Has anybody read it?
i did all 3 books and i loved it i cried in the end.
A movie adaption of Across the Nightingale Floor is being planned, and Lian Hearn has confirmed that a script is in progress, being written by David Henry Hwangs
The first book is called Across the Nightingale floor
Synopsis
Tomasu, a 16 year old boy lives amongst the Hidden, a persecuted religious sect. The villagers are slaughtered by warlord Iida Sadamu and his troops, but Tomasu is rescued by Otori Shigeru, renamed Takeo, and brought to Hagi, the Otori stronghold. There they discover Takeo's father was a member of the secretive Kikuta Tribe, and he has many special abilities such as exceptional hearing, invisibility, and the ability to split a second, phantom self from his own.
It is 10 years since the battle of Yaegahara, in which the Otori were defeated by Iida Sadamu. Takeo is instructed by Ichiro, and Muto Kenji, a member of the tribe and an old friend of Shigeru's. Kenji arrives after Takeo foils an assassination attempt on Shigeru by the Tribe. The unexpected failure of the attempt raises suspicions within the Tribe of Takeo's abilities.
Shigeru hears that Iida sleeps in a room with a nightingale floor, the floorboards which 'sing' whenever someone tries to sneak across it. Shigeru has one built of his own, and Takeo practices with his exceptional skills until he can move silently across it. The unspoken plan is for him to assassinate Iida.
Shigeru, who is grieving the recent death of his mother and murder of his brother, plans to adopt Takeo. He seeks permission from Shigeru's uncles, who head the Otori clan. It was they who had ordered the assassination attempt, and to rid themselves of him, make it a condition that he goes to Iida's castle in Inuyama, to marry Shirakawa Kaede.
They know it is a trap; nevertheless, they make the journey with Kenji. At Tsuwano they meet Kaede, under the protection of her kinswoman Lady Maruyama (with whom Shigeru has had a secret relationship for almost 10 years), and accompanied by Kenji's niece, Shizuka. But it is Takeo and Kaede who immediately find a connection between them. They stop off at the shrine at Terayama, at the time of the Festival of the Dead, to visit Shigeru's brother's grave, and for Shigeru to discuss war plans with the Abbott.
As an army headed by Lord Arai musters from the west, they arrive at Inuyama in the 9th month. Shigeru plans for Takeo to assassinate Iida that night. But the Tribe, not wanting to risk Takeo (and appreciating the stability that Iida brings), abducts him so that his training can be finished.
Thus the treachery plays itself out: Shigeru is crucified on the castle wall, and Lady Maruyama and her daughter drown whilst attempting to escape. Takeo makes a deal with the The Tribe to allow Takeo to bring Shigeru's body down in return for joining them. Takeo, together with Kenji and Yuki sneak into the castle at night and bring Shigeru down from the wall. Shigeru asks Takeo to bury his head next to his brother's grave in Terayama and to place Iida's head there also. Takeo cuts off his head and gives him a warrior's death. Kenji's daughter Yuki takes Shigeru's wrapped head, and rides day and night to the shrine at Terayama for its burial.
Iida attempts to rape Kaede, who kills him with a knife hidden under the bed. Takeo finds them, consumates his relationship with her before cutting off Iida's head, and taking it to Terayama to show before Shigeru's grave. Kaede begs him to marry her, and Arai, now conqueror, insists he do so and become his ally, but he cannot because of the Tribe. Kenji and the master, Kikuta, come to Teruyama to claim him, and they slip away.
Book2 - Grass for his Pillow
Synopsis
Kaede slowly recovers from the Kikuta sleep given to her by Takeo, with dreams of the White Goddess: Be patient. He will come for you. Afterwards she travels towards home, accompanied by Shizuka. Arai is furious that Takeo has gone off with the Tribe, and realizes that he had underestimated them. He sends his men to search for him, and to assassinate Shizuka, his ex-lover whom he now fears because of her association with the Tribe. However, the attempt fails. Kaede is pregnant with Takeo's child, but Shizuka creates the notion of a secret marriage with Shigeru before his death to explain the coming child.
