Customer Reviews

Jian

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

In this breathtaking spy thriller, Jake Maroc, a Chinese agent trained in various martial arts working for a clandestine US Government organisation called The Quarry, sets out to find the killers of his wife and stumbles across a Japanese Yakuza clan run by his enemy Nichiren, intent on taking over a valuable business in Hong Kong, while in Russia, the KGB shows an interest in the same project. So Maroc, ostracised by the US, seeks help from anyone possible, even the 14K Triads! The action scenes, involving different styles of martial arts and the latest in firearms are first-rate, the locations, especially Hong Kong, are well-researched and the plot is so elaborate and engaging that you can't see the meaning until the final pages, which keeps you guessing. One of Lustbader's very best!

This story makes one think of humanity and the price of vengeance. After this book, I've been hooked on Lustbader.

I'll start this off by saying this is the first EVL book I've read, that halfway through it I picked up two more, and that I plan on reading as many as I can get my grubby little hands on. While some of the plot twists were painfully transparent, they were written in such a way as to keep the reader hooked long enough to find out for sure. The insight into Chinese culture Jian provided was valuable enough to make the book worth the read in much the same way as Chrighton's Rising Sun was for Japanese culture; the masterful plot was just an added bonus. The graphic sex got a little repetetive, but the scenes were short enough that the book didn't get bogged down in them.

This book contains all the elements for a compelling, and thrilling story. Reader beware, you wont put it down for hours at a time.

I loved this book. The story is well told, the characters are believable and the action is intense. I read JIAN before traveling to Hong Kong and it provided much depth to my experience -- it would surely add to anyone's knowledge of the Chinese in today's business world as well. I liked the "master of every art" concept so much that I named my company JIAN, and have been developing business productivity software tools ever since. Also, I have practiced martial arts for many years and this book adds much to the thinking behind the fights -- useful whether you practice or not. I even wrote a business book called, "Business Black Belt." Thanks Eric.

This is has been a very interesting read, except for the two historical chapters that drag a bit though presenting relevant information to the story line. It is quite obvious that Eric vanLustbader is a huge fan of Fenimore Cooper. Jake Maroc, the hero of "Jian", is based strongly on Cooper's Natty Bumpo. There is even a stoic episode exactly comparable to one in "Deerslayer." The only detractor for me is the overdeveloped eroticism that fills Lustbader's writings.

I have read most of the Van Lustbader, Lustbader, and Ludlum/Van Lustbader novels and am impressed with this author's knowledge base and ability to pull off complex and intertwined plot lines. He also creates--in his solo works--memorable characters. However, be prepared for extensive intermixing of decades and locations, detailed decriptions of cultural and historical phenomena (largely Asian), and most of all apparently distinct plot lines, often somewhat puzzling when first introduced, that intersect and eventually merge. Like his other works, Shan is a serious book requiring considerable effort by the reader. That's not a bad thing, but be prepared!

Among the many novels that Lustbader has written, I appreciated this one the most. In typical Asian exoticism, Lustbader delivers well with this novel. There is a great deal of intrigue as the three main characters of the story are destined to encounter one another through intricate web of espionage and suspense involving the emergence of China as a modern power. In addition to the attack and counter-attacks of the two main protagonists in the story is the classic game of strategy Go or Weiqi as it is called among the Chinese. I found that Lustbaders use of the game was well placed and as it served as a metaphor for the combat which took place throughout the novel. The cultural depth which Lustbader writes is impressive indeed. He writes with one who has done his research especially in the area of Asian martial arts and eastern philosophy.

The book has several sexually graphic accounts and if one does not care for such content the book should be avoided or at least a skipping over of such passages is needed.

This was the second of the "9" Eric Lustbader books that I read , the first being The Kaisho. Yeah, I'm hooked. In this novel Eric captures the reader with this thought provoking journey of historic place and time, with the" Jian" Shi Zilin, wise, shrewd and crafty, who is forced to sacrifies his beloved family all for the good of his country China. Set in Hong Kong we see the rise of the Jian, the fight against Communism, and the heart of a man who know how to love, wife, lover, brother, family without perjudice . And although Nichiren (who tricks Jake's wife to going to Japan to hold her captive) and Jake Maroc are mortal enemies, the hatred that they feel for one another consumes and threatens to destroy them both, yet unbeknownest to each there is a blood bond that ties they together forever. Shi Zilin master of the ancient game of Wei Qi. The game of life, who will become Jian- one of Shi Zilin's sons must take his place for his time has come and he has run the good race. A must read for Lustbader fans

Two men who knew each other in their younger days come into conflict. Jake Maroc was a Chinese agent for a covert organisation, and also a martial arts guru. Nichiren is now a ganglord, and has a woman that is important to Jake.

Both are likely to do silly things in the coming conflict and a cooler head has to try and stop the flow on effects from being ridiculous.