The Tengu’s Game of Go by Lian Hearn is the fourth and final instalment in her Tales of the Shikanoko, a series of adventure fantasies set in a mythical medieval Japan. The stories are filled with warriors, magicians, demons and spirits as a small group of heroes ensure that destiny has it’s way to determine who will be the emperor to bring peace and prosperity to this strange land.

The deities are using this land as their game board, placing and moving the pieces about using politics, economy, force and magic to determine the final outcome. The hidden emperor, Yoshi, does not want to give up his simple life as a wandering acrobat to become the emperor. But once the evil overlord has him in his clutches and is planning on executing him, the remaining heroes gather, and, trusting in their right, move to save Yoshi and prove to the people who the proper emperor should be.

This fourth volume brings together all the loose threads and binds them into a satisfactory conclusion and while there is happiness for some, others face a darker ending. These stories are very well written and fast paced with plenty of violence, melodrama and magic. The author’s world building is excellent and I am going to miss visiting this mythical country. Having previously read this author’s Tale of the Otori, I was pleased at how the author connected these two different series together. ( )

I was hoping the finale would address more regarding the tengu. I had not picked up on the connection between this series and the Tales of the Otori series until the very end. (I was wondering about the constant concern regarding the Spider Tribe offspring, with no resolution) Now I'm going to have to go back and reread those! ( )