Rising Sun (Paperback)

~ (Author) "Actually, I was sitting on my bed in my apartment in Culver City, watching the Lakers game with the sound turned off, while I tried..." (more)
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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

• Paperback
• Publisher: Ballantine Books (June 23, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345418964
• ISBN-13: 978-0345418968
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.8 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (136 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,935,009 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 33 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.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining, September 27, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Rising Sun (Mass Market Paperback)

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.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars engaging, but soggy and dated, August 20, 2003

By	erica "ejs192" (Amherst, MA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Rising Sun (Mass Market Paperback)

Crichton departs from his usual formula in "Rising Sun", and the changes are not good ones. Instead of casting his big-plan-gone-wrong plot in some arena of science - scientific history, scientific future, medicine, technology - he chooses politics. Perhaps the story worked when it was first written, but ten years later it comes off as reactionary and outdated.

Worse, instead of focusing on the nuts-and-bolts action of his story, Crichton makes a foray into more emotional territory with a first-person narrative that includes multiple love interests and parenting issues. He fails, however, to make his character either a believable man or a believable Crichton hero.

But the book is not a failure: Crichton does still succeed at what he's always been best at. "Rising Sun" is an entertaining, quick read with plenty of twists and turns. For readers seeking only a quick thrill, the book offers more than enough.