FOUR MILLION COPIES SOLD. In 40 languages. One of the most thrilling series of our time. Enter the feudal world of the Otori - filled with magic, treachery and intrigue - inspired by medieval Japan and created by acclaimed Australian author, Lian Hearn.
** CELEBRATING 21 YEARS OF OTORI **
ACROSS THE NIGHTINGALE FLOOR is Book 1 in the five-part Tales of the Otori series.
'The best story of magic, love, sex, revenge and suspense to have come this way since Philip Pullman.' INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY
In his fortress at Inuyama, the murderous warlord Iida Sadamu surveys his famous nightingale floor. Constructed with exquisite skill, it sings at the tread of each human foot. No assassin can cross it unheard.
Brought up in a remote village among the Hidden, a reclusive and spiritual people, Takeo has learned only the ways of peace. Why, then, does he possess the deadly skills that make him so valuable to the sinister Tribe? These supernatural powers will lead him to his violent destiny within the walls of Inuyama - and to an impossible longing for a girl who can never be his. His journey is one of revenge and treachery, beauty and magic, and the passion of first love.
COMING SOON - the spellbinding new Tale of Shikanoko, set 300 years before Otori: EMPEROR OF THE EIGHT ISLANDS (Books 1 and 2) and LORD OF THE DARKWOOD (Books 3 and 4).
One of the most thrilling series of our time. - The Times
... a world that is rich with character and detail, yet effortless to read - Sydney Morning Herald
8 Must-Read Homegrown SFF Books
Q&A with author Lian Hearn
Author Lian Hearn on the pronunciation of Japanese weapons
Author Lian Hearn reads from her new book (4.28)
Author Lian Hearn reads from her new book (1.12)
Blossoms and Shadows by Lian Hearn
Q&A with author Lian Hearn
Author Lian Hearn on the pronunciation of Japanese weapons
Author Lian Hearn reads from her new book (4.28)
Author Lian Hearn reads from her new book (1.12)
Blossoms and Shadows by Lian Hearn
One of Australia's most internationally successful writers, Lian Hearn's books have been translated into 42 languages and have sold millions of copies. Nine of her books are set in a mythical country based on medieval Japan: these are the five Tales of the Otori books, starting with Across the Nightingale Floor; The Tale of Shikanoko: Emperor of the Eight Islands and Lord of the Darkwood; and Children of the Otori: Orphan Warriors and Sibling Assassins. She has also written two historical novels set in nineteenth-century Japan, Blossoms and Shadows and The Storyteller and His Three Daughters.
Lian's passionate interest in Japan began when she was a teenager. She received an AsiaLink arts fellowship for travel and research in 1999. She travels frequently to Japan and has studied Japanese for many years. She has always been deeply interested in languages and has a BA and MA in French and Spanish from Oxford University. She worked as an editor and film critic in England and Australia before beginning her career as a novelist in 1986, under the name of Gillian Rubinstein, with the bestselling and award-winning children's novel Space Demons.
You can follow Lian on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.