Customer Reviews

Grass for His Pillow (Tales of the Otori 2)

5 star:		(28)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

GRASS FOR HIS PILLOW by Lian Hearn

The second book in a series called TALES OF THE OTORI by Lian Hearn, GRASS FOR HIS PILLOW continues the story of young Takeo (Tomasu) and his adventures among the clans of a fictional ancient Japan. This world that Hearn creates is filled with a touch of fantasy, as special people known as The Tribe populate the land, with the ability to do "magical" things such as disappear, or split oneself into two persons. Takeo learns in the first book, ACROSS THE NIGHTINGALE FLOOR, that he is part of The Tribe, through a father he does not remember. Raised among the people called "The Hidden", Takeo has learned of a more gentle way of life by a people who believe in a new god, while The Tribe teaches him to kill and destroy.

GRASS FOR HIS PILLOW begins with Lady Kaede, a young woman betrothed to Takeo's adoptive father Lord Shigeru of the Otori, one of many powerful lords among the clans. Kaede, however, loves Takeo, but in this second book she is now on her own with her lady-in-waiting Shizuka, who is also part of The Tribe. Kaede is no longer with Takeo or Lord Shigeru, and she must now find a way to fend for her life and help her sisters survive in this dangerous world they live in. Her father, Lord Shirakawa, is very old and weak, and he is the only protection she has from the other powerful men in the land who will try take away all that she has come to love, including her sisters. Kaede, with the help of Shizuka, learns how to defend herself and learn the skills that traditionally belong to a man, because she knows that she can no longer trust anyone else, and she will certainly not trust a man again. Her only love Takeo has been taken away and she does not even know whether he is alive.

Takeo is also unaware of what has become of Kaede. He has been captured by The Tribe, and will eventually become one of them, as is his birthright. Takeo has no desire to be with them, however, but is bound to them by heritage and a promise he made in ACROSS THE NIGHTINGALE FLOOR. He also knows that if he tries to escape, they will kill him.

But escape he does, and Takeo is now on the run for his life. His goal is to return to Lord Shigeru's people, The Otori, with the hopes that they will accept him as Shigeru's heir.

Takeo and Kaede live day by day, yearning for each other and never knowing whether they will see tomorrow. Their struggles and adventures are comparable to a cross between CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON and THE LORD OF THE RINGS. The Tales of the Otori are written on an epic scale, and the conclusion will finally reveal whether Takeo and Lady Kaede's futures will be as one.

GRASS FOR HIS PILLOW is an adventure epic that is beautifully written and researched thoroughly by Ms Hearn. Although this second installment of the Tales of the Otori is recommended, I found it was not as good as the first book. I found something lacking in this second one, but it does not mean I will not follow up with the third book. It is still worth the read, and anyone that has read the first book should definitely read this one. One thing I did note was that GRASS FOR HIS PILLOW is a stand-alone book. Hearn left enough information in this second book to fully explain what happened in the first. Any new reader to this series will not feel lost if starting this series with GRASS FOR HIS PILLOW. This reader gives GRASS FOR HIS PILLOW 4 stars.

I thought this suffered a little from "middle of the trilogy" syndrome. Dramatic events occurred in the first book, along with the introduction of many interesting characters. Here we seem to be in a bit of a holding pattern while everyone catches his breath and waits for the finale.

Part of it was due to the overall intended atmosphere of the book. It is winter and everything slows to a halt--with only plans being made for when the snow clears and major campaigns can now be fought. Part is due to the mysterious Tribe--Takeo is amongst them, but only interacts with a few lower-members, whose relationships with him don't change much. And surprisingly little is revealed about them--save that what we have guessed or learned from the first book. I wanted a bit more of a climatic arc to be had with that part of the story, but it was not to be.

However, the world remains beautifully, even sublimely rendered. And there is that subtle tension that underlies the events, which pulls the reader along. I greatly enjoyed the first book and am content with this, the second book, and wait eagerly for the conclusion to this compelling tale.

WHO SHOULD READ:

This is a no-brainer. People who really liked Across the Nightingale Floor will rush to this book and rightly so. Despite our mediocre rating, there's nothing wrong with this book and nothing embarrassing about liking it. There is an undeniable beauty to the prose and the storyline is satisfying enough. While it's not Great Literature it is certainly engaging and just as certainly a very brisk read. Despite some very adult moments, precocious readers ages 11-16, we feel, will particularly like this book and the others in the trilogy. Japanophiles will also like this book though we feel they'll have more fun pointing out inconsistencies with the "real Japan" once they find out that Hearn is actually named Rubinstein and was born in England. Those readers looking for succinct beauty should go buy--it can be dusted off in a weekend.

