The Harsh Cry of the Heron - Softcover

Hearn, Lian

3.96

13,204 ratings by Goodreads

9780330446327: The Harsh Cry of the Heron

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0330446320 ISBN 13: 9780330446327

Publisher: Picador, 2007

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Takeo and Kaede have ruled the Three Countries peacefully for over 16 years, following the tumultuous events laid out in the epic Tales of the Otori. The land and people are peaceable and calm, the world is balanced and Heaven seems to shine upon them. They have three daughters. Shigeko, 15 years old and heir to the vast territory, is developing into a bold warrior with meditative powers, making her wise beyond her years, and Maya and Miki - twins, two years her junior - have inherited the supernatural powers of their father.

However, an attempted assassination of Kaede at the New Year ceremonies reveals that the inescapable forces of destiny still bear down on Takeo and those he loves, and that forces from his past and from beyond the Three Countries are plotting. While his strength and power come from the enduring love of Kaede, the blind sage's prophecy that only his son could bring death to him, haunts his thoughts.

This is a breath-taking epic of warfare and sacrifice, passionate revenge, treacherous betrayals and unconquerable love. Lian Hearn's ancient mythological world of fierce chivalry is compelling, timeless storytelling that will endure for generations of readers to come.

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Review:

Much to enjoy – treacherous plots, possession by the spirits, cracking battle scenes, and Lian Hearn writes with a delicate attention to detail that creates an all-encompassing world around her characters. (Sunday Telegraph)

[The Harsh Cry of the Heron] builds to a climax that proves both fittingly cataclysmic and wholly satisfying. (Independent on Sunday)

An exquisite story . . . An involving adventure. (Daily Telegraph)

Gorgeously violent, complex and well-written. (The Times)

From the Publisher:

Lian Hearn is an amazing author. She can write believably and movingly about war and peace, love, poetry, politics, philosophy, nature, realism and magic and weave them all into a compelling plot of grace, compolexity and simplicity. I well remember when I first read Across the Nightigale Floor, the first of the otori books. I knew within a few pages that here was an author who had written a novel that was destined to become a classic, to be read as avidly many years from now. The Harsh Cry of Heron is the sequel to the three volumes of the Tales of the Otori. It is just as beautiful, poignant, frightening and compelling as Lian's earlier novels. Please read it. I know you'll enjoy it.

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