The Harsh Cry of the Heron: The Last Tale of the Otori

Written by Lian Hearn

Narrated by Julia Fletcher and Henri Lubatti

An epic fantasy set in a mythical, medieval Japan, Lian Hearn's Tales of the Otori series has crossed genres, generations, and genders. Grand and complex in its themes, elegantly written, each book in the original trilogy has become a worldwide bestseller. The surprise fourth installment (and real conclusion), The Harsh Cry of the Heron achieves new heights of drama and action.

Sixteen years of peace and prosperity have passed since Lord Otori Takeo united the Three Countries. Takeo and his beloved consort Kaede have three daughters and a happy family life. Their success has attracted the attention of the distant Emperor and his general, the warlord Saga Hideki, who covet the wealth of the Countries. Meanwhile, the violent acts and betrayals of the past will not lie buried, and other secrets will not stay hidden. Everything that Takeo and Kaede have achieved is threatened.

In full ninja versus samurai fashion, Hearn delivers a kinetic, heartbreaking, and uplifting resolution to a thoroughly gripping saga.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Highbridge Company
• Release date: Sep 11, 2006
• ISBN: 9781598873559

Lian Hearn

Lian Hearn studied modern languages at Oxford University and worked as a film critic and arts editor in London before settling in Australia. A lifelong interest in Japan led to the study of the Japanese language, many trips to Japan, and culminated in the Tales of the Otori series.

Reviews for The Harsh Cry of the Heron

[elbakerone · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This exciting conclusion to the Tales of the Otori series (Across the Nightengale Floor, Grass for His Pillow, Brilliance of the Moon) takes place sixteen years after the previous conclusion and follows the lives of Otori Takeo, Kaede and their children - the princess warrior Shigeko and the Tribe talented twins Maya and Miki. Lian Hearn delivers another beautiful tale set in her enchanted version of historical Japan filled with love, war, family, friendship and betrayal. As always, Hearn's writing transports the reader fully into her world and the only bad part of this action and emotion packed novel is that it truly does conclude a fabulous series. (Otori fans however can find joy in the soon to be released prequel - Heaven's Net is Wide.)

[gingerbreadman_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

There are several ways of presenting a book in a series to help the reader getting into things again. Lian Hearn’s tactic is to throw the pretty massive cast of this epic like a tidal wave on the cowering reader in the first fifty pages, with only the briefest of explanations. Add to that the well-known “names from a very different place” syndrome and the whole start becomes a rather tricky affair. I’m forced to resign to the fact that the year since I visited the Three Kingdoms is too long – a lot of the subtleties regarding how loyalties have shifted in the horde of secondary characters in the decade that has passed since the last book is lost on me. One or two of the characters I’m not quite sure of who the heck they are even after finishing this brick. In summary – I’m reading this book (almost) as a stand-alone.Takeo’s and Kaede’s reign has been peaceful and prosperous for over a decade. Takeo is still thinking about the prophecy, but hasn’t found a way of telling his wife about the left out bit – that he is supposed to be killed by his own son. This is unfortunate, because jealousy, plotting and sibling rivalry is drawing the Kingdoms into conflict again – and secrets make lethal weapons. Add to that visitors from overseas with powerful fire weapons, and the prosperity of the the Otori Kingdoms attracting attention from the faraway emperor, and it’s pretty obvious the days of harvesting rice and raising horses are over.Lian Hearn is writing epics in the true sense of the word, full of flawed characters facing terrible dilemmas, making both good and bad choices. She writes excellent female characters, complex and interesting without ever resorting to an over-compensating heroine stereotype. Kaede herself is a favorite of course, but her sinister twin daughters are pretty damn interesting too, or the aging assassin Shizuka. I also admire Hearn’s no-nonsense approach to characters when the plot calls for it. You can never be certain who comes out of a book alive, which creates a real suspense.But this book still feels rather bloated and front-heavy. And, as often is the case with books that feel a couple of hundred pages too long, the ending by comparison is steep and abrupt. It’s almost like Hearn is eager to wrap this saga up – even though it in itself is both moving and true to the storyline. I’ll pick up the fifth book sometime, but probably not for another year or so. I can only hope, it being a prequel, I’ll have less trouble with he who is who that time around.

