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The Tale of Shikanoko #3
Shikanoko (Livre 3) - L'Empereur Invisible
Les sombres intrigues de pouvoir menacent plus que jamais de tarir la source claire des sentiments.
Shikanoko, le guerrier au masque de cerf, vit désormais retiré dans le Bois Obscur, pleurant la disparition de la Princesse de l’Automne. Livrés à eux-mêmes, les cinq garçons dont on lui avait confié l’éducation en profitent pour explorer l’étendue de leurs pouvoirs magiques…
Hina doit aujourd’hui se cacher. Elle est placée sous la protection de dame Fuji, la maîtresse des bateaux de plaisir. Elle seule sait où se trouve le véritable empereur...
Shikanoko, le guerrier au masque de cerf, vit désormais retiré dans le Bois Obscur, pleurant la disparition de la Princesse de l’Automne. Livrés à eux-mêmes, les cinq garçons dont on lui avait confié l’éducation en profitent pour explorer l’étendue de leurs pouvoirs magiques…
Hina doit aujourd’hui se cacher. Elle est placée sous la protection de dame Fuji, la maîtresse des bateaux de plaisir. Elle seule sait où se trouve le véritable empereur...
304 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 9, 2016
48 people are currently reading
1645 people want to read
About the author
Lian Hearn
57 books1,838 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 92 reviews
December 9, 2016
When she had first seen him she had recalled the heron dancers. Now he danced with the deer – they all did – and in the dance created the ties that bind Heaven and Earth, humans and animal, the living and the dead.
Anthony Powell dances to the music of time and hears secret harmonies. George R R Martin dances to the rhythms of Fire and Ice and should finish the damn series, or at least the next volume in this decade. Lian Hearn hears the distant songs of medieval Japan where the links between humans, animals and spirits are not yet severed and where the world is struggling to regain its balance after treacheries and clan rivalries have put an impostor on the imperial throne.
In this third volume of the Shikanoko tale, Hearn manages to unravel the kind of plot knot that has George R R Martin stumped : she extends the timeline over more than a decade in order to let the children of the heroes from the first two books grow up, train as warriors or dancers, and be ready to take their place in the events that will conclude the story in the final, fourth volume. In order to do this, Shikanoko takes a step back from the action (going into a self-imposed exile into the wildest part of the empire, the Darkwood), ceding the limelight to his young charges – human and demonspawn.
Being a bridge novel, this third episode lacks some of pacing and tension of the first two, but I consider it a necesary breather in advance of what promises to be a spectacular finale. The time spent building up the characters and setting up the economical, military and family ties on the gaming board will most probably allow the author to concentrate on battle and personal drama in the last volume.
My favorite part of this new book is the (partial) unveiling of the Tengu mystery – a race of alien flying creatures that play a longer game than any of the human clans and whose primary concern is restoring the balance of the world, regardless of any sympathy for the little black and white pebbles on their Go board.
I hope I will finish the last book before the end of the year, because I want to include the whole series among my favorites list for 2016.
March 11, 2026
„Властелинът на тъмната гора“ е много добро и вълнуващо историческо фентъзи! Книгата представлява продължение на „Императорът на осемте острова“ и в нея проследяваме следващите впечатляващи приключения на Шиканоко. Лиан Хърн отново майсторски е сътворила приказен сюжет в средновековна японска атмосфера...
September 11, 2016
3.5 - 3.75 stars
This series is somewhat addicting, even given the questionable portrayal of the female characters. Their complete lack of agency is maddening. The writing style is a bit dry, which made me feel like I was being kept at arms length from the characters and the on page action. These are all quick reads, so I will be finishing the series, but I feel that by breaking the series down into four separate books, the publisher did themselves a disservice. Every time I start a new installment of the series, I am frustrated because I can't remember everything that happened in previous books. If possible, I would suggest reading these all in a row, which wasn't possible for me, as I read them shortly after release date. I would probably have enjoyed these more if I just waited to read them all at once.
This series is somewhat addicting, even given the questionable portrayal of the female characters. Their complete lack of agency is maddening. The writing style is a bit dry, which made me feel like I was being kept at arms length from the characters and the on page action. These are all quick reads, so I will be finishing the series, but I feel that by breaking the series down into four separate books, the publisher did themselves a disservice. Every time I start a new installment of the series, I am frustrated because I can't remember everything that happened in previous books. If possible, I would suggest reading these all in a row, which wasn't possible for me, as I read them shortly after release date. I would probably have enjoyed these more if I just waited to read them all at once.
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November 12, 2023Оставена на средата. Може и да се върна към нея, но за момента ме изгуби някъде по пътя.
July 23, 2018
I just started this book and I already know I'm going to hate it. Aki was my favorite character and she's dead now. I had hopes she would be resurrected by some magic but since they buried her I suppose it's out of the question. Her demise was so pointless and callous, like, for 2 novels I was 100% sure she was going to be Shikanoko's soulmate and I was rooting for them to be together (despite that scene of dubious consent). Now I guess it is pretty obvious that Shikanoko's soul mate will be Hina (whom I cannot stand). This pisses me off so much, I feel like the only reason Hina will be his soulmate is because she is a Yamato Nadeshiko type compared to Aki who wasn't that poised and elegant and pliant and beautiful and domestic. Also the obsession with the ages of women in this series. Like, I get a feeling Aki was written off because she was getting too old for Shikanoko, being 17, no, he needs 12 year-old Hina. Are you fucking kidding me? It's like any woman over 16 is a crone. Honestly I am so disappointed, I had such high hopes for this series. I'll keep reading it because I bought it but I regret spending my money on it now.
