Rising Sun (Mass Market Paperback)

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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A young American model is murdered in the corporate boardroom of Los Angeles's Nakomoto Tower on the new skyscraper's gala opening night. Murdered, that is, unless she was strangled while enjoying sadomasochistic sex that went too far. Nakomoto, a Japanese electronics giant, tries to hush up the embarrassing incident, setting in motion a murder investigation that serves Crichton ( Jurassic Park ) as the platform for a clever, tough-talking harangue on the dangers of Japanese economic competition and influence-peddling in the U.S. Divorced LAPD lieutenant Peter Smith, who has custody of his two-year-old daughter, and hard-boiled detective John Connor, who says things like "For a Japanese, consistent behavior is not possible," pursue the killer in a winding plot involving Japan's attempt to gain control of the U.S. computer industry. Although Crichton's didactic aims are often at cross-purposes with his storytelling, his entertaining, well-researched thriller cannot be easily dismissed as Japan-bashing because it raises important questions about that country's adversarial trade strategy and our inadequate response to it. He also provides a fascinating perspective on how he thinks the Japanese view Americans--as illiterate, childish, lazy people obsessed with TV, violence and aggressive litigation. 225,000 first printing; BOMC main selection.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

YA-- The celebrity-studded opening of a huge Japanese office building is marred by the murder of a beautiful American woman. Lt. Peter Smith is called in to investigate and is requested to bring along John Connor, an expert on Japanese culture and fluent in the language. So begins a riveting tale that combines suspense, technology, and a full-scale economic battle for survival. YAs will have no problem following the complex corporate business schemes described by Crichton, whose loyalties are obviously with America. Readers who fear that the Japanese are taking over the U. S. economy will not be reassured.
- Katherine Fitch, Lake Braddock Secondary School, Burke, VA
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: Ballantine Books; 19th THUS edition (November 23, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345380371
• ISBN-13: 978-0345380371
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (137 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #27,921 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A new twist for Crichton, January 7, 2000

By	Doug Vaughn (Washington, Dc USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

This review is from: Rising Sun (Hardcover)

I am not a Crichton fan but for some reason always wind up reading his latest book. There is always at least something of interest there. So I was very pleasantly surprised with Rising Sun, a book that takes an unexpected turn for Crichton in that it is light on the science and heavy on character and plot. A murder mystery entangled in the complexities of Japanese business dealings in America, it provides Crichton with an opportunity - through several of his characters - to vent about Japanese culture and the problems American business has competing with them.

The book works on several levels. It is an exciting mystery, an interesting exposition about Japanese business and culture and - as always with Crichton - a lesson in new technology. Whether the insights one gleans about the Japanese are true or not (and that was a controversial aspect of the book when first published) the image of them presented in the book is perfect to create the tension and intrigue that helps keep the plot ticking and holds the reader's interest till the end.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars United States a FALLING STAR?, July 5, 2006

By	Bruce Bain "Romans 9:33/Remember Jackie Robinson" (Englewood, CO United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Amazon Verified Purchase

"Rising Sun" by Michael Chrichton

[ my personal credentials are that I tutor Japanese students in English, so I do have some experience in dealing with the cultural differences. Just because I love the Japanese, does not mean I fail to recognize differences.]

Crichton ("Jurassic Park," "Andromeda Strain") can be compared to James Michener, and particularly, James Clavell (author of Shogun, Taipan, etc) for his realistic fiction.
For one thing, he introduces us to the Japanese language, precisely as James Clavell did with Shogun. Secondly, Crichton introduces us to some of the intricate nuances of Japanese culture. We might be very dim indeed, were we to think all peoples were precisely the same, different only in the sounds of their language.

"FIGHTING WITHOUT FIGHTING." -Bruce Lee, "Return of the Dragon"

.... "SPEAKING WITHOUT SPEAKING" (Rising Sun)

An example of an instance in which Crichton demonstrates this, is when he shows the Japanese speaking American liason officer communicating with a Japanese corporate officer. They speak, then after a sigh and an "Mmmm" or two, there is 5 minutes of totally silent communication. In that silence, the communication takes place.

There is a bibliography at the back of the book, just as though Crichton had sourced for a non-fiction book. Indeed, many reviews on Amazon have criticized Crichton's "Risin Sun" by a standard that applies only to non-fiction, committing the unforgiveable oversight of treating a FICTION as non-fiction. Charges of racism and overt hostility to Japanese culture are silly at best. Crichton deeply impresses upon us, by his Japanese speaking characters, that hostility to Japanese culture is unwarranted, and hardly the point. It's just a different culture, that's all. Different ethics apply. What Western culture adopted with the Ten Commandments about neither lying nor coveting, was never part of Japanese culture, whose roots are utterly and absolutely Asian. The bibliography and authorities cited for the book show clearly the great depth of research which Crichton put into this book.

I've been rather fond of literature on Japanese culture for many years, stimulated originally by the James Clavell novels (Shogun, Tai Pan, King Rat, etc). Chrichton continues that tradition to illuminate the multi-layered nature of Japanese culture. Sometimes it helps if we remind ourselves that those offended by this scholarly novel are incapable of illuminating anything.

Chrichton's points on the Japanese view of Business-As-War, articulated by the book's character, John Connor [played by Sean Connery in the movie "Rising Sun"] are well documented by the source material. If anyone doubts this, a brief search of literature for American corporate executives will eventually lead to some reference to Sun Tsu, the Chinese who authored a text on warfare that is very popular today amongst executives patterning themselves on the Japanese martial ethic of Bushido, for this is the business model the Japanese work in.

Another example of Japanese BUSHIDO-IN-THE-AMERICAN-WORKPLACE are the popular translations of "A Book of Five Rings" by MIYAMOTO MUSASHI, the famous sword duelist. On the cover of the edition on my desk are these words:

"JAPAN'S ANSWER TO THE HARVARD MBA"

"ON WALL STREET, WHEN MUSASHI TALKS, PEOPLE LISTEN"-Time


Many of the reviewers charging "racism" or "overt hostility to Japanese Culture" seem to be in absolute DENIAL of this basic reality. Hostile my fanny; we adore the model and happily adopt it as our own.

The book, as a detective novel, is fast paced and difficult to put down. It is one of the most educational books that I've picked up in many years.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining, September 27, 1999

By A Customer

There are lots of detail to flesh out the events and plenty of Crichton's interesting insights on Japanese-American business relations and Japanese vs. American society. If you like to read books with details that spur you on to check it out for yourself this is a buy for you. (Crichton has a selection of other books in the end to help you follow up).

I've read this book twice, once several years ago and again last night. Bottom line: no matter the controversy or the debate about this book to me it's still a good techno-thriller/suspense read. Sure it'll fail as a textbook but as fiction it's great.

For those who are truly interested in the themes presented in the "Rising Sun" pick up "Bushido" by Inazo Nitobe and the "Book of Five Rings" by Miyamoto Musashi. Shameless plug here as both are available here at Amazon. :) They are hard to find in regular, walk-in bookstores here in the States. I bought my copies in Japan (Kinokuniya's in the Kanto area seems to have plenty of them) so if you're not heading there any time soon start clicking.

Also, if you haven't seen the movie version it's quite entertaining as well if you end up liking this book.

Just remember, don't ride the high horse while reading the book, just take an easy stride, relax, and enjoy.