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Emperor of the Eight Islands by Lian Hearn

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Emperor of the Eight Islands

Tale of the Shikanoko

by Lian Hearn

Narrator Neil Shah

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Length 6 hours 26 minutes

Language English

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Bookseller recommendation

“Welcome to ancient Japan, a place of history and of folklore, where tengu haunt the mountain forests and intrigue haunts the capital. The ambitions of sorcerers vie with the politics of rule and succession, and children are so many pawns in the hands of adults—until they form their own plans. This beginning to an original, magical, historical series will sweep you away. A new folktale whose next installment you can read later this year.”
— Jocelyn • Bookshop Santa Cruz

Summary

In the opening pages of the action-packed Book One of Lian Hearn's epic Tale of Shikanoko a future lord is dispossessed of his birthright by a scheming uncle, a mountain sorcerer imbues a mask with the spirit of a great stag for a lost young man, a stubborn father forces his son to give up his wife to his older brother, and a powerful priest meddles in the succession to the Lotus Throne, the child who is the rightful heir to the emperor barely escaping the capital in the arms of his sister. And that is just the beginning.
As destiny weaves its rich tapestry, a compelling drama plays out against a background of wild forests, elegant castles, hidden temples, and savage battlefields. This is the medieval Japan of Lian Hearn's imagination, where animal spirits clash with warriors and children navigate a landscape as serene as it is deadly.

Fiction Fantasy