Customer Reviews

Sensei

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Mr. Donohue touched on a subject that is sacred to many martial artists. That is, the inner sanctum of the dojo, its sensei and the relationship between sensei (lit. one who came before--teacher) and deshi (student). The author did a fantastic job of describing the attitude of a Japanese teacher toward his students, especially gaijin. He also introduced many readers to some Japanese terms that are endeared within the dojo walls.

The characters, though, are somewhat flat. I believe Mr. Donohue could have developed his characters a little more, offering more insight into the lives, the training and interpersonal relationships between each.

All in all, the reader should enjoy this book if he/she enjoys the traditional Japanese ways. I'll definately purchase the author's next book due out some time in the fall, with the hopes and expectations that he pursues growth in his characters.

John Donohue is to be commended on his first novel, Sensei, a remarkably good first effort that I would whole-heartedly recommend to fans of thrillers. This was a very enjoyable read and in no way felt like a freshman effort. It is always such an unusual treat to stumble across a new writer and have their debut novel completely capture you and take you off guard. Debut efforts rarely have me scribble the author's name on my "must read from now" on list, but this one did, and I am waiting as patiently as possible for his next novel to come out.

His protagonist, Connor Burke, is a finely realized and interesting character with substantial depth, complex feelings and motivations, and is an unusual hybrid of both college professor and martial artist. Connor, a thinking man's hero, finds himself drawn into a police investigation because of his unusual background and expertise. All the characters are finely realized, the plot reasonably realistic, the atmoshpere compelling, but it's the pacing of the novel that appeals to me the most. Much like Dave Robicheaux in James Lee Burke's novels, Donohue's character, Connor Burke, narrates events in an introspective, almost brooding fashion, and thoughout the story is contemplative, thoughtful, and focused on matters conscience and trust. He is an extremly interesting and sympathetic character and it is a pleasure to read about his adventures. So while the action is completely lively and thrilling, the story itself is calm and centered. This novel is much like the martial artists it depicts; externally violent and active, yet calm and centerd within.

The novel is set in New York City, feautes an impressive amount of action, and unfolds in layers as Connor seeks down and confronts an extraordinarily talented martial artist who for obscure reasons has murdered several prominenet martial arts teachers (sensei). Fans of James Lee Burke, Lee Child, Barry Eisler will all enjoy this one. I heartily recommend it.

If you're into martial arts, or ever wanted to be and like mysteries, you'll enjoy this book. It's about a college professor who studies martial arts pretty seriously under a sensei or teacher the likes I've been looking for all my life. The plot is unveiled in a way that I wanted to both rush through the book but at the same time go slowly, so the book could go on and on. I haven't read many books that I didn't want to end because then the pleasure would stop. It puts you in the world of a person who thinks differently - like a person you would like to be - more tuned into their surroundings. The author brings you into the martial arts culture easily, using all the right words. I hope they make a movie out of it.

This book was a gift to my husband who is a Black belt in about 5 different styles of martial arts. Now, he is NOT a reader but was intrigued enough to give it a try and he read it in one sitting. He recommended it to me and I tried it just to see what held his attention for so long!! I was captured by the first chapter. I have never read another book quite like it. It was interesting to get a glimpse into the martial arts world and a peek at a martial artist's psyche. Don't get me wrong though, this book is a good mystery too. The final battle was awesome. I felt like I was there. This authors descriptive phrases are incredible. I will buy the next one for sure. I highly recommend this book. Give it a try and you wont be disappointed. You don't have to be into the martial arts to enjoy this book. Believe me, I couldn't do the splits if someone paid me but I loved this book!!

I'm a huge martial arts fan, having practiced for decades. I gobble up anything related to martial arts fiction, so I was especially excited to see Sensei and Deshi come on the market.

After reading Sensei on a single 2 hour plane ride, it became clear that there wasn't much book here. But hey, I don't mind a quick fun book... the problem was there isn't anything fun about this book. Very very mediocre.

The protagonist (Connor Burke) is so dimwitted that as a reader, I wanted to scream... "Hey dummy, wake up!" Then when he finally figures out that his sensei is not quite being forthcoming, he gets all cry baby... very unrealistic and silly. The bad guy is completely unknown to the reader, so you have no way of identifying with him - and then he is easily disposed of - pointless. They only thing good about this book, and I mean that, is that Donohue has a good commmand of the japanese terms relating to martial arts.

If you want to read a couple of much better books, read Arthur Bradley's Process of Elimination and Barry Eisler's Hard Rain series. Process has tons of action (both gunfire and martial arts) and is super smart. Hard Rain is unique in that it tells of an assassin who kills by making it look like an accident. Both books have Judo and Karate and are well written.

I suppose martial artists might find it interesting and there are some interesting thoughts concerning sensei but wow! this is just a terrible story. The unlikely and unbelievable hero is a black-belt ignoramus. Over and over again when faced with simplistic obvious evidence he responds with utter disbelief until it actually gets funny. His stupidity leads us into the final battle which smacks of adolescent heroic dreams.

This was a fantastic book. Action,thriller,family. At first I wasn't to sure if I would like something like this. John Donohue really is a great author first time I have read one of his books. Once I started reading I couldn't stop. It's about martial arts,swords and the love the characters have for their family. The caring of the student and his teacher of the martial arts. I would diffidently recommend this book to read for anyone.