After finishing this book, I have one more thing to add. My God, do I despise Hina's character. I absolutely despise that she is the main female character, the heroine. The woman is a male fantasy. From the day she was born and all through her adulthood her whole life GRAVITATES around men. When she was a little girl her father was more or less obsessed with her because she reminded him of her dead mother. Then, after the rebellion, her life revolves around Takaakira who raises her up to marry her and doesn't even allow her outside of the house. Her escape has nothing to do with wanting to escape this predator but with the arrival of Masachika and with saving Take. By the time she arrives to stay with the nuns, she's already focused on Shikanoko and her whole life gravitates towards him. She has her sexual awakening thinking about him and somehow realizing she's in love with him. I'd say she's in love with a memory from long, long ago, but nope, Hina knows it's the real deal. Later, she becomes a prostitute who takes full enjoyment in having sex with a dozen men per day. She even has "favorites". Nevermind that she was, you know, raped, nope, nevermind that, Hina warms up to being a hooker super quickly and never tries to escape. Not even once. She doesn't ever contemplate until Chika (a man) comes to her and until she hears from that man she sleeps with that night (Usugi???) about Kiku (another man) and his clan. She escapes and, on the road, Kai is discarded so that Hina can be surrounded by Take, Yoshi and Saru, three men. She is supposed to be this accomplished woman, wise beyond belief but she's been trying to read that book Sesshin left her for half her life and she still got pretty much nothing (except for seeing the two masks). People calling her smart and wise equals to nothing because the narration doesn't present her as either. She is supposed to be incredibly smart but she only comes across as incredibly dull. I also hate the fact that her pseudonym became "Yayoi" aka "Spring" when "Aki" was "Autumn" sort of to mean that Aki was sorrow and regret but Hina is renewal and beauty and youth. Fucking hate that shit. I hate how she looks down on pretty much every female character. She resented Aki for having sex (with dubious consent to say the least) with Shikanoko and for how she was pregnant with his child. She resented Tama although she was sold into marriage and had her child die and had to suffer a mistress in her house. She also seems to resent Tora who "bewitched" her father. She resented Shikanoko's mother for having "abandoned" him, nevermind that she was, you know, A PERSON HERSELF AND DIDN'T HAVE TO LIVE HER LIFE FOR THE WHIM OF EVERY SINGLE MAN THE WAY HINA DOES. His mother would have been married off to his uncle and she didn't want that. However, for Hina, not shouting "Aye, sir" anytime a man farts is inconceivable. She was calling the women her clients went on to marry "ordinary" because of course, they could never match up to her. May I also ask how did she become a good farmer? A samurai's daughter who lived a sheltered life, later wasn't even allowed to get out of the house and then became a prostitute on a boat, who was renowned for her beauty and "skills" far and wide was able to blend in with the peasants of some mountain hamlet right off??? She was a virgin brought up with the nuns then became an expert prostitute in one week??? Despite being so sheltered, she also experiences no discomfort riding through the woods. All men want her, all girls are worse than her. I had to listen to Lady Fuji talk about how Aki was so much uglier and less accomplished at playing the lute than Hina for a whole huge fucking paragraph. I had to see Hina discuss Kai's appearance in her mind, how she was too ugly (because of her ears) to become a prostitute (such a shame, amirite? Because being trapped on a boat to be dicked by men in exchange of rice is the high-life am I right, girls? According to the book "at least you're not dead") but Hina feels jealous of her nevertheless because Yoshimori loves her and she's pregnant with his child. Because how dare any woman other than Hina ever be loved, right? The same thing was said about Aki. Lady Fuji says that she wasn't pretty enough to be a prostitute or something and that life as a nun suited her more. But of course, because that is a life devoid and separate from men, Aki had to die. The nuns also had to be destroyed and die in flames. I know how one of the nuns says this is a recent occurrence, that as of late women are becoming subservient to men but my two cents are that it was always so. At least Hina could be intelligent but she's never shown to be. She only speaks when spoken to, gets into a boat with Chika and only later thinks it might not be ok, when she speaks, her words are only there to comfort the men around her. Her inner monologue doesn't show much dissent. She has no thoughts for herself, she lives entirely for others, her thoughts are entirely for and about others, especially for men. She lives to serve and I honestly cannot believe ANYONE sane could be so subservient. She's a femme fatale and a House Elf at the same time. There's also the fact that all men are insane about her. Takaakira, the Miboshi soldiers coming to inspect the temple, pretty much every single client on that boat, many of whom wish to buy her (How romantic!), we suddenly hear about Chika's lifelong passion for her that I don't remember being addressed prior to this and there's, of course, Shikanoko, who I'm sure will marry her and forget all about Aki the moment Hina takes his mask off. Because she is, of course, the only one who will be able to do it. We couldn't have Takeyoshi do that, full of love and longing for his parent, nope, it must be Hina. Not to mention she can apparently kill people with her mind. This is honestly the biggest Mary Sue I've read of in anything EVER. She is the absolute perfect women by being the misogynistic trope of the empty vessel that lives solely for those (for the men) around her. I am only finishing this series because I paid money for it but God, what a complete disappointment. Never seen so much wasted potential in my whole life.
After finishing this book, I have one more thing to add. My God, do I despise Hina's character. I absolutely despise that she is the main female character, the heroine. The woman is a male fantasy. From the day she was born and all through her adulthood her whole life GRAVITATES around men. When she was a little girl her father was more or less obsessed with her because she reminded him of her dead mother. Then, after the rebellion, her life revolves around Takaakira who raises her up to marry her and doesn't even allow her outside of the house. Her escape has nothing to do with wanting to escape this predator but with the arrival of Masachika and with saving Take. By the time she arrives to stay with the nuns, she's already focused on Shikanoko and her whole life gravitates towards him. She has her sexual awakening thinking about him and somehow realizing she's in love with him. I'd say she's in love with a memory from long, long ago, but nope, Hina knows it's the real deal. Later, she becomes a prostitute who takes full enjoyment in having sex with a dozen men per day. She even has "favorites". Nevermind that she was, you know, raped, nope, nevermind that, Hina warms up to being a hooker super quickly and never tries to escape. Not even once. She doesn't ever contemplate until Chika (a man) comes to her and until she hears from that man she sleeps with that night (Usugi???) about Kiku (another man) and his clan. She escapes and, on the road, Kai is discarded so that Hina can be surrounded by Take, Yoshi and Saru, three men. She is supposed to be this accomplished woman, wise beyond belief but she's been trying to read that book Sesshin left her for half her life and she still got pretty much nothing (except for seeing the two masks). People calling her smart and wise equals to nothing because the narration doesn't present her as either. She is supposed to be incredibly smart but she only comes across as incredibly dull. I also hate the fact that her pseudonym became "Yayoi" aka "Spring" when "Aki" was "Autumn" sort of to mean that Aki was sorrow and regret but Hina is renewal and beauty and youth. Fucking hate that shit. I hate how she looks down on pretty much every female character. She resented Aki for having sex (with dubious consent to say the least) with Shikanoko and for how she was pregnant with his child. She resented Tama although she was sold into marriage and had her child die and had to suffer a mistress in her house. She also seems to resent Tora who "bewitched" her father. She resented Shikanoko's mother for having "abandoned" him, nevermind that she was, you know, A PERSON HERSELF AND DIDN'T HAVE TO LIVE HER LIFE FOR THE WHIM OF EVERY SINGLE MAN THE WAY HINA DOES. His mother would have been married off to his uncle and she didn't want that. However, for Hina, not shouting "Aye, sir" anytime a man farts is