the end it was worth it - though most of the time they still believe it was worth it.)
But I didn't expect the last book to be so harsh.
From what I remember, this book takes place some years after the third one. Takeo and Kaede (not sure about the name - I did say it's been some time since I read this book) are older
I don't really remember anything I didn't like about this book. It's well written, the characters are well fleshed out, and the plot is alright.
But it is so dark, so depressing! There are few books that make me want to curl up under my blankets for the rest of my life and forget the world even exists, but this one did. When I said bad things happen to good characters in this series, I meant it, and as far as I'm concerned, I found no hope left in this book, in the end.
In short, this is what I remember of this book: it is filled with a sort of quiet despair, and the harsh battles the characters fought in the previous books seem to have been fought and won in vain.
September 11, 2011
This is what I was afraid of. I loved and was extremely satisfied with the trilogy, particularly its bitter-sweet ending. It just felt right. I should have stopped there. Then there was this book, which was much more bitter than sweet in so many ways. Yet with all the bitterness in this book, it was incredibly well done and I don't regret reading it.
Sixteen years has come and gone since the end of the last book. All the characters I came to know in the trilogy are old, still viable in a lot of ways, but have lost their immortality of youth. It seems all of them are struggling to find peace with their coming deaths. This whole novel was a struggle, one I couldn't look away from and I didn't find any of the endings happy, though many were peaceful. And honestly, though I left this book with a somewhat bad taste in my mouth, I must say Hearn's storytelling was once again riveting and colorful. I can't not like the overall book, though the disappointments were many.
Kaede, who I had come to adore in the first three books, bitterly disappointed me in this book. I saw none of the strong woman she should have been. Takeo was still shrewd and strong to a point, but he let his infirmities and compassion weaken him in ways I did not expect of him. Kaede and Takeo's daughters were fabulous additions to the story, but because the story didn't really focus on them, I found their character development stunted. I had to accept their actions, particularly of the twins, at face value rather than really seeing how who they were directed what they did. It was a sad let-down after coming to know Takeo and Kaede so intimately.
I would have loved more exploration into the tribe skills brought to light in this book. The ghostmaster, possession, and whatever skill Miki possessed that was so powerful but not named or explained make for tantalizing hints that could be stories in and of themselves. I feel there will be more to come even though Hearn named this book as the last tale of the Otori. She can't leave these characters in their sad state. Their tales have not been fully told.
Sixteen years has come and gone since the end of the last book. All the characters I came to know in the trilogy are old, still viable in a lot of ways, but have lost their immortality of youth. It seems all of them are struggling to find peace with their coming deaths. This whole novel was a struggle, one I couldn't look away from and I didn't find any of the endings happy, though many were peaceful. And honestly, though I left this book with a somewhat bad taste in my mouth, I must say Hearn's storytelling was once again riveting and colorful. I can't not like the overall book, though the disappointments were many.
Kaede, who I had come to adore in the first three books, bitterly disappointed me in this book. I saw none of the strong woman she should have been. Takeo was still shrewd and strong to a point, but he let his infirmities and compassion weaken him in ways I did not expect of him. Kaede and Takeo's daughters were fabulous additions to the story, but because the story didn't really focus on them, I found their character development stunted. I had to accept their actions, particularly of the twins, at face value rather than really seeing how who they were directed what they did. It was a sad let-down after coming to know Takeo and Kaede so intimately.
I would have loved more exploration into the tribe skills brought to light in this book. The ghostmaster, possession, and whatever skill Miki possessed that was so powerful but not named or explained make for tantalizing hints that could be stories in and of themselves. I feel there will be more to come even though Hearn named this book as the last tale of the Otori. She can't leave these characters in their sad state. Their tales have not been fully told.
on-hold
May 22, 2020I am not even going to pretend that I remember anything that took place in this book.
Or, that I have any intention of actually finding out, in fact.
I just noticed that I first picked up this book seven (SEVEN!) years ago, and honestly, I don't feel like I will be going back to it. Until not now.
It will still be in my bookcase, though, in case I decide I'm in the mood for it. (Along with the other books in the series, including one prequel I am not likely to read any time soon.)
I am not sure what exactly went wrong between this novel and me, it might be everything, even the translation. Not discouraging anyone from picking it up, though, especially if you are into Japanese folklore (which I thought I was - sigh).
Or, that I have any intention of actually finding out, in fact.
I just noticed that I first picked up this book seven (SEVEN!) years ago, and honestly, I don't feel like I will be going back to it. Until not now.
