Customer Reviews

Whirlwind

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(11)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

I bought Whirlwind at a used bookstore with a mixture of anticipation and regret. Anticipation because Clavell always writes one hell of a good book. Regret because, besides "the Children's Story," this was the only Clavell book I hadn't read, and, due to his unfortunate death in 1993, I guess we won't be seeing anything new from him ever again (will anything be released posthumously?) Instead of his normal Japanese or Chinese locales Clavell delves into Iran, circa 1979. The Revolution is going on and it's looking bad for the European and American members of an Iran-based helicopter company, secretly owned by the Noble House of Hong Kong. Clavell flawlessly combines the small struggles in life, like taboo, cross-cultural loves, business, life and death, with the religous zealously that swept across a nation and changed it dramatically. All of his familiar plots and subplots are here, not as manifold as "Noble House," but still the novel is much deeper and far-reaching than just about any other modern fiction. And character? Every one of Clavell's characters seem to be cut out of real-life, with their own dreams and desires and challenges. One last cool thing is that certain characters from Noble House appear in this book, letting us see what's happened in their lives in the past seventeen years (Noble House takes place in 1962.) My recommendation: if you like Clavell, you'll like this, even though it all takes place in the Middle East, with no Asian locales. If you can, read it in order, after Noble House, as chronologically this is the last of the Eastern Saga, even though "Tai-Pan" was written in 1993.

So very, very sad to be finished with Whirlwind knowing that I'll never truly know how the Noble House winds up. Of course with the tech boom of the 80s, I'm sure Struan-Dunross-MacStuan-Gallavan(?) made out just fine.

What I loved about Whirlwind and the Asian saga in general is how Clavell really let us get inside the minds of these people. From learning about the 'Wa' in Shogun to 'Joss' in Tai-Pan to 'God is Great' in Whirlwind, I feel like I have gained valuable insight into the thought process of the Japanese, Chinese and Iranians. But philosphies aside, Clavell is a master storyteller. So much fun to be caught up in both a story and the characters involved. 1200 pages, not nearly long enough!

Whirlwind is a great read. While Shogun will remain my favorite (prolly because I read it first) I would encourage anyone and everyone to read this gripping tale of Persian turmoil. Of course, you gotta read the saga in order though!

I first read Whirlwind when it hit the bookstores in '88. I was a Clavell fan since Shogun and eagerly awaited his newest novel. I was slightly disappointed with the book at the time, thinking it didn't live up to my favorites, Shogan and Tai Pan.

Last week I picked up Whirlwind again, because of the events of 9-11 and the current focus on Islamic fundamentalists.

Whirlwind is about the creation of an Islamic state in Iran. At the beginning of the book the Shaw has fled and Khomeni returns. Everywhere there is chaos and the story centers around a group of expat Europeans who try to deal with and ultimately extricate themselves from Iran before they lose everything.

The book begins and ends with a righteous Mullah's thoughts. At the end the Mullah has discovered the weakness of the Europeans (non-believers), the key to their future control: They value the individual. By putting his foot on the neck of one non-believer, a Believer can control millions. This is the message he vows to spread to all Believers (Muslims).

Whirlwnd is strangely prophetic and relevant in light of the 9-11 tragedies. I understood and enjoyed it more today than I did in '88. I highly recommend it.

I have read all of Clavell's novels in the Asian Saga, and although Shogun, Noble House and King Rat are more influential, Whirlwind was my personal favorite. The tale of a British helicopter company associated with the Noble House, with pilots of American, British, Canadian, Finnish, and Australian nationalities who become involuntarily immersed with the Iranian Revolution of 1979 is an incredible in-depth story. Complex, with many stories within the story that slowly unravels in this 1100 page epic. Clavell is able to write about the mysterious country of Iran in great detail, that to read the novel is a learning experience in itself. Because so much is going on simultaneously, however, one can become lost in the complexity of the story. Nevertheless, Clavell manages to weave the story together so that the novel concludes in an epic fashion, leaving the reader emotionally drained, yet satisfied. Unfortunately, with Clavell's death, Whirlwind is not able to be expounded upon. Clavell never was able to finish off his Asian Saga, and there are many loose ends in the book that you expect to be covered in future novels, but never will.

With this book Clavell was able to give you a good front seat view of the revolution in Iran. To accomplish this feat Clavell
uses helicopter pilots of American,British,Canadian,and Finnish
backgrounds who are all stationed in Iran at the outbreak of
the Iranian revolution. You live with this crew while they worry
about getting out of Iran alive and back to their homes. You are
also shown the Iranian view of the revolution and the effects
that it will have on Iran. Despite being a long book(1100 pages)
this book will hold your interest from beginning until the end.
This book will give you a good insight into the Iranian revolution. Read it. It is interesting.

I first read Whirlwind when the hardback appeared in 1986. Although a great admirer of Clavell's work, I found it tough going. The memory of the 1979 Iranian hostage was still fresh, and it just rankled. Others apparantly felt the same way, for sales for the book were disappointing. It is the only Clavell novel not currently in print. Although I reread other Clavell works from time to time, I did not reread Whirlwind until late in 2007.