[wyvernfriend · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is a sequel to her highly successful Tales of the Otori and continues with the lives of Lord Otori Takeo and Kaede, his consort and their children. Takeo hasn't had any sons, which makes things both complicated and simpler as a prophecy says that he will die at the hands of his son.Though he does have a son. Who is in the hands of a Renegade Tribe Family who are seeking revenge for the murder of their leader.Takeo's has also come to the attention of the Emperor, several of the other nobles have issues with his takeover of the Three Countries.Touching and enthraling this is an interesting sequel and answers some of the questions left after the trilogy finished.

[satyridae · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Stop at the third book. I should have.
The story meanders, the characters lack fullness and the ending is telegraphed from page one.

[shanaqui_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I quite liked it: I didn't feel quite the same desire to keep turning the pages as I did with the first book of the original trilogy, but it was entertaining enough.

The problem was the mostly slow start, I think, and the fact that I kept getting confused about who was related to who and who was doing what. I was a little annoyed at what finally happened to Shizuka: in the original trilogy she was a strong woman with a streak of ruthlessness. I felt a lot of that was lost this time.

The thing that does annoy me, reading some other reviews, is that people hate it and give it one star because it has an unhappy end. Yes, it's not a happy book. No, I don't think it's less worth reading for that. In fact, had everything been neatly and happily resolved at the end, it would've been rather silly.

[shellys_70 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I thought I was done when I finished the Tales of the Otori trilogy. Then I discovered this book. Taking place 15 or so years after the trilogy, the story continues the intrigue in a magical version of medieval Japan. The Three Countries have known unparalleled peace and prosperity under Takeo and Kaede's rule, but old enemies are plotting against them. In addition, the emperor has noticed. Not pleased by Takeo's unsanctioned rule, he has demanded a personal appearance of Takeo in the capital.Hearn opens up her storytelling in this book by telling the tale from many viewpoints, not just the two or three in the previous stories. Most notably are the povs of Takeo's three daughters: Shigeko, the eldest, who does not possess his special Tribe talents; and the twins, Maya and Miki, whose talents might surpass those of their father. As twins, they are considered bad luck by the populace and feared by everyday folk. Their own insecurities lead them to actions that help drive the story.This is a complex tale with less action than the earlier trilogy, but one as intriguing and beguiling as those books. The end is fitting, yet leaves me wanting more, a true sign of a good writer telling a good story.

[grrriff · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Sequel to the Tales of the Ortori trilogy, The Harsh Cry of the Heron provides a satisfying epilogue of the tales, taking place many years after the story left off. It is set in an unspecified place in feudal Japan, and though it deals with many aspects of Japanese culture, it is far more driven by themes and character development. The novel is the true conclusion to the tale of a hero from a perspective we normally don’t get in our society. Many parallels can be drawn between the story of Takeo and that of King Arthur in The Once and Future King. They are in many ways synonymous, with differences being in the culture and setting.The Harsh Cry of the Heron is an exceptionally strong novel. It is both exceedingly well-written, complex, and interesting in many ways more so than the preceding trilogy. It is strongest as an accompanying work, and it is best to read this after reading the preceding Tales of the Otori.

[safia_13 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

It wasn't as good as the previous three books from the trilogy and the ending wasn't as I expected. I can't say I enjoyed as much as I hoped. I felt it was a bit too long and a bit too sad. I didn't like what they did to Kaede and Taeko at the end.I still enjoyed it though, as a good read and because I enjoyed the trilogy so much, it was like coming home again. I look forward to 'Heaven's Net is Wide' the prequel.

[ericknudson · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Final book in the "Tales of the Otori". Probably stands alone OK, but better read as part of the series. Wraps everything up in a bushido sort of way.

[zachmontana · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Disappointing after the first four books of the Otori series. From the start, this book seemed darker and my expectation was of disaster. It seemed like the author had a life change after writing the first 4 books and was in a more depressed, less optimistic, hopeful mood and the book reflected that. Not that a happy ending is mandatory for me, but rather a better rendering of the character's lives that fits the past books. This book seemed out of character for how this world was in the earlier stories and less interesting. Previously I could hardly put the books down. With this book it was almost drudgery to finish it.

