AustLit logo
The material on this page is available to AustLit subscribers. If you are a subscriber or are from a subscribing organisation, please log in to gain full access. To explore options for subscribing to this unique teaching, research, and publishing resource for Australian culture and storytelling, please contact us or find out more.

Works By

Preview all
2 2 y separately published work icon Sibling Assassins Lian Hearn , Sydney : Hachette Australia , 2020 17351995 2020 single work novel fantasy

'As a boy Arai Sunaomi was known as the Miracle Child and crossed between the worlds to walk among the dead. Now he has put aside his past to follow the way of the warrior. His aunt, Kaede, is considering making him her heir, and her General, Miyoshi Kahei, hopes to betroth Sunaomi to his daughter, Kinu. But there is one girl whom Sunaomi cannot forget: Utahime, who has been dead for seven years. Will he dare bring her back to life?

'Utahime's brother, Masao, is Sunaomi's oldest friend and the only surviving relative of the great warlord Saga Hideki. When Masao disappears after a fight in the city, Sunaomi is charged with finding him. With his cousins, Kiyoko and Kichizo, sibling assassins from the Tribe, Sunaomi sets out on a journey which will take him into an enthralling and dangerous world of spirits and supernatural beings, rebels, pirates and saints - the extraordinary and enchanting world of the Tales of the Otori.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

1 y separately published work icon Children of the Otori Lian Hearn , Sydney : Hachette Australia , 2019- 17351949 2019 series - author novel
2 2 y separately published work icon Orphan Warriors Lian Hearn , Sydney : Hachette Australia , 2019 15937371 2019 single work novel fantasy

''It was as if they were pieces on a board which had been kicked over, each scattered in the dirt and alone.'

'Orphaned or left fatherless: such is the fate of many children of the Otori and the Tribe. Sunaomi and Chikara, sons of Arai Zenko, also carry the burden of their father's treachery, but their aunt, Kaede, is able to save their lives on condition they become novice monks and never leave the temple at Terayama.

'Sunaomi has been brought up as a warrior, yet his grandmother is Muto Shizuka. He cannot escape that he is also a child of the Tribe. As he discovers unimagined talents within himself he comes up against Hisao, Takeo's son, the ghostmaster, as well as Saga Hideki, the most powerful warlord in the realm, the Emperor's General.

'Taking place in the magical medieval world of Tales of the Otori and following on from The Harsh Cry of the Heron, Orphan Warriors is a coming-of-age adventure story in a human world of courage and sacrifice behind which always hovers a supernatural world of danger and dread.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

1 1 y separately published work icon Lord of the Darkwood Lian Hearn , Sydney : Hachette Australia , 2016 9670668 2016 single work novel fantasy

'The rightful emperor is lost. Shikanoko is condemned to live half man and half deer, an outlaw in the Darkwood. Yet the mighty lords who now rule the Eight Islands are prey to suspicion and illness, and drought and famine overrun the realm.

'Only Shikanoko can bring healing by restoring the preordained ruler to the Lotus Throne and only one person can bring him back from the Darkwood.

Against a background of wild forest, elegant castles and savage battlefields, Lian Hearn's Tale of Shikanoko series draws to its thrilling conclusion.' (Publication summary)

1 3 y separately published work icon Emperor of the Eight Islands Lian Hearn , Sydney : Hachette Australia , 2016 9309986 2016 selected work novel fantasy

Books 1 and 2 in the Tale of Shikanoko Series

1 y separately published work icon Autumn Princess, Dragon Child Lian Hearn , New York (City) : Farrar Straus and Giroux , 2016 9298284 2016 single work novel fantasy

'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 Autumn Princess, Dragon Child.' (Publication summary)

1 4 y separately published work icon Emperor of the Eight Islands Lian Hearn , Sydney : Hachette Australia , 2016 9107918 2016 single work novel fantasy

'A future lord is dispossessed of his birthright by a scheming uncle, a mountain sorcerer imbues a mask with the spirit of a great stag for a lost young man, a stubborn father forces his son to give up his wife to his older brother, and a powerful priest meddles in the succession to the Lotus Throne, the child who is the rightful heir to the emperor barely escaping the capital in the arms of his sister. And that is just the beginning.