Meanwhile Takeo is kept hidden inside a Tribe house in Yamagata. Kikuta Akio, one of his abductors, is charged with teaching him, despite their mutual hatred. Under the disguise of traveling acrobats, they head north to Matsue. Yuki, Kenji's daughter, enters a relationship with Takeo as directed to by the Tribe, though she has genuine affection for him. One day she leaves suddenly, pregnant with his child, whom the tribe hope will inherit Takeo's extraordinary abilities.
Kaede returns to her childhood home to find the estate in disrepair, her mother dead, and her father in despair after losing a battle to Arai and not having the courage to take his own life. She determines, despite her gender, to take over Shirakawa. She attracts the interest of an Imperial noble who lives nearby, Lord Fujiwara, who assists her in return for hearing her secrets. Makoto, a monk from Terayama, visits and accidentally reveals that there was no marriage between Kaede and Shigeru. In disgrace, her father decides their whole family must take their lives, and attacks Kaede. Shizuka and Kondo (a retainer, and member of the tribe) rescue her by killing him. Kaede goes into labour, miscarries her child, and becomes gravely ill.
The Tribe become frustrated with Takeo's disobedience, and send him on a mission as a last chance. They believe Shigeru compiled records on the Tribe, so Takeo goes to his old house with Akio to retrieve them--Takeo being the only one who could get across the nightingale floor without being detected. Takeo discovers the records are at Terayama, but decides to escape from the Tribe. He shakes off Akio, and makes his way south, with winter closing in. On the way he is taken to a blind woman who delivers the prophecy that would haunt him: "Your lands will stretch from sea to sea...Five battles will buy you peace, four to win and one to lose. Many must die, but you yourself are safe from death, except at the hands of your own son." He reaches Teruyama the last day before the pass is closed by snow.
Once Spring thaws the snow, Kaede excuses herself from Fujiwara, stating her intention to visit Arai, her overlord, to discuss her future. He reluctantly agrees, and she travels via Terayama, as she has heard that Takeo is there. They meet, and as Takeo is under a death sentence from the Tribe, Kaede sends Shizuka and Kondo away. Against advice, Takeo and Kaede marry at Terayama.
Book3 - Brilliance of the Moon
Synopsis
Soon after Kaede and Takeo's marriage, messengers arrive at Terayama from his Uncles with a threat, and the head of Ichiro, his old teacher. The Otori army lies in wait to ambush him, so Takeo leads them over the mountains, and across the river near Kibi, with the assistance of a bridge made by Jo-an and some outcastes. After a minor skirmish with some bandits, they lead the army to Maruyama, the domain that Lady Maruyama left to Kaede. Lady Maruyama's son-in-law, Iida Nariaki, a cousin to Iida Sadamu, has marched in to Maruyama just ahead of them, but Iida's army gets caught between the Maruyama and Takeo's armies, and are defeated.
Meanwhile Shizuka and Kondo Kiichi arrive at the hidden Muto village, and get reunited with her grandfather, Kenji, and her two sons. She fears the consequences that will come from Kaede's rash marriage. From Kenji she learns of the Kikuta's belief in the existence of records on the tribe compiled by Shigeru before his death. They decide to send Kondo to Arai, to gauge his reaction to Kaede's marriage, and his feeling towards his sons by Shizuka. Kenji also tells her how his daughter Yuki was recently married to Akio, but was forced to take her life after her son by Takeo was born. The child will remain with the Kikuta, who have their own plans concerning the boy and Takeo's futures.
In Maruyama, they start restoring the land and estates. Takeo is threatened by the local Tribe members, so using Shigeru's records, he has them rounded up and the adults executed. His mind turns to Hagi, and concocts a plan to invade it by sea. He travels to Oshima island to meet his childhood friend Terada Fumio, whose family have now become pirates, to seek an alliance. Kaede wants to accompany him, but he tells her to stay. On the way he meets Ryoma, an illegitimate son of his Uncle, Masahiro. He makes an agreement with Fumio's father, but his return is delayed by Typhoons, and he almost drowns in a storm.
Despite Sugita's objections, Kaede rides to Shirakawa with Hiroshi, and finds that Shoji, the Shirakawa retainer, had given up her sisters to Fujiwara, and returned her hostage to his family. Shocked, she hides the records on the Tribe at the nearby Shrine, and rides to demand her sisters return. Fujiwara abducts her, and only Hiroshi escapes to later bring the news to Maruyama. Fujiwara declares her marriage to Takeo to be illegal, and he forces her to marry her. Their marriage is celebate: he is not interested in her as a woman, but as a treasure, to be locked away.
