Lian Hearn returns to a world of medieval Japan with a new series,
The Tale of Shikanoko, set in the
world of her earlier Otori series. Emperor
of the Eight Islands introduces this new series, as it explores the great
warrior tales of ancient Japan.
I have not read any of Lian Hearn’s previous books, though the Otori series has been on my shelf for
years waiting for me to come around. During my recent trip to Japan, I spent
some time in Northern Honshu in the region of the Great Tohoku earthquake and
tsunami, which is the same region in Japan where Hearn drew inspiration for
this series in the immediate aftermath of the tsunami. This in combination with
my having wanted to read Hearn’s books for years, made it an easy choice for me
to begin with this book.
The Tale of Shikanoko is told in what feels like a very Japanese writing style –
elegant, poetic, and minimalist. Which is to say, a style that I am not very
used to. At first it felt very wooden, more like a ledger account than a story,
lacking emotion and intimacy. However, as I grew used to the style I realized
that this wasn’t the case. The minimalism of the story doesn’t lack the
intimacy that I was looking for – it was just more subtle and shown a bit
differently. By the end of book I had not only learned to appreciate the style
of the story, but I can see how the approach makes emotional punches that much
more effective.
This is a story of an older time – a feudal Japanese world, a time
of divine emperors, magic and mysticism where the spirits of the land and those
of people are much closer. A time when the world was a smaller place, and
humans were a smaller presence. It is a time before (perhaps just before?) the
arrival of temples of Buddhism and where the politics and rivals of the elite
dominate everything.
In this, The Tale of
Shikanoko is not just a great example of Asian-inspired medieval fantasy,
but it’s a bridge for those deeply attached to fantasy inspired by medieval
Britain and surrounding environs. The parallels are rather striking – a deep mystical
tradition of living close the spirits of the land that is threatened by the
arrival of a religion from abroad, and a feudal society dominated by the elite
where rivals backed by traditions from abroad are at war. At the heart of this
tale is a young man connected to the spirit of a great stag. It’s still early
in the series to know just where it will end, but I think it’s not a stretch to
believe that this young man is bound for some form of greatness, and quite
likely, a tragic end. Before reading this book, I had never realized how the
Arthurian traditions of Britain so closely parallel the warrior tales of Japan.
This of course will lead to the inevitable decrees that The Tale of Shikanoko is
the Japanese King Arthur, which is a disservice to both in spite of the very
real parallels.
But it really misses the point for me to frame this story in terms
of similarities to ‘Western’ traditions and that is not my intent. Merely an
observation that I came to time and again while reading.
These are human tales – universal tales of power and love,
betrayal and victory, loss and change. It’s a coming of age story, I believe it
will become a story of revenge. A story of love, hate, betrayal, and everything
in between.
Emperor of the Eight
Islands is the first book in this series of four, all
of which will be published in 2016. It is the opening, the origin story, the
telling of how the stones are placed before the real game begins. It is the
first quarter of a whole rather than an independent work, and as appropriate
for the minimalist prose, it weighs in at only 270 pages. In many ways I’ve
reviewed this book as if I know what’s ahead, which is untrue. I have not read
the others in this series, though I now look forward to doing so. It is a
universal tale, one that we’ve heard before, though the details are different.
Of course most universal tales are tales of change, so what changes are in
store?
As I said above, I look forward to finding out.
Tales of Shikanoko
Emperor of the Eight
Islands: Amazon
Autumn Princess Dragon
Child: Amazon
Lord of the Darkwood: Amazon
The Tengu’s Game of Go: Amazon