I'm happy to say that, like fine wine, Whirlwind has aged very well. The period it recounts so vividly is ground zero for all our present difficulties. By way of contrast, Tom Clancy's Red Storm Rising, the big seller of 1986, was dated and obsolete five years after it was published. And as in all of Clavell's works, Whirlwind yields many valuable insights into the human condition.

The 21st Century began in 1979. Whirlwind details the birth pangs of our present troubled era. Whirlwind is overdue for a reissue, and I devoutly hope that one will be forthcoming in the near future.

Whirlwind is by far my second favourite of Clavell's novels. Like Shogun - and unlike some of the other novels in the series - Whirlwind abounds with compelling characters and engrossing sub-plots. If you are going to read through Clavell's work chronologically (and I do recommend this approach) I suggest you commit to following through to the end or you will miss one of Clavell's finest pieces.

Clavell's mastery of historical fiction is incontestable: Whirlwind is one of the finest examples of his talent.

This is the last book chronologically in James Clavell's Asian Saga and it maintained a rather mysterious presence for me because while the others were plentiful in bookstores, this one was out of print. I found it a few years ago at a church sale and bought it enthusiastically. Finally, I would find out what became of the Struan crew after Noble House. Perhaps two hundred pages later, my enthusiasm down to nil, I put the book back and contented myself by rereading Noble House. It has only been with serious persistence that I managed to later finish this book.

Whirlwind is definitely not at the same level as Clavell's other master works for several reasons. First of all, there are too many characters. The book spreads itself too thin and character development suffers. Noble House had a large cast, but Clavell kept it together and interwove the parts such that one was able to get to know everyone well. That doesn't work here because there are so many characters that Clavell can never spend too much time with any of them and we consequently never get a clear picture. That's a shame because several of the characters have great potential.

Secondly, the book hops all over Iran and I felt as though I needed a map to keep track of what was happening, not withstanding the map printed at the beginning of the chapters. Clavell's other books have moved around a bit, but that never got in the way of the story. Thirdly, Clavell's preoccupation with helicopters and their technical details eats up important room. There are other authors writing techno-thrillers out there (Tom Clancy comes to mind). Clavell's fans want to know about the characters, not the differences between models of helicopters. Also, I always enjoyed getting glimpses into different religions in the other books, but the religious and political commentary here is substantial. I felt that I was reading Clavell's own thoughts at times rather than items related to the story.

Finally, I think that the majority of Clavell's fans wanted to know about the continuing saga of the Noble House. We get hints at various times, but nothing substantial. Linbar is now Tai-Pan and is screwing things up, Quillan Gornt died in an accident, Ian Dunross is now Sir Ian Dunross, etc. but the bigger picture of the saga is almost completely peripheral to this novel.

I found myself thinking many times as I read this that I was not surprised that it went out of print compared to Clavell's other works. I also saw why Clavell interpolated Gai-Jin between Tai-Pan and Noble House. Considering the order of publication, I interpret that as his going back to what had worked previously. I will miss Ian Dunross and the Struan clan, and we are all left to imagine what may have happened. If you have an interest in helicopters or Iran as a setting, this may be of more interest, but for people who loved Clavell's other novels, I would simply leave it at Noble House. This is definitely not on the same level and provides few rewards for all of the effort it requires.

I read this book first in the Asian Saga, something I really wouldn't recommend, but doable if you just want to read a fine novel that will give you both insight into current Middle East politics and the history of Iran in particular. I have since read all the Asian Saga series, and although this is far from my favorite, it is still a very interesting book and I might even raise my rating once I read it again knowing the back round of the series. Although most of Clavell's novels jump around from character to character, this one seemed to do so more than the rest, and with a lot of different characters in various locations it can be a little choppy at times. I found myself having to reread portions occasionally just to remember where the character last left off. That being said, it was still a very compelling read with lots of action and with the way the world situation has progressed since Mr. Clavell penned this book, it was still very interesting and at sometimes very Prophetic. I am old enough to remember the U.S. Embassy take-over, and was in the US Air Force during the "rescue attempt" and I found the storyline very realistic and informative.

For those of us who are familiar with Clavell's work, it is no surprise to find Whirlwind a dramatic exciting story with captivating twists in plot at every turn. With Whirlwind, we see the continuation of the Noble House, and not surprisingly, more legend and lore of the Struan clan. Set in 1979 Iran, Whirlwind deteals the life and times of several individuals, both Iranian and otherwise, in those turbulent pre-hostage crisis days. Clavell does a masterful job bringing his characters to life. All from the massive Fin, Errikki Yokkonen, to the delicate Sharazad, to the enigmatic and mysterious Robert Armstrong. Since Clavell's death in 93' nothing has been posthumously published, leaving this his last chronological work. To any fan of Clavell's, this work is essential reading, to anyone who wishes merely for a rousing read, Whirlwind will satisfy.