Takeo returns and hears the news of Kaede's abduction. His army marches towards Shirakawa, but discovers not only Fujiwara's army, but Arai's. They retreat to the coast as Maruyama surrenders to Arai's men, hoping for Fumio to come by boat, but the weather delays him. Takeo submits to Arai, but rather than killing him, they enter into an alliance against the Otori lords (Shigeru's uncles), but to dispel rumours about him being one of the hidden, Takeo is forced to kill the outcaste Jo-an. Kenji, turned against the Kikuta because of the murder of his daughter, comes to Takeo and brings a truce, and an alliance on behalf of the Tribe, save the Kikuta. Before they leave, Fumio demonstrates to Takeo the use of a firearm, an invention obtained from the white barbarians.
Arai's army marches north, and Takeo sails around the coast to Hagi. With Kenji and Taku, Arai and Shizuka's younger son, they sneak into the castle, and kill the lords and their families. When Arai's army arrives, he betrays Takeo. Fumio shoots Arai dead with the firearm, and at that moment a huge earthquake rocks the entire three countries. It destroys Arai's army, and in Shirakawa it destroys Fujiwara and his household.
The Kikuta master, Kotaro, sneaks into Takeo's house to assassinate him, as he did to his father years before. With Kenji and Taku's help, they defeat him, but Takeo loses 2 fingers, and goes into a delerium from the poisoned blade that cut him. After he recovers, and despite the onset of winter, he rushes south to find what happened to Kaede. They come to the shrine to find Kaede, Shizuka, and her new husband Dr Ishida alive, with the tribal records safe. But Kaede's hair is shorn, terrible burns marring her neck. As it starts to snow, Takeo prays the Spring would bring healing to his land.
A short epilogue, 15 years after the events of the book, closes off the trilogy, and sets the scene for the sequel, The Harsh Cry of the Heron. Takeo is ruler of the Three Countries, and has three daughters. He has not told Kaede of his son by Yuki, and knows if his destiny is to die at his hands, he cannot avoid it.
-Credits to Wikipedia
i did all 3 books and i loved it i cried in the end.
A movie adaption of Across the Nightingale Floor is being planned, and Lian Hearn has confirmed that a script is in progress, being written by David Henry Hwangs
The first book is called Across the Nightingale floor
Synopsis
Tomasu, a 16 year old boy lives amongst the Hidden, a persecuted religious sect. The villagers are slaughtered by warlord Iida Sadamu and his troops, but Tomasu is rescued by Otori Shigeru, renamed Takeo, and brought to Hagi, the Otori stronghold. There they discover Takeo's father was a member of the secretive Kikuta Tribe, and he has many special abilities such as exceptional hearing, invisibility, and the ability to split a second, phantom self from his own.
It is 10 years since the battle of Yaegahara, in which the Otori were defeated by Iida Sadamu. Takeo is instructed by Ichiro, and Muto Kenji, a member of the tribe and an old friend of Shigeru's. Kenji arrives after Takeo foils an assassination attempt on Shigeru by the Tribe. The unexpected failure of the attempt raises suspicions within the Tribe of Takeo's abilities.
Shigeru hears that Iida sleeps in a room with a nightingale floor, the floorboards which 'sing' whenever someone tries to sneak across it. Shigeru has one built of his own, and Takeo practices with his exceptional skills until he can move silently across it. The unspoken plan is for him to assassinate Iida.
Shigeru, who is grieving the recent death of his mother and murder of his brother, plans to adopt Takeo. He seeks permission from Shigeru's uncles, who head the Otori clan. It was they who had ordered the assassination attempt, and to rid themselves of him, make it a condition that he goes to Iida's castle in Inuyama, to marry Shirakawa Kaede.
They know it is a trap; nevertheless, they make the journey with Kenji. At Tsuwano they meet Kaede, under the protection of her kinswoman Lady Maruyama (with whom Shigeru has had a secret relationship for almost 10 years), and accompanied by Kenji's niece, Shizuka. But it is Takeo and Kaede who immediately find a connection between them. They stop off at the shrine at Terayama, at the time of the Festival of the Dead, to visit Shigeru's brother's grave, and for Shigeru to discuss war plans with the Abbott.