'As destiny weaves its rich tapestry, a compelling drama plays out against a background of wild forests, elegant castles, hidden temples, and savage battlefields. This is the medieval Japan of Lian Hearn's imagination, where animal spirits clash with warriors and children navigate a landscape as serene as it is deadly.' (Publication summary)

1 2 y separately published work icon The Tale of Shikanoko Lian Hearn , 2016 Sydney : Hachette Australia , 2016 9107873 2016 series - author novel fantasy
1 y separately published work icon His Kikuta Hands Lian Hearn , Sydney : Hachette Australia , 2016 9407624 2015 single work short story fantasy

'[His Kikuta Hands] takes place behind the scenes of Brilliance of the Moon, the third Otori novel...Otori Takeo has come to Maruyama, the furthest city to the west in the Three Countries, to confront the Tribe families and secure what is his by right. The Tribe don't believe he possesses the requisite ruthlessness of a competent ruler. They will be proved wrong.' (From publication summary)

2 3 y separately published work icon The Storyteller and His Three Daughters Lian Hearn , Sydney : Hachette Australia , 2013 6586289 2013 single work novel

'Storytellers are all thieves. They pilfer from old legends, history books, newspaper reports. So Akabane Sei IX is told by his manager. A professional storyteller for over fifty years, as the book opens Sei recalls the inspiration behind the story that made him famous, The Silk Kimono . It was a story pilfered, not from any of these sources, we learn, but from his own life.He transports us to Tokyo, 1884, a time of change. It is summer and the country is gripped by the words of Jack Green, an Englishman who spins exotic tales from his European past and even Sei s wife is won over by the heady melodrama. Sei himself is feeling uninspired, old, beyond passion, but he knows passion is what people want so that, he decides, is what he will give them. Soon everywhere he looks, everyone he sees, is involved in some form of intrigue - political, sexual, emotional - and each conversation leads to a possible plot line, each person is a possible character, an adulterer, a murderer, a mistress, a spy.Yet even as his imagination tries to embroider his world, real life draws Sei back. Two of his daughters return home, unhappy with their husbands; his third daughter s husband s new play opens and a real sword is substituted for a false one; Sei is attacked after performing a new story. Secret societies, samurai warriors, vendettas and illicit love: the story that will save Sei is all around, all he has to do is recognise it, tame it, and, of course, survive it.Then he can really begin to write.' (Publisher's blurb)

5 7 y separately published work icon Blossoms and Shadows Lian Hearn , Sydney : Hachette Australia , 2010 Z1728584 2010 single work novel historical fiction

'This is the story of the birth of modern Japan, told by Tsuru, a young woman who breaks every stereotype of the Japanese lady. We meet her on the day of her sister's wedding, and soon realise that she will not accept the same domestic role that her sister is about to take on. Instead, Tsuru is ready to embrace the new world, defend her beliefs, look for love, and follow her career as a doctor working alongside her husband on the battlefields.

'In the mid 1860s Japan was in the grip of a revolution almost as tumultuous as the French Revolution 100 years earlier, yet we in the West know very little about it. This book lets readers feel they are there among the revolutionaries, guided by the engaging character of Tsuru. By the end of the first chapter readers will feel they know her, and want to fight with her as she battles against the conventions of the day and falls into a forbidden love.' (From the publisher's website.)

