Rating: 
Summary: An Excellent Tale, Worth Every Penny
Review: This is a very good first novel, and I am highly impressed by that fact. That many people compare this to "Shogun" is utter nonesense and foolishness. One does not compare all fantasy with Lord of the Rings, for the simple reason that it is and always will be the unrivaled master. So too is the case with Shogun, which is the greatest epic novel of Japan ever written. Cloud of Sparrows stands proudly and strongly on its own. The characters are well fleshed out, and I found myself caring about them far more than in most books I read. The plot is not complex, but is told in a way so as to be intricate and filled with surprises. It's the telling of the tale that is most captivating. Some have said that its weak selling is a sign of a bad novel, well, let us not forget that Edgar Allen Poe died penniless and alone, but it is hard to argue that his stories were weak by any stretch of the imagination. Do not let petty popularity contests steer you from what is an excellent tale of love, tragedy, betrayal, vengeance, redemption and most of all...HONOR.
Rating: 
Summary: Not Very Good
Review: I wanted to like this first novel by T. Matsuoka. Unfortunately, I couldn't. The writing was bad, the plot was strange, and the characters were like wooden japanese puppets. The hype surrounding this new novel did not deliver. I wondered to myself if Random House invested in a pig in a poke, and then realizing that it had went all out to get people to read it. But the truth is in the sales. As I write this review, Cloud of Sparrows is somewhere in the high forty thousand range on Amazon. That says a lot about the quality of the book. I'm sorry for Mr. Matsuoka, but he needs to do better...much better.
Rating:
Summary: Sharper than a samurai sword.
Review: This story is one of the best I have ever read.The story takes place around 1800's a Daimyo named Genji meets a small band of missonaries have come to spread the word of God. Apart from death and betrayal, there is a mix of emotions like: love,friendship,sadness,and hatred. I recommend this book for those who have a liking for Japanese history.
Rating:
Summary: Exciting debut!
Review: I was expecting zero from this book and got an exciting, action-packed novel that I thoroughly enjoyed. Many of the reader reviews here seem to be damning the author for not having written Shogun. Well, for a first novel, this one is damn good. James Clavell wasn't the James Clavell who wrote Shogun at the start of his career either, so cut this guy some slack. Mr. Matsuoka is good enough now for this very strong novel and I expect he'll only get better. Very enjoyable read.
Rating:
Summary: An Excellent Book
Review: This book had me captivated from the start. I couldn't put it down! You only get little bits at first, but i feel the story all came together so nicley as you read on. I can't wait to read Mr. Matsuoka's second book. The ending really makes your mind work. An excellent book for anyone, even if you are not interested in the culture.
Rating:
Summary: Pathetic
Review: I read this much ballyhooed first-time novel with anticipation. Unfortunately, I was let down on a number of levels. The writing was not that good, the plot was wacky, and the characters were poorly developed. All this might be forgiveable for someone in a college-level creative writing class, but a book by a major publisher? Well, that's just incredible! It really made me wonder how publisher's decide who gets published. It also made me question the wisdom of their editors and review boards. However, I will be more discerning next time. I won't be take in by the marketing hype.
Rating: 
Summary: Intriguing, Refreshing, Very Japanese
Review: I would like to congratulate Mr. Matsuoka on his first novel which to me, became a book that I couldn't put down. I found the story very engaging and I think that it is unfortunate that some people would compare it to "Shogun". I loved that,too, but "Cloud of Sparrows" appealed to me as a more intimate story, like using a microscope to examine the lives of the characters. I find the idea of an irreverent samurai interesting. From the beginning, when Genji was described as unusual because of his tendency to smile, I already liked him, because it is a welcome departure from the image of the samurai as we know it. The author also did an excellent job giving life to the characters because they all had their own voice. The subtle nuances of being Japanese was woven in so seamlessly. I noticed there were some words that are not true to the time period but they can be overlooked. The only thing I'm a bit disappointed about is that in the end, Genji's choice was heartbreaking for me. I guess I symphatized too much with Heiko. As far as I'm concerned, I was drawn into the story and have been pondering it since. That is my measure of a good book.
Rating:
Summary: One of the best books I've read in a very long time.
