Lord of the Darkwood

By Lian Hearn

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Publisher Description

“Hearn continues to explore issues of fate, love, moral failure, and moral redemption through characters both archetypal and heartbreakingly believable.” —Kirkus Reviews

A self-assured warrior stumbles into a game of Go that turns fatal. An ambitious lord leaves his nephew for dead and seizes his lands. A stubborn father forces his son to give up his wife to his older brother. A powerful priest meddles in the succession to the Lotus Throne. A woman of the Old People seeks five fathers for her five children, who will go on to found the Spider Tribe and direct the fate of the country.

As destiny weaves its tapestry in Lian Hearn’s Tale of Shikanoko series, an emotionally rich and compelling drama plays out against a background of wild forests, elegant castles, hidden temples, and savage battlefields in Lord of the Darkwood.

The Tale of Shikanoko

Book One: Emperor of the Eight Islands

Book Two: Autumn Princess, Dragon Child

Book Three: Lord of the Darkwood

Book Four: The Tengu’s Game of Go

Praise for the series

“Brutally thrilling historical fantasy.” —Herald Sun

“A fascinating blend of politics, priests, and monsters . . . Hearn’s lead character gripped my attention from the start—leaving me eager to see how [Shikanoko’s tale] plays out in the next books.” —Locus

“It is easy to let the book sweep the reader away, to engage with strange events . . . There is huge imaginative vitality.” —The Sydney Morning Herald

“The action comes thick and fast . . . The compelling characters and captivating worldbuilding mean readers will look forward to [the next volume] with anticipation.” —The Japan Times

58 Reviews

3.5

Mykie

stacy stearns

Livy

Introvert Insane

“This is where it finally hit me that Lord Kiyoyori is Lian Hearn's Ned Stark. My man rather became a horse than die peacefully just to make sure the right heir is on the throne. This book has a significant time jump to it because finally. I was waiting when most of these child characters are going to grow up. The 'demon children' ended up not being really 'demonic' after all. They're just weird and alien. If anything the real demonic is of course Lord Aritomo. However, I'm still not a fan of the lack of agency of the female characters, namely Hina and Lady Tama. At the very least in this one. Despite their supposed status their character motivation have been totally hingeing on their male counterparts, as a lover, wife, mother/sister/caretaker. Also, can a single one of these instalments not involve SA? I know their bound to happen in feudal areas regardless of geography (we were all degenerates back then) but is it really necessary? I was already uncomfortable with what happened to Akihime.”

Daniel Bravo

Created 7 months ago

About Lian Hearn

Lian Hearn is the pseudonym of a writer--born in England, educated at Oxford, currently living in Australia--who has a lifelong interest in Japan, has lived there, and studies Japanese. She is the author of the bestselling series Tales of the Otori.