Customer Reviews

Zero

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

 

 

I've seen Lustbader's books around, never read one until I got handed a copy - I had known Japan and Asia were the mainstays of his books. "Zero" hasn't aged well, written as it was at the tail-end of the fall of communism, 1988. It reads like one of those run-of-the-mill action movies a la Steven Seagal, super-gaijin-turned-samurai with an unnatural understanding of mysterious eastern ways kicking Yakuza butt. Some of the dialogue is pretty bad, especially the conversations between Japanese people. Whenever a Japanese character is surprised they burst out saying "Buddha"! I'm living in Japan now, and though I'm no authority, I've yet to hear anyone say "Buddha" when surprised - usually they say "kuso!" or "chikusho!" your run-of-the-mill expletives! I thought this was funny. Other than that, I thought the sex scenes were really cool - learned some new words for the female anatomy so this book can't be all bad. If you want a fair, cliched exotic Japan read, this might do the trick on a long trip - otherwise, avoid. Read Alex Kerr for the real deal!

I'm a fan of the Ninja books so I might be a little biased but it seems to me that michael Doss is just a samurai version of Nick Linnear.

Picked this book up when I was on holiday in Australia and had nothing else to read. Michael Doss is like Nicholas in the Ninja novels but not half as interesting. The characters are almost as unbelivable as the plot. Don't waste your time.

This is a remarkable story that begins with mysterious happenings. It delves into the world of the Yakuza and adds more to the mystery as you go along. I found this book in an old antique store, dusted it off, and began to read. The author does an excellent job of captivating his audience and never letting go. I could not put the book down. I recommend this to anyone who is intreagued by the culture of Japan, as this is where the story focuses on.

Only the fact that I promised a friend I would read this book gave me the strength to struggle through to the end. It was because of my sense of "giri" or obligation that I subjected myself to this torture. But reading Lustbader's clichéd novel you would think only "The Japanese" know what duty means. "The Japanese" are like this and "the Japanese" are like that- Lustbader thinks nothing of describing the millions of different people in a Japan in such insultingly homogenizing terms.

Eric Lustbader sets up a Western/Japan dichotomy that serves no purpose other than to reinforce perceptions of Japan as the mysterious, unknowable "other." This book mixes post-WWII stereotypes of alluring, exotic Japan with 1980's fear and admiration of economic super-power Japan. Docile women in kimono waiting attentively on their men in tatami rooms and Japanese men ready to take over the world- Lustbader should stick to fantasy writing- for that is what Zero's Japan is- a fantasy world. If you're interested in learning about Japan at all, don't expect this book to teach you what it's like. While most people I've met here in Japan are proud of their traditions, not everyone goes around studying "the way of the warrior," wearing kimono, and doing the tea ceremony. In fact the only person I've met here that comes close to fitting that description is an ex-pat from Holland.

Not only does this book recycle old clichés about Japan, its female characters are a joke. Women want to be men because they crave power and as women they have no power. I could believe it when Jo in Little Women wanted to be a man, but this book was written in 1988. Even though he attempts to create strong female figures, their strength is undermined by his sexist, inane descriptions and awful dialogue.

I could go on forever, but I feel like I've already written a book myself. My only plea is- please don't waste the scarce precious time you have in your life on this book. If you're interested in Japan, why not read some books written by Japanese authors? Murakami Haruki, Banana Yoshimoto, Natsume Soseki, Kenzaburo Oe and Yukio Mishima are just a few great authors to choose from. If you really want some samurai action watch old Kurosawa films, they're awesome. I recommend Kitano Takeshi films for more modern yakuza/police stuff. "Hanabi" is brilliant.

Sayonara.

Micheal Doss tries to get away from all of the violence but after the death of his father he has to find the killer.