Novel Review: The Harsh Cry of the Heron

The Harsh Cry of the Heron by Lian Hearn
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I can see how some readers would be disappointed by this volume in the Tales of the Otori series. I thought that the system of "magic" in the original trilogy felt very organic and well done. When it was expanded and made more central to the plot of THCoTH, it felt heavy-handed and overdone. I did not like the cat spirit possession or the Ghostmaster power that were central to this books plot.

Fans of the Kaede character would also find this book disappointing. Characterized by her strength, leadership, and and devotion to Takeo in the original series, she spends most of THCoTH in the background. Her daughters, unborn at the completion of the original trilogy, are the major female characters here. Kaede emerges in the final act only to further disappoint her fans, and while her actions are central to the denouement of the plot, her actions feel wildly out of character.

However, I give this novel such a high rating for one reason and one reason alone: I am a tragedy junkie. I love tragedies. I love the feeling in the pit of my stomach as everything starts to go wrong for these characters. And this final book the the Tales of the Otori timeline is a tragedy on a grand scale.

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Moving Forward.

It's been nearly six months since I've been on here.  There's a completely new format for me to figure out, but I think I will like working with it.  I should be able to spend more time online now, or at least in the very near future once we've gotten completely unpacked.  Today was my day to spend with Peanut while the Trophy Wife was at work.  In a reversal of the normal situation, Peanut dozed off on the floor during our play session, so here I am.

In the past six months (well... year actually... who are we kidding?) since I've been on hiatus I've had plenty of "hey I should blog about that" moments, but as is so often the case, I've forgotten about them or whatever events have spurred those moments have become irrelevant.  The kids are healthy, wife is well, what else matters?

I am very exited to have my own kitchen again, however small.  Even my wife was a little disturbed by the look of unfettered joy on my face as I unpacked and briefly held each and every one of my cooking knives.  Unfortunately, the lack of space in the kitchen has forced us to relegate some of my favorite implements (toaster oven, rotisserie) to the storage unit outside, but it can always be accessed for special occasions.

I've also loved getting back into the swing of things at work.  I've got plenty of advice for all you "Mr. Papagiorgio" aspirants out there.  And God knows somebody needs to tell you the proper balance of panache and class that will improve the casino experience for you and the casino employees you encounter.

I haven't been reading as much as I would like lately, which should change as soon as Princess finishes school for the summer and we find our neighborhood library.

...and now Peanut has awakened, so until next time.