inconceivable. She was calling the women her clients went on to marry "ordinary" because of course, they could never match up to her. May I also ask how did she become a good farmer? A samurai's daughter who lived a sheltered life, later wasn't even allowed to get out of the house and then became a prostitute on a boat, who was renowned for her beauty and "skills" far and wide was able to blend in with the peasants of some mountain hamlet right off??? She was a virgin brought up with the nuns then became an expert prostitute in one week??? Despite being so sheltered, she also experiences no discomfort riding through the woods. All men want her, all girls are worse than her. I had to listen to Lady Fuji talk about how Aki was so much uglier and less accomplished at playing the lute than Hina for a whole huge fucking paragraph. I had to see Hina discuss Kai's appearance in her mind, how she was too ugly (because of her ears) to become a prostitute (such a shame, amirite? Because being trapped on a boat to be dicked by men in exchange of rice is the high-life am I right, girls? According to the book "at least you're not dead") but Hina feels jealous of her nevertheless because Yoshimori loves her and she's pregnant with his child. Because how dare any woman other than Hina ever be loved, right? The same thing was said about Aki. Lady Fuji says that she wasn't pretty enough to be a prostitute or something and that life as a nun suited her more. But of course, because that is a life devoid and separate from men, Aki had to die. The nuns also had to be destroyed and die in flames. I know how one of the nuns says this is a recent occurrence, that as of late women are becoming subservient to men but my two cents are that it was always so. At least Hina could be intelligent but she's never shown to be. She only speaks when spoken to, gets into a boat with Chika and only later thinks it might not be ok, when she speaks, her words are only there to comfort the men around her. Her inner monologue doesn't show much dissent. She has no thoughts for herself, she lives entirely for others, her thoughts are entirely for and about others, especially for men. She lives to serve and I honestly cannot believe ANYONE sane could be so subservient. She's a femme fatale and a House Elf at the same time. There's also the fact that all men are insane about her. Takaakira, the Miboshi soldiers coming to inspect the temple, pretty much every single client on that boat, many of whom wish to buy her (How romantic!), we suddenly hear about Chika's lifelong passion for her that I don't remember being addressed prior to this and there's, of course, Shikanoko, who I'm sure will marry her and forget all about Aki the moment Hina takes his mask off. Because she is, of course, the only one who will be able to do it. We couldn't have Takeyoshi do that, full of love and longing for his parent, nope, it must be Hina. Not to mention she can apparently kill people with her mind. This is honestly the biggest Mary Sue I've read of in anything EVER. She is the absolute perfect women by being the misogynistic trope of the empty vessel that lives solely for those (for the men) around her. I am only finishing this series because I paid money for it but God, what a complete disappointment. Never seen so much wasted potential in my whole life.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 21, 2016
This is the 3rd of 4 books that need to be read in order otherwise you'll miss out on important pieces and generally feel like you've stepped into the middle of something with no reference points. The writing continues to be well done and well edited. This installment provides valuable information as the plot temporarily slows down in order to incorporate this information. This can make it seem sluggish or even a tad bit boring if your main focus is forward driven action. What is learned here sets the stage for the final book where hopefully the various plot threads weave nicely towards the completion of the tale. I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review. This in no way influenced my opinion.
December 26, 2021
#191 - 2021
Genre: Fantasy
Genre: Fantasy
August 28, 2016
Characters have aged in this installment, and things are building up to what I think will be a great conclusion. The world seems to get bigger with every page, and what started as the tale of a young orphaned boy has grown into a fuedal tale of epic proportions. Power is ever fleeting in this world and the book reminds you of how fleeting it is in our world as well. Grief and joy are intertwined in the hearts of those in the midst of the struggle for power, and many are the casualties of those trying to obtain or keep that power. Old friendships are rekindled and new bands of camaraderie are formed. This is truly a series that will keep you absorbed in the moment and make you eager for what is yet to come.
Reviewed with honesty for NetGalley
(Honestly)
Reviewed with honesty for NetGalley
(Honestly)
December 18, 2017
un tome extrêmement dense et complexe où là encore le lecteur est mis à contribution. Impossible de ne pas enchaîner directement avec le tome 4 !
Quelle saga !
Quelle saga !
August 13, 2018
So, I’m liking this series better with every book.
I did have a rough start (see review for part 1 and 2) and some issues with the writing style, but it either improved or I just got used to it. There are still a few sentences every now and then where I’m like okay is this really necessary, but overall it doesn’t bother me that much anymore.
Also, I’m getting SO invested in the story. These books just have a special something to them, and I’m not even quite sure what it is, but I really just wanna know what happens next.
The characters are starting to develop in interesting directions and something I also like in these books is that same sex desire is pretty normal and natural and occurs across different characters.
I guess the story lives from its characters and its plot more than anything else, but maybe that’s not necessarily a bad thing and just something I’m not quite used too. (And I kinda prefer it to books that are entirely driven by writing style and characters and don’t really have a satisfactory plot – looking at you AGoS and ACoL.)
This book also reflected more upon the position of women in society (I ranted a lot about the female characters in the part 2 review) and I do get that as a historical work the book includes descriptions of violence and injustice against women. But that still doesn’t mean that there shouldn’t be any female characters who are driven by something different than their love to some man.
Anyway, I’m really stoked for the last book in the series and I’m just so curious to see how the whole plot will be resolved!
I did have a rough start (see review for part 1 and 2) and some issues with the writing style, but it either improved or I just got used to it. There are still a few sentences every now and then where I’m like okay is this really necessary, but overall it doesn’t bother me that much anymore.
Also, I’m getting SO invested in the story. These books just have a special something to them, and I’m not even quite sure what it is, but I really just wanna know what happens next.
The characters are starting to develop in interesting directions and something I also like in these books is that same sex desire is pretty normal and natural and occurs across different characters.
I guess the story lives from its characters and its plot more than anything else, but maybe that’s not necessarily a bad thing and just something I’m not quite used too. (And I kinda prefer it to books that are entirely driven by writing style and characters and don’t really have a satisfactory plot – looking at you AGoS and ACoL.)
This book also reflected more upon the position of women in society (I ranted a lot about the female characters in the part 2 review) and I do get that as a historical work the book includes descriptions of violence and injustice against women. But that still doesn’t mean that there shouldn’t be any female characters who are driven by something different than their love to some man.
Anyway, I’m really stoked for the last book in the series and I’m just so curious to see how the whole plot will be resolved!
March 24, 2018
Inkvotary
Her writing-style maybe not for everyone – but for me always a good choice to spend some hours reading. Shikanoko is still wearing his mask. He knows that only the woman, who truly loves him, will be able to take her off his face. Until then, he has to live his life half human, half deer and do everything in his power to help the real emperor to gain power again.
I am always amazed how the author does it. Her writing style is soft, the words sound like a melody and you get a deep insight in how the Asian people of a certain century thought about honor, betrayal, life and everything around it. It is the Asian flair, the mythology of that country and how people live with it, that gives Lian Hearn´s books the impression they have on its readers.
