Recommendations based on Brilliance of the Moonby Lian Hearn

* statistically, based on millions of data-points provided by fellow humans

  1. Grass for His Pillow

    by Lian Hearn
    A coming-of-age tale of a young samurai's struggle to survive the harsh realities of feudal Japan.

    Kaede slowly recovers from the Kikuta sleep given to her by Takeo, with dreams of the White Goddess: Be patient. He will come for you. Afterwards she travels towards home, accompanied by Shizuka. ... (Wikipedia)

  2. Across the Nightingale Floor

    by Lian Hearn
    A young warrior's quest to save his family and restore their honor.

    Across the Nightingale Floor is set in a fictional world based on Japan during the Sengoku period , and follows the story of a sixteen-year-old boy named Tomasu and fifteen-year-old girl named Kaede. ... (Wikipedia)

  3. Musashi

    by Eiji Yoshikawa
    Epic journey of a legendary samurai, seeking to perfect his martial arts skills.

    The classic samurai novel about the real exploits of the most famous swordsman. Musashi is a novel in the best tradition of Japanese story telling. It is a living story, subtle and imaginative, ... (Goodreads)

  4. The Novice

    by Trudi Canavan
    A young farm girl discovers a magical power within her, leading her on an epic journey.

    Sonea, formerly a slum girl—or "dwell"—begins her studies as a novice at the Magicians' Guild as part of the summer intake. Sonea does not have life easy, particularly with her rival and fellow ... (Wikipedia)

  5. The High Lord

    by Trudi Canavan
    A young girl's quest to save her kingdom, mastering powerful magic in the process.

    A year has passed since Sonea had challenged Regin to a public duel and had beaten Regin by one bout. Since that victory, she has finally won the respect she deserves, not only as a novice with ... (Wikipedia)

  6. Ptolemy's Gate

    by Jonathan Stroud
    A young magician's quest to confront an ancient evil and restore balance to the magical world.

    The British Empire is falling apart. Many commoners are unhappy with the current government, though none of the commoners claim responsibility for the status quo. The magician's demons are being ... (Wikipedia)

  7. Rebel Angels

    by Libba Bray
    Teen girl investigates mysterious history of her family, uncovering dark secrets and uncovering her own powers.

    The story picks up two months after the events in the first book. The opening chapter is narrated by Kartik, who has been brought before a council of the Rakshana. He is told that by destroying the ... (Wikipedia)

  8. Kafka on the Shore

    by Haruki Murakami
    A surreal journey of self-discovery, exploring the boundaries between the real and surreal.

    Comprising two distinct but interrelated plots, the narrative runs back and forth between both plots, taking up each plotline in alternating chapters. The odd-numbered chapters tell the 15-year-old ... (Wikipedia)

  9. The Sorceress

    by Michael Scott
    A quest to save the world of legend with the help of an ancient power.

    Flamel takes the twins to London , where he uses Francis to enlist Palamedes , the Saracen Knight, to help them. Palamedes takes them to his home, a junk-yard in London, and they manage to work ... (Wikipedia)

  10. Out

    by Natsuo Kirino
    Exploration of the dark side of modern society through the story of four female factory workers.

    The novel tells the tales of four women, working the graveyard shift at a Japanese bento factory. All four women live hard lives. Masako, the leader of the four women, feels completely alienated from ... (Wikipedia)

  11. The Magicians' Guild

    by Trudi Canavan
    A young girl discovers her magical abilities and is taken under the wing of the powerful Magicians' Guild, but soon realizes their dark secrets.

    Each winter in Imardin, the capital city of Kyralia, the streets are purged of the "dwells", the city's poor under-class, by magicians who drive away the inhabitants of the city's slums. Although ... (Wikipedia)

  12. The Lost Years

    by T.A. Barron
    Merlin embarks on a journey to discover his true identity and purpose, facing challenges and making allies along the way.

    THE SAGA BEGINS... A raging sea tosses a boy upon the shores of ancient Wales. Left for dead, he has no memory, no name, and no home. But it is his determination to find out who he is - to learn the ... (Goodreads)

  13. The Dwarves

    by Markus Heitz
    A young dwarf sets out on a perilous journey to save his people from an ancient evil. Epic battles and alliances ensue.

    Tungdil Goldhand, a young blacksmith, is the only dwarf in Ionandar, one of Girdlegard's five enchanted realms. These realms, rich in magical energy forcefields, are ruled by magi, while other lands ... (Wikipedia)

  14. The Solitaire Mystery

    by Jostein Gaarder
    A young boy's journey to uncover the mystery of his past and the truth of his identity.

    The book follows two seemingly separate stories: A 12-year-old boy, Hans-Thomas, and his father are driving through Europe on a journey to locate and bring home the boy's estranged mother. Whilst on ... (Wikipedia)

  15. The Death of Dulgath

    by Michael J. Sullivan
    An epic fantasy adventure following a young female thief on a quest for justice.

    Three times they tried to kill her. Then a professional was hired. So was Riyria. When the last member of the oldest noble family in Avryn is targeted for assassination, Riyria's Royce and Hadrian ... (Barnes & Noble)

  16. The Amber Spyglass

    by Philip Pullman
    A powerful journey through multiple realms of existence to save the world from destruction.