[capfox · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I read the rest of this series last year, and found myself enjoying it, almost despite myself. I generally don't like faux Japan stuff, but Hearn really has a good feel for the aesthetics and dialogue styles. There was obviously a lot of research and craft that went into the stories, and into this one, as well.This book is set a good fifteen years after the events of the last one, and to some degree, it suffers the same problem as that of the previous book I read, in that there's a decent amount at the outset that feels like, "Look, here are the old characters you know, and here's what they're up to now!" Which is fine, but it should be more in service of the story than I felt it to be.But once you get past that part, it's a very good story, a fine tragic tale of a man, Takeo Otori, getting caught up both in his good and bad intentions. Trying to rule a country in a peaceful way can be very hard, when all of your traditions say that the least insult is an excuse for warfare, and the seams are showing a bit in Otori's realm. At the same time, he's keeping a number of secrets, and not always from the right people.This book expands the scope of the world, and brings in the rest of the not-quite-Japanese islands, with the Emperor and his chosen warlord, along with foreigners and religious issues, too. All of this was handled nicely; I did like the political machinations that generally took the place of the fighting of Brilliance of the Moon. Her dialogue and her views into the thoughts of some of the characters are very nice; Shigeko in particular is a good addition to the cast.Problems? There are pacing issues still, and some of the characters that are supposed to be important, such as the former female lead, get shunted off a lot. Still, on the whole, I quite liked this... and any tragedy that's enough to wring out a few tears has to be told quite well, right?

[annelim_2 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Set in unspecified Medieval Japan; the last volume of a series involving the Tales of the Otori

[pmtracy · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is the last volume in the epic tale of the Otori clan. I've enjoyed the Otori novels but the pacing of this one seemed off. This had a really slow start and the ending seemed rushed. It appeared as if the author realized the book was running long and, since this is the conclusion, needed to quickly tie up a bunch of lose threads.One of the most disconcerting qualities was the sudden and dramatic personality shifts that occur across many of the characters in the last few chapters. Those that have been consistently heroic and honorable turn villainous. Enemies become allies. Love turns to hate. All this adds up to a massive collapse and implosion of the Otori empire that we have come to respect and admire.Characters are important in this book. The author spends a lot of time giving us minute details about appearance, behavior and motivation. This extends even to the horses, which happen to be included in the list of characters at the start of the book. To have everything change so suddenly at the end leaves you feeling depressed and wishing for a different ending. Although, I suppose those are the same emotions experienced by the characters left standing at the end of the book.

[jegan22280 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Total disappointment! This book seriously felt like the author wrote it because he had to. I understand the need to tie up loose ends in the prophesy of the second novel, but the way everything just fell apart all at once wasn't just a huge let down it was also completely implausible. On top of that I felt none of the characters were as appealing as the were in the original trilogy. There was also a lack of action in the story.

[museofire · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Like Hearn's last tale of the Otori, beautifully written but ultimately unfulfilling. The world Takeo inhabits is vivid, sensual, and utterly alive. In this tale, the scope widens as Takeo and Kaede struggle with the Empire outside the border of the Three Countries, the incursion of foreigners from still farther off, and internal dissension, as well as the continued problem of the Tribe. However, Kaede's actions are completely out of character, Takeo's last choice is inexplicable, and several plot points (such as the fates of Shizuka and Madaren) are left dangling.

[griffin22 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This was really depressing. Takeo and Kaede have been ruling in relative peace for sixteen years, but now everything falls apart. I really couldn't like them very much. Kaede dislikes and fears her daughters just because they are twins which turns one into the monster she is expected to be, Takeo has kept his son a secret from his wife all this time, with tragic consequences, and he's horrible to someone he should care for. They just aren't the generally nice people I remembered.

[lewispike · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

It's incredibly rare that I don't finish a book. About 4 times ever. This is the fourth of those books.I really enjoyed the first three books in the series, but this one is dire. It is set 16 years after the end of the last book. I managed to read 1/3 of the way through it before giving up - although that really was an effort, and my flat has never been so tidy as I found myself doing anything to avoid actually sitting down to read it.The problem? The setting is beautifully realised, the characters are there and grown up in plausible ways. But does it really take over 200 pages to sketch out what's happened and start setting the foundations for the new story?At a couple of points I started to think "Ah, finally!" but rather than doing anything about the threat, there's a strong "Hurry up and wait" theme that pervades the main character, despite having, obviously, been a major reformer of society and still being under attack, albeit intermittent, from Kikuta assassins.I started this with high hopes. If I feel really brave I may go back to it, but somehow I doubt it. Such a disappointing end to it all.