Rating: 
Summary: A very solid first book.
Review: Not Clavell's Shogun? Oh well, so it isn't overly wordy and your hand won't get a cramp holding the book up. That being said, I loved Shogun. But I think some of the reviewers here are being a bit harsh on the book just because it isn't quite Shogun. And they are right, it isn't. But in some ways it is better. I loved the spare, prose and dialogue. From the very first paragraph, it held me. Was it at times unbelievable? Yes. But remember that he is depicting a time period and a culture lost to us. And even in its time, it was wholly unique and alien to us. I have a feeling the author has portrayed it quite accurately. Lets not forget that it is his culture, not ours. He might know quite a bit more about it than we do. And I think that the author's years among the Zen buddhist monks shows in his simple dialogue and way of seeing the multiple viewpoints, making them all seem plausible. Bloody, violent? Of course it is. It is depicting a class of people that were raised from birth to be prepared to kill others or themselves at the whim or order of another. Most of us can't even fully contemplate that. The author didn't make the Samurai culture up. Death was everything and nothing to them at the same time. Mixing the gunfighter from the west into the story. Why not? Its an adventure story and the author's to tell. I don't believe that it takes anything away from the story. Lighten up. Write boring literature of your own so that you can read it yourself if this stretches your mind too much. All in all a very entertaining book. If this is his first book, I can't wait to read the second one. With all the hack writer's turning out endless fantasy and mystery series. And the stuff that gets published by well-known authors simply because they are known. And the "literature" written by authors that seemed to skip over basic grammar and sentence structure in school(Annie Proulx comes to mind)that write about this type of fisherman or this bridge in that county, this was a welcome book.
Rating: 
Summary: Enjoyed it
Review: Some people know how to use words, other people have a story to tell -- this author has both. I'll keep watching for his NEXT book!
Rating:
Summary: softly voiced praise
Review: This book made me pensive, laugh, shake my head and sigh at the vagaries of human cultures. About 25 years ago I got hooked on Japanese television programs, and many of the subtitled presentations depict events leading up to the decisive battle between the Toyotomi's and the Tokugawa's, and the establishment and the eventual cessation of the Tokugawa Shogunate. As a first published novel I marveled at his use of language, visualizing and framing a scene, as when the bodies of Mary-Ann and her daughters were found, and making the shelter in the snow, or the encounter with the whale on the Inland Sea, the way he had his characters use language to distract, to persuade, to seduce; his acknowledgement of the influence of women in pivotal events, and to the discomfort of Western sensibilities, the acceptance of fate and predetermined destiny. I liked this book, blood, guts, intrigue, and all.
Rating:
Summary: A prime "beach Book"
Review: I give it so many stars because I like to read novels on the beach, and this one makes me want to buy some sunscreen. This is not an artistic novel. This is not a deep novel. This is the once every two or three years "exotic Japan" novel: samurai swords, shoguns, geishas. It is a clearly in the historic romance genre. Spiced up in this case with two complicated revenge plots (one rooted in America, one dating back to the beginning of the Tokagowa Shogunate) and an unexplained demonstration of force by unidentified western powers; this novel is set in that vague period just following Perry's black ships and the Harris embassy. A reader might even be tempted to see a bit of a reversed "The Barbarian and Geisha" in the novel's events. While there is the requisite explaination of exotica, the multiple layers of the kimono and various elegant knots which sound rather like origami figures, there is also much "unexplained" going on in this novel. The major gimmick (one member of every generation of the central noble family has visions of the future) just seems to be there and the reader is assured it is so by means of the seers'inability to precisely place such visions; ergo, classic perils of prophecy, Japanese versions of the fall of the Persian Empire or the undoing of the Gordian knot. The visions of modern urban Japan are enough to drive one character to bloody slaughter. There's more, but why fuss. The fun is that there's plenty of action, and while the violence might generate an x rating, the sex is almost old fashioned:"The rain beat against the castle walls," sort of thing. The concluding chapters clearly point to a sequal. Where will the exiled lady and gunfighter settle and what ties will they retain to the Daimyo in Edo? Tune in in time for next year's beach novel.
Rating: 
Summary: Not as good as "Gai-Jin"
Review: Very disappointing. Clavell was the master of this genre, and no one else even comes close to the depth of his characterizations, subtleties of plot, and elegant prose. "Cloud of Sparrows" seems to be a knock-off of "Gai-Jin" by Clavell. They're both set in the same time period, and the plots have many similarities. However, "Gai-Jin" was far and away a much better book. In particular "Cloud of Sparrows" has several fatal flaws: the writing is very poor (where was the author's editor?), the plot is completely ridiculous (a Texas gunfighter running around in 19th Century Japan trying to hunt down an enemy who has somehow become a buddhist monk?!), and the characterizations are extremely weak. When I finally finished the book (and it was no page-turner), I realized that I didn't give a damn about any of the characters. Matsuoka needs to take a course in creative writing; and Delacorte Press needs to do a much better job of editing.
