Customer Reviews

Tokyo Suckerpunch : A Billy Chaka Adventure

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

An outstanding debut for Adamson! This book is an instant hit - a flowing read of Chaka's adventures in Japan. Just as you think you've got Billy and the story pinned down Adamson masterfully keeps you, and the plot twisted. Enjoy the ride.

New author with much promise. A new plot that invovles a part of the world that is not often written about in American literature. Get settings, well driven characters. Those who enjoy how reading can provoke your imagination, buy this book!

I love these books (also get the next book, Hokkaido Popsicle.) They are a much needed break from the two dominating trends in writing, heavy meandering literature and last-page twist detective books. Billy Chaka rules. I don't want to give anything anway....but COME ON! The guys works for a mag called Youth In Asia. Nuff said. Hat's off to the cover designer...they got the attitude right.

Few words can describe Tokyo Suckerpunch. It's an explosive, in your face, out of control, pop culture fueled trip through the underbelly of Tokyo. By mixing noir, punk, John Woo, and Jackie Chan into one,Issac Adamson has created a imagery filled thrill ride that never lets up. Billy Chaka is the ultimate hero; brash, savvy, uncool, and prone to hair -trigger fits of karate. The supporting characters, which include a mysterious giesha and a mercenary known only as the "Man in the Hat", are equally well constructed. This is the first Billy Chaka novel, with another, Hokkaido Popsicle, on the way. If it is as much fun as Tokyo Suckerpunch, I'll be the first to buy it. Tokyo Suckerpunch is a must read. If you like this, check out Celestial Dogs and Burning Bright, two hard boiled supernatural thrillers that are in the same alley.

Adamson certainly knows how to dream up a compelling anf action-packed story, but what should be a great read is dragged down by his inability to write dialog in more than one voice. Every single character, whther hip young teen or elderly matron, speaks like a 20-something guy from the States trying to sound tough. If this author can ever learn to create more than one character voice, then he'll be a force to be reckoned with. Until then, well, the story itself is a lot of fun even if the words used to tell it leave a little something to be desired

It isn't easy being the top reporter for Cleveland's number-one Asian teen magazine. Billy Chaka travels the world in search of the hip, the hot, the happening, and somehow always manages to find a little trouble along the way. This trip is nothing different. In Japan to cover the Handicapped Martial Arts Championship, Billy finds himself embroiled in a mystery that involves the yakuza, youth gangs, a religious cult, and a geisha with a hazy background. And that's before you count the murder, the arson, and the movie that's (apparently) being made of his life.

Such is the life of the jet-set reporter.

Tokyo Suckerpunch is a simply stunning tour of Japanese pop culture, told with a combination of cynicism and awe that seems highly appropriate for the amalgamation of weird that is modern-day Japan. Isaac Adamson appears to have done his research, a problem with many of the tales of Japan told by westerners. This book will have you laughing - and gaping - at the antics of both the hero and of those he encounters. A fast read well worth the time you put into it.

I liked this book quite a bit. The way the author introduces characters is pretty neat. Great start to a great style of books. Full of information about Japan, and it really makes Japan come alive. I loved it!

Drop Philip Marlowe in the middle of Tokyo, and you might have something like "Tokyo Suckerpunch."

Isaac Adamson's debut novel is a flashy, funny mystery with plenty of gruesome murders, solid one-liners and fast-paced battles over a strange supernatural geisha. One of the storylines isn't quite handled to satisfaction, but the overall book (which will be made into a Toby Maguire movie) is wonderfully fun and strange.

Billy Chaka is waiting for his friend, cult director Sato Migusho, in a little Tokyo bar. But instead he stumbles across a mystery geisha who is being pursued by some nasty men, and when he arrives at Sato's personal hideaway, he finds that it's gone up in smoke -- and Sato is dead. Since he's "hardwired for geisha," Chaka decides to go find the woman.

But his obsession with the geisha Orange Blossom leads him into dangerous territory. Suddenly Billy finds that he's involved with a secret religious order AND the yakuza, a mysterious chauffeur, and that Sato's death may be a murder. Now he's only got a limited time to find Orange Blossom, before she vanishes for a very long time.

"Tokyo Suckerpunch" is sort of a pop-infused noir, where the cities are glitzy rather than grimy, and our cynical hero doesn't take anything very seriously. In fact, Isaac Adamson seems to be enjoying the slightly over-the-top, colourful array of characters and bizarre situations. Really, an Ewok love motel?

Adamson writes in a rapid, tongue-in-cheek manner, full of funny observations about the Japanese way of life, but which are more affectionate than mocking. And the plot spills into various echelons of Japanese society, from the yakuza to a special-needs martial-arts tournament. Billy even mugs a teenage gang so he can use a motorcycle.

The plot is a pretty basic murder mystery, bur Adamson weaves in these quirky moments that make the whole thing seem like a thriller that isn't taking itself seriously. There's a bustup at a cowboy sex club, a gay samurai musical, and the worst script ever written -- about Billy Chaka himself, where he's seriously described as a "fuming tough guy" who beats up ninjas daily.

What's the book's big weakness? Oddly enough, its driving force -- the mystery geisha. It starts off promisingly, but once Adamson reveals who and what she is, and why the religious cult is after her, the plot just loses steam. It simply doesn't fit very well with the flashy grit of the murder storyline.

But Chaka himself is a delicious character -- he's wry, sharp-witted, and more than a little weird. He loves Japan, adores a girl who hates Japan, and isn't sure how to reconcile these loves. He's also surrounded by a variety of similarly odd characters -- a mystery chauffeur, a crazy yakuza with a samurai dog, a bartender with marital problems, and a guy called "Brando."

"Tokyo Suckerpunch" has a streak of surrealism that doesn't work with the murder mystery, but it's still a fun, bizarre trip through a flashier version of Tokyo. Definitely an amusing novel.

This novel is irreverent, immature, silly and just plain old fun. Isaac Adamson is an author it seems that just refuses to take himself too seriously. If you are looking for "important" literature, or deep spiritual insights find something else. But if enjoy campy martial arts and noir-like satire or you just want to suspend your disbelief and have a good time without having to think too hard, read "Tokyo Suckerpunch".

I for one am looking forward to reading the rest of the Billy Chaka novels.

I felt that this book tried to promise a lot more then it could deliver. I think the author wanted to have all the cool action scenes with Jackie Chan-esque fight sequences, but each scene is rushed through, so you don't have much of a chance to enjoy it for the moment. Jackie Chan fights are best for visual mediums, like TV or film... trying to describe it on paper is long, convoluted, and confusing. I'd much rather the character be an ineffectual fighter, and get out of jams in other fashions. It was also slightly annoying to have the character so incredibly "capable" in various things. It became uninteresting, as he was more than a little cocky. Faults are interesting.

I also felt that there wasn't enough resolution with the character Orange Blossom... it felt like "we have to wrap up this story quick!" And did so.

I didn't completely hate this book, but I don't think I'm interested to read the sequel.