Shikanoko has been humbled by failure, and his once clear destiny has
become clouded . . .
The Autumn Princess and the boy who is the true emperor are fugitives in
the forest, alone and unprotected . . .
In the mountain sorcerer's hut a new generation of the Old People is
born--the Spider Tribe, not quite human, not quite demons, and quickly
coming of age . . .
One clan is in retreat, the other holds the capital, and natural
disasters follow one upon another. Will Heaven ever be placated?
In Autumn Princess, Dragon Child, the old order has come unsettled and
the weave of destiny has become unpredictable as it is pulled tighter,
sharper, faster, by the instincts for vengeance and redemption, loyalty
and survival. The battle for the Lotus Throne has begun in earnest.
In this medieval Japan of Lian Hearn's peerless imagination--so full of
magic, beauty, violence, love, and sorrow--the only thing truly
inevitable is that these forces are building to a brutal climax, though
who the players will be and what the stakes will be cannot yet be told.
The Tale of Shikanoko
Book One: Emperor of the Eight Islands
Book Two: Autumn Princess, Dragon Child
Book Three: Lord of the Darkwood
Book Four: The Tengu's Game of Go