Across the Nightingale Floor
Sydney
:
Hodder Headline Australia
,
2002
Z962493
2002
single work
novel
fantasy
young adult
(taught in 3 units)
'In his black-walled fortress at Inuyama, the murderous warlord, Iida Sadamu, surveys his famous nightingale floor. Constructed with exquisite skill, it sings at the tread of each human foot. No assassin can cross it unheard.
Brought up in a remote mountain village among the Hidden, a reclusive and spiritual people, Takeo has learned only the ways of peace. Why, then, does he possess the deadly skills that make him so valuable to the sinister Tribe? These supernatural powers will lead him to his violent destiny within the walls of Inuyama - and to an impossible longing for a girl who can never be his. His journey is one of revenge and treachery, honour and loyalty, beauty and magic, and the passion of first love.' (Source: Publisher's website)
Grass for His Pillow
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.
Brilliance of the Moon
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)
The Harsh Cry of the Heron
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)
Heaven's Net Is Wide
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)
Children of the Otori
Sydney
:
Hachette Australia
,
2019-
17351949
2019
series - author
novel
"Surviving" Adolescence : Apocalyptic and Post-Apocalyptic Transformations In Young Adult Fiction
Kelvin Grove
:
2010
Z1761971
2010
single work
thesis
'This study, entitled "Surviving" Adolescence: Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic transformations in young adult fiction", analyses how discourses surrounding the apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic are represented in selected young adult fiction published between 1997 and 2009. The term ―apocalypse‖ is used by current theorists to refer to an uncovering or disclosure (most often a truth), and post-apocalypse means to be after a disclosure, after a revelation, or after catastrophe.
'This study offers a double reading of apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic discourses, and the dialectical tensions that are inherent in, and arise from, these discourses. Drawing on the current scholarship of children‘s and young adult literature this thesis uses post-structural theoretical perspectives to develop a framework and methodology for conducting a close textual analysis of exclusion, un-differentiation, prophecy, and simulacra of death. The combined theoretical perspectives and methodology offer new contributions to young adult fiction scholarship.
'This thesis finds that rather than conceiving adolescence as the endurance of a passing phase of a young person‘s life, there is a new trend emerging in young adult fiction that treats adolescence as a space of transformation essential to the survival of the young adult, and his/her community.'
Source: QUT ePrints.
"Surviving" Adolescence : Apocalyptic and Post-Apocalyptic Transformations In Young Adult Fiction
Kelvin Grove
:
2010
Z1761971
2010
single work
thesis
'This study, entitled "Surviving" Adolescence: Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic transformations in young adult fiction", analyses how discourses surrounding the apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic are represented in selected young adult fiction published between 1997 and 2009. The term ―apocalypse‖ is used by current theorists to refer to an uncovering or disclosure (most often a truth), and post-apocalypse means to be after a disclosure, after a revelation, or after catastrophe.
'This study offers a double reading of apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic discourses, and the dialectical tensions that are inherent in, and arise from, these discourses. Drawing on the current scholarship of children‘s and young adult literature this thesis uses post-structural theoretical perspectives to develop a framework and methodology for conducting a close textual analysis of exclusion, un-differentiation, prophecy, and simulacra of death. The combined theoretical perspectives and methodology offer new contributions to young adult fiction scholarship.
'This thesis finds that rather than conceiving adolescence as the endurance of a passing phase of a young person‘s life, there is a new trend emerging in young adult fiction that treats adolescence as a space of transformation essential to the survival of the young adult, and his/her community.'
Source: QUT ePrints.
