|
December 05, 2008
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 | Heaven's Net Is Wide by Lian Hearn | Reviewed by Harriet Klausner |  | Publisher: Riverhead
http://www.us.penguingroup.com
ISBN: 159448953X
Genre: Fiction
Subgenre: Historical
Release date: August 2007
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 496
Price: $26.95
| Otori Shigeru is the young heir to the powerful, ruthless Otori clan. In spite of growing up in an authoritarian pyramidal hierarchy; he understands that the greater Japanese society, especially his clan, venerate loyalty.
However, his lessons were also tempered as an adolescent when he observed how dishonorably some behaved--seditious backstabbing by his uncles and an assault from the Iida family to gain power. The culmination occurs when his uncles’ perfidy and the Iida betrayal lead to the deaths of thousands of Otori warriors at Yaeahara and the eradication of his family. He lives but is heir to nothing, as the Otori clan has been exterminated. Although those who murdered his family want him dead so that he would symbolize nothing, Shigeru survives with an inner fortitude made stronger by what he saw and enhanced by a desire for retribution. He turns to his former mentor, warrior-monk Matsuda Shingen, for guidance and patience and meets Lady Maruyama, who keeps him human and more; as she knows what he is going through, as the Tohan had destroyed much of what she held sacred. However, the hope for retribution might begin in a mountainous village.
The fifth "Tales of the Otori" is a brilliant novel that brings the beginning and the end to this great saga of medieval Japan. The storyline is a superb historical fantasy, as the audience learns much of how Otori got to where he ends. Fans of the series will fully appreciate this great finish that is also the beginning, as Heaven's Net Is Wide completes this non-linear epic saga with a sweeping winner. | | |
|
|
|
