Across the Nightingale Floor by Lian Hearn is a great read set in a fictional medieval country that resembles feudal Japan. The story follows young Takeo after he survives the massacre of his family. Rescued by a mysterious lord, Takeo begins to grow up and discover some amazing secrets about himself and the world around him.
This series, the final volume is to be published in late 2007, is usually filed away in young adult fiction in libraries but I am suggesting that adults may like to read this as well. Anyone interested in fantasy should borrow a copy and dip into the wonderful delights of Hearn's writing.
Another great series that is shelved with young adult and children's books is the Redwall books by Brian Jacques. It is easy to dismiss these books as only being fit for kiddies as all the characters are anthropomorphic animals. Good guys are usually mice, badgers, hedgehogs and the like, while the bad guys are foxes, stoats, weasels and cats.
Don't let this fool you though, the stories are great reads that are fun and exciting. Don't be surprised if you find yourself flying through the books as they are easy to read. This doesn't mean that they are poor quality, just that Jacques writes with such a fluent style.
So the moral of this post is don't be afraid to look in the young adult or children's sections of your library for something to read, a lot of good fiction is being published for kids. For example I noticed that David Eddings' fantasy series the Belgariad is now being marketed as young adult fiction.
Very interesting stuff.
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