Customer Reviews

Kamikaze

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

 

 

It's sad when you watch a great like Brett Farve stay too long past his prime. Each new game offering a glimpse of past glories only to turn into an obviously hollow fiasco shortly after the kick off.

The same can be said for Jay Clarke (aka Michael Slade.) From sheer brilliance in his first two novels tapering ever downward to the current lackluster offering here, it frankly resembles someone formerly vibrant and viable wasting away with terminal cancer.

If anything good can be said for Kamikaze, it is that it is slightly better than his last complete waste of time, "Swastika."

What's wrong? Virtually everything. The teaser on the back cover says Jackie Hett's father "has already been counted among the victims." In reality, the reader must wade through nearly 150(!!!) pages of mostly fluff history in this 381 page book BEFORE her father is ever dispatched...

We're given fleeting glimpses of "Executioner" Lyn Barrow and her "brother" Kamikaze every now and then, but anyone who's read Slade for any period of time immediately knows what to expect here. To make it even worse, the "plot hook" is resurrected from none other than the worst book in the entire series, EVIL EYE.

Then we're treated to numerous examples of the Michael Moore style anti-American propaganda that is all the rage with Canadian liberals for some time now. You know, how America is EVIL for dropping atomic bombs on Japan while it's perfectly okay for the honorable Japanese to sneak attack Pearl Harbor and any innocent civilians killed or maimed are simply an unfortunate cost of doing business. And how America is the cause of all problems in the world... Since Clarke himself professes great adoration for Moore on his website we shouldn't be surprised. HOWEVER, since his works have gone further and further downhill with each new offering over the past few years, I have to suspect that much of the blame for these failures lie with his daughter and co-writer, Rebecca who has clearly offered up nothing remotely approaching her father's original genius with Headhunter, Ghoul and a couple of more passable efforts before the franchise headed DUE SOUTH at a high rate of speed.

To make matters worse, the death of the main villian is done completely "off camera" and without the reader's knowlege until it reads like "Oh, and by the way, he's dead..." Huh???

But it doesn't stop there! As per usual, a "hero" from a previous novel gets maimed and is left bleeding profusely in the arms of his comrade with a massive groin/stomoch slashing and his eyes ripped out. As that scene ends, his partner is calling furiously for an ambulance - and Jay and Rebecca dance merrily onward and downward without ANY MORE INFORMATION ON THE CONDITION OF THIS MAJOR CHARACTER FOR THE REST OF THE ENTIRE BOOK!!! Book ends and we STILL DON'T KNOW if this character is DEAD OR ALIVE... Can you say "JUST PLAIN GOOFY!" boys and girls??? Okay. can you say "INEXCUSABLE"???

But wait! There's MORE! The ending of the book is so CONVOLUTED that they were apparently forced to add a special chapter called "WHO?" to try and technically explain with physiology and psychobabble the crux of what most readers already knew well before it was revealed near the end.

Tight deadlines or no, Slade OWES readers far, far better than what he's been turning out over the last five years or so. Worse still, he OWES it to HIMSELF.

Kamikaze is best served on a shingle.

I'm going to make this brief. Mr. Slade's first two novels--"Headhunter" (1984) and "Ghoul" (1987)--are dark, bloodthirsty police procedurals so brilliantly researched, plotted, and executed that one can't help but read them with breathless awe. Hunting down a psychotic killer has never been so devilishly delicious.

Unfortunately, my favorite Canadian horror writer has been on a steady decline ever since, and his latest offering is the symbolic nail in the coffin. I keep reading Slade because I refuse to believe the genius who created "Headhunter," "Ghoul" and even "Ripper" has ceased to exist. Yet, with the disastrous "Kamikaze," my hopes are finally beginning to fade. Gone are the thrilling, labyrinthine plots and diabolical set-pieces that defined his earlier work. In their place are increasingly thin plots, overreliance on historical details, and a distressing lack of imagination. Slade's books used to have teeth, and with those teeth he would go for your jugular time and again. But with his latest and most disappointing project thus far, you can rest assured, your throat is in no danger.

"Kamikaze" is the most simple, obvious, and uninvolving of Slade's tales to date, and it bears only a fleeting resemblance to his no-holds-barred shockfests of the Eighties and Nineties. I don't know if this former master of terror has become bored, disillusioned, or has simply gone soft with age--but be warned: "Kamikaze" is in no way a measure of his skill. If you want to witness the full, devastating effect of Slade at his peak, do yourself a favor and pick up "Headhunter" or "Ghoul."

For me, this 12th book in the Special-X series is the mournful lament of a once-great writer.

I had to put in one star - I wanted to have ZERO. It's sad when a writer takes a series and utterly destroys it with his liberal political views.

I too have read every Slade book until Swastika. The book was so bad, on a trip to Canada, I threw it away in the hotel trash.

Thanks to all you reviewers who have let me know that Slade continues his anti-american bias.

I am done with Slade. Too bad, he USED TO BE a good writer.

Jay, you should have thought about your audience. Seems you HAD a large US following.

