FOUR MILLION COPIES SOLD. In 40 languages. One of the most thrilling series of our time. Enter the feudal world of the Otori – filled with magic, treachery and intrigue – inspired by medieval Japan and created by Australian author, Lian Hearn.’The best story of magic, love, sex, revenge and suspense to have come this way since Philip Pullman.’ INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAYLord Shigeru, heir to the Otori clan, faces hostility from the ambitious Iida family. His training as a warrior has prepared him for leadership, but fate and Shigeru’s youthful determination bring the Three Countries to war, and he must endure defeat at the battle of Yaegahara and its brutal consequences.Shigeru waits for the moment when he can win back the Middle Country and be with the woman he loves, the Lady Maruyama. But his life is under constant threat. He has friends among the assassins of the Tribe who will not only protect him but will reveal the existence of a boy in a remote mountain village. A boy who is of the sect known as the Hidden, who might prove to be ‘the unexpected move that opens up the whole game’. So begin the Tales of the Otori …INCLUDES an extract from ACROSS THE NIGHTINGALE FLOOR PLUS three chapters of EMPEROR OF THE EIGHT ISLANDS, the first novel in Lian Hearn’s spellbinding new Tale of Shikanoko series.’One of the most thrilling series of our time.’ THE TIMES’… a world that is rich with character and detail, yet effortless to read’ SYDNEY MORNING HERALD’An engrossing fantasy saga of literary quality.’ THE AGE’Lian Hearn’s marvellous storytelling talent … makes reading these books a moment of pure bliss.’ LE MONDE