Rating: 
Summary: A flawed but perfect character study
Review: It took awhile to get through this one. While the plot was interesting enough to stimulate continued interest, there were so so many distractions along the way that it seemed I complained more about this novel than I did singing its praises (reviewer pauses while reader re-checks the number of stars.)I'll start with those distractions if you promise to stay with me to the end. These characters are horrid. I cringed with pain reading on the first few pages where Special Agent Starr displayed his habits of speaking with a fake Southern drawl and dispensing folklore from his old pappy. I feared I had a long road ahead as just a few pages later, Mr. Diamond, 'dried his crotch reflectively.' Other than Hel, the Japanese General whom he paternally bonds with, and the Go teacher, we are provided a long long cast of dim witted, big busted, sexually talented/enthusiastic drivel. Nearly all of the female characters are so abhorrently shallow they are basically incapable of doing anything other than stenography or achieving an orgasm. The consistently bungling portrayal of intelligence operatives, both CIA and British MI, are flagrant and inflammatory. Neither flavor shows the dedication, love of country, and intelligence that I know are near universal characteristics of those who dedicate their lives to defending their homelands. Instead we are shown callous, inept thugs, who build the murder of their own brothers in arms into their plans to cover their own tracks.
The nearly constant berating of America and all things American has turned the stomach of more than one red white and blue reader of the novel. It should be noted that this in not the only nationality beaten and bruised in the book, far from it. In certain contexts within the story this America bashing is well justified, especially those being told from the Nickolai Hel perspective. But it bleeds over into pretty much all of the book, and it is distracting from the brilliance that lies beneath it all. Oh yes, it is brilliant. The brilliance of this story is the character study of Nickolai Hel and his pursuit of Shibumi, a very Zen state of unpretentious perfection. Nickolai Hel endures, grows, and pursues. All along actively pursuing that state of perfection in himself. Unfortunately, I can't go much beyond that description without providing a most undeserved spoiler. All that I can say is read this novel with a critical eye. Do not let the hate and racism distract you from the deeper meaning. There is a lesson to be learned in this one, but it does not come for free.
Rating: 
Summary: Extremely trite philosophy, and not very interesting
Review: This book is written by someone who mistakes being opinionated with being wise. Trevanian's insights into life may be insightful for adolescents, but to me they seemed trite and sometimes ridiculous. The hero is evidently the most unique person on the planet several times over. He is one of the few people in the world with his jade-green eye color! He is one of the few people in the world who has psychic powers! He is one of the few people in the world who is a mystic (Trevanian's word - I think he is a bit confused about it). Also, he's one of three "muave card" holders in the world. Wow, what a special guy. But with all of that, he doesn't seem like a very interesting character when we meet him, and worse yet, he is not likeable. The storyline is fairly routine. Assassination, CIA, etc. Most of the book is taken up with Hel's backstory, some of which feels unnecessary. I can't speak to the ending, because after I was 1/3 of the way through, I realized this book was a complete waste of time, and I stopped reading it at about 2/3 of the way through. Hey, it was a slow weekend. The writing is clear, although annoying in some respects. Must Trevanian name ever character who is in the book for two paragraphs? Also, this is a spy book, not a X-files episode. The psychic powers seemed pretty ridiculous for this type of book (actually, probably for any type of book). One more thing. There is a pervading racism towards Arabs in the book, as well as general classism. I actually found this book a bit offensive, especially with Trevanian's annoying know-it-all writing style. I recommend that people stay away from this book, unless they enjoy stupidity.
Rating: 
Summary: Hard to make me talk but.......
Review: I'm not the kind of person who goes on-line and writes reviews. Let my opinion stay just that, and let yours be yours. Having said all of that, this book has motivated me to write. Shibumi is a fantastic read. There are parts of the book that drag, like Moby Dicks whaling chapters, but they are short and inconsequential in relation to the meat of the book. If you enjoy thrillers, action-pact adventure with a spy/romance/zen twist you should read this at once. If this isn't enough, my girlfriend loved this book and she HATES all of the things I just mentioned. Read it.
Rating:
Summary: absolute best thriller ever written
Review: what more can I say?
beats the hell out of Ludlum's books, even Bourne Identity.
review from Mike Zinsley, author of "The Rapture of the Deep"
Rating: 
Summary: one compelling character, but biased
Review: This novel concentrates on Nicolai's life and the main plot involves him being chased down by a group of clumsy Americans. The Americans were hired to eliminate a splinter group of Israeli sympathizers who were after the terroists who killed Israeli atheletes during the Munich Olympics. Something goes terribly wrong with the Americans plan because a person who was not eliminated during a clumsy raid has a connection to Nicolai. Nicholai Hel is a hired assassin who has certain esoteric knowledge that he uses to excel in his craft. Shibumi, which is a special state of clarity (meditation) was something that just came naturally to him since he was very young. The proximity sense, which can be used to not only sense the presence of others, but also to read their mental state was developed when he was serving time in solitary confinement. It was also mentioned that he became skilled in the art of Naked/Kill which enabled him to kill with virtually anything (i.e. a sheet of paper, an ID card, plastic straw, etc.). Exactly how he acquired this training is a mystery. The book also avoids the gory details of how the killings took place. There is even a footnote explaining that the details of Naked/Kill are not given so as not to give anyone any ideas. I think leaving out the details took away from some of the drama of the story. Novels are written all the time about various ways to kill people. So why the author shied away from Naked/Kill is beyond me. Nicolai is also a highly skilled Go player which means he has tremendous concentration and a proclivity for abstract problem solving. And although he did not attain a high level of education, he also had a proclivity for pure mathematics. Nicolai was definitely a compelling character but his opposition was depicted mostly as a clumsy group of buffoons. Racial and ethnic bigotry abounds (particularly towards Arabs) in this book. Although Nicolai's father was German and mother Russian, he was raised in the far east and hence grew up with an asian bias.