WHO SHOULD PASS:

Just as certainly, potential readers need to read its predecessor and be very prepared to purchase the final book. There is absolutely no closure here and if you want a self-contained story, go somewhere else. The book is at once both intensely introspective and romantic--these are the dominant themes and if you're not looking for that kind of material, then pass. No super action here! though there is a bit of martial arts. Adults who can get annoyed with books that may be said to overly celebrate youth will likely be pretty annoyed by this book and should pass.

READ THE ENTIRE REVIEW AT INCHOATUS.COM

Rating System:
1 star = abysmal; some books deserve to be forgotten
2 star = poor; a total waste of time
3 star = good; worth the effort
4 star = very good; what writing should be
5 star = fantastic; must own it and share it with others

STORY: From back cover: "Takeo has now been claimed by the Tribe; held by them against his will, he is condemned to work as an assassin. Meanwhile, Shirakawa Kaede must try to unify the domain she has inherited, while fighting off would-be suitors and hoping that Takeo will return to her."

MY FEEDBACK:
1) You don't really need to read the first book to understand this story because the author does enough reflection and backstory to get a reader up to speed. BUT...it is so much better if you do read Across the Nightingale Floor first.

2) The characters of Takeo and Kaede are explored more and we as readers continue our bond and love for them. Kaede plays a much larger role in this book than the first.

3) This second/middle book doesn't seem to suffer from middle-book syndrome but continues with the same strength as the first. The first book resolved enough without having to read this book, but this book definitely sets the stage for interesting events to happen in the 3rd book.
Very little is resolved in this book. This book was truly the rising action of the series making you feel that the climax is just around the corner and me as a reader anxious to get there.

4) The same actors come back to this book to do the voices in this unabridged representation of the book. The acting is very well done and enjoyable throughout.

OVERALL: Fantastic continuation. I can't wait till the end of the trilogy!

Following his killing of the malevolent Lord Lida, Takeo feels ambivalent towards the Tribe who saved his life, but killed his adopted father even while he struggles to learn how to master his extraordinary powers. Takeo decides to learn more about the enigmatic Tribe of assassins in lieu of accepting his deceased adopted father's crown. However, Takeo quickly realizes the way of the Tribe is not for him because being a hitman goes against his nature, but one does not just retire from the Tribe so he must find a way to leave.

Princess Kaede waits for her beloved Takeo to return to her, but does so in her homeland of Maruyama. She learns that her father has lost much of his power and land. Knowing that war is imminent anyway to fill the Lida void, Kaede plans to restore her family to its previous level of strength.

The second Tales of the Otori fantasy is an exciting novel that has a middle feel to it so that the audience will be better suited starting with the prequel. Still, Takeo is a fabulous individual struggling with powers and finding a place in a sword and sorcery society that seems on the brink of destruction. Kaede takes more center stage this time while she waits for her beloved to return to her, she does not sit idly on the sidelines, but instead assertively takes charge of the family restoration. In spite of the "book two trilogy syndrome", GRASS FOR HIS PILLOW is a solid tale that the audience will appreciate as the viaduct to what looks like will be a tremendous climax.

Harriet Klausner

I disagree completely with the reviewer who thought this was for precocious children. The author has written for children in the past, but the Tales of the Otori series is obviously aimed primarily at an adult audience.

As with Nightingale Floor, the characters are richly drawn, the plot wild and blood-soaked, and the setting a supernatural fantasy-scape reminiscent of medieval Japan. I enjoyed this book even more than the first, and can't wait for the third and final installment.

I could not praise a book or a series more highly that The Tales of the Otori. Lian Hearn has written something that will stay on my top shelf until the end of my days.

Grass for His Pillow (Book 2) starts out, where Across the Nightingale Floor left off, with Takeo under the control of the Tribe, a group of families with special traits, after he avenges Lord Shigeru's death. The Kikuta, Takeo's family in the Tribe, teach Takeo how to master his skills, but their actions and orders never sit well with him. Finally, the Kikuta force Takeo to make a decision between his opposing loyalties, causing his split with the Kikuta and the beginning of his real journey.

Meanwhile, Kaede continues her fight to retain power in a male dominated world. She forms an alliance with Lord Arai after he takes over the Three Countries from Lord Iida. Although, Lord Arai wants her to marry, but she refuses until she can recover from her loss of Lord Shigeru, whom she was supposed to marry in book one. She returns home to Shirakawa to find it in disrepair. Her sisters, Hana and Ai, are struggling to eat and live respectably, all while Kaede's father is losing his mind.

