The first instalment in a magnificent epic by the creator of the global phenomenon the Tales of the Otori, Lian Hearn, whose books have sold over four million copies worldwide.

From the bestselling author of the 'Tales of The Otori' 'A thrilling tale of love and violence' Guardian 'An original and exquisitely wrought adventure story' Observer An ambitious warrior leaves his nephew for dead and seizes his lands . . . A stubborn father forces his younger son to surrender his wife to his older brother . . . A mysterious woman seeks five fathers for her children . . . A powerful priest meddles in the succession to the Lotus Throne . . . These are the threads of an intricate tapestry in which the laws of destiny play out against a backdrop of wild forest, elegant court, and savage battlefield. Set in a mythical medieval Japan of warriors and assassins, ghosts and guardian spirits, Emperor of the Eight Islands is a brilliantly imagined novel, full of drama and intrigue. And it is just the beginning of an enthralling, epic adventure: 'The Tale of Shikanoko'. '[A novel of] compelling characters [and] huge imaginative vitality.' Sydney Morning Herald 'Wildly successful' Melbourne Age

An ambitious warlord leaves his nephew for dead and seizes his lands.

A stubborn father forces his younger son to surrender his wife to his older brother.

A mysterious woman seeks five fathers for her children.

A powerful priest meddles in the succession to the Lotus Throne.

These are the threads of an intricate tapestry in which the laws of destiny play out against a backdrop of wild forest, elegant court, and savage battlefield. Set in a mythical medieval Japan inhabited by warriors and assassins, ghosts and guardian spirits, Emperor of the Eight Islands by Lian Hearn is a brilliantly imagined novel, full of drama and intrigue – the beginning of an enthralling, epic adventure: The Tale of Shikanoko.