(This review was written when the book was originally published in 2003. An abbreviated version ran in USA Today.)


Every once in a while, a book will come out of nowhere and surprise you with the level of skill it represents, and the sheer pleasure you get from reading it. John Donohue's Sensei is just such a book. Appearing on the scene with little hype or publicity, it has leapt out of the stacks as one of the most exciting reads of the season.

Someone is killing the great martial artists of America, using advanced combat techniques that are beyond extraordinary, and it is up to the book's hero, Connor Burke, to find out why. (His brother, coincidentally, is an officer with the New York police department, which is how Connor gets involved.)

A part-time professor of literature, Burke isn't the most obvious choice for a detective. As a devotee of both karate and kendo (the Japanese arts of hand-to-hand and sword fighting), however, he has the physical skills to get the job done.

Connor's role in the investigation is to assist in navigating the close-lipped, insular world of martial artists. He represents a big help to the police, but even he has trouble getting past the defenses of his sensei (teacher), Yamashita, a master swordsman who appears to know much more than he lets on.

The characters in Sensei feel fresh and new, far from the cardboard cut-outs that pop up in too many mysteries. Burke and his teacher, in particular, are fascinating to read about, representing as they do attitudes and outlooks that set them apart from the crowd.

One of the common characteristics of a good book is that it introduces you to a new world or teaches you about an unfamiliar subject. Sensei does both. Not only does it provide a guided tour of the shadowy martial arts world, it also provides an initiation into the mysterious lives of the arts' practitioners.

Donohue certainly has the credentials to back up his story. Although this is his first work of fiction, he has previously written many articles and books on the martial arts. He has also trained extensively in the martial disciplines of aikido and judo, as well as earning black belts in both karate and kendo.

The author's experience shows not only in the unique perspective he brings to Connor Burke's world, but in the accuracy of the technical details as well. (And for those who aren't interested in the more esoteric descriptions of fighting techniques or strategies, those parts can easily be skipped without spoiling the overall enjoyment of the story.)

Donohue's skills as a writer are also on display here, and they equally well developed. He does a fine job of weaving a clever web of suspense, all contained within a slim 288 pages. You know you're reading a good story when it leaves you hungry for more, and that is precisely what the author has accomplished with Sensei.

It is unwise to tip the vessel of knowledge. But, in martial arts, when a fella asks for a lesson, sometimes it's best to just say no, especially if your kung fu is feeble. In SENSEI, John Donohue's terrific debut thriller, some shadowy figure is stalking America's most formidable martial artists and taking them out in a series of ritualized duels. And if you've got the mojo to whup on martial arts masters, then maybe, just maybe, you may want to brag about it. This murderer, this ronin - this masterless samurai - is also leaving messages on the walls of the crime scenes. He's aiming to get someone nervous. It's working.

Our hero is a gaijin - a white dude. His name is Connor Burke and while he ekes out a living being a part time college professor in New York, his real passion lies in martial arts. He's the most promising student in his dojo, having toiled and honed his craft for years under the tutelage of Yamashita, a darn strict taskmaster. Connor's brother, Mick, being an NYPD homicide detective investigating one such ritualized killing of a renowned martial artist, maybe it's natural that Connor would be drawn into the case. It starts with Mick and his partner, Art, pulling in Connor on consulting duty. But Connor soon gets in deeper than merely parceling out observations and trivia. And Yamashita, Connor's sensei, there's something shady going on with him...

SENSEI was a riveting read for me, one of them unputdownable novels. And I think what sold it for me was what sells it for most everyone else. John Donohue offers fascinating insights into the world of martial arts: the philosophy, the demeanor, the mindset, the relationship between the sensei (master/teacher) and the deshi (student), the stuff that goes on in the dojo... I wouldn't call the pace a breakneck one. There are several dynamic fight sequences, but they're spread out, although Donohue puts in the work regarding staging and detailing the encounters. No, the pace isn't frenetic, but that doesn't imply that there's a lack of escalating suspense in the story. Donohue capably constructs tension as Connor and the assassin get closer and closer to possibly booting each other to the head, with Connor being all too aware of how frighteningly lethal the assassin is. I enjoyed the three main characters of Connor, his brother Mick, and Yamashita, and so what if they're pretty much straight out of central casting? Our hero is honorable and cerebral, his brother and his cop partner are wiseacres, Yamashita is exacting and disciplined. I could live with the stereotypes, because Donohue makes the characterization interesting.

This is a thriller, not a mystery. The assassin makes himself known soon enough, and his agenda stems from a conspiracy which envelops the highest reaches of the Japanese government. You almost sympathize with the guy and how he got done wrong, except then you remember that he HAS been going around snuffing people out, which I guess goes beyond sour grapes. Bad ronin. Good book. Erik Van Lustbader would probably approve (except he'll probably suggest more sex scenes, or at least one). Maybe even George C. Chesbro would approve (but he may lobby for putting in a dwarf). DESHI, TENGU, and the upcoming KAGE: THE SHADOW are the sequels. Do yourself a favor.

Sensei is the first book in the Connor Burke series. I really enjoyed the action, in and out of the dojo, as well as all of the Japanese martial arts culture. The story flows well and is interesting, capturing you soon and not letting go. I highly recommend Sensei, as well as the second and third books in the series (Deshi and Tengu). Kage, the fourth Connor Burke book, is in the making!