It will still be in my bookcase, though, in case I decide I'm in the mood for it. (Along with the other books in the series, including one prequel I am not likely to read any time soon.)
I am not sure what exactly went wrong between this novel and me, it might be everything, even the translation. Not discouraging anyone from picking it up, though, especially if you are into Japanese folklore (which I thought I was - sigh).
August 25, 2017
Probably the weakest in the series: not enough attention for the development of the characters (much could have been added about the three girls, about Hisao and some others), new tribe skills introduced but not explained (cat possession, ghost mastership, Miki's unnamed talent), some characters left without an ending (as Shizuka, Kahei's family, Madaren), inconsistent behavior The ending is kind of rushed and somewhat hard to believe.
Nevertheless, the book has the same fluent prose style, very easy to read and plunge in the artfully created world.
Nevertheless, the book has the same fluent prose style, very easy to read and plunge in the artfully created world.
August 11, 2009
I might have given this volume a five star rating for the second half of the story. I thought of all the books, including Book 5, this was the slowest to get going. Actually, it was almost uninteresting enough to stop reading and it was only the desire to complete the cycle that I persevered.
As the story unfolded and the intrigue began to take shape I think Lian Hearn started firing on all cylinders. I absolutely loved the development of Takeo and Kaede's daughter, Shigeko, and the role she came to play as a heroine and faithful daughter. Her participation in the Emperor's contest in the capital and later in the major battle to save both Takeo and the Three Countries was almost mesmerizing.
The Harsh Cry of the Heron seemed to have a depth and poignancy that exceeded the other books in the series. Although each story was brilliant in it's own right, and character development superb, I found my emotions being played by a virtuoso. One minute I was thrilled, the next disgusted, followed by disbelief, followed by anger, and so on until the final scene in the Temple where the story concludes. I have spent a lot of hours consuming a series that spans at least sixteen hundred pages and three generations of Otori, yet I want more. Now that's some great writing!
As the story unfolded and the intrigue began to take shape I think Lian Hearn started firing on all cylinders. I absolutely loved the development of Takeo and Kaede's daughter, Shigeko, and the role she came to play as a heroine and faithful daughter. Her participation in the Emperor's contest in the capital and later in the major battle to save both Takeo and the Three Countries was almost mesmerizing.
The Harsh Cry of the Heron seemed to have a depth and poignancy that exceeded the other books in the series. Although each story was brilliant in it's own right, and character development superb, I found my emotions being played by a virtuoso. One minute I was thrilled, the next disgusted, followed by disbelief, followed by anger, and so on until the final scene in the Temple where the story concludes. I have spent a lot of hours consuming a series that spans at least sixteen hundred pages and three generations of Otori, yet I want more. Now that's some great writing!
January 9, 2017
First off - I read this when I was only a teenager myself when it was brand new, so my opinion might be different if I read it today.
I absolutely love the Otori trilogy and it's prequel, so I of course picked this one up as soon as it was out. But while the others sucked me in right away and had me engaged with the characters on a high level, this one disappointed me a lot. It felt like our main protagonist changed from a strong boy/man to someone always going on about just oh how old he is now. How everything hurts. How his back hurts. How he isn't young anymore.... You get the gist of it.
While of course it might be hard to get old and "frail" when you were once a fighter and your body functioning is a big part not only of your life but also your survival and those of your loved ones - I still can't see him change to someone so "whiny" about it. And I could never do with moaning people. My way is always: clenched teeth and up and forward we go! (As said, I might feel differently if I read it for the first time today.)
I know that not only did this book disappoint me, but it also put a but of a shallow taste on the other books, which was even worse for me.
The plot itself I remember as being interesting, but completely overshadowed by the complaining.
I absolutely love the Otori trilogy and it's prequel, so I of course picked this one up as soon as it was out. But while the others sucked me in right away and had me engaged with the characters on a high level, this one disappointed me a lot. It felt like our main protagonist changed from a strong boy/man to someone always going on about just oh how old he is now. How everything hurts. How his back hurts. How he isn't young anymore.... You get the gist of it.
While of course it might be hard to get old and "frail" when you were once a fighter and your body functioning is a big part not only of your life but also your survival and those of your loved ones - I still can't see him change to someone so "whiny" about it. And I could never do with moaning people. My way is always: clenched teeth and up and forward we go! (As said, I might feel differently if I read it for the first time today.)
I know that not only did this book disappoint me, but it also put a but of a shallow taste on the other books, which was even worse for me.
The plot itself I remember as being interesting, but completely overshadowed by the complaining.