Review: A few weeks ago, a friend recommeded a book to me. Cloud of Sparrows. I was curious, and read a few of the reviews here... many of them mentioned another book that I had not read, Shogun, by James Clavell.Now I have read both, and I can say that while each book is very well written and engaging, Cloud of Sparrows was by far the best of the two. One important thing to note about CoS, is that while it is a "samurai" book (the same as Shogun) the time periods are vastly different. Shogun dealt with the sixteenth century "sengokou jidai" (Time of Warring States; civil war) in Japan. The names were changed, for example, Ishida became Ishido, Tokugawa became Toranaga, Hiroyoshi became The Taiko, and Oda Nobunaga became "Garuda the dictator." That was confusing, for me at least. Cloud of sparrows takes place nearly 200 years later, in the chaotic times of Japanese history just before the Ishin revolution and the Meiji restoration. The confusion with the names from Clavell's work is thankfully absent, and the author is freed to present the excellent story with an unparalled clarity. It's great. The best thing I can really say about Matsuoka's Cloud of Sparrows is that I couldn't put it down. Literally. I physically could not stop reading the book, I tried countless times to set it aside and work on other things, but I could not. I read it while in school, while driving, while waiting in a doctor's office, I could not stop. Never in my life has my will been held hostage like that, it was unbelievable. Now that I'm finally freed from the adhesive, enthralling embrace of Matsuoka's masterpreice, I still find my self on the edge with unbridled anticipation. At the end of Cloud of Sparrows there was an excerpt from Matsuoka's next book, "Autumn Bridge," which is to be published in August of 2004, and it was great. Better, dare I say, than Cloud of Sparrows. Matsuoka is a brilliant writer, one of the best storytellers that I've ever been priveleged enough to notice. His ability to hijack your mind and force your eyes to wander across the pages of his books, trapped in the world he created... it is something to be feared, anything so powerfull too must be fearfull, but it's also something to look forward to and to love. I loved it; I can offer no greater praise.
Rating: 
Summary: Mediocre
Review: I hate to pan a first time novelist, but when I plunk down my hard-earned cash, I expect quality work. I didn't get it with T. Matsuoka's "Cloud of Sparrows". The plot was terrible and totally unbelievable. The addition of the American gunfighter was not only ludicruous but historically inaccurate by at least twenty years. As a student of both Japanese and American history and culture, it surprised me that this novel was so full of cultural malapropisms. Where was the editor? He might have saved this book, if he had any knowledge himself. Then again maybe he didn't and that's why the novel isn't that good. Better luck next time. I sure won't be taken in again.
Rating:
Summary: Gunfighters in Japan
Review: Some books were meant to be published as paperbacks. Cloud of Sparrows is one of those books. It is not a literary gem but is packed with the kind of action that keeps a reader's attention even amid outside distractions. "Cloud" is set in feudal Japan where noble young lord Genji rules over a minor clan that is under the constant threat of extinction from the powerful Shogun and, especially, his vindictive minister of defense. It is into this setting that three unlikely American missionaries arrive by ship. One missionary is a fiery preacher, one his betrothed, and one is a Western gunslinger looking for revenge. The non-traditional Genji falls in love with a geisha, the fiery preacher is murdered, and the plot opens into a galloping story of martial arts, revenge, love, and Eastern vs. Western mores. Japanese-born author Takashi Matsuoka presents Japan-centric fiction with a twist. Cover blurbs compare the book to Shogun, but aside from the setting, the two books are very different. Rather than a novel steeped in Japanese tradition like Shogun, "Cloud" features characters who think outside the feudal box. Lord Genji regularly breaks with revered tradition. His geisha, Heiko, stretches the rules of propriety required by tradition. The American characters are larger than life. The preacher's fiancee is so extraordinarily beauttful that men cannot control themselves in her presence. Yet in Japan she is considered ugly. The gunslingers are nearly faster than the eye. Put a variety of characters in a book with equally varied storylines and you have an epic-length (500+ pages) novel with plenty of blood, gore, heroes, heroines, and Japanese culture. The biggest diappointment about the book is an unsatisfying ending. After 500+ pages, one would expect a more subtle resolution to a major storyline. "Cloud" is also, as mentioned earlier in the review, no literary masterpiece. Plot events, like the book's characters, are heroic and often defy belief. Thus, readers bothered by the unrealistic will not enjoy this book. On the other hand, readers looking for adventure, an exotic setting and bigger-than-life characters will love this/
|
