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Emperor of the Eight Islands

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Emperor of the Eight Islands

By: Lian Hearn
Narrated by: Neil Shah
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About this listen

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 – and it is just the beginning of an enthralling, epic adventure: The Tale of Shikanoko.

 Epic Epic Fantasy Fantasy Fiction Genre Fiction Historical Literary Fiction

Critic reviews

A work as densely populated as a Russian novel [which] moves onwards with the narrative force of a flood. It is easy to let the book sweep the reader away, to engage with strange events, but very compelling characters [and] huge imaginative vitality.
The Otori world is feudal Japan with imaginary place names, written in the spirit of The Tale of Genji and other classics. As with Genji, two warring clans seek to control the Emperor, and the country itself. The books are carefully researched, being surely the most wildly successful product of an Asialink grant. They convince as if being read in translation, as if Hearn is merely the medium for some lost and ancient text. Much like 'Game of Thrones', the book can be read as political intrigue, with great strength deriving from the character studies. Nobody is black or white, rather shades of grey.
One of the great joys of genre novels is that they usually care deeply about plot, satisfying the innately human desire for story. And there is story aplenty here. The unfolding events are so fascinating, the writing so lithe and seductive. There's no need to have read Hearn's earlier Otori series, set in the same remarkable fantasy world, to enjoy this one. Indeed, her new epic seems sure to recruit a fresh legion of fans.
Hearn once again brings . . . a breadth of scale, ideas, and adventure that rivals any other fantasy for its pure ambition and sheer pleasure . . . Lian Hearn's return to her rich, unique universe offers everything you want from the genre, but with a wholly distinct flavor and style. In short, you'll immediately want to begin reading book two. (Barnes & Noble blog)
The action comes thick and fast . . . The compelling characters and captivating worldbuilding means readers will look forward to part two.
Wonderfully evocative . . . intriguing.
A fitting follow-up to the Otori series
Brutally thrilling historical fantasy
A must-read
All kinds of brilliant. Awesome storytelling. (Max Porter)
All stars
Most relevant
I enjoyed the book but throughout the recording there are times when the words are hard to understand or simply missing makeing some sentences confusing.

some unfortunate audio bugs throughout

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Interesting tale, original and unique, full of strange magic and political intrigue, but somewhat let down by the poor editing of the audiobook.

Good story, poor editing

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This is a really good story, though I think I like Lían Hearn's Tales of the Otori a little bit more. The overall performance is quite good though I found some of the character voices a little grating, possibly because they didn't match the idea I had formed in my head when I read these books on my e-reader. So others may not have the same reaction.
This audio book is actually the first 2 books from the series in one.

The first two novels in the series in one.

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