Heaven's Net is Wide (2008)

I enjoyed this more than The Harsh Cry Of The Heron, though it wasn't all that much happier! I always liked the characters of Shigeru and Naomi, so it was quite interesting to read about when they were younger and when they first got together. There was interesting background for Shizuka, too, and Iida Sadamu. I'm not sure it added terribly much to their characters that I couldn't have extrapolated from reading the original trilogy and The Harsh Cry Of The Heron, but it was interesting and enjoyable anyway.

One thing I didn't like was that there were no surprises. Not even the illusion of a surprise. It wasn't just that, of course, it was history to the three books of the trilogy so it had to go a certain way. The narrative kept foreshadowing -- without subtlety -- what was to come. You know: "Little did he know but that dream was not to become a reality. In just another month, blahblahblah". I hate that when I'm reading, even if it's a prequel and I know roughly what's going to happen anyway. There's no point in it if you're going to tell the story in full in the narrative anyway, and foreshadowing can be done much more subtly. In fact, is done more subtly elsewhere in the book.

Still. That's just one of my pet peeves. I certainly don't regret reading the book, and I raced through it within twenty-four hours while doing a billion other things at the same time. I do think it's best appreciated if you've read the trilogy and then The Harsh Cry Of The Heron first. ( )

This book is an immediate prequel to Across the Nightingale Floor, and as such feels sort of unnecessary. I mean, Otori Shigeru is a powerful character, but I found him more powerful when we see him as a grown man with a shadowed past that's only revealed in hints and implications, rather than actually seeing him as a callow boy. I suppose for lovers of the series, it's worth reading, but I certainly wouldn't start here and I'm not sure I'd urge people to pick it up.

That said, I do find it so refreshing to read a fantasy set somewhere other than a medieval-Europe analogue. I would love to hear from actual Japanese people (or even scholars of medieval Japan) and discover how well it works for someone familiar with the thinly-veiled historical period in which it's set - particularly given that the author is English/Australian. ( )

Heaven's net is wide but its mesh is fine.

Young Shigeru is the heir to the great Otori clan, one of the most powerful families in the land. Their bitter rivals for power, the Tohan, are ruled by a man who wishes to control all of the Three Countries. Although he is only a teenager, Shigeru has shown wisdom, so his father Shigemori, current head of the Otori, sends him to the temple at Terayama to train with a legendary swordsman named Matsuda. Although Shigeru relishes his life in the mountains with the monks, he dislikes leaving his father under the council of his treacherous uncles. The political situation in the Three Countries deteriorates further when Shigeru kills a Tohan warrior in a swordfight. He returns to the Otori capital to take up his place as leader of the clain, but treachery and duplicity cost him countless lives as family, friends and loyal Otori are slaughtered again and again. Desperate to reclaim his honor, Shigeru must wait patiently for an opportunity for revenge.

Heaven’s Net is Wide is a prequel to the Tales of the Otori. It is clearly written with the intention of being read after the reader has finished the main trilogy; embedded in the text are several winks and nudges to future events. I thought this detracted from the story. A narrative with one eye always looking to the future isn’t fully concentrated on the present, and there was a detached quality to the writing. Since Shigeru was one of the most intriguing heroes in Tales of the Otori, I wanted to learn more about him and be with him for all the big adventures in his young life. Sadly, I never felt fully immersed in his story.

Drama is one thing that the series has never failed to deliver on. Death and bloodshed stalk the men, who fight for honor and glory, while emotional women act out dramas worthy of an operatic stage. Shigeru’s beautiful mistress Akane is renowned for her beauty throughout the land, inciting bitter jealousy in his wife. Shigeru falls in love with the lord of another domain, in which leadership passes through the women of the family, and this lifelong romance burns in his heart for years. Now that I think about it, why do all these women fall in love with Shigeru? I mean, he may be the lord of a powerful family but he isn’t that great. Right?

The characters are pretty black and white. The evil Tohan family is always cruel, two-faced, vindictive, petty, and violent. Shigeru’s two uncles, whom he despises, are likewise one-dimensional. Shigeru doesn’t have any real flaws; he’s the best swordsman of his generation, obsessed with justice and righting wrongs. He’s the HERO and you can’t ever forget it.

I was disappointed in this prequel. It lacked the subtle, delicate language that delighted me in Across the Nightingale Floor and its other sequels. The novel was uneven, even rushed at the end, as if the author couldn’t wait to get through all this backstory so the ‘real’ story could begin. The book doesn’t really stand on its own. Since each subsequent volume has diminished in quality, I hope that Hearn has decided to let the Otori series rest with this final book. ( )

"Heaven's Net is Wide" is the prequel to a Trilogy spanning the "Tales of the Otori". I would not have picked this book myself but several friends recommended it, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
It didn't reach 5stars for me, since the pace dragged in a couple of places. I was also kept on my toes, placing all of the non-central characters, and had to re-read some passages. BUT I will certainly seek out the trilogy of the Otori and look forward to reading them all. ( )

One of the best Samurai/Ninja/historical fiction novels around. It is not cheesy nor too exasperating. Another bonus in the mix is a tribe called 'The Hidden' which are IMHO the closest to the early followers of 'The Way' as I've read. If you've never read any of the Otori series this is a great start! ( )