Being flawed is like a curse and some figures in this novel have to live with it like others live in great luxury. Lian Hearn shows all that and so much more in a wonderful to read story. Good, there are some parts of the story that might not be as amusing to read as the rest of the book. And yes, some of them seem to be what I call “stretching material” but those parts aren´t that long or often to find, so I guess they don´t really count. Maybe I should give you a bit of warning, too. Some parts of this novel are brutal and very bloody. Always told in an appropriate way, but still. It fits completely into the story the author is telling and might look a bit strange at first. But the more you read, the more it makes sense.
What I definitely liked about this novel is, that towards the end, the author closes the circle to her Tale of the Otori saga and with that, I got some answers I had since reading that saga some years ago.
The great closure to this duology. And by the way you get some answers to questions that were still open from her Otori saga. If you´ve read those books as well, you can see that the circle got its final closure in a very harmonic and beautiful way. But it isn´t essential to know that saga. You don´t need that knowledge while reading The Tale of Shikanoko, to understand the story.
Her writing-style maybe not for everyone – but for me always a good choice to spend some hours reading. Shikanoko is still wearing his mask. He knows that only the woman, who truly loves him, will be able to take her off his face. Until then, he has to live his life half human, half deer and do everything in his power to help the real emperor to gain power again.
I am always amazed how the author does it. Her writing style is soft, the words sound like a melody and you get a deep insight in how the Asian people of a certain century thought about honor, betrayal, life and everything around it. It is the Asian flair, the mythology of that country and how people live with it, that gives Lian Hearn´s books the impression they have on its readers.
Being flawed is like a curse and some figures in this novel have to live with it like others live in great luxury. Lian Hearn shows all that and so much more in a wonderful to read story. Good, there are some parts of the story that might not be as amusing to read as the rest of the book. And yes, some of them seem to be what I call “stretching material” but those parts aren´t that long or often to find, so I guess they don´t really count. Maybe I should give you a bit of warning, too. Some parts of this novel are brutal and very bloody. Always told in an appropriate way, but still. It fits completely into the story the author is telling and might look a bit strange at first. But the more you read, the more it makes sense.
What I definitely liked about this novel is, that towards the end, the author closes the circle to her Tale of the Otori saga and with that, I got some answers I had since reading that saga some years ago.
The great closure to this duology. And by the way you get some answers to questions that were still open from her Otori saga. If you´ve read those books as well, you can see that the circle got its final closure in a very harmonic and beautiful way. But it isn´t essential to know that saga. You don´t need that knowledge while reading The Tale of Shikanoko, to understand the story.
April 6, 2020
... de l'eau a coulé sous les ponts depuis le début de ma lecture & découverte de cette série ! Cela a été difficile de se remettre dans le bain. #staystrong
Suite à La Princesse de l'Automne, Shikanoko s'est éloigné du monde terrestre pour absorber son chagrin. Ses enfants démons ont été contraints de s'assumer seuls et vont peu à peu se tourner vers la magie la plus sombre. Il règne toujours un mystère autour du fils de l'empereur, caché désormais parmi des saltimbanques, mais seule Hina a connaissance de son identité. L'amie d'enfance de Shikanoko a été recueillie par une courtisane qui soigne son éducation pour faire d'elle son joyau sur ses bateaux de maisons de plaisir.
La destinée des uns et des autres est vraiment poignante et dramatique. Mais malgré des revers difficiles, les personnages font toujours preuve de noblesse. C'est aussi grâce à la plume de Lian Hearn, poétique et raffinée, que la lecture ne perd ni en intensité ni en beauté.
Vraiment super !
Suite à La Princesse de l'Automne, Shikanoko s'est éloigné du monde terrestre pour absorber son chagrin. Ses enfants démons ont été contraints de s'assumer seuls et vont peu à peu se tourner vers la magie la plus sombre. Il règne toujours un mystère autour du fils de l'empereur, caché désormais parmi des saltimbanques, mais seule Hina a connaissance de son identité. L'amie d'enfance de Shikanoko a été recueillie par une courtisane qui soigne son éducation pour faire d'elle son joyau sur ses bateaux de maisons de plaisir.
La destinée des uns et des autres est vraiment poignante et dramatique. Mais malgré des revers difficiles, les personnages font toujours preuve de noblesse. C'est aussi grâce à la plume de Lian Hearn, poétique et raffinée, que la lecture ne perd ni en intensité ni en beauté.
Vraiment super !
April 20, 2017
About
: Lord of the Darkwood, the third installment of the four-part medieval Japanese fantasy serial The Tale of Shikanoko, covers an enormous amount of time considering its small size of 220 pages: over a decade. As the older power-players of the empire die out, a younger and equally-ambitious set of players matures and takes over. This book covers that shift and the shape of the book reflects it: unlike the previous two installments, the ending does not hinge on a monumental choice by our eponymous hero; in fact, Shikanoko hardly appears at all, compared to his near-constant presence in the first two. I enjoyed this shift from the older to the younger characters; the flat male characters in authority during installments I & II interested me less than the younger crowd does.
Spoilers For Books I-II in the next 2 paragraphs!
In the first two books, Hina lived as a neglected stepdaughter, who was then captured and raised by her father’s mortal enemy in another town. All these years, she admired the Deer’s Child (Shikanoko) from afar. But the death of the Autumn Princess at the end of book II leaves Hina in charge of Shika’s infant son—and she only twelve years old herself. In book III, she hides among the courtesans of Lake Kasumi’s pleasure boats and works for them as she comes of age and watches Shika’s son grow up. Along the way, she meets the true emperor for the first time.
Meanwhile, in the Darkwood, Shika’s Spider Tribe sons grow in emotional maturity and demonic magic. Like Hina, they learn of love and lust; but unlike the powerless Hina, each of the sons finds his own place in the power hierarchy of the family, and the most powerful among them shape the empire far beyond the Darkwood, inheriting the power structure left by the deaths during of the first two books. Ultimately, they aim to spin a trap for Shikanoko, the father who sent them away at the end of book II, as he hides in the Darkwood, unaware and still lost in grief for the death of his beloved Autumn Princess, now over a decade before.
Overall : Even though Lord of the Darkwood feels very much like an installment (instead of a novel), I enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed the previous two. The younger characters present a wide array of hopeful heroines and terrifying monsters, and their journeys more than make for an interesting story. With Hearn’s characteristically spare, but perfect prose, she has drawn an even more immersive and adult fantasy world than her famed Tales of the Otori series.
Lord of the Darkwood is adult fantasy written by Lian Hearn and was published August 9th 2016 by Fsg Originals. Paperback, 224 pages.
Thank you to Lian Hearn, FSG Originals and Netgalley for my review copy!
The opinions I share are completely my own and in no way compensated for by publishers or authors. If you liked this review, you can read more of my speculative fiction reviews on my blog
Spoilers For Books I-II in the next 2 paragraphs!