As an army headed by Lord Arai musters from the west, they arrive at Inuyama in the 9th month. Shigeru plans for Takeo to assassinate Iida that night. But the Tribe, not wanting to risk Takeo (and appreciating the stability that Iida brings), abducts him so that his training can be finished.
Thus the treachery plays itself out: Shigeru is crucified on the castle wall, and Lady Maruyama and her daughter drown whilst attempting to escape. Takeo makes a deal with the The Tribe to allow Takeo to bring Shigeru's body down in return for joining them. Takeo, together with Kenji and Yuki sneak into the castle at night and bring Shigeru down from the wall. Shigeru asks Takeo to bury his head next to his brother's grave in Terayama and to place Iida's head there also. Takeo cuts off his head and gives him a warrior's death. Kenji's daughter Yuki takes Shigeru's wrapped head, and rides day and night to the shrine at Terayama for its burial.
Iida attempts to rape Kaede, who kills him with a knife hidden under the bed. Takeo finds them, consumates his relationship with her before cutting off Iida's head, and taking it to Terayama to show before Shigeru's grave. Kaede begs him to marry her, and Arai, now conqueror, insists he do so and become his ally, but he cannot because of the Tribe. Kenji and the master, Kikuta, come to Teruyama to claim him, and they slip away.
Book2 - Grass for his Pillow
Synopsis
Kaede slowly recovers from the Kikuta sleep given to her by Takeo, with dreams of the White Goddess: Be patient. He will come for you. Afterwards she travels towards home, accompanied by Shizuka. Arai is furious that Takeo has gone off with the Tribe, and realizes that he had underestimated them. He sends his men to search for him, and to assassinate Shizuka, his ex-lover whom he now fears because of her association with the Tribe. However, the attempt fails. Kaede is pregnant with Takeo's child, but Shizuka creates the notion of a secret marriage with Shigeru before his death to explain the coming child.
Meanwhile Takeo is kept hidden inside a Tribe house in Yamagata. Kikuta Akio, one of his abductors, is charged with teaching him, despite their mutual hatred. Under the disguise of traveling acrobats, they head north to Matsue. Yuki, Kenji's daughter, enters a relationship with Takeo as directed to by the Tribe, though she has genuine affection for him. One day she leaves suddenly, pregnant with his child, whom the tribe hope will inherit Takeo's extraordinary abilities.
Kaede returns to her childhood home to find the estate in disrepair, her mother dead, and her father in despair after losing a battle to Arai and not having the courage to take his own life. She determines, despite her gender, to take over Shirakawa. She attracts the interest of an Imperial noble who lives nearby, Lord Fujiwara, who assists her in return for hearing her secrets. Makoto, a monk from Terayama, visits and accidentally reveals that there was no marriage between Kaede and Shigeru. In disgrace, her father decides their whole family must take their lives, and attacks Kaede. Shizuka and Kondo (a retainer, and member of the tribe) rescue her by killing him. Kaede goes into labour, miscarries her child, and becomes gravely ill.
The Tribe become frustrated with Takeo's disobedience, and send him on a mission as a last chance. They believe Shigeru compiled records on the Tribe, so Takeo goes to his old house with Akio to retrieve them--Takeo being the only one who could get across the nightingale floor without being detected. Takeo discovers the records are at Terayama, but decides to escape from the Tribe. He shakes off Akio, and makes his way south, with winter closing in. On the way he is taken to a blind woman who delivers the prophecy that would haunt him: "Your lands will stretch from sea to sea...Five battles will buy you peace, four to win and one to lose. Many must die, but you yourself are safe from death, except at the hands of your own son." He reaches Teruyama the last day before the pass is closed by snow.
Once Spring thaws the snow, Kaede excuses herself from Fujiwara, stating her intention to visit Arai, her overlord, to discuss her future. He reluctantly agrees, and she travels via Terayama, as she has heard that Takeo is there. They meet, and as Takeo is under a death sentence from the Tribe, Kaede sends Shizuka and Kondo away. Against advice, Takeo and Kaede marry at Terayama.
