Lian Hearn

"An epic, fantastical adventure in the mythical Japan, a world inhabited by warriors, assassins, acrobats, ghosts, guardian spirits, demons, horses, and monkeys"--

Book 1 in the Tale of Shikanoko

Emperor of the Eight Islands

altlovesbooks

The premise is interesting, however the writing is inconsistent at best, and uninteresting at worst. Several scenes are well written and interesting, however they are usually bookended with scenes that are shoddily written, and hard to get through. The setting is interesting (and I love the cover art), but ultimately it was not enough for me to fully engage with the story.

Sarah Escorsa

Most disillusioned and disenchanted and disappointed I am, for the Slightly Wondrous Tales of the Otori this ain't not. Quite the bummer indeed this is.

Sheila

I won this book through a Goodreads giveaway!

This book fully evoked the feudal Japan vibe not unlike the Heike Monogatari. The 'saga' feel is enhanced by the use of a third person omniscient POV, but it's been a long time since I've read a book using that POV so it felt emotionally flat to me. 

I didn't connect to any of the characters, or even want to root for them? Aside from the kids no one in this book was worth supporting, not even Shikanoko who at the end was manipulated into doing something pretty heinous. I'm hoping the characterization will improve in subsequent books, but maybe I'm missing the mark entirely and should just treat this series as a classical teaching epic.

I'm unsure why this version of these books was split into 4 volumes instead of 2 like the ones published by Hachette Australia. This was too short & ended too abruptly to justify that decision IMO.

shellybn

This is another amazing epic tale from Lian Hearn. It is as sweeping and engaging as "The Tales of the Otori" with many characters readers will come to love.

Pat G.

** spoiler alert **
           A pretty decent start to the series. We meet many characters very quickly in this 250 page starter, which made me find myself often checking the list of characters to make sure I’m following the genealogy correctly. 

The style is quite brief and very “to the point”. I felt I was wanting more details at times, or missing important info in some sections as I tried to wrap my head around what character I was reading about. This style works incredibly in other sections though, as we follow various characters’ epic journeys and quickly find out what they’ve been up to since we last heard from them. 

The end of this 1st in series was simultaneously tragic, exciting, and frustrating. Looking forward to starting the next book!

kathryn isabelle

Joana Duarte

Jeff Roche

Kevin Finlayson

Allison Francis

Natalie Hanna

Dr. Bitchcraft

Léa Beauchemin-Laporte

An ambitious warlord leaves his nephew for dead and seizes his lands.A stubborn father forces his younger son to surrender his wife to his older brother.A mysterious woman seeks five fathers for her children.A powerful priest meddles in the succession to the Lotus Throne.These are the threads of an intricate tapestry in which the laws of destiny play out against a backdrop of wild forest, elegant court, and savage battlefield. Set in a mythical medieval Japan inhabited by warriors and assassins, ghosts and guardian spirits, Emperor of the Eight Islands by Lian Hearn is a brilliantly imagined novel, full of drama and intrigue - the beginning of an enthralling, epic adventure: The Tale of Shikanoko.

Emperor of the Eight Islands Book 1 in the Tale of Shikanoko

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