Rating: 
Summary: A wonderfully engrossing book
Review: An excellent book - so engrossing I finished it in two sittings. I've spent enough time in Tokyo to appreciate the author's familiarity with the city, but the Tokyo he describes is far more exciting than the one I visited. If I didn't know any better, I'd think that this was the author's tenth or twentieth book, not his first. Eisler is right up there with Kerry Collison (who writes thrillers about Indonesia) in giving the reader an authentic and exciting read.
Rating:
Summary: Stellar Debut!
Review: Eisler hits the ball out of the park with his debut. It's a spy thriller set in Modern Tokyo, capturing the ambiance of the neo-future Metropolis sprouting above and ancient culture.There are three main selling points for the book. First is the main character. John Rain is part James Bond, part Trevanian's Nicolai Hel, and part Blade Runner. He's both complex and interesting. His "voice" comes off as an old friend with a shady path. The second stellar point is the ability of Eisler to capture Tokyo. It's a Tokyo that many expats will recongize. The places, style and feel of the city are brought to life with excellent prose. I truly felt like I was back in Roppongi and Shinjuku. The flashbacks really brought me back to a great place. Lastly, the book has a gripping "can't put it down" quality. Expect to read the book in one sitting. Don't start it unless you have time to finish it. You'll find yourself looking at the clock at 3am thinking, "Where did the time go?" Well done on an outstanding novel!
Rating:
Summary: Guaranteed great fun
Review: I was looking for a good book after I finished my 5th Harry Potter book. Usually i pick out a good book by reading the title and the back cover. Once again I succeded. Wonderfully written. I had a fun time reading it at 1 AM because I couldnt set it down. I can't wait to get Hard Rain and continue the story(I think its the second). Get it and have a good time.
Rating:
Summary: awesome first novel
Review: Very impressed with this guy. I never once found myself skimming
or glazing over as I so often do. I wanted to miss nothing of what he had to tell me. Eisler is one of those rare talents for whom storytelling comes naturally. His writing style is surprisingly mature, well thought out, and exhibits a smooth, sleek continuity that most witers take years to develope. I so look forward to diving into his next effort.
Rating: 
Summary: Enter: John Rain
Review: Many of the book's elements---the surveillance techniques, the use of technology, judo, the jazz milieu, and a fascinating female character, all lead to a most wonderful experience with this novel. John Rain is an intriguing chap, but even more so in the presence of a beautiful and intelligent young jazz pianist whose father John had been hired to [destroy]. If there was one drawback from the work, it was the continual descriptions of places and locations he traveled through to throw off any would-be surveillance teams. I understand the attempt at realism, but it became tiring about halfway through the book. Furthermore, the young woman with whom Rain becomes involved disappears from the narrative for too long, denying the reader of this most interesting relationship. Good dialogue, some nice action scenes, and an overall confidence by the writer in his own abilities make this a worthwhile purchase. Perhaps John Woo might be interested in adapting this for film?
Rating: 
Summary: A different culture...
Review: is not enough to sustain a reader's interest. Lots of detail about how to follow someone, repeated endlessly. A villian who's left for another day. Not enough to come back for.
Rating:
Summary: Depth and bit of o' Hollywood...
Review: This is a great thriller. The characters, esp. the hero (or anti-hero) is vivid. There are bits of Hollywood, esp. in the way the climax unfolds (and a strange flashback that is all too Apocalypse Now), but it works. It is enrossing. I loved The Hitman novels and this far more dramatic. Tokyo comes alive and cultural life is fascinating. Eisler scores with a quick and very tight story.
Rating:
Summary: Hard Rain
Review: Hard Rain more than fulfills the promise of Barry Eisler's critically acclaimed first novel, Rain Fall, that made Publisher Weekly's selection of best fiction for 2002. The novel is a suspenseful, taut, rivetting read, and John Rain, the half Japanese, half American assassin who specializes in death by 'natural causes' gets even more under your skin. He is definitely one of the most complex, fascinating, and multi-dimensional characters to come along in a long time. Eisler's fully realized strong women characters, his moving evocation of a dark Tokyo landscape that one can almost see and touch, and his chillingly realistic fight and action scenes make for a powerful thriller that at times shades off into the literary. A must read that is likely to make it to the big screen and will be appreciated by fans of the genre and by anyone looking for a thought- provoking, memorable, and intense novel!
Rating:
Summary: Can't wait for the Rain
Review: It's not often I get that "can't wait to get home" feeling about a book. If you've ever felt it, you'll know what I'm talking about. You get so caught up in a story and a character that you think about them all day. When you're supposed to be thinking about work, you're wondering how the hell the main character is going to get out of a situation. Barry Eisler's John Rain simply lives in the mind and won't go away. It must have been like that for Eisler because it took him eight years to write this fine thriller. And with a four book deal signed and Jet Li purchasing the film rights to Rain Fall, that's eight years well spent. I highly recommend Rain Fall and I can't wait to read Hard Rain, (just released). My only regret is not living in the US so I can catch Barry on his book tour. From what I hear, he's a great speaker (and a black belt in Judo too).
Rating:
Summary: Not Satisfying
Review: Hyped as brain candy, it fell far short of reviews. I can understand why people liked it, but it just wasn't there for me. Rather like Lieutenant Data trying to play symphonies from Star Trek: The Next Generation, this book went through all of the motions, but it had no feeling behind it. Even catharsis isn't a good reason to read this book. The protagonist is John Rain, a mixed-descent Japanese-American man who served in Viet Nam and was traumatized by the orders he recieved and the actions that he performed becomes a contract killer, with morals to boot. Then, he falls in love with the daughter of one of his targets. It's a common plot, and it isn't really carried off very well here. His girlfriend is an interesting character, a jazz musician who seems like a character who could be much better explored. However, she never is. John finally lets his guard down at times, and a bit of character development occurs, but it is in all of the common directions with no real substance. Once again, no feelings behind the music. A fairly typical assassin book, with an attempt to give it heart, which doesn't so much fail as it just never gets off the ground. The book carries all of the old motions but with none of the feelings. I wouldn't really recommend it to anyone, because there are a lot more important things to read. It is a fun read, but it is ultimately disappointing upon the reflection stage, as there is no feeling of fullness or completion. The book just ends, no real sense of closure. I gave it three stars because it was endearing, despite its problems. But, I wouldn't, having read it, spend money on it again if I knew what it was. I may read it if I borrowed it from the library.
Harkius
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