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I just picked up two books, of a three part trilogy, authored by Lian Hearn. I haven't started on them yet, still reading another book. The setting is in Medieval Japan. First title, "Across the Nightingale Floor"; Second title, "Grass For His Pillow"; Third title, "Brilliance of the Moon". Has anyone here read them yet?
I have read ''Across the Nightingale Floor'' - its a good read. The black-walled fortress at Inuyama.
Yes, I've read all three shortly after their respective UK releases.
Across the Nightingale Floor grabbed me; I read it in one sitting and re-read it several times that year. I haven't gone back to it in the two years since then.
Grass for his Pillow disappointed me; I read it over two days and never touched it again.
Brilliance of the Moon took me an entire week to read and I had to drag myself along; I doubt I shall touch it again.
I'm not sure if it is me, or if the books really do decline sharply. Ever since I started to get decent at writing fiction myself I have grown very critical; right now it is impossible for me to read any work of fiction and not find myself saying "I wouldn't have done that ...". I no longer enjoy reading as much as I did a year ago.
With that in mind: After a good start the series went banal and overly simple, relying on standard, boring, overdone cliches. Cliches can be great if handled either well or differently; these were not. I could predict the plot a mile off, and the characters ceased to grow. I also ceased to have any interest in either plot or characters midway through book 2. The writing itself is ok, but I felt I was reading a children's book instead of a book that supposedly aims at all age groups.
Thanks for the critiques. I'm almost ready to start with this trilogy, though it sounds like the author should have quit after the first book. I usually don't reread books, so if I don't feel these deserve to be part of my personal library I will just donate them to the local library in town.