In the first two books, Hina lived as a neglected stepdaughter, who was then captured and raised by her father’s mortal enemy in another town. All these years, she admired the Deer’s Child (Shikanoko) from afar. But the death of the Autumn Princess at the end of book II leaves Hina in charge of Shika’s infant son—and she only twelve years old herself. In book III, she hides among the courtesans of Lake Kasumi’s pleasure boats and works for them as she comes of age and watches Shika’s son grow up. Along the way, she meets the true emperor for the first time.
Meanwhile, in the Darkwood, Shika’s Spider Tribe sons grow in emotional maturity and demonic magic. Like Hina, they learn of love and lust; but unlike the powerless Hina, each of the sons finds his own place in the power hierarchy of the family, and the most powerful among them shape the empire far beyond the Darkwood, inheriting the power structure left by the deaths during of the first two books. Ultimately, they aim to spin a trap for Shikanoko, the father who sent them away at the end of book II, as he hides in the Darkwood, unaware and still lost in grief for the death of his beloved Autumn Princess, now over a decade before.
Overall : Even though Lord of the Darkwood feels very much like an installment (instead of a novel), I enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed the previous two. The younger characters present a wide array of hopeful heroines and terrifying monsters, and their journeys more than make for an interesting story. With Hearn’s characteristically spare, but perfect prose, she has drawn an even more immersive and adult fantasy world than her famed Tales of the Otori series.
Lord of the Darkwood is adult fantasy written by Lian Hearn and was published August 9th 2016 by Fsg Originals. Paperback, 224 pages.
Thank you to Lian Hearn, FSG Originals and Netgalley for my review copy!
The opinions I share are completely my own and in no way compensated for by publishers or authors. If you liked this review, you can read more of my speculative fiction reviews on my blog
April 27, 2018
The third book never fail to deliver the same feelings that Book 1 and 2 did to me! I wept and felt for Hina. I was enthralled from page to page. Definitely a big fan of Lina Hearn’s writing. Five stars!
November 6, 2023
2.5 stars
this is basically filler in the middle of the series, which I get plot wise but it made me take a super long break while reading.
this is basically filler in the middle of the series, which I get plot wise but it made me take a super long break while reading.
October 16, 2017
Still frustrating, but worth the commitment.
There are NINETY characters listed at the front, and several of them have more than one name.
If you buy this book, I suggest getting two copies, and tearing the list of characters out of one of them so you can leave it at hand.
In this slim volume, the characters added to the stage in the previous book are developed, and it's very clear that when everyone's lined up we can move on to the Big Wrapup in book 4.
Several key players want to kill other key players, some are unsure whether that's what they want, and others are protecting key players but are under stress themselves.
Meanwhile we meet yet another old man who smiles, knows all, sees all. And we finally meet a tengu, who seems at times to come from our own modern world where he's the "dungeon master" of a complex game.
I'm thinking there's gonna be a heap of smiting in the next one. Not Red Wedding smiting, more likely one at a time in a series of showdowns. But who's with whom, and how will it happen? And who's got the lute? (and don't tell me it was stolen by luters) (and yes, I know what a lutenist is).
There are NINETY characters listed at the front, and several of them have more than one name.
If you buy this book, I suggest getting two copies, and tearing the list of characters out of one of them so you can leave it at hand.
In this slim volume, the characters added to the stage in the previous book are developed, and it's very clear that when everyone's lined up we can move on to the Big Wrapup in book 4.
Several key players want to kill other key players, some are unsure whether that's what they want, and others are protecting key players but are under stress themselves.
Meanwhile we meet yet another old man who smiles, knows all, sees all. And we finally meet a tengu, who seems at times to come from our own modern world where he's the "dungeon master" of a complex game.
I'm thinking there's gonna be a heap of smiting in the next one. Not Red Wedding smiting, more likely one at a time in a series of showdowns. But who's with whom, and how will it happen? And who's got the lute? (and don't tell me it was stolen by luters) (and yes, I know what a lutenist is).
July 2, 2020
It felt like this book contained quite a bit of filler and recaps of what has happened so far in the story.
This book, like the three previous Lian Hearn books was beautifully written and has good world building and great storytelling. This is a historical-fiction/fantasy drama and the feel of the story is very much that of a storyteller, relating events as they happened so many years ago. If you're worried about it being boring; don't be. The story picks up during action scenes and tense situations without ever losing that storyteller sort of feel. Masterfully done.
Now; some criticisms of the story.
FIRST AND FOREMOST: CONTENT WARNING!!!
I feel obligated as a reader to provide a warning to any and all who may read this book. DO NOT READ THIS BOOK if you are triggered by scenes involving rape or prostitution!!! This book contains both and deals with prostitution quite extensively. The author treats these topics as realities of the world and while she doesn't linger on them overly long, and while they are not necessarily blow by blow descriptions, they can be quite visceral in nature. Some people may find the further use of sex and blood as part of shamanistic magic to be off putting. THIS IS NOT A STORY FOR CHILDREN. Seriously though, while the writing is fantastic and the story amazing please be aware of these things before you read them and please, please, please do not let underage minors read this book. The content and writing is mature in nature. Children, especially young children, may struggle with this content and with separating reality from fiction.
Now, on to the story:
I did feel some disappointment when Hina became Yayoi and went to work with Lady Fugi. It did feel somewhat like the female characters were being picked on and more like they were objects to be acted upon (just letting events in the world carry them along) rather than agents into themselves. I really wish we had gotten more detail into The Autumn Princesses wandering adventurer/rogue/vigilante days. It was just glanced over and I found myself wishing for more.
Shikanoko is not a major player in this book and, by comparison to the other characters, gets very little page time. This was somewhat fustrating to me, as I wanted to know more about what he was doing and how. He also spends A LOT of time grieving and hidden away in the Darkwood. While his grief is understandable he left several tertiary characters to die and they were the ones who suffered the consequences of his choices. His abandonment of Tora's children is also summed up to be a result of his grief and anger over Akihime's death. Again his grief is understandable, however at least in my mind, it really isn't an acceptable excuse.
Further, despite large and somewhat frequent time skips, it felt like we made very little actual progress in the story. This may be because of the lack of information about Shikanoko and the focus on Tora's children. I feel like the author was attempting to show us the world through other characters eyes and let us see what was happening in their lives. However the result, perhaps due to frequent use of time skips, is jarring. There is also some unclarity as to when exactly each characters perspective is happening relative to the overall story line. So while the time skips seem to imply time moving forward at a rapid rate, the relative description of what is happening to the characters, when compared to the overall world is somewhat confusing.