Both Takeo and Kaede long for each other throughout Grass for His Pillow, but they never seem to follow through on those feelings because of their opposing responsibilities to their families.

The ending was wonderful and has me eagerly anticipating the third installment. To all reading this critique, READ THIS SERIES!

I bought the first book (Across the Nightingale Floor) and absolutely loved it! I couldn't put it down. So I was eagerly awaiting the second part of the series and I wasn't disappointed in the least. Although it may not have as many tense and exciting moments as the first, I felt this book puts the reader more into the psyche of the two main characters. The reader can relate to all the mixed emotions that Takeo and Kaede experience. Takeo builds up his Kikuta skills and finally escapes from the Tribe's grip on him and sets out to find Kaede and claim his place as an Otori Lord. Kaede returns home to Shirakawa and finds it almost in ruins and with her father living in shame. She begins to rebuild and makes some beneficial acquaintances along the way. But is she getting herself in too deep? Now Takeo and Kaede take more control of their fates, going against all the rules of their "class" and all the advice given them by the ones they trust the most. But in a land of assassins and so-called allies, secrets and lies, powerful warlords and lowly outcasts, can Takeo and Kaede really trust anyone? Grass For His Pillow is a great buildup to the finale of the three part series, "Brilliance of the Moon." A great read!

Lian Hearn continues his "Tales of the Otori" trilogy with "Grass for His Pillow," and "Pillow" expands upon the wonderful foundation Hearn laid in Book 1, "Across the Nightingale Floor."

In Book 1, our hero, young Takeo, learns that he is a young man of divided legacies. Raised among the Hidden, a pseudo-Christian sect devoted to one almighty god, adopted by the warrior-clan the Otori after his village was slaughtered, and a talented member of the mystical Tribe (a highly regimented clan of ninjas blessed with magical powers). This is a lot for a young man to bear, particularly when the Three Countries (Hearn's alternate, mythical version of Japan) are devolving into civil war.

Takeo was adopted by the charismatic Lord Shigeru, who met is end in dastardly fashion, and Takeo exacted revenge while falling in love with the beautiful-yet-cursed Kaede. At the end of Book 1, Takeo and Kaede are forced to go their separate ways - Kaede to rule her newly-expanded homeland, and Takeo to study as one of the Tribe. The catch is that its pretty clear that Takeo considers his oath to the Tribe to be a coerced deal with the Devil, and we're pretty convinced that Takeo's relationship with his magical kinsmen will not be warm.

"Pillow" confirms this. Takeo undergoes rigorous training at the hands of the Tribe, and his talents continue to flourish. But all is not well, and Takeo learns that his destiny with the Tribe is precarious, at best. At the same time, he is learning more and more about himself and his connections both with the Hidden and with the Otori clan, and these bonds are growing too powerful to ignore. Takeo also learns that there are mighty prophecies at work in the Three Countries, and he is destined to play a large part in their fulfillment, although there are some ominous signs that the fulfillment of the prophecies may not require his survival . . .

Through it all, Takeo pines for Kaede (even as he receives his education in the more intimate arts from another member of the Tribe). Kaede aches equally for Takeo, but finds herself in a precarious position. Her father has continually taken the wrong sides in the civil war, and he is a depressed shadow of his former self. And her lands have fallen into decrepitude following war and neglect. And she is making her way as a matriarch in a man's world. And she is single, and customs demand that she be married. But how can she marry another when she loves Takeo so fiercely? How Kaede responds to these various challenges (and others) through her wit and courage is a wonder.

Most of the action in "Pillow" takes place during an exceedingly harsh winter, and the characters are often cold, on the verge of freezing. The harsh landscape underscores the harsh realities that beset the young lovers.

Hearn describes this all with an economic-yet-poetic style, and has a gift for capturing the defining characteristics of a landscape, a palatial estate, or a humble cave. While the action scenes may be lacking in "Pillow," the drama is intense, and readers will see that Hearn is going to great lengths to set a climactic table for the final book in his trilogy. A must-read for fans of "Across the Nightingale Floor!"

GRASS FOR HIS PILLOW is the second book in the Tales of The Otori series. This is a magical tale of revenge, honor and love that takes place in a fantasy medieval Japan.
A young man searches for his true path, trying to figure out who he is and which clan he belongs to. His loyalties are torn between the man who saved his life and those who belong to a mysterious gifted brotherhood possessing mythical powers. While revenge is being sought, and kingdoms being forged, love enters his life throwing him into unknown territory and pushing his loyalty to the edge.
Lian Hearn combines Japanese culture, tradition and history into an alluring fantasy with exquisite story telling that makes you believe the myths and magic of this fantasy Japan are more real than imagined.