Rating:
Summary: Thank you Rodney
Review: for letting me know about GO, the Fat Boy, The Mother Company, and most of all, the Shibumi itself! But why, on earth, your other books are not as good as this one? Are you what you are not here or are you what you are not there ?
Or is everything just an illusion. Enter matrix! Huh !
Rating:
Summary: A book for my son
Review: It's indeed rarely that I had an opportunity to read so good a book - a novel which excels in so many aspects. "Shibumi" by Trevanian has left an imprint on my soul, being one of those books which I wish I had memorized from A to Z. I will no doubt read it many a time in future, and if I ever have a son, I will give it to him when he reaches proper age. Dear son whom I don't yet have - hopefully, you will discover the beauty of the mountains and learn that the value of alpinism lies in the exploration itself, in dissolving one's soul in alpine-scented solitude, that this is one goal really worth fighting for - the virginity of the mountainous landscape, its preservation from the assault of civilization. I will give this book to you just as soon as you are ready for the seducing charms of adult literature, and will finally start to notice the difference between well-crafted book and book of profound impact and importance. I know what you will be going through, but I won't bore you with details on how exhilarating this discovery is. Time will come for you, and it's best to discover literature for oneself. Probably you will be either embarrassed by one or two paragraphs from "Shibumi", paragraphs dealing with the art of love, and the relation of the ephemeral to the carnal, as I don't doubt you will find the relationship of Hana and Nicholai quite peculiar. But son, that's just fine, for time will come for that, too, and don't you worry about it for even a moment. The seed will be planted in your young head, and with the impact this book will have on you, I can bet spruce needles against reindeer food that after several adventures with ladies, or after a decade or two, whichever comes sooner, you will recall the pair from "Shibumi", and will learn to appreciate the wisdom of the messages embedded there in so delicate a way that had eluded you before. This novel has a wealth of messages waiting for you, some to be discovered at the adolescent stage, some to be discovered many years after you enter the fully adult life with all its grim responsibilities waiting for you, and finally, some to be truly appreciated when you reach that stage of so-called middle age, when the accumulated wisdom of life will dominate your thinking, and you will no longer be fretful and as exceedingly spontaneous as you had been before. You will marry, you will enter professional relationships, choose a job for life, and I hope also travel a lot, since traveling opens the mind, teaches us to appreciate other cultures and different ways of different people. Nicholai, the protagonist of "Shibumi", was a man of no land, having accumulated what's best in a select few cultures, a man who rejected certain phenomena of life you will no doubt take for granted. As I have already mentioned, at first you will notice the obvious, the joy of pure thrill of climbing, the action-packed storyline, the peculiar relationships of Nicholai, and the infinitely strange people he chose to live amongst, the Basque. You will be no doubt surprised at the apparent venom with which Nicholai refers to various countries, America in particular, to nations, to some select individuals, and to modern trends that dominate in the world. An arrogant and critical attitude is just adequate when applied to the masses, to the average, and you will have to learn that generalization is the only way to tackle the general issues at hand, and that individuals should be treated openly, individually, warmly, whereas ideas and concepts deserve no mercy whatsoever. One of the more important aspects of "Shibumi" is that it's essential that one identifies with some culture, or tries to benefit from many, if one is capable of that; and that the real danger to one's humanity is of becoming a mongrel, a culture-less person of no moral values, or weak spine that bends to wherever the wind blows, a miserable person for whom comfort of life is more important than thinking, the eternal homeless soul. Such people are everywhere, sadly, all around us, and that's why I hope your travels, and deliberations of your own, and finally, messages contained in "Shibumi", will teach you to appreciate small nations of great tradition, the pariahs of the postmodern civilization of consumptionism. Trevanian is a brilliant, ironic and arrogant writer, and my hope is that you will be just like him and his characters - in the sense of the moral values and traits of characters, but I also hope that you will develop and cherish your own personality, treasure your uniqueness. Having chosen your own path of life, I hope that at one of the later stages in your life, you will appreciate the real, philosophical content of this book, the profound ethics, the moral spine of the main character. "Shibumi" is the novel about moral choices one has to make, about honor above anything else. It's only too natural that the human being, living amongst his peers, will try to do everything to be appreciated. A man needs to be appreciated. However, I hope you will learn yourself that there are some rules to be never broken, that if there is a conflict between popularity and acceptance - and your moral values, you should not hesitate for a split second. I have always been grateful that I have had a light of principles that guided me through the filthy caves of life. I hope you will have one, too, and read "Shibumi" nodding all the time. But if the novel is an eye-opener for you, then that's just as well, for all is well that ends well, and it's never too late for improvement.
Rating:
Summary: One word : Excellent
Review: Trevanian is a mysterious writer.We know very little about him.Shibumi is probably the best book in his career so far.
I enjoyed every page of it.I strongly recommend this excellent book to anybody.
Rating:
Summary: Pretty good
Review: if you like reading about a psycho who had a pretty tough life and now kills people for a living. Not gripping but interesting.
Rating:
Summary: Not just a spy story
Review: This is a great adventure. I especially liked the concept of "naked kill". I got interested in the game of Go after reading this. The book really gets your full range of emotions in gear. Superb.
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