This book, like the three previous Lian Hearn books was beautifully written and has good world building and great storytelling. This is a historical-fiction/fantasy drama and the feel of the story is very much that of a storyteller, relating events as they happened so many years ago. If you're worried about it being boring; don't be. The story picks up during action scenes and tense situations without ever losing that storyteller sort of feel. Masterfully done.
Now; some criticisms of the story.
FIRST AND FOREMOST: CONTENT WARNING!!!
I feel obligated as a reader to provide a warning to any and all who may read this book. DO NOT READ THIS BOOK if you are triggered by scenes involving rape or prostitution!!! This book contains both and deals with prostitution quite extensively. The author treats these topics as realities of the world and while she doesn't linger on them overly long, and while they are not necessarily blow by blow descriptions, they can be quite visceral in nature. Some people may find the further use of sex and blood as part of shamanistic magic to be off putting. THIS IS NOT A STORY FOR CHILDREN. Seriously though, while the writing is fantastic and the story amazing please be aware of these things before you read them and please, please, please do not let underage minors read this book. The content and writing is mature in nature. Children, especially young children, may struggle with this content and with separating reality from fiction.
Now, on to the story:
I did feel some disappointment when Hina became Yayoi and went to work with Lady Fugi. It did feel somewhat like the female characters were being picked on and more like they were objects to be acted upon (just letting events in the world carry them along) rather than agents into themselves. I really wish we had gotten more detail into The Autumn Princesses wandering adventurer/rogue/vigilante days. It was just glanced over and I found myself wishing for more.
Shikanoko is not a major player in this book and, by comparison to the other characters, gets very little page time. This was somewhat fustrating to me, as I wanted to know more about what he was doing and how. He also spends A LOT of time grieving and hidden away in the Darkwood. While his grief is understandable he left several tertiary characters to die and they were the ones who suffered the consequences of his choices. His abandonment of Tora's children is also summed up to be a result of his grief and anger over Akihime's death. Again his grief is understandable, however at least in my mind, it really isn't an acceptable excuse.
Further, despite large and somewhat frequent time skips, it felt like we made very little actual progress in the story. This may be because of the lack of information about Shikanoko and the focus on Tora's children. I feel like the author was attempting to show us the world through other characters eyes and let us see what was happening in their lives. However the result, perhaps due to frequent use of time skips, is jarring. There is also some unclarity as to when exactly each characters perspective is happening relative to the overall story line. So while the time skips seem to imply time moving forward at a rapid rate, the relative description of what is happening to the characters, when compared to the overall world is somewhat confusing.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 26, 2018
This book was much slower paced with a whole lot of nothing going on. That said, it set up the final book quite well. I'm hoping the last book has some action or something going on in it because otherwise I'll be very disappointed with the ending of this series.
It was interesting that this book hardly featured Shikanoko. He was in less than a third of the whole book. He's frequently mentioned by characters but makes few appearances. The spider children are key characters in this book and the majority of the plot seems to revolve around them and Hina (each doing their own separate things).
I'm bittersweet about this book. Sweet because it was just as well written as the other ones. Bitter because there's only one more left in the series. I've come to love and care about the characters in this world and will hate having to say goodbye next book. Thankfully I can always re-read if I want to visit with them again.
I'll give the same recommendation most people seem to with this series: Start with Book 1 and don't leave too much gap between reading sessions. If a person starts reading with any book besides #1 first, they'll be totally lost. Also each book picks up right after the other ends and there's no background given in the beginnings of the book. So unless blessed with an excellent memory, it's easy to forget events if to much time passes between each book.
It was interesting that this book hardly featured Shikanoko. He was in less than a third of the whole book. He's frequently mentioned by characters but makes few appearances. The spider children are key characters in this book and the majority of the plot seems to revolve around them and Hina (each doing their own separate things).
I'm bittersweet about this book. Sweet because it was just as well written as the other ones. Bitter because there's only one more left in the series. I've come to love and care about the characters in this world and will hate having to say goodbye next book. Thankfully I can always re-read if I want to visit with them again.
I'll give the same recommendation most people seem to with this series: Start with Book 1 and don't leave too much gap between reading sessions. If a person starts reading with any book besides #1 first, they'll be totally lost. Also each book picks up right after the other ends and there's no background given in the beginnings of the book. So unless blessed with an excellent memory, it's easy to forget events if to much time passes between each book.
September 1, 2024
This is where it finally hit me that Lord Kiyoyori is Lian Hearn's Ned Stark. My man rather became a horse than die peacefully just to make sure the right heir is on the throne.
This book has a significant time jump to it because finally. I was waiting when most of these child characters are going to grow up.
The 'demon children' ended up not being really 'demonic' after all. They're just weird and alien. If anything the real demonic is of course Lord Aritomo. However, I'm still not a fan of the lack of agency of the female characters, namely Hina and Lady Tama. At the very least in this one. Despite their supposed status their character motivation have been totally hingeing on their male counterparts, as a lover, wife, mother/sister/caretaker. Also, can a single one of these instalments not involve SA? I know their bound to happen in feudal areas regardless of geography (we were all degenerates back then) but is it really necessary? I was already uncomfortable with what happened to Akihime.
This book has a significant time jump to it because finally. I was waiting when most of these child characters are going to grow up.
The 'demon children' ended up not being really 'demonic' after all. They're just weird and alien. If anything the real demonic is of course Lord Aritomo. However, I'm still not a fan of the lack of agency of the female characters, namely Hina and Lady Tama. At the very least in this one. Despite their supposed status their character motivation have been totally hingeing on their male counterparts, as a lover, wife, mother/sister/caretaker. Also, can a single one of these instalments not involve SA? I know their bound to happen in feudal areas regardless of geography (we were all degenerates back then) but is it really necessary? I was already uncomfortable with what happened to Akihime.
March 14, 2024
3.5 note
Good book not as the second one. We follow less the main character Shikanoko in this one and I was disappointed in his attitude in the book. Yes he grieved the death of the Autumn Princess but he retreated in the Darkwood for around ten years letting other characters that depended on him die or live in dreadful conditions.
And honestly I wished the Autumn Princess didn't die at the end of the the second book it would have been great to see her evolve as a mom but no...
We follow more the spider tribe (his 5 kids) as well as Hina and other characters that were children or not born yet in the precedent books. I liked the perspective of these people however the story didn't evolve that much in this book and it was low paced especially in the chapter when Mu meet his foxlady wife it was hard to get through the pages.
I really liked how Hina evolved in this book.
The end of this book was a great way to start book 4 (last three chapters )
Good book not as the second one. We follow less the main character Shikanoko in this one and I was disappointed in his attitude in the book. Yes he grieved the death of the Autumn Princess but he retreated in the Darkwood for around ten years letting other characters that depended on him die or live in dreadful conditions.
And honestly I wished the Autumn Princess didn't die at the end of the the second book it would have been great to see her evolve as a mom but no...
