Shipping Through the Holidays ☀️📦
Boxing Day Sale Boxing Day
Holiday Delivery Delivery
Store Hours Store Hours
Gift Cards Gift Cards

Boxing Day Sale is live! Up to 20% off 2000+ Books

Emperor of the Eight Islands

Books 1 and 2 in The Tale of Shikanoko series
By Lian Hearn
Series: The Tale of Shikanoko
0.0 (0 reviews)
3.62 goodreads logo

Ratings/reviews counts are updated frequently.

Check link for latest rating. ( 4,360 ratings, 564 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
Emperor of the Eight Islands by Lian Hearn is a riveting tale set in a mythic version of medieval Japan. It follows a young orphan named Shikanoko, who finds himself entangled in a power struggle among warlords, sorcerers, and mystical beings. As provinces vie for control and allegiances are tested, Shikanoko must navigate a world brimming with ambition and dark magic.
Read More
Format: Paperback / softback
$3799
AVAILABLE WITH SUPPLIER Ships from our Auckland warehouse within 3-4 weeks

Found a better price? Request a price match

Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

You might enjoy this book if you're captivated by tales of samurai, magic, and political intrigue set in a richly imagined feudal Japan. This thrilling piece blends elements of fantasy and crime, weaving a story of power struggles, betrayal, and the quest for mastery, making it perfect for fans of ethereal landscapes and intense, dramatic plots.

Book Hero thinking about your next read

Emperor of the Eight Islands

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

Like George R. R. Martin, Lian Hearn has captivated millions of readers worldwide with her masterpiece of imagination, Tales of the Otori. Now, against a dazzling canvas of wild forest, elegant court and savage battlefield, she brilliantly brings to life the world that existed 300 years earlier. Hearn weaves an intricate tapestry—seething with intrigue, adventure and love—of two rival clans struggling over who will be crowned Emperor of the Eight Islands, in a medieval Japanese country inhabited by warriors, assassins, ghosts and guardian spirits. And as the laws of destiny play out their inexorable drama, the battle for the Lotus Throne begins.

Coming soon: Lord of the Darkwood. Books 3 and 4 in The Tale of Shikanoko.

Praise for Emperor of the Eight Islands:
‘huge imaginative vitality’ - Sydney Morning Herald
‘a fitting follow-up to the Otori series’ - The Age
‘colourful and fascinating characters’ - Courier Mail
‘a must-read’ - Aurealis
‘stands alone for fine storytelling’ - West Australian
‘sure to recruit a fresh legion of fans’ - The Saturday Paper

Don't miss any of the novels in the Otori saga:
Across the Nightingale Floor
Grass for His Pillow
Brilliance of the Moon
The Harsh Cry of the Heron
Heaven's Net is Wide

Series: The Tale of Shikanoko

View all

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Emperor of the Eight Islands by Lian Hearn is praised for its brutally thrilling historical fantasy, fine storytelling, and imaginative vitality. A fitting follow-up to the author's Otori series, it is seen as a must-read that is likely to gain new fans. The book is noted for its colourful, intriguing characters and its immersive recreation of a teeming, bloodthirsty medieval world.

Book Hero reading reviews

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780733635137

Publisher: Hachette Australia

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 08 March 2016

Country: Australia

Imprint: Hachette Australia

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 33.0mm

Width: 154.0mm

Height: 233.0mm

Weight: 580g

Pages: 448

Collections

Crime & Thriller Fantasy Fiction General Fiction Historical Fiction Lian Hearn Sci-Fi & Fantasy Series: The Tale of Shikanoko

About the Author

Lian Hearn's beloved Tales of the Otori series, set in an imagined feudal Japan, has sold more than four million copies worldwide and has been translated into nearly forty languages. It is comprised of five volumes: ACROSS THE NIGHTINGALE FLOOR, GRASS FOR HIS PILLOW, BRILLIANCE OF THE MOON, THE HARSH CRY OF THE HERON and HEAVEN'S NET IS WIDE. The series was followed by two standalone novels, BLOSSOMS AND SHADOWS and THE STORYTELLER AND HIS THREE DAUGHTERS, also set in Japan. EMPEROR OF THE EIGHT ISLANDS is Books 1 and 2 in The Tale of Shikanoko and is followed by LORD OF THE DARKWOOD (Books 3 and 4). Lian has made many trips to Japan and has studied Japanese. She read Modern Languages at Oxford and worked as an editor and film critic in England before emigrating to Australia. For the latest news from Lian, visit lianhearn.com, follow Lian on Twitter @LianHearn, or join the readers who have become Lian's friend on Facebook.

Also by Lian Hearn

View all

More from Crime & Thriller

View all

Why buy from us?

Book Hero is not a chain store or big box retailer. We're an independent 100% NZ-owned business on a mission to help more Kiwis rediscover a love of books and reading!

Service & Delivery

Service & Delivery

Our warehouse in Auckland holds over 80,000 books and puzzles in-stock so you're not waiting for your order to arrive from overseas.

Auckland Bookstore

Auckland Bookstore

We're primarily an online store, but for your convenience you can pick up your order for free from our bookstore, which is right next door to our warehouse in Hobsonville.

Our Gifting Service

Our Gifting Service

Books make wonderful thoughtful gifts and we're here to help with gift-wrapping and cards. We can even send your gift directly to your loved one.