    Having learned of the prophecy regarding Lyra, the Magisterium decides she must be killed to prevent a new fall. Lyra's mother, Mrs Coulter , hides her in a remote cave. In her drugged sleep, Lyra ... (Wikipedia)

  17. Royal Assassin

    by Robin Hobb
    A journey of self-discovery and growth, as a young man discovers his hidden powers and learns to use them.

    Fitz has survived his first hazardous mission as king’s assassin, but is left little more than a cripple. Battered and bitter, he vows to abandon his oath to King Shrewd, remaining in the distant ... (Goodreads)

  18. Eldest

    by Christopher Paolini
    An epic fantasy adventure, with a young hero struggling to save his kingdom from a dark force.

    Darkness falls…despair abounds…evil reigns…Eragon and his dragon, Saphira, have just saved the rebel state from destruction by the mighty forces of King Galbatorix, cruel ruler of the Empire. Now ... (Goodreads)

  19. The Winter King

    by Bernard Cornwell
    Epic saga of Arthurian legend, weaving together the tales of a warrior-king's rise to power.

    The story is narrated by its main protagonist, Derfel Cadarn , an elderly monk who has converted to Christianity late in life after spending many years as a warrior in the service of Arthur , a ... (Wikipedia)

  20. Red Rabbit

    by Tom Clancy
    CIA analyst Jack Ryan uncovers a Soviet plot to assassinate the Pope and must stop it before it's too late.

    In 1982, Pope John Paul II privately issues a letter to the communist Polish government , stating that he will resign from the papacy and return to his hometown unless they cease their repression of ... (Wikipedia)

  21. East

    by Edith Pattou
    A young girl's journey to find a magical cure for her cursed prince, learning life lessons along the way.

    When Arne married the superstitious Eugenia, he agreed to have seven children with her—one for each point of the compass, excluding north. According to the birth-direction superstition held by ... (Wikipedia)

  22. Wizard's First Rule

    by Terry Goodkind
    A magical journey of self-discovery as a young man embarks on a quest to save the world.

    The primary protagonist in Wizard's First Rule is Richard Cypher , a young woods guide. Richard lives in an area of the world known as Westland, which is one of three parts of the known world, ... (Wikipedia)

  23. Small Gods

    by Terry Pratchett
    A humorous fantasy tale of a god struggling with his dwindling power and followers.

    The Great God Om tries to manifest himself once more in the world, as the time of his eighth prophet is nigh. He is surprised, however, when he finds himself in the body of a tortoise, stripped of ... (Wikipedia)

  24. Norwegian Wood

    by Haruki Murakami
    A young man's journey of love and loss set against the backdrop of the 1960s.

    Toru, a quiet and preternaturally serious young college student in Tokyo, is devoted to Naoko, a beautiful and introspective young woman, but their mutual passion is marked by the tragic death of ... (Goodreads)

  25. The Rose and the Thorn

    by Michael J. Sullivan
    A coming-of-age story of a young girl who must find the courage to save her kingdom.

    TWO THIEVES WANT ANSWERS. RIYRIA IS BORN. For more than a year Royce Melborn has tried to forget Gwen DeLancy, the woman who saved him and his partner Hadrian Blackwater from certain death. Unable to ... (Goodreads)

  26. The Lions of Al-Rassan

    by Guy Gavriel Kay
    Epic tale of a legendary kingdom, facing the onslaught of an unstoppable force.

    Like most of Kay's novels, this contains a large amount of political intrigue and religious strife. At the opening of the novel, the peninsula of Al-Rassan (formerly known as Esperaña when under ... (Wikipedia)

  27. Eon: Dragoneye Reborn

    by Alison Goodman
    A young apprentice learns to wield the power of dragons and save the kingdom from destruction.

    Also Known As: Two Pearls of Wisdom, Eon: Rise of the Dragoneye, and Eon (All the same book just published with different publishers) Swordplay, dragon magic–and a hero with a desperate secret ... (Goodreads)

  28. The Golem's Eye

    by Jonathan Stroud
    A young magician's pursuit of a powerful, ancient creature threatens to unleash an ancient evil.

    Two years after the events of the first novel, Nathaniel (alias John Mandrake ) serves in London’s Ministry of Internal Affairs, working to eliminate the anti-magician Resistance. Under pressure from ... (Wikipedia)

  29. The Magician

    by Michael Scott
    An ancient struggle between powerful forces of good and evil, with fate of the world at stake.

    Sophie and Josh Newman – 15-year-old twins – are in Paris with the alchemyst, Nicholas Flamel, and his friend, Scathach. They now face Niccolò Machiavelli and his colleague, but also rival, John Dee, ... (Wikipedia)

  30. The Arrival

    by Shaun Tan
    A thought-provoking story of a man's journey to an unknown land in search of a new home.

    In a heartbreaking parting, a man gives his wife and daughter a last kiss and boards a steamship to cross the ocean. He's embarking on the most painful yet important journey of his life—he's leaving ... (Goodreads)