xiomaramerino

** spoiler alert ** Brilliance of the Moon , Book 3 of the Tales of the Otori, ties Lian Hearn's trilogy up well, bringing back a decent helping of the action of the first chapter, but keeping much of the romantic suffering and strife that made the second chapter so satisfying. The majority of "Brilliance" revolves around the prophecy revealed in "Grass for his Pillow" which is book 2. "Your lands will stretch from sea to sea. Heaven will deliver what Earth desires, but peace will come at the cost of bloodshed. 5 battles lie ahead of you: 4 to win and one to lose." In book 3, this prophecy is fulfilled, but as with all prophecies, the way in which they are filled may not exactly correspond with what everyone expects. Therefore, the meat of the book was in seeing the way fate played itself out. All the world's a stage... you well-read people know the rest. What I'm trying to say is that in the large scale, the characters in this series by Lian Hearn are reduced to pawns (and in some cases, larger pieces) in a large game of fate towards the goal of peace under one ruler of Japan. All the endearing qualities of the trilogy are still at play in "Brilliance", and for those who are sad to see this chapter draw to a close, two paths lie ahead of them: Ahead lies "Harsh Cry of the Heron" - a sequel set 16 years after this book Behind lies "Heaven's Net is Wide" - a prequel surrounding the life of Otori Shigeru, Takeo's adopted father. Happy reading!

2022-10-29 03:52