Across the Nightingale Floor

The first volume in the 'Tales of the Otori' series

In his black-walled fortress at Inuyama, the warlord Iida Sadamu surveys his famous nightingale floor. Constructed with exquisite skill, it sings at the tread of each human foot. No assassin can cross it unheard.

Raised in a remote mountain village, Takeo is one of the Hidden, a reclusive and peaceful people who know nothing of war. But the tribe's tranquil existence is shattered by a brutal and bloody massacre, which Takeo alone survives, rescued by the mysterious Lord Otori Shigeru.

Takeo's subsequent quest for revenge takes him to places he has never envisioned. His voyage is one of treachery, of honour and loyalty, of beauty and magic. It is also a journey of self-discovery, as he learns of talents he did not know he had: preternatural hearing, invisibility and the ability to be in two places at once. Ultimately, though, it is a journey that will lead Takeo to his hidden destiny within the walls of Inuyama.

'The orphan hero, the revenge theme, the premium placed on loyalty, and above all the battle between the forces of good and evil: these are the ingredients of the classic . . . and they are all present in abundance. When combined with passionate love, as here, the blend becomes even more heady.' Sunday Telegraph