The Harsh Cry Of The Heron

CELEBRATING 21 YEARS OF OTORI

THE HARSH CRY OF THE HERON is Book 4 in the five-part Tales of the Otori series.

'The best story of magic, love, sex, revenge and suspense to have come this way since Philip Pullman.' INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY

Lord Otori Takeo and his consort Kaede have ruled for over sixteen years. The Three Countries are rich, peaceful and prosperous. The sacred birds, the Houou, nest at Terayama and a fabled creature, the Kirin, has appeared on their shores. Heaven seems to smile on them.

Yet their very success has drawn them to the attention of the distant Emperor and his general, the warlord Saga Hideki, who covet the wealth of the Three Countries, especially Takeo's heir, his eldest daughter Shigeko, now of marriageable age. At the same time, the renegade Tribe family, the Kikuta, seek revenge on Takeo for the murder of their leader. Everything Takeo and Kaede have achieved is threatened.

COMING SOON - the spellbinding new Tale of Shikanoko, set 300 years before Otori: EMPEROR OF THE EIGHT ISLANDS (Books 1 and 2) and LORD OF THE DARKWOOD (Books 3 and 4).

“[an] intelligent, accomplished, audacious and finely written novel. - The AgeTHE HARSH CRY OF THE HERON is a tour de force of pure storytelling. - The Sydney Morning HeraldOne of the most thrilling series of our time - The Times”

[an] intelligent, accomplished, audacious and finely written novel. - The Age

THE HARSH CRY OF THE HERON is a tour de force of pure storytelling. - The Sydney Morning Herald

One of Australia's most internationally successful writers, Lian Hearn's books have been translated into 42 languages and have sold millions of copies. Nine of her books are set in a mythical country based on medieval Japan: these are the five Tales of the Otori books, starting with Across the Nightingale Floor; The Tale of Shikanoko: Emperor of the Eight Islands and Lord of the Darkwood; and Children of the Otori: Orphan Warriors and Sibling Assassins. She has also written two historical novels set in nineteenth-century Japan, Blossoms and Shadows and The Storyteller and His Three Daughters.

Lian's passionate interest in Japan began when she was a teenager. She received an AsiaLink arts fellowship for travel and research in 1999. She travels frequently to Japan and has studied Japanese for many years. She has always been deeply interested in languages and has a BA and MA in French and Spanish from Oxford University. She worked as an editor and film critic in England and Australia before beginning her career as a novelist in 1986, under the name of Gillian Rubinstein, with the bestselling and award-winning children's novel Space Demons.

You can follow Lian on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

CELEBRATING 21 YEARS OF OTORI THE HARSH CRY OF THE HERON is Book 4 in the five-part Tales of the Otori series. 'The best story of magic, love, sex, revenge and suspense to have come this way since Philip Pullman.' INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY Lord Otori Takeo and his consort Kaede have ruled for over sixteen years. The Three Countries are rich, peaceful and prosperous. The sacred birds, the Houou, nest at Terayama and a fabled creature, the Kirin, has appeared on their shores. Heaven seems to smile on them. Yet their very success has drawn them to the attention of the distant Emperor and his general, the warlord Saga Hideki, who covet the wealth of the Three Countries, especially Takeo's heir, his eldest daughter Shigeko, now of marriageable age. At the same time, the renegade Tribe family, the Kikuta, seek revenge on Takeo for the murder of their leader. Everything Takeo and Kaede have achieved is threatened. COMING SOON - the spellbinding new Tale of Shikanoko, set 300 years before Otori: EMPEROR OF THE EIGHT ISLANDS (Books 1 and 2) and LORD OF THE DARKWOOD (Books 3 and 4).

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