Rating: 
Summary: ALL TIME FAVORITE
Review: I couldn't believe that there were negative reviews of this book. It is my favorite book of all time. Trevanian is a genius!
Rating: 
Summary: Silly Mysticism
Review: Just trying to create a super hero in his image you know every step before... just a plan to create something book is about shibumi but far away from shibumi just a relaxation for him and waste of time for me
Rating: 
Summary: Nice idea, but...
Review: This book is one part thriller, two parts U.S. bashing, one part critique of modern civilization, one part introduction to Japanese culture, and 1/10th part science fiction. The thriller is based around Mr Hel, a super assassin, philosopher, level IV lover (eh?), and anything else a 14 year old might want to be. He can see in the dark, sense people watching him, read people's emotions, and kill with a straw. Consequently you could care less when he gets in a jam because you know he's going to get out of it.The bad guys are the evil CIA, NSA, MI5, etc that are subsidiaries of the "Mother Company", a front for Evil Oil and Nuclear Power. They have immense power and will kill plane loads of their own people just to keep things quiet. They even assassinated JFK. All that's missing are black helicopters run by the U.N. So why don't they just kill Hel? I can just hear Scott Evil (from Austin Powers) say "You idiot, you do this every time. Just shoot him when you get a chance." Same plot here. The plot and characters, in fact, are secondary to Trevanian's treatise on what's wrong with modern civilization; man is greedy and lazy, and capitalists have no culture. His response to this is shibumi, or simplistic elegance. Hel's goal is to lead a life of shibumi. I really like this but unfortunately this doesn't jive with his actual life; a well paid killer that lives in a French chateau with a level IV sex partner. An interesting note is that Nikko, Hel's nickname, is also the site of the Toshogu Shrine in Japan. This is considered the most exotic and ornate of all shrines in Japan, a very un-shibumi place. So, nice idea, bad implementation.
Rating:
Summary: a great one
Review: with all his mystery, trevanian presents the reality of life, the strength of human beings. Believing in wisdom...
Rating:
Summary: Shibumi
Review: Wouldn't recommend this to anyone. I did like his Incident at Twenty Mile and it prompted me to read another of his books. The whole thing was a hugh dissapointment.
Rating:
Summary: "Hereldry of Sheer Style"
Review: Its hard to add to what other have said- the brilliant and the very good. Maybe one should take it with a pinch of salt (maybe). The book is superb. I, like others have worn out more than one soft cover copy.
Rating: 
Summary: A fun "airport novel" especially for Rollover to 2000
Review: I have never taken this guys novels, as some breathless reviewers have as the greatest novels of the 20th century. But they are a fun read. But overall not to be taken seriously. Whole planeloads of people are not detained and executed in the US because of one mistake. The CIA at the time did not have the power to collect all the data of one's preferences down to toilet paper. Most computer programmers do not wear white coats and their sexual preferences don't involve anything with hot dogs. This is out right silliness. Numerous other errors abound like that. However it is a hell of a fun read. It is great for any boring situation that one is caught. Waiting for an airplane, reading while waiting for customers in a boring job. That sort of thing. Nothing to be taken too serious, just teenage excitement fun for adults. His skill with language and culture are rather good, and offset his otherwise absurd worldview. He explains some intelligence techniques like "button down" reasonably but all within a hard to be believe but so much fun and intrigue fun is mixed in it is hard to speak ill of it. It's to me 4 stars for fun, 2 stars for accuracy. And 3 stars for predicting some trends. It is getting easier to monitor people's habits. SO get out your 64mg (grain) or 300mg of salt (NaCl) and read and have fun and laugh. Have Fun
Rating:
Summary: A beautiful excuse to introduce an aim for life.
Review: Nicholai Hel, a gifted western raised in Japan, makes his way through a complex world after the war guided by several masters and friends in life. The concept of mysticism is shown in his person and the state of Shibumi (which could as well be assimilated to the zen's concept of Satori) is beautifully shown to us in the middle of a dangerous web thrown by the CIA. Deep knowledge of the nations, deeper of the way for life. ¿Does anyone know about him? Please e-mail
Rating:
Summary: The greatest work of fiction of the 20th Century.
Review: A riveting tale of love and bullets, sex and national identity. Tongue and cheek humor that reeks of a cynical viewpoint on the status of American government... a must read for anyone who considers themselves literate...
Rating:
Summary: "Will capture your attention"
Review: If you are into spy/thriller books you will enjoy this. Because it has many references to other cultures/languages if you are bi-lingual you will enjoy it even more.
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