This is a superb, elegantly styled thriller, part two of a double masterpiece centered on the Second World War. In SWASTIKA Slade explored the legacies of evil spawned in Nazi Germany. In KAMIKAZE he focuses on the repercussions of Pearl Harbor and Hiroshima. SWASTIKA evoked Teutonic precision and Wagnerian spectacle. KAMIKAZE reflects Asian aesthetic values with its intimate, organic juxtaposition of violence and philosophy. It's like a serene pond in an orderly garden, but instead of koi, piranhas wait beneath the surface to take off your fingers.

The Mounties of Special X investigate deaths linked to urban terrorism, Japanese organized crime, and decades-old vengeance. Regular Slade readers will find familiar touchstones in KAMIKAZE, mostly through the continuing exploits of recurring characters. But it's advisable to check preconceived notions at the door--Slade has long defied pigeonholing, and here he offers anything but formula. Well-developed characterization and humanistic introspection neatly balance plot mechanics and technical descriptions. Still, the dread remains, and the cuts are deep. As Slade writes about one character:

"The glittering blade of his sushi knife had been shaped on natural stone, and he slashed it across the cutting board with flourishes that were deft, swift, and uniform."

That's a fitting analogy for KAMIKAZE, the work of an author who knows exactly what he wants and skillfully brings it to life. I immensely enjoyed the novel and heartily recommend it to any reader who appreciates refinement with his or her thrills.

I can't give this one five out of five. Its definately a good, good read, but not among the absoulte best. Ergo, not five stars.

Story involves Jackie Hett and Dane Winter (both from Swastika) and people and circumstances introduced in the last book. As the other reviews - and the back of the book - make clear, this is about revenge for World War II-era atrocities.

Problem is this: Slade's books are about completely insane, nasty killers, or, sometimes a few of them. There's always a great twist involving one or more killer's identity. I had this one pretty much figured out (although not entirely) and that disappointed me because I NEVER figure Slade out early. So - the book's great, but a little predictable. Plus, the development of the psychos in this one isn't as good...fun...exciting...appalling...as I've come to expect.

Theses problems aside, there are a hundred great things to say about the novel. Its just not his best.

The Special X unit of Michael Slades' RCMP returns in this often difficult to follow tale of revenge. WWII history buffs will enjoy the rich background Slade offers, but you might need a scorecard to keep up with the characters and their relationships.
The story jumps from the present back to the bombing of Pearl Harbor and Hiroshima and offers views from both sides of the coin. Slade does dish up some surprise twists at the end, but his narrative is a little heavy and the Special X team isn't used as much as in his previous novels. Not one of my favorites by Slade, but intriguing reading nonetheless.

I've read almost all of Slade's other books and enjoyed them immensely, but this one was total [...]. The others were technical detective novels with the police tracking devious Hannibal Lector-style villians. This one focused mainly on the victims with the regular cast of Mounties only making cameo appearances. When they do find the bad guys, it's by luck rather than investigation. The villians were dull and the big "shocker" at the end was ridiculous and utterly pointless.

But what really soured me on the book was the author's blatant preaching of his own ideology through the main character (his views shouldn't be a surprise since Vancouver is on the "Left Coast"). Also, the climax was a huge letdown. Every potentially exciting event during the final chase is only told about but not shown, and the good guys win too easily. I only gave it two stars instead of one because while I disliked it, Slade is a good writer most of the time and it was somewhat interesting for the first 200 pages.

KAMIKAZE is very much a sister novel to Slade's previous book, 'SWASTIKA'. Both share stories anchored in the past (WWII) with repercussions in the present. Where KAMIKAZE differs is in the pacing. SWASTIKA had a good even pace to it while the latest novel moves at an ever quickening pace. The most striking feature of the novel is the imagery. Whether you are reading about the flight of the Enola Gay or a complex tailing operation by the RCMP divisions, you feel as though you are right there with them. With its breakneck pacing, vivid imagery, and well researched history, KAMIKAZE is an entertaining read.

Not even an original idea. Tom Clancy did the crashing of an airplane into a public building in Debt of Honor. That novel also used a Japanese WW II veteran as the antagonist.

As for the rest of my thoughts, they have pretty much been covered by others and I will not take the time to duplicate them. I,too, resent buying a novel that deals with police procedure and investigation and then being subjected to a liberal's point of view on how the United States deserves what she gets. If I want to read those thoughts, I will buy an non fiction offering.

All characters eventually become "shop worn" and tired. It becomes harder and harder to come up with a riveting idea. The Special X series has reached that point. I have been a fan of Michael Slade's works for 15 years and, I am going to miss looking forward to the next offering. But, this is the end for me.

Despite the rating, I enjoyed the read. However, as is their penchant lately, the book is a history lesson with a bit of a story thrown in. In the first 100 pages, almost nothing happens and it is all background. In the second 100 pages, there is a little story thrown in and a whole lot more back-story. It isn't until after about page 200 that things really get going. That being said, I was still able to get through it without a lot of work. In other words, I didn't have to force myself to slog through it.

Of course, a different Special X character has the lead, which I find quite interesting. However, what I don't like is that another Special X character gets mangled. Seems to happen in every book. Before long, every Special X hero from the older books is going to have an artificial limb or two and be in a wheel chair.

I personally like their earlier work a lot better and the last several books are a far cry from those first novels. However, I am still a fan. I look forward to the next one.