Book3 - Brilliance of the Moon
Synopsis
Soon after Kaede and Takeo's marriage, messengers arrive at Terayama from his Uncles with a threat, and the head of Ichiro, his old teacher. The Otori army lies in wait to ambush him, so Takeo leads them over the mountains, and across the river near Kibi, with the assistance of a bridge made by Jo-an and some outcastes. After a minor skirmish with some bandits, they lead the army to Maruyama, the domain that Lady Maruyama left to Kaede. Lady Maruyama's son-in-law, Iida Nariaki, a cousin to Iida Sadamu, has marched in to Maruyama just ahead of them, but Iida's army gets caught between the Maruyama and Takeo's armies, and are defeated.
Meanwhile Shizuka and Kondo Kiichi arrive at the hidden Muto village, and get reunited with her grandfather, Kenji, and her two sons. She fears the consequences that will come from Kaede's rash marriage. From Kenji she learns of the Kikuta's belief in the existence of records on the tribe compiled by Shigeru before his death. They decide to send Kondo to Arai, to gauge his reaction to Kaede's marriage, and his feeling towards his sons by Shizuka. Kenji also tells her how his daughter Yuki was recently married to Akio, but was forced to take her life after her son by Takeo was born. The child will remain with the Kikuta, who have their own plans concerning the boy and Takeo's futures.
In Maruyama, they start restoring the land and estates. Takeo is threatened by the local Tribe members, so using Shigeru's records, he has them rounded up and the adults executed. His mind turns to Hagi, and concocts a plan to invade it by sea. He travels to Oshima island to meet his childhood friend Terada Fumio, whose family have now become pirates, to seek an alliance. Kaede wants to accompany him, but he tells her to stay. On the way he meets Ryoma, an illegitimate son of his Uncle, Masahiro. He makes an agreement with Fumio's father, but his return is delayed by Typhoons, and he almost drowns in a storm.
Despite Sugita's objections, Kaede rides to Shirakawa with Hiroshi, and finds that Shoji, the Shirakawa retainer, had given up her sisters to Fujiwara, and returned her hostage to his family. Shocked, she hides the records on the Tribe at the nearby Shrine, and rides to demand her sisters return. Fujiwara abducts her, and only Hiroshi escapes to later bring the news to Maruyama. Fujiwara declares her marriage to Takeo to be illegal, and he forces her to marry her. Their marriage is celebate: he is not interested in her as a woman, but as a treasure, to be locked away.
Takeo returns and hears the news of Kaede's abduction. His army marches towards Shirakawa, but discovers not only Fujiwara's army, but Arai's. They retreat to the coast as Maruyama surrenders to Arai's men, hoping for Fumio to come by boat, but the weather delays him. Takeo submits to Arai, but rather than killing him, they enter into an alliance against the Otori lords (Shigeru's uncles), but to dispel rumours about him being one of the hidden, Takeo is forced to kill the outcaste Jo-an. Kenji, turned against the Kikuta because of the murder of his daughter, comes to Takeo and brings a truce, and an alliance on behalf of the Tribe, save the Kikuta. Before they leave, Fumio demonstrates to Takeo the use of a firearm, an invention obtained from the white barbarians.
Arai's army marches north, and Takeo sails around the coast to Hagi. With Kenji and Taku, Arai and Shizuka's younger son, they sneak into the castle, and kill the lords and their families. When Arai's army arrives, he betrays Takeo. Fumio shoots Arai dead with the firearm, and at that moment a huge earthquake rocks the entire three countries. It destroys Arai's army, and in Shirakawa it destroys Fujiwara and his household.
The Kikuta master, Kotaro, sneaks into Takeo's house to assassinate him, as he did to his father years before. With Kenji and Taku's help, they defeat him, but Takeo loses 2 fingers, and goes into a delerium from the poisoned blade that cut him. After he recovers, and despite the onset of winter, he rushes south to find what happened to Kaede. They come to the shrine to find Kaede, Shizuka, and her new husband Dr Ishida alive, with the tribal records safe. But Kaede's hair is shorn, terrible burns marring her neck. As it starts to snow, Takeo prays the Spring would bring healing to his land.
A short epilogue, 15 years after the events of the book, closes off the trilogy, and sets the scene for the sequel, The Harsh Cry of the Heron. Takeo is ruler of the Three Countries, and has three daughters. He has not told Kaede of his son by Yuki, and knows if his destiny is to die at his hands, he cannot avoid it.
-Credits to Wikipedia