We follow more the spider tribe (his 5 kids) as well as Hina and other characters that were children or not born yet in the precedent books. I liked the perspective of these people however the story didn't evolve that much in this book and it was low paced especially in the chapter when Mu meet his foxlady wife it was hard to get through the pages.
I really liked how Hina evolved in this book.
The end of this book was a great way to start book 4 (last three chapters )
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 28, 2016
Originally published at Reading Reality
The further I get into the Tale of Shikanoko, the more it reminds me of Tolkien. In Shikanoko, as in The Silmarillion, the reader gets the sense that these are myths and legends of a world that never was, but perhaps should have been. Also, like The Lord of the Rings, it feels as if the Shikanoko is really one large-ish story that was divided into parts for publishing reasons rather than because the stories are actually separate. The endings of each part of this tale don’t even feel as if they are intermediate endings. They feel like pauses for the reader to take a breath before diving back in.
Also, and fair warning, this is not a story that lends itself to putting down and picking up a few days later. An awful lot happens in each part, and the rich denseness of the story makes it compelling, but also a bit difficult to pick up after putting it down for a few days. Leaving this world is always a wrench.
The story in Lord of the Darkwood takes place during Shikanoko’s dark night of the soul. He spends a lot of this story absent, either in mind or in body, while the world goes on around him. And it is not the better for his absence, which is, of course, the point.
In some ways, there could be said to be three lords of this darkwood. One is Shikanoko – it is his by right of inheritance. Also, as the deer’s child, it is truly his world. He retreats into it to escape from his grief and his despair at the death of the woman he both loved and lost, the Autumn Princess. That story is told in the second book, Autumn Princess, Dragon Child.
But his son Kiku is also a lord of the Darkwood. Kiku and his brothers were born through sorcery in the Darkwood, and it is Kiku who seems to have absorbed most of the darkness. In the absence of Shikanoko, his father and mentor, Kiku turns to the dark side of sorcery, and follows the path of one of their other fathers into banditry and crime. He take the place of the King of the Mountain, and begins a criminal invasion of the cities.
Meanwhile, the land is drying up and the people are dying. At the beginning of Shikanoko’s story, his father was killed after playing go with a Tengu, a chaos spirit of the Darkwood. That death set all the events of the story into motion, and led to not only Shikanoko’s disinheritance and exile, but eventually the death of the rightful Emperor. His heir is also in hiding and exile, playing at being an entertainer to hide his identity. But the land knows that the usurper is not the rightful ruler, and the land is cursed until the balance is restored.
The tengu is also a lord of the Darkwood, and he has returned to right the wrong he created all those years ago. But his nature is chaotic, and restoration will not come without sacrifices made by all those who have been caught up in the wrong he committed. Whether things will be put right, or not, is the part of the tale that has yet to be revealed.
Escape Rating A: In spite of life’s interruptions, I absolutely loved this book, and the series as a whole has been magical, lyrical and just plain awesome.
I will say that this book, and this series, are event-driven rather than character-driven. It seems as if events are set in motion back in The Emperor of the Eight Islands, and everything that happens after that is a reaction to those events and various attempts to either set things right or avoid one’s fate in setting things right. Everything happens for a purpose, and coincidences abound in order to have a hope of getting the world back on the right track. It’s marvelous but it is different. Characters are, in some way, forces as much as they are individuals, if not more.
One other story that the Tale of Shikanoko reminds me of is T.H. White’s The Once and Future King, which was a book of Arthurian mythmaking. But unlike in White’s book, where the reader knows who Arthur is all along, at this point in Shikanoko we know who the hidden emperor is, we just don’t have a clue whether events are going to work their way around to him actually becoming emperor. It’s also fascinating that Arthur’s learning process in White’s book is scattered among multiple characters in this one.
The tengu sees the world as a vast game of Go. This feels like an important concept in the book and may be a metaphor for the story. The thing about Go, or any game, is that one of the players wins and one loses. If this tengu loses this game, it’s going to be pretty devastating for the people involved. At the same time, the player may not take the game seriously because it is a game.
I don’t think it’s a coincidence at all that the final book is titled The Tengu's Game of Go. Because the whole story is.
The further I get into the Tale of Shikanoko, the more it reminds me of Tolkien. In Shikanoko, as in The Silmarillion, the reader gets the sense that these are myths and legends of a world that never was, but perhaps should have been. Also, like The Lord of the Rings, it feels as if the Shikanoko is really one large-ish story that was divided into parts for publishing reasons rather than because the stories are actually separate. The endings of each part of this tale don’t even feel as if they are intermediate endings. They feel like pauses for the reader to take a breath before diving back in.
Also, and fair warning, this is not a story that lends itself to putting down and picking up a few days later. An awful lot happens in each part, and the rich denseness of the story makes it compelling, but also a bit difficult to pick up after putting it down for a few days. Leaving this world is always a wrench.
The story in Lord of the Darkwood takes place during Shikanoko’s dark night of the soul. He spends a lot of this story absent, either in mind or in body, while the world goes on around him. And it is not the better for his absence, which is, of course, the point.
In some ways, there could be said to be three lords of this darkwood. One is Shikanoko – it is his by right of inheritance. Also, as the deer’s child, it is truly his world. He retreats into it to escape from his grief and his despair at the death of the woman he both loved and lost, the Autumn Princess. That story is told in the second book, Autumn Princess, Dragon Child.
But his son Kiku is also a lord of the Darkwood. Kiku and his brothers were born through sorcery in the Darkwood, and it is Kiku who seems to have absorbed most of the darkness. In the absence of Shikanoko, his father and mentor, Kiku turns to the dark side of sorcery, and follows the path of one of their other fathers into banditry and crime. He take the place of the King of the Mountain, and begins a criminal invasion of the cities.
Meanwhile, the land is drying up and the people are dying. At the beginning of Shikanoko’s story, his father was killed after playing go with a Tengu, a chaos spirit of the Darkwood. That death set all the events of the story into motion, and led to not only Shikanoko’s disinheritance and exile, but eventually the death of the rightful Emperor. His heir is also in hiding and exile, playing at being an entertainer to hide his identity. But the land knows that the usurper is not the rightful ruler, and the land is cursed until the balance is restored.
The tengu is also a lord of the Darkwood, and he has returned to right the wrong he created all those years ago. But his nature is chaotic, and restoration will not come without sacrifices made by all those who have been caught up in the wrong he committed. Whether things will be put right, or not, is the part of the tale that has yet to be revealed.
Escape Rating A: In spite of life’s interruptions, I absolutely loved this book, and the series as a whole has been magical, lyrical and just plain awesome.
