Rating: 
Summary: not his best, but by no means a bad book
Review: _Gai-Jin_ is unlike the rest of Clavell's Asian Saga, and in my opinion is not as good as some of the others. However, Clavell is good enough that even his second-rank efforts make good reading.What did Clavell do right? He's pretty good at not telegraphing his endings; one can't be quite sure how it will all come out. I am not knowledgeable enough about Asian cultures to say whether his portrayals are accurate--he gets both praise and criticism for them depending on the reviewer. I felt he told an entertaining story. What I didn't like was some of the stereotyping (a little is ok, there's a little much here); the choice of time period (a more interesting subject would have been Tess Struan's elderly years, and this would have been better spaced between _Tai-Pan_ and _Noble House_); the avoidance of any action in Hong Kong except as related by characters, despite the fact that events in Hong Kong bear heavily on the outcome; and the fact that there are no real compelling characters in this one except for Tess Struan, who appears only in correspondence. By no means a bad book, but could have been far better.
Rating: 
Summary: Different? Yes, Bad - Hardly
Review: Some people seem to believe that since this wasn't an absolutely accurate