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lkmreads's review against another edition
I really wanted to like this, but I just couldn't stomach the whole writing style of it and had to drop it. I just felt like I was reading a fanfic.
tbr_the_unconquered's review against another edition
2.0
Random images can at times evoke powerful memories in us. A ray of sunlight striking a blade of grass in the morning mist can be viewed as just another occurrence in nature or as a nostalgic image for it all depends on perception. Satori is Japanese for random awakening or in simple English this means the sudden realization of seeing things as they are. Unlike its older brother Shibumi, the stress on Japanese culture is less here.
This book is an American child, it does not have the subtlety and nuances of its elder sibling. It opts for out and out action, sex, international intrigue...well the kind of thing that a Robert Ludlum or a Fredrick Forsyth might write. It's my thought that Don Winslow got the anatomy of Nicholai Hel right but not the soul of Trevanian's work. Trevanian wrote an intentional parody of the spy genre by creating outrageous stunts and situations carrying an unsmiling facade while giving us only the barest of winks. Winslow on the other hand takes the character of Hel too seriously and injects into his veins the same blood that would have run through a Jason Bourne. There is a lot more action in this book and Hel is not the arrogant and pompous ass that he is in Shibumi. The climax is nothing short of bollywood-ish and with it went out what little interest I had in this book.
Russell Peters while in India recently made this comment about Bollywood :
It's not that I'm not a fan. It's just that if you gave me the option between cutting my testicles off or making me watch one of those films, I'd be like 'Get those knives sharpened up, would you ? '
Some books tend to go that way too Mr. Peters !
This book is an American child, it does not have the subtlety and nuances of its elder sibling. It opts for out and out action, sex, international intrigue...well the kind of thing that a Robert Ludlum or a Fredrick Forsyth might write. It's my thought that Don Winslow got the anatomy of Nicholai Hel right but not the soul of Trevanian's work. Trevanian wrote an intentional parody of the spy genre by creating outrageous stunts and situations carrying an unsmiling facade while giving us only the barest of winks. Winslow on the other hand takes the character of Hel too seriously and injects into his veins the same blood that would have run through a Jason Bourne. There is a lot more action in this book and Hel is not the arrogant and pompous ass that he is in Shibumi. The climax is nothing short of bollywood-ish and with it went out what little interest I had in this book.
Russell Peters while in India recently made this comment about Bollywood :
It's not that I'm not a fan. It's just that if you gave me the option between cutting my testicles off or making me watch one of those films, I'd be like 'Get those knives sharpened up, would you ? '
Some books tend to go that way too Mr. Peters !
omnibozo22's review against another edition
4.0
I read Shibumi years ago, as well as the Sanction books, and enjoyed them. I wondered about this prequel, written by a different author, but I'd enjoyed Winslow's other writings, so I went for this one. While it didn't capture quite the savoir faire of the later protagonist, Hel, that can be discounted because this book is about Hel becoming the man in Shibumi. Lots o rollicking fun through Asia, with a smattering of philosophy and Winslow's analysis of the conspiracy of shits that led to US involvement in SEA. He is doing the same in his Border trilogy about Mexico and the dishonest US "war against drugs" bullshit. I'm in the middle of the second book of that series.
scottwoods's review against another edition
1.0
A life-long fan of Shibumi, I found I could not finish this handed-over prequel. Winslow succeeds in creating a textbook example of the kind of book Shibumi, in its sly way, railed against. That it uses Trevanian's singular character to do so just felt like a slap in the face. The rhythm is dismal, the action completely predictable, and there is no attempt whatsoever to capture the music of the source material. I know Winslow set out to not write like Trevanian, but there is "not writing like the original" and then there is "writing so differently from the original that it doesn't feel like it's in the same universe."
eiseneisen's review against another edition
3.0
This was a good, quick, action read in the same vain as the Jack Reacher and Jason Bourne novels. I wish I had more to write, but I don't---it's one of those books you enjoy for 3 days, and then never think about again.
stevelaflamme's review against another edition
4.0
Un autre très bon roman de Winslow, mon auteur fétiche. Très fouillé, pourvu d'une structure solide et complexe. Une histoire parfois compliquée d'espionnage qui nous amène en Chine et au Vietnam, une histoire truffée de trahisons, de secrets, de complots. Le personnage de Nicholaï Hel, récupéré de l'imaginaire de Trevanian, est intéressant, quoiqu'il ne s'agisse pas du personnage le plus approfondi de l'auteur. Pour ma part, mon coup de coeur va au personnage de Solange...
ladydewinter's review against another edition
5.0
This time it has to be five stars. I spent all day at work gushing about this - this was so much fun, and so exciting, and Nikolai is the most fascinating character! I enjoyed this a lot, and because there were none of the politically incorrect opinions that made "Shibumi" a little uncomfortable sometimes I enjoyed this even more than "Shibumi", although I would say that "Shibumi" is the better book.
Don Winslow really delivers a worthy sequel here, however. I found it absolutely fascinating to see how the style of the book differed from his usual way of writing, but it is still very obviously a Don Winslow book. It's more action focused than "Shibumi", but still manages to introduce and capture the characters in a way that remains true to the original. In fact, I'm positive it can be read without knowing the original, but personally I think that once you get to know Nikolai Hel you want to read all there is about him, and more (at least that's the way I feel).
I have to say that I read both books at the best time possible - I've been reading a few books with an Asian setting, and these two fit in nicely with my current interests in Buddhism and Asian history and culture. And "Satori" certainly cemented my enthusiasm for Don Winslow. Once I finished a few more books on my to read pile, I get to buy another one of his books. I can hardly wait.
Don Winslow really delivers a worthy sequel here, however. I found it absolutely fascinating to see how the style of the book differed from his usual way of writing, but it is still very obviously a Don Winslow book. It's more action focused than "Shibumi", but still manages to introduce and capture the characters in a way that remains true to the original. In fact, I'm positive it can be read without knowing the original, but personally I think that once you get to know Nikolai Hel you want to read all there is about him, and more (at least that's the way I feel).
I have to say that I read both books at the best time possible - I've been reading a few books with an Asian setting, and these two fit in nicely with my current interests in Buddhism and Asian history and culture. And "Satori" certainly cemented my enthusiasm for Don Winslow. Once I finished a few more books on my to read pile, I get to buy another one of his books. I can hardly wait.
msjenne's review against another edition
3.0
Kind of silly, but fun. I still can't figure out why he wanted to write this, though. Was he just a huge fan of the original?