I will say that this book, and this series, are event-driven rather than character-driven. It seems as if events are set in motion back in The Emperor of the Eight Islands, and everything that happens after that is a reaction to those events and various attempts to either set things right or avoid one’s fate in setting things right. Everything happens for a purpose, and coincidences abound in order to have a hope of getting the world back on the right track. It’s marvelous but it is different. Characters are, in some way, forces as much as they are individuals, if not more.
One other story that the Tale of Shikanoko reminds me of is T.H. White’s The Once and Future King, which was a book of Arthurian mythmaking. But unlike in White’s book, where the reader knows who Arthur is all along, at this point in Shikanoko we know who the hidden emperor is, we just don’t have a clue whether events are going to work their way around to him actually becoming emperor. It’s also fascinating that Arthur’s learning process in White’s book is scattered among multiple characters in this one.
The tengu sees the world as a vast game of Go. This feels like an important concept in the book and may be a metaphor for the story. The thing about Go, or any game, is that one of the players wins and one loses. If this tengu loses this game, it’s going to be pretty devastating for the people involved. At the same time, the player may not take the game seriously because it is a game.
I don’t think it’s a coincidence at all that the final book is titled The Tengu's Game of Go. Because the whole story is.
February 25, 2021
While still good, Lord of the Darkwood really felt like a middle book here. Unlike its predecessor, all the set up and development didn’t really have any payoff in this entry, but it still put a lot in place for the final book in the series. I really like how it pushed forward so far in time that we get to see a lot of the children characters grow up and establish themselves as major players in the overall narrative. It’s just too bad we didn’t get to see them or the major players from previous entries do much.
I’m really excited to see how this all ends, and I think this book is very important in developing the various story threads so they can all converge for the grand finale. However, as its own book, it falls short of the previous entries.
I’m really excited to see how this all ends, and I think this book is very important in developing the various story threads so they can all converge for the grand finale. However, as its own book, it falls short of the previous entries.
July 2, 2021
3.5 I felt much more engaged with this book than the second, but neither felt as exciting and cohesive as the emperor of the eight islands. I also had a little trouble telling what's happening with time, partly due to the children growing up incredibly fast. It seems like 5-10 years must have passed between the middle and end of this book for Shika's child to be all grown up, but we have no updates on how Miboshi conflict was going during that time and it's also quite a long time for shikanoko to just be chilling in the forest as a half deer spirit? Not sure. Some of the stories are staying to feel out of sync with each other, and others get dropped completely or for long segments of the book, which doesn't help.
October 19, 2017
Another great installment in what is a new favorite series for me.
Some might call this a filler book because aside from a lot of training, the plot doesn’t advance a lot until the ending chapters (which one could argue could’ve just been added to one of the other books instead of being its own), but to me it felt kinda necessary. Like a deep breathe before the finale to come in the next book.
In fact I think that’s one of the things this series does best: it flows really well.
I find all of the characters to be interesting and unique. My favorites are probably be the Spider children and Shikanoko himself, but I enjoy reading about all of them.
These books are really underrated.
Some might call this a filler book because aside from a lot of training, the plot doesn’t advance a lot until the ending chapters (which one could argue could’ve just been added to one of the other books instead of being its own), but to me it felt kinda necessary. Like a deep breathe before the finale to come in the next book.
In fact I think that’s one of the things this series does best: it flows really well.
I find all of the characters to be interesting and unique. My favorites are probably be the Spider children and Shikanoko himself, but I enjoy reading about all of them.
These books are really underrated.
April 16, 2023
I enjoyed this better than book 2. It may be almost 3.5 stars. I do have the last installment (book #4), so I will probably read it just to see how it wraps up. But I don't love this series the same way that I did the Otori. That series was 5 stars, straight down the line!! It was AMAZING!! This series has taken me a while to finish. I had to put it down for a few days to a week because I wasn't that into the story line--or it had digressed to give background on something else. Then I came back to finish it. I feel like I'm plodding my way through. Maybe Book 4 will bring things all together??? I hope so.
June 8, 2018
There is magic here, and heroism, and all the things one could want in a fantasy. Only this one is set in Japan-like setting. The books have continued the story of Shikanoko, the boy who is now a man, and something more. But he has lost his love and doesn't know he has a son. In the background, the true emperor, now a young man, hides. The many characters have grown throughout the books, and the author has good attention to detail. There is action, but not too much. There are twists and turns, and one must pay attention to keep up - which is part of why this is such a good read.
March 1, 2022
Another great volume in the Tale of Shikanoko series. This book sees the board develop for the endgame to come in the fourth and final volume. The key characters spend this book reckoning with their past decisions, developing their skills and honing new ones, forming alliances, gathering strength, and nursing grudges. There is palpable tension by the end of the book as the numerous plot points begin to converge in the forest of the Darkwood. I can't wait to see how this all turns out in book 4.
July 22, 2024
Meskipun telah dicantumkan daftar nama para tokohnya, tetap saja ada kebingungan dan kesulitan untuk mengingat mereka yang terlibat dalam pelarian menuju hutan Darkwood. Secara keseluruhan novel ini lebih dominan menceritakan Hina, gadis yang selamat dari pembantaian, sembunyi di biara, menjadi wanita penghibur lalu kembali mencari keberadaan Lord Shikanoko.
Cerita ini sarat dengan dunia yang ajaib, penyihir dan makhluk jadi-jadian yang mampu berhubungan dengan manusia serta minim konflik. Akhir kisah yang menggantung dan karena ini cerita jilid ke-3, maka jelas petualangan Shikanoko masih terus berlanjut.
Cerita ini sarat dengan dunia yang ajaib, penyihir dan makhluk jadi-jadian yang mampu berhubungan dengan manusia serta minim konflik. Akhir kisah yang menggantung dan karena ini cerita jilid ke-3, maka jelas petualangan Shikanoko masih terus berlanjut.
October 26, 2017
I recieved an ARC of this book from Netgalley. I wish I had realized that it was the third book in a series before beginning it. That being said, I was still able to follow the narrative and the writing was visual and flowing. As a fan of Japanese stories (legends, myths and otherwize), I very much enjoyed this book and look forward to reading the other 3 books in the series (the 2 previous and 1 following).
April 23, 2020
Very tedious and anticlimactic.
Spoiler
The Tengu get introduced and it's just poof "Here, we want the emperor in his throne and want to right the wrongs were going to help you", I found this boring, the best part of these books has become the covers. The added homosexuality may have happen in this era but it feels forced just for the sake of having it there.
I don't know if i will buy a "Tengu's game of go" ,but the last two books certain don't make me want too.
Spoiler
The Tengu get introduced and it's just poof "Here, we want the emperor in his throne and want to right the wrongs were going to help you", I found this boring, the best part of these books has become the covers. The added homosexuality may have happen in this era but it feels forced just for the sake of having it there.
I don't know if i will buy a "Tengu's game of go" ,but the last two books certain don't make me want too.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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