Ninja

Rating:
Summary: Not a bad bit of fiction.
Review: I found this book to be overall a thoughly interesting read. it may not always be exactly be historiclly correct, but then again it is a work of fiction with no claims of it being fact. it is just plain good entertainment. The ninja is a strong book with violence and sex and is not for young readers. If you don't take the ninja aspects too seriously and just enjoy the story then you may find it a very good read.

Rating:
Summary: Interesting, like a Hong Kong Flick
Review: I really thought it was a good book. It was historically inaccurate and doesn't tell what Ninjas are REALLY about. Then again, it's to entertain than inform. Almost good as a James Bond novel in my opinion.

Rating:
Summary: Not What I Wanted
Review: If you're looking for fast-paced action I suggest you look elsewhere. The good points about this novel is that the nature of Japan and her people are deeply explored, and that the actual writing is fluid, sensuous and clever. In my opinion the book is too long: focusing on a murder, and exposition rather than getting on with it. To me the book was stodgy, long, and at times very dull. The sex scenes blister, however. For me I would have preferred a medieval Japanese Ninja book and less urban stuff. If you're looking for an urban 'man coming to terms with himself before facing his evil rival' then look here.

Lustbader Trivia: The author has never been to Japan.

Rating:
Summary: Sex, Intrigue, Martial Arts, and Romance... A must read
Review: Just read the first 10 pages and you'll be hooked! This first book (and by far the best) of the Nicolas Linear series takes you back and forth between Japan and the US, between past memories and the current reality. If you love martial arts, I garantee that you will identify with Nicolas. The sequel (The Miko) is also as riveting! A true page turner for those of us who love Japanese martial arts.

The reviewer, JR Geoffrion ([e-mail]), has been practicing karate (Shorin-ryu, Shito-ryu, and Chito-ryu) since 1984. JR Geoffrion also practiced Kendo and Judo. JR earned his MBA from York University and completed the Wharton School Multi-National Marketing and Management Program. He also holds a Engineering degree from the University of Toronto.

Rating:
Summary: Sex, Intrigue, Martial Arts, and Romance... A must read
Review: Just read the first 10 pages and you'll be hooked! This first book (and by far the best) of the Nicolas Linear series takes you back and forth between Japan and the US, between past memories and the current reality. If you love martial arts, I garantee that you will identify with Nicolas. The sequel (The Miko) is also as riveting! A true page turner for those of us who love Japanese martial arts.

The reviewer, JR Geoffrion ([e-mail]), has been practicing karate (Shorin-ryu, Shito-ryu, and Chito-ryu) since 1984. JR Geoffrion also practiced Kendo and Judo. JR earned his MBA from York University and completed the Wharton School Multi-National Marketing and Management Program. He also holds a Engineering degree from the University of Toronto.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent mix of action and intrigue
Review: Lustbader really does spin a good story. I found the book hard to put down. The mix of archaic martial arts mixed with modern day scenarios. Just don't take the history of ninjutsu quite as it is put across.

Rating:
Summary: a must
Review: Ok, Ninja stories are passe now, and so 80's. I'm sure Ninja is to the 80's what the vampire is to the 90's. But you should really read this book. The story is rich, the dialogue is fantastic and the action is beyond compare. The Ninja is entertaining all the way through, and it's well worth the price of admission.

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful thriller with ninjas galore within
Review: Rather than just do a blurb, let me paste some points from a personal analysis I did of the story.

OVERALL FEELING: Excellent understanding of the Eastern life and culture; great pacing; lots of intricate weaving of plot

SCORING: Superb (A), Excellent (A-), Very good (B+), Good (B) Fairly Good (B-) Above Average (C+), Mediocre (C ), Barely Passable (C-) Pretty Bad (D+), Dismal (D), Waste of Time (D-), Into the Trash (F)

DIALOGUE: A- STRUCTURE: A- CHARACTERS: A- EMOTIONAL IMPACT: A- SURPRISES: A- SPY IDEAS/GADGETS/SKILLS: A INTRIGUE: B+ PACING: A- THE LITTLE THINGS: A OVERALL STYLE: A FLOW OF WORDS: B+ CHOICE OF FOCUS: A- TRANSITIONS/FLASHBACKS/POV: A- COMPLEXITY OF WORDS/SYMBOLISM/THEMES: A

OVERALL GRADE: A

SYNOPSIS: Nicholas Linnear (notice the last name; straight as an arrow) is at a crossroads in his life; he has just left his job and met a younger woman with some psychological problems. To top it off, his old nemesis, who he doesn't know about, is on the prowl, wiping people out left and right. And, to make it even worse, he's a ninja. Nicholas, while trying to find Saigo, before he kills all his friends; disappears as we flash back to the earlier History of Nicholas' parents.