12 7 y separately published work icon Heaven's Net Is Wide Lian Hearn , Sydney : Hachette Livre Australia , 2007 Z1430145 2007 single work novel fantasy 'Heaven's Net Is Wide is the new beginning to the celebrated Tales of the Otori, the prequel that reveals the full story of Lord Otori Shigeru, the figure who has presided in both life and death over the entire series, the man who represents the true spirit of the Otori Clan. As the story opens, the young Shigeru, heir to the clan, is eager to assert his authority and to face down treachery from within his own family and hostility from the far corners of the Three Countries. His noble education and training as a warrior have prepared him for leadership and combat, but can anything prepare him for the terrible consequences of loss and defeat? As his youthful determination pushes the Otori inexorably toward war with the rival Tohan Clan and their ruthless, scheming warlord, Iida Sadamu, fate appears to have some difficult lessons in store for Shigeru. Shigeru's life is under constant threat, but just as he is surrounded by implacable enemies, he is also supported by loyal allies, such as Lady Murayama, the only woman rule in the Three Countries. And he has friends among the Tribe, the clandestine network of assassins who not only will protect him but also will reveal the existence of a boy in a remote mountain village - a boy who belongs to the secret sect known as the Hidden, a boy who might prove to be vital to the future of the Otori.' (Source: Book jacket)
1 Electric Light Orchestra Lian Hearn , 2006-2007 single work autobiography travel
— Appears in: The Bulletin , 19 December-9 January vol. 124 no. 6551 2006-2007; (p. 52-53)
15 8 y separately published work icon The Harsh Cry of the Heron Lian Hearn , Sydney : Hachette Australia , 2006 Z1296146 2006 single work novel fantasy

'Thanks to his enlightened leadership, 15 years of peace and prosperity have passed since Otori Takeo united the Three Countries, but his enemies continue to plot their revenge—including the Tribe, a ninja-like group of assassins, and the duplicitous Lord Zenko, one of Takeo's retainers. Perhaps the greatest threat, however, is the prophecy of a holy woman that Takeo will die only at his son's hand; his only son, an unacknowledged bastard, is being raised by his sworn enemy Kikuta Akio, the head of a Tribe family. With his beautiful (and legitimate) daughter and heir Shigeko by his side, Takeo must navigate these treacherous shoals to save his lands and his legacy from destruction'. (Publisher's blurb)

1 y separately published work icon Tales of the Otori Trilogy Lian Hearn , Sydney : Hodder Headline Australia , 2004 Z1662407 2004 selected work novel fantasy
18 9 y separately published work icon Brilliance of the Moon Lian Hearn , Sydney : Hodder Headline , 2004 Z1119880 2004 single work novel fantasy young adult

Peace comes at the price of bloodshed-five battles will buy you peace, four to win and one to lose. At the temple of Terayama, the words of the blind sage's prophecy continue to haunt Takeo as he readies his armies for battle. Determined to avenge Shigeru's death and claim his rightful inheritance, Takeo and Kaede, together with Takeo's forces; fight their way to the domain of Maruyama. But then they must separate. Takeo makes plans for a battle by the sea, and Kaede returns to her family's home at Shirakawa. Will they see each other again? (Publication summary)

 

25 10 y separately published work icon Grass for His Pillow Lian Hearn , Sydney : Hodder Headline Australia , 2003 Z1068839 2003 single work novel fantasy young adult

'The pseudonymous Hearn's second thrilling installment of her Tales of the Otori trilogy (after 2002's Across the Nightingale Floor) is once again set in a magic-haunted version of medieval Japan where no one wields unchallenged authority and no one is safe. The swirl of treacherous, shifting clan alliances threatens to overwhelm young lovers and aristocrats Takeo and Kaede. Separated throughout most of the action, the two must develop their talents while trying to maintain their integrity. Takeo possesses superhuman gifts such as the ability to become invisible, project a double image of himself and hear distant conversations; however, he must discipline his skills and control his impetuous temper. He also must work out his relationship with the Tribe, a treacherous secret organization of spies and assassins that saved his life but that may have murdered his father. Kaede, meanwhile, has to escape the powerless role of a woman if she is to protect herself and her family domain from predatory neighbors'.

Source: bookseller's website.

1 9 y separately published work icon Tales of the Otori Lian Hearn , 2002 Sydney : Hodder Headline Australia , 2002-2004 Z1137985 2002 series - author novel fantasy
1 Dux of the Class Taught by Revenge Lian Hearn , 2002 single work review
— Appears in: The Sydney Morning Herald , 7-8 September 2002; (p. 11)

— Review of Across the Nightingale Floor Lian Hearn , 2002 single work novel
1 When the World Changed Lian Hearn , 2002 extract novel fantasy (Across the Nightingale Floor)
— Appears in: The Weekend Australian , 31 August-1 September 2002; (p. [2]-3, 12)
X