Rating:
Summary: Poor Writing
Review: I struggled to get through this apparently strange spin-off of Clavell's novel, "Gai-Jin". The author cobbled together some bizarre plot elements, but he fails to connect the dots. Plus his prose is awful. He definitely needs a good editor. The story takes place in Japan in 1860, and spans a little over a year. I could believe the missionary, but the gunfighter was preposterous. The characters were in general cardboard caricatures. The author seemed to concentrate more on bloody action than character development. I cannot recommend this book to anyone.
Rating: 
Summary: Poorly Written and Unbelievable
Review: I couldn't believe a major publisher actually published this book. The writing was bad, and I mean very bad. I could not finish the book. In addition to bad writing, "Cloud of Sparrows" suffers from a completely unbelievable plot. An American gunfighter in 19th Century Japan?! A mentally ill Japanese warlord? Improbable shifting alliances among samurai? I don't think so. The book was also too blood-thirsty. Why have the principal character wipe out a whole Japanese town, including women and children, to avenge one errant transgressor? This book was morally troubling trash. I would not recommend it to anyone.
Rating: 
Summary: (3.5) The Art of war...
Review: The first novel from this author focuses on the great East-West clash of 1861, as Japan is finally forced to open itself to commerce and contact with other nations, especially the British and the Americans. When a number of foreign vessels drop anchor in a major Japanese port, the Japanese are stunned by the size and maneuverability of these amazing new instruments of war. One ship in particular, an American one, although smaller than the others, carries a more potent future threat. This ship has transported a group of American missionaries, fired with zeal and packing bibles. Most are anxious to carry the message of Christianity to the Unbelievers. Two Americans have come for other purposes, a woman, for escape, and a man, for revenge. The Japanese have long maintained the Art of the Samurai, as they are insulated from technological advances in the rest of the world and unaware of innovative weaponry. War, as practiced by the Samurai, is an art form, each precise movement an integral part of the performance. Each chapter is preceded with a quote from a respected master, a lesson in discipline: "Every battle is not won by advance. Every retreat is not loss. Advance is strategy. Retreat is also strategy" (Chapter 7). Lord Genji is a handsome and clever young nobleman who literally sees the future. Descended from a clan who have been guided by their visions of the future, one member of each generation has the gift. The Japan Genji envisions has a drastically changing face, with munitions, cannons and a fleet of ships. Genji's journey through the countryside, gathering his troops and fending off attackers, is the most impressive part of the novel, combining visual images with non-stop action. The two Americans, Emily and Matthew, accompany the warriors: Emily because she wants to stay in Japan and Matthew because he is seeking a man from his past. A famous geisha of notable beauty, Genji's consort is also accompanying the group. In unexpected ways, all three contribute to the success of ensuring battles as they are attacked along the perilous journey. Matsuoka vividly describes the warriors of each opposing faction, as well as their personal eccentricities and contrasts their violent struggles against a gorgeous winter landscape, where the pristine snow is stained by bright red blood. Genji is the last of a dying breed, the Samurai, as a once unbeatable warrior-driven culture gives way to the march of progress and the incursion of Western weapons that render hand-to-hand combat unnecessary. Matsuoka uses Genji and his other characters to paint a picture of classical Japan, a country clinging to tradition as the future waits impatiently in the wings. This novel deserves more credit than it has been given. When a work of fiction is compared to Clavell's Shogun, it is at a disadvantage. After all, Shogun is probably Clavell's greatest contribution to this genre. Ignoring the comparisons (that are used, after all, as a PR ploy to sell more copies), I find Cloud of Sparrows to be well plotted and carefully crafted, especially for a first effort. In fact, if the author expanded on his main protagonists, the story would be even richer and a fascinating view into the interior of feudal Japan. Luan Gaines/2003.
Rating:
Summary: A disappointment
Review: Unfortunately, I fell for the Delacorte hype and plunked down my hard-earned cash for this hugely disappointing book. I was expecting another shogun, and instead got a weirdo cross between a Louis L'Amour Western and a second-rate Liam Hearn novel. The plot was bad enough, but the writing was atrocious. I literally could not finish the book. It was that bad. And why do so many modern authors, like Matsuoka, have to saturate us with blood and mayhem?
This is the last time I fall for book marketing hype.
Rating:
Summary: For one who loves all emotions wrapped in one
Review: My interest in Japanese culture brought me to read this book and it was quite a surprise to read such a good book that had enough of everything to keep me flipping the pages ,but it didn't have too much of anything. A well balanced book of love and war.
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