CONCEPT: First off, it was a timely time to come out . . . right when Japan was doing very well economically (they had started to beat the auto industry) and Americans wanted to learn more about the culture. Toss in a secret group of assassins (known as the ninja) and toss it in New York with promises of sex, corruption and intrigue . . . and we're off to a good start.

SPYS/GADGETS/SKILLS: This is where Lustbader excels. There's a plethora of information here about the History of Japan (and even a bit about China) in explaining the origins and continuation of the ninja.

(REST CUT OFF BECAUSE OF SPOILERS)

PACING: Story moves along nicely. Lustbader knows how to build the story up to a cliffhanger and then use something big to perk our interest before he jumps back to a flashback/another era. Lustbader tries to jump around with lots of different stories and tends to focus on these areas: (1) dark subjects or mystery; (2) sex; (3) Japanese History/Asian History; (4) lovers conflict; or (5) seedy murder investigations. That seems to be his basic formula in the topics he chooses.

OVERALL STYLE: This guy has great metaphors; I must have marked over 60 in the book and it's only about 500 pages long! THE LITTLE THINGS: Great details about the outdoors; especially the waves of the oceans and the manner in which the sunlight plays on them. Good character actions during dialogue moments, too.

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful thriller with ninjas galore within
Review: Rather than just do a blurb, let me paste some points from a personal analysis I did of the story.

OVERALL FEELING: Excellent understanding of the Eastern life and culture; great pacing; lots of intricate weaving of plot

SCORING: Superb (A), Excellent (A-), Very good (B+), Good (B) Fairly Good (B-) Above Average (C+), Mediocre (C ), Barely Passable (C-) Pretty Bad (D+), Dismal (D), Waste of Time (D-), Into the Trash (F)

DIALOGUE: A- STRUCTURE: A- CHARACTERS: A- EMOTIONAL IMPACT: A- SURPRISES: A- SPY IDEAS/GADGETS/SKILLS: A INTRIGUE: B+ PACING: A- THE LITTLE THINGS: A OVERALL STYLE: A FLOW OF WORDS: B+ CHOICE OF FOCUS: A- TRANSITIONS/FLASHBACKS/POV: A- COMPLEXITY OF WORDS/SYMBOLISM/THEMES: A

OVERALL GRADE: A

SYNOPSIS: Nicholas Linnear (notice the last name; straight as an arrow) is at a crossroads in his life; he has just left his job and met a younger woman with some psychological problems. To top it off, his old nemesis, who he doesn't know about, is on the prowl, wiping people out left and right. And, to make it even worse, he's a ninja. Nicholas, while trying to find Saigo, before he kills all his friends; disappears as we flash back to the earlier History of Nicholas' parents.

CONCEPT: First off, it was a timely time to come out . . . right when Japan was doing very well economically (they had started to beat the auto industry) and Americans wanted to learn more about the culture. Toss in a secret group of assassins (known as the ninja) and toss it in New York with promises of sex, corruption and intrigue . . . and we're off to a good start.

SPYS/GADGETS/SKILLS: This is where Lustbader excels. There's a plethora of information here about the History of Japan (and even a bit about China) in explaining the origins and continuation of the ninja.

(REST CUT OFF BECAUSE OF SPOILERS)

PACING: Story moves along nicely. Lustbader knows how to build the story up to a cliffhanger and then use something big to perk our interest before he jumps back to a flashback/another era. Lustbader tries to jump around with lots of different stories and tends to focus on these areas: (1) dark subjects or mystery; (2) sex; (3) Japanese History/Asian History; (4) lovers conflict; or (5) seedy murder investigations. That seems to be his basic formula in the topics he chooses.

OVERALL STYLE: This guy has great metaphors; I must have marked over 60 in the book and it's only about 500 pages long! THE LITTLE THINGS: Great details about the outdoors; especially the waves of the oceans and the manner in which the sunlight plays on them. Good character actions during dialogue moments, too.

Rating:
Summary: GREAT
Review: Read this almost too quick. I could not put it down. This book has it all. Any man should love this book.