May 18, 2012
Cuando una historia se basa en una profecía es difícil sorprenderse del final.. sin embargo este libro me dejó un sabor "raro" de boca.. fue un final triste como solo las buenas leyendas lo pueden tener..
Una historia de amor legendaria, con subidas y bajadas y solo la pérdida de la confianza lo puede destruir.. Mi personaje favorito: Shizuka, no importa que pasaba ella supo mantener su sonrisa hasta que el dolor la destruyó y aún así logro convertirse en parte de los personajes legendarios..
El que menos me gustó... Kaede, por alguna extraña razón nunca logré sentir simpatía por ella, si, luchó contra la adversidad, si, tuvo muchas cosas malas que vencer pero siento que ella siempre lo dio todo por sentado pero por como rechazó a sus hijas por "el que dirán" (cuando a ella Takeo nunca la rechazó a pesar de su "reputación") y luego dejarse engatusar por Hana... Le perdí el poco respeto que me había hecho tenerle..
Recomiendo esta serie con los ojos cerrados a todos los que disfruten de las grandes leyendas e historias de amor sin final feliz..
Una historia de amor legendaria, con subidas y bajadas y solo la pérdida de la confianza lo puede destruir.. Mi personaje favorito: Shizuka, no importa que pasaba ella supo mantener su sonrisa hasta que el dolor la destruyó y aún así logro convertirse en parte de los personajes legendarios..
El que menos me gustó... Kaede, por alguna extraña razón nunca logré sentir simpatía por ella, si, luchó contra la adversidad, si, tuvo muchas cosas malas que vencer pero siento que ella siempre lo dio todo por sentado pero por como rechazó a sus hijas por "el que dirán" (cuando a ella Takeo nunca la rechazó a pesar de su "reputación") y luego dejarse engatusar por Hana... Le perdí el poco respeto que me había hecho tenerle..
Recomiendo esta serie con los ojos cerrados a todos los que disfruten de las grandes leyendas e historias de amor sin final feliz..
October 12, 2011
I loved the first three books of the Tales of the Otori series, but I don't think I can ever reread this one. It wasn't that it was poorly written, because it still maintained the lovely style of prose that the other three had. But, because of the 'prophecy' that was given at the start of the series, Hearn was forced to break the characters out of their predefined personalities. To have the prophecy come true, certain characters had to act out of character. When they've been defined in a certain way, and have adhered to that for all the other books, it becomes very irritating when they suddenly do not act that way. It really bothered me, which is why I was so dissatisfied with this installment in the Otori series.
June 1, 2024
Pretty damn good series!
November 10, 2018
Well ... what a way to destroy your characters ... if you enjoyed the original trilogy and have any attachment to the characters, you might want to skip this one. Kaoru and Takeo especially behave so out of character and not in a good way. They're stupid and naive for the sake of drama.
July 1, 2018
WARNING! Animal cruelty in the last few chapters.
May 14, 2025
Después de toda la historia, mas o menos es un final esperado, pero no en la manera que se produce, por lo que no hay que esperar nada para que pase todo.
No me gusta hacer spoiler aun cuando esté oculto, asi que no diré nada específico.
Siento que el final es demasiado triste, y que me faltaron cosas por saber. También por la forma en que se producen los acontecimientos al final, me quedo con la impresión que me falta información para saber como siguen los personajes con los que terminamos la historia. será que se vienen más libros? ojalá.
Hace tiempo que tenía estos libros en mis pendientes y por fin los leí, y aunque me falta por leer la precuela aún. sé que allí se entenderá el comienzo de todo, pero la historia al menos hasta el año que se publicó este libro termina aquí. En fin, me quedé con ganas de más Leyenda de los Otori.
No me gusta hacer spoiler aun cuando esté oculto, asi que no diré nada específico.
Siento que el final es demasiado triste, y que me faltaron cosas por saber. También por la forma en que se producen los acontecimientos al final, me quedo con la impresión que me falta información para saber como siguen los personajes con los que terminamos la historia. será que se vienen más libros? ojalá.
Hace tiempo que tenía estos libros en mis pendientes y por fin los leí, y aunque me falta por leer la precuela aún. sé que allí se entenderá el comienzo de todo, pero la historia al menos hasta el año que se publicó este libro termina aquí. En fin, me quedé con ganas de más Leyenda de los Otori.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 23, 2009
Fuihh.....makin seru aja nih cerita Lord Otori Takeo dan keluarganya. Setelah lumayan jelek di Klan Otori II dan meningkat lagi di Klan Otori III tapi dengan ending yang kurang memuaskan, akhirnya di seri IV ini semuanya terbayar. (yah walopun cape' mata n cape' tangan coz bukunya tuebell). Dibuku ke-IV ini bercerita tentang pengkhianatan, kepercayaan, perkembangan anak-anak takeo, kisah cinta shigeko (cinta yg tidak bisa terucapkan) yang sangat menyentuh dan kematian-kematian yang tragis.
