Across the Nightingale Floor

Tales of the Otori Book One

Author Lian Hearn
An international bestseller, Across the Nightingale Floor is the first book in the Tales of the Otori series by Lian Hearn. Don't miss the related series, The Tale of Shikanoko.

In his black-walled fortress at Inuyama, the 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.

The youth Takeo has been brought up in a remote mountain village among the Hidden, a reclusive and spiritual people who have taught him only the ways of peace. But unbeknownst to him, his father was a celebrated assassin and a member of the Tribe, an ancient network of families with extraordinary, preternatural skills. When Takeo's village is pillaged, he is rescued and adopted by the mysterious Lord Otori Shigeru. Under the tutelage of Shigeru, he learns that he too possesses the skills of the Tribe. And, with this knowledge, he embarks on a journey that will lead him across the famed nightingale floor—and to his own unimaginable destiny...

  • WINNER
    Carnegie Medal
  • WINNER
    Dutscher Jugendliteratur-preis
  • WINNER
    New York Times Notable Book
  • WINNER
    Peter Pan Award
  • WINNER
    Prix Litterature in the La Nuit De Lire
Lian Hearn is the pseudonym for a writer, currently living in Australia, who has a lifelong interest in Japan, has lived there, and speaks Japanese. Riverhead will publish Hearn's next book, Heaven's Net Is Wide: The First Tale of the Otori, the prequel to the Otori series, in 2007. View titles by Lian Hearn
"Satisfyingly rich in incident yet admirably spare in the telling...Hearn has created a world I anticipate returning to with pleasure."&#151The New York Times Book Review

"The most compelling novel to have been published this year."&#151The Times (London)

"The most extraordinary novel...The passion and rapture of this story is so compelling that it's almost worth delaying your holiday for."&#151The Independent on Sunday (UK)

"Complex...fast-paced, arousing adventure reminiscent of Arthurian legend that's told with all the urgency of a modern-day thriller."&#151Book Magazine

"Across the Nightingale Floor is as exciting a debut as any in recent years&#151part Shogun, part Lord of the Flies and entirely enchanting."&#151Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

About

An international bestseller, Across the Nightingale Floor is the first book in the Tales of the Otori series by Lian Hearn. Don't miss the related series, The Tale of Shikanoko.

In his black-walled fortress at Inuyama, the 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.

The youth Takeo has been brought up in a remote mountain village among the Hidden, a reclusive and spiritual people who have taught him only the ways of peace. But unbeknownst to him, his father was a celebrated assassin and a member of the Tribe, an ancient network of families with extraordinary, preternatural skills. When Takeo's village is pillaged, he is rescued and adopted by the mysterious Lord Otori Shigeru. Under the tutelage of Shigeru, he learns that he too possesses the skills of the Tribe. And, with this knowledge, he embarks on a journey that will lead him across the famed nightingale floor—and to his own unimaginable destiny...

Awards

  • WINNER
    Carnegie Medal
  • WINNER
    Dutscher Jugendliteratur-preis
  • WINNER
    New York Times Notable Book
  • WINNER
    Peter Pan Award
  • WINNER
    Prix Litterature in the La Nuit De Lire

Author

Lian Hearn is the pseudonym for a writer, currently living in Australia, who has a lifelong interest in Japan, has lived there, and speaks Japanese. Riverhead will publish Hearn's next book, Heaven's Net Is Wide: The First Tale of the Otori, the prequel to the Otori series, in 2007. View titles by Lian Hearn

Praise

"Satisfyingly rich in incident yet admirably spare in the telling...Hearn has created a world I anticipate returning to with pleasure."&#151The New York Times Book Review

"The most compelling novel to have been published this year."&#151The Times (London)

"The most extraordinary novel...The passion and rapture of this story is so compelling that it's almost worth delaying your holiday for."&#151The Independent on Sunday (UK)

"Complex...fast-paced, arousing adventure reminiscent of Arthurian legend that's told with all the urgency of a modern-day thriller."&#151Book Magazine

"Across the Nightingale Floor is as exciting a debut as any in recent years&#151part Shogun, part Lord of the Flies and entirely enchanting."&#151Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Books for Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month

Each May, we honor the stories, histories, and cultures of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders. Below is a selection of acclaimed fiction and nonfiction books by AANHPI creators to share with your students this month and throughout the year. Find our full collection of titles for Higher Education here.

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