Anak-anak Takeo udah gedhe dan semuanya cewek; shigeko yang berjiwa pemimpin, Maya+Miki (anak kembar) yang kehadiranya tidak disukai masyarakat dan kaede karena mitos kutukan anak kembar (huh!! Nyebelin banget nih kaede di buku ke-IV ini). Tapi keahlian Maya+Miki tinggi banget, karena itu mereka lebih sering tinggal brsama tribe buat berlatih. Sementara itu kemampuan takeo telah menurun drastis akibat cacat ditangannya, ditambah dengan banyaknya orang kepercayaan Takeo yang tewas dan kisah mengejutkan tentang adik Takeo yang ternyata masih hidup; Intrik pengkhianatan dari anak Shizuka & Arai (Zenko) yang menikah dengan Hanna (ade’ kaede) yang seru abiz, dan kekhawatiran kaisar dengan reputasi Takeo yang terus meningkat membuat posisi Takeo sebagai pemimpin 3 negara terancam.
Kehidupan di Tiga Negara udah makmur dan terbebas dari perang selama 16 tauh berkat kerja keras otory-kaede dan tunduknya tribe. Tapi kelompok Kikuta pimpinan Akio masih terus menyimpan dendam namun sedikit kecewa dengan hisao, anak takeo hasil hubungan dengan yuki (KLan Otori I) yang ga' nunjukin kekuatan kikuta yang dahsyat. Tapi akio berhasil menjalin kerjasama dengan zenko yang telah berkomplot dengan kelp. kuroda + pihak asing + lord kono (anak fujiwara yg hombreng itu lho).
Taku (adik zenko) dibunuh kelp. kikuta atas perintah zenko, tekad Takeo untuk menghindari perang dengan kaisar ternyata gagal, Maya disekap Akio yang justru membantu Hisao untuk menggunakan kekuatannya menjadi pemimpin dunia arwah dan mendengarkan pesan Yuki, Shizuka diancam untuk ikut Zenko/bunuh diri, Miki melarikan diri dari Shizuka untuk mencari Maya, Hana yang diliputi dendam karena cintanya ditolak Takeo bersiap membuka rahasia takeo akan anaknya kepada Kaede dan segudang rencana licik lainnya menemui Kaede yang baru melahirkan anak laki-laki.
Yup, perang emang tidak bisa dihindari. Kehadiran Takeo di kekaisaran yang semula diterima dengan baik akhirnya juga berakhir perang karena kaisar tersinggung dengan ikutnya jerapah (lambang restu surgawi terhadap pemimpin) kembali ikut Takeo. Teknik pertempurannya bagus, di sini Shizuka menjadi pahlawan karena berhasil memanah mata sang jenderal. Tapi kemenangan ini tidak ada artinya karena Kaede dengan sangat mengejutkan berhasil dipengaruhi Hana dan meninggalkan Tiga Negara. Akhirnya untuk menggalang kekuatan melawan Zenko, Shizuka bersedia menjadi istri sang Jenderal dan Takeo meletakkan kepemimpinannya dan kembali ke biara. Sementara itu, Maya dan Miki dengan bantuan arwah Yuki berhasil melarikan diri dan pergi ke biara.
Di biara inilah Takeo menemui ajalnya, bukan seperti ramalan yang selalu menghantui Takeo, tapi...hmmm baca ndiri ajalah, ntar malah ga seru kalo diceritain semuanya:D
Anak-anak Takeo udah gedhe dan semuanya cewek; shigeko yang berjiwa pemimpin, Maya+Miki (anak kembar) yang kehadiranya tidak disukai masyarakat dan kaede karena mitos kutukan anak kembar (huh!! Nyebelin banget nih kaede di buku ke-IV ini). Tapi keahlian Maya+Miki tinggi banget, karena itu mereka lebih sering tinggal brsama tribe buat berlatih. Sementara itu kemampuan takeo telah menurun drastis akibat cacat ditangannya, ditambah dengan banyaknya orang kepercayaan Takeo yang tewas dan kisah mengejutkan tentang adik Takeo yang ternyata masih hidup; Intrik pengkhianatan dari anak Shizuka & Arai (Zenko) yang menikah dengan Hanna (ade’ kaede) yang seru abiz, dan kekhawatiran kaisar dengan reputasi Takeo yang terus meningkat membuat posisi Takeo sebagai pemimpin 3 negara terancam.
Kehidupan di Tiga Negara udah makmur dan terbebas dari perang selama 16 tauh berkat kerja keras otory-kaede dan tunduknya tribe. Tapi kelompok Kikuta pimpinan Akio masih terus menyimpan dendam namun sedikit kecewa dengan hisao, anak takeo hasil hubungan dengan yuki (KLan Otori I) yang ga' nunjukin kekuatan kikuta yang dahsyat. Tapi akio berhasil menjalin kerjasama dengan zenko yang telah berkomplot dengan kelp. kuroda + pihak asing + lord kono (anak fujiwara yg hombreng itu lho).
Taku (adik zenko) dibunuh kelp. kikuta atas perintah zenko, tekad Takeo untuk menghindari perang dengan kaisar ternyata gagal, Maya disekap Akio yang justru membantu Hisao untuk menggunakan kekuatannya menjadi pemimpin dunia arwah dan mendengarkan pesan Yuki, Shizuka diancam untuk ikut Zenko/bunuh diri, Miki melarikan diri dari Shizuka untuk mencari Maya, Hana yang diliputi dendam karena cintanya ditolak Takeo bersiap membuka rahasia takeo akan anaknya kepada Kaede dan segudang rencana licik lainnya menemui Kaede yang baru melahirkan anak laki-laki.
Yup, perang emang tidak bisa dihindari. Kehadiran Takeo di kekaisaran yang semula diterima dengan baik akhirnya juga berakhir perang karena kaisar tersinggung dengan ikutnya jerapah (lambang restu surgawi terhadap pemimpin) kembali ikut Takeo. Teknik pertempurannya bagus, di sini Shizuka menjadi pahlawan karena berhasil memanah mata sang jenderal. Tapi kemenangan ini tidak ada artinya karena Kaede dengan sangat mengejutkan berhasil dipengaruhi Hana dan meninggalkan Tiga Negara. Akhirnya untuk menggalang kekuatan melawan Zenko, Shizuka bersedia menjadi istri sang Jenderal dan Takeo meletakkan kepemimpinannya dan kembali ke biara. Sementara itu, Maya dan Miki dengan bantuan arwah Yuki berhasil melarikan diri dan pergi ke biara.
Di biara inilah Takeo menemui ajalnya, bukan seperti ramalan yang selalu menghantui Takeo, tapi...hmmm baca ndiri ajalah, ntar malah ga seru kalo diceritain semuanya:D
January 22, 2019
Like many others here, I loved the Tales of the Otori trilogy and wanted to spend some more time with my favourite characters from it so I picked up the sequel. And like many others, I was really devastated and disappointed by this conclusion.
Others have diagnosed the problem as perhaps being that the author determined to show how the prophecy of Takeo dying at his son's hands could come true, and by insisting on being true to the prophecy, she was then less true to the characters. Especially Kaede, who deserved much better, but also Takeo himself.
I had trouble from the very beginning with Kaede, and the idea that she would be ambivalent about her extraordinary twin daughters. I know many people who despised Catelyn Stark from Game of Thrones for the way she mistreated Jon Snow - but Jon Snow wasn't even Catelyn's kid! Maya and Miki were Kaede's kids, and she gave them the Jon Snow treatment, which poisoned them and broke the family dynamic.
But then Kaede went completely off the rails. Being upset and jealous when finding out about Yuki and Hisao? Sure. Having some harsh words for Takeo, maybe even being cold to him when they met? Certainly. But them having a great love, for the ages, is supposed to mean that when she finds this out she is willing to burn down his house, kill his men, and send him to his death? No. No. Outrageous. This book transforms Kaede from an exemplar of steadfastness and loyalty, which she was in the trilogy, to a hateful, despicable figure. I will have to actively forget this book so that I can enjoy Kaede's character in the original trilogy.
Takeo is also super frustrating. His tolerance of Kaede's dislike for the twins makes him complicit in a way that makes no sense. He got to where he is through his wits - but, though he knows and anticipates Zenko's treason and Kikuta Akio's, he is unable to take any meaningful countermeasures. Why? Supposedly because he has become tired and pacifist? So tired and pacifist that he lets these people kill his men, lets Zenko and Hana kill Taku, and plunge the country back into war? Again, this makes no sense at all.
If the author had made Hisao a more formidable villain, and likewise had Lord Saga's invasion come sooner and be bigger, and taken the spotlight off the sneering and insufferable quartet of Zenko, Hana, Kono and Akio, then we could have still had a tragic fulfilment of the prophecy but without turning Takeo into a dummy and Kaede into a disloyal dupe - in other words, taking away the two things we like best about these two characters.
It is clear the author wanted the ending to be tragic, but the tragedy should have sprung from who they were - Takeo should have died somehow because he was *too* witty, too clever; and Kaede should have fallen because she was somehow *too* loyal, too steady in her love for her family and children. Instead we had to watch them be betrayed by the author into betraying their true natures, and watch their downfalls while scratching our heads thinking, "but Kaede and Takeo would never do that!"
I have to say it. If you loved the trilogy, you should probably just avoid this book altogether. Let the trilogy stand as it is.
Now I'm going to read the prequel, Heaven's Net is Wide.
Others have diagnosed the problem as perhaps being that the author determined to show how the prophecy of Takeo dying at his son's hands could come true, and by insisting on being true to the prophecy, she was then less true to the characters. Especially Kaede, who deserved much better, but also Takeo himself.
I had trouble from the very beginning with Kaede, and the idea that she would be ambivalent about her extraordinary twin daughters. I know many people who despised Catelyn Stark from Game of Thrones for the way she mistreated Jon Snow - but Jon Snow wasn't even Catelyn's kid! Maya and Miki were Kaede's kids, and she gave them the Jon Snow treatment, which poisoned them and broke the family dynamic.
But then Kaede went completely off the rails. Being upset and jealous when finding out about Yuki and Hisao? Sure. Having some harsh words for Takeo, maybe even being cold to him when they met? Certainly. But them having a great love, for the ages, is supposed to mean that when she finds this out she is willing to burn down his house, kill his men, and send him to his death? No. No. Outrageous. This book transforms Kaede from an exemplar of steadfastness and loyalty, which she was in the trilogy, to a hateful, despicable figure. I will have to actively forget this book so that I can enjoy Kaede's character in the original trilogy.
Takeo is also super frustrating. His tolerance of Kaede's dislike for the twins makes him complicit in a way that makes no sense. He got to where he is through his wits - but, though he knows and anticipates Zenko's treason and Kikuta Akio's, he is unable to take any meaningful countermeasures. Why? Supposedly because he has become tired and pacifist? So tired and pacifist that he lets these people kill his men, lets Zenko and Hana kill Taku, and plunge the country back into war? Again, this makes no sense at all.
If the author had made Hisao a more formidable villain, and likewise had Lord Saga's invasion come sooner and be bigger, and taken the spotlight off the sneering and insufferable quartet of Zenko, Hana, Kono and Akio, then we could have still had a tragic fulfilment of the prophecy but without turning Takeo into a dummy and Kaede into a disloyal dupe - in other words, taking away the two things we like best about these two characters.
It is clear the author wanted the ending to be tragic, but the tragedy should have sprung from who they were - Takeo should have died somehow because he was *too* witty, too clever; and Kaede should have fallen because she was somehow *too* loyal, too steady in her love for her family and children. Instead we had to watch them be betrayed by the author into betraying their true natures, and watch their downfalls while scratching our heads thinking, "but Kaede and Takeo would never do that!"
I have to say it. If you loved the trilogy, you should probably just avoid this book altogether. Let the trilogy stand as it is.
Now I'm going to read the prequel, Heaven's Net is Wide.
April 4, 2012
I'll try do do this without spoilers, though the major flaws in this book are storytelling and plot.
There were ominous overtones early on, so I decided I was OK if everything just fell apart, after all, that is how the Heiki Monogatari ends. I'm not saying it ends that way, but I was prepared.
I was not prepared for it to be boring and confusing. People head out to various places for various reasons and if you don't already know where Hagi and Hofu are in relation to each other, too bad, because there is no map. I got pretty tired of getting a recitation about each entering character: parents, aunts, and uncles and who had killed whom.
The oddest thing is how passive Takeo is throughout the book. He follows advice and occasionally paints birds. Things happen to him, he doesn't make things happen. He does initiate a couple of things at the end, one is a failure and one resolves some foreshadowing from the whole series. Other characters don't really do much either. Most of them have decided what they are going to do before the book starts, and then they do it. A couple of the women kinda go crazy, which seems terribly out of character for both of them, though at least they do something.
Mostly, characters are moved around by the Will of Heaven, or perhaps the Hand of the Author. One character does take initiative and change things, and that is an animal. By the end of the book, I think I liked the horses better than any of the people.
Unless you feel a real need to read this book, stop after the first three.
There were ominous overtones early on, so I decided I was OK if everything just fell apart, after all, that is how the Heiki Monogatari ends. I'm not saying it ends that way, but I was prepared.
I was not prepared for it to be boring and confusing. People head out to various places for various reasons and if you don't already know where Hagi and Hofu are in relation to each other, too bad, because there is no map. I got pretty tired of getting a recitation about each entering character: parents, aunts, and uncles and who had killed whom.
The oddest thing is how passive Takeo is throughout the book. He follows advice and occasionally paints birds. Things happen to him, he doesn't make things happen. He does initiate a couple of things at the end, one is a failure and one resolves some foreshadowing from the whole series. Other characters don't really do much either. Most of them have decided what they are going to do before the book starts, and then they do it. A couple of the women kinda go crazy, which seems terribly out of character for both of them, though at least they do something.
Mostly, characters are moved around by the Will of Heaven, or perhaps the Hand of the Author. One character does take initiative and change things, and that is an animal. By the end of the book, I think I liked the horses better than any of the people.
Unless you feel a real need to read this book, stop after the first three.
January 24, 2013
This book is both brilliantly written and immensely frustrating. This is one of those books, especially if you have read the preceding trilogy, that will grip you like all properly crafted books will. The book draws you back into the feudal Japan inspired world of the Otori and crafts a thrilling tragedy. Minor spoilers below.
While I personally find tragedies born from miscommunication trying (the desire to smack some of the characters with a rolled up newspaper for being thick was overwhelming) what really made me angry about the book was that it torn down much of growth and success of the characters from the first trilogy. Many of the triumphs of the previous books feel hollow, considering that they are negated/mitigated in the next novel. Happy endings aren't a necessity for me, but watching the characters I emotionally invested myself in for over three books all suffer great tragedy was unpleasant.
Some of the decisions made by the characters also felt rather out of character to me- which made the book even more frustrating. (end of spoilers)
I still love the series and the world Ms. Hearn created. The appropriation of Japanese culture to create a feudal world of fantasy was wonderfully done.
While I personally find tragedies born from miscommunication trying (the desire to smack some of the characters with a rolled up newspaper for being thick was overwhelming) what really made me angry about the book was that it torn down much of growth and success of the characters from the first trilogy. Many of the triumphs of the previous books feel hollow, considering that they are negated/mitigated in the next novel. Happy endings aren't a necessity for me, but watching the characters I emotionally invested myself in for over three books all suffer great tragedy was unpleasant.
Some of the decisions made by the characters also felt rather out of character to me- which made the book even more frustrating. (end of spoilers)
I still love the series and the world Ms. Hearn created. The appropriation of Japanese culture to create a feudal world of fantasy was wonderfully done.
April 10, 2017
There is a time skip many years into the future where Takeo loses control of the land and everybody is fighting each other. But who could be opposing him when he has killed all the other warlords? The answer is, his own relatives, who for some stupid reason hate him now. Even Kaede, the love of his life, considers him a jerk.
The tone of the final book is very different from the rest by being constantly mean and depressing, with the characters being spiteful to each other without much justification. Many events are also not shown; they are just described through boring dialogues which results to a mostly dull read. Plain and simple the author lost interest, she didn’t know how to continue and reflected her frustration on how the characters behave.
The finale is predictably Takeo confronting his son, who does not kill him directly. They have a fight which depresses Takeo and with nobody loving him anymore he chooses to kill himself. All of which are of course not shown but told after everything is over. And that’s how the story ends, with a dull and predictable way that left everybody disappointed. That’s what happens when you abuse asspulls, you don’t know how to get to a predetermined ending, and lose interest along the way.
The tone of the final book is very different from the rest by being constantly mean and depressing, with the characters being spiteful to each other without much justification. Many events are also not shown; they are just described through boring dialogues which results to a mostly dull read. Plain and simple the author lost interest, she didn’t know how to continue and reflected her frustration on how the characters behave.
The finale is predictably Takeo confronting his son, who does not kill him directly. They have a fight which depresses Takeo and with nobody loving him anymore he chooses to kill himself. All of which are of course not shown but told after everything is over. And that’s how the story ends, with a dull and predictable way that left everybody disappointed. That’s what happens when you abuse asspulls, you don’t know how to get to a predetermined ending, and lose interest along the way.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 21, 2012
I have loved the rest of this series, but because of the repeated prophecy of the death of the protagonist, I have dreaded the end of this book, and completely put it down for about ten days, in the middle. Lord Otori Takeo is a likeable character, with serious flaws more than compensated by his strength of character: he has a strong sense of justice and has established the rule of law, a vision of peace which he has accomplished and maintained for fifteen years, and cares about the fate of all his people, nurturing and cultivating them as one would a farm, in late feudal Japan where many lords ruled for their own benefit, exploiting the common people with abandon.
As the end of the series, this book had a great deal to accomplish, and accomplish it, she did. While not as lyrical and magical as the earlier books, I felt that she ended the story with Takeo's dignity, Makoto's humane serenity, and redmption for the character whose crisis caused the collapse of the peace. I'd have given it 4.5 stars if I could; I recommend it highly!
As the end of the series, this book had a great deal to accomplish, and accomplish it, she did. While not as lyrical and magical as the earlier books, I felt that she ended the story with Takeo's dignity, Makoto's humane serenity, and redmption for the character whose crisis caused the collapse of the peace. I'd have given it 4.5 stars if I could; I recommend it highly!
December 23, 2012
Apa jadinya kalau kisah Cinderella berlanjut (diakhir kisah Cinderella, akhirnya ia menikah dengan Pangeran pujaan hatinya kan) ??
Kalau misalnya kisah Cinderella berlanjut, aku kira..baru mengira... akhir kisahnya bukan lagi (mungkin).. and they lived happily ever after.. sama seperti kisah yang terjadi antara Takeo dan Kaede..
Mereka memang akhirnya bisa bersama, mereka menikah, menjadi penguasa, punya anak..tapi.. :”( ada kecemburuan, ada intrik politik yang semuanya bermuara pada langgengnya kekuasaan.. dan pada akhirnya Takeo harus menghadapi takdir yang telah diramalkan kepadanya jauh sebelum ia menjadi penguasa tiga kerajaan.. tuhhh...kaaann!!!
Kalau misalnya kisah Cinderella berlanjut, aku kira..baru mengira... akhir kisahnya bukan lagi (mungkin).. and they lived happily ever after.. sama seperti kisah yang terjadi antara Takeo dan Kaede..
Mereka memang akhirnya bisa bersama, mereka menikah, menjadi penguasa, punya anak..tapi.. :”( ada kecemburuan, ada intrik politik yang semuanya bermuara pada langgengnya kekuasaan.. dan pada akhirnya Takeo harus menghadapi takdir yang telah diramalkan kepadanya jauh sebelum ia menjadi penguasa tiga kerajaan.. tuhhh...kaaann!!!
July 11, 2020
The trilogy of the Tales of the Otori ends beautifully and happily.
If you want that warm and cozy feeling to go away, read this sequel and watch the world burn in front of your eyes.
This book relies more on pure drama than the others (although the events in the trilogy have, of course, from time to time been really dramatic and sad). For this drama to occur, some of the characters we have previously gotten to know needs to act somewhat out of character. Some of these actions seem logical and fine to me, based on the horrific experiences they had. But it sometimes felt poorly substantiated and a bit rushed, probably due to the many characters and different story lines of the book. I guess Hearn didn’t have time to develop them all properly, sadly.
However, I kind of liked this japanese soap-opera ending, and I definitely liked it more now than the first time I read it.
And yes, there were tears. So many tears.
If you want that warm and cozy feeling to go away, read this sequel and watch the world burn in front of your eyes.
This book relies more on pure drama than the others (although the events in the trilogy have, of course, from time to time been really dramatic and sad). For this drama to occur, some of the characters we have previously gotten to know needs to act somewhat out of character. Some of these actions seem logical and fine to me, based on the horrific experiences they had. But it sometimes felt poorly substantiated and a bit rushed, probably due to the many characters and different story lines of the book. I guess Hearn didn’t have time to develop them all properly, sadly.
However, I kind of liked this japanese soap-opera ending, and I definitely liked it more now than the first time I read it.
And yes, there were tears. So many tears.
June 21, 2017
What can I say. The range of charcters. The world. The perfect imperfections that come with being human in a world a nature vs nurture. What made this story even better as that we got to enjoy Takeo and Kaede's future after having grown with them in their youth. I loved seeing the internal struggles that Takeo and other characters had to deal with. It was a reminder that nothing is ever black and white. No one is perfect. "Good" people can have wicked thoughts and "evil" people can show kindness.....and prophesies never turn out how you expect.
May 28, 2008
Note to future authors: If you've got a trilogy already published, and you can't come up with something new to write, it's a bad idea to go back and try to keep the flame alive. It didn't work for Star Wars, it didn't work for Superman (although really the third movie was bad, too), and it really didn't work for this book series. If you have to say "The Fourth Book In The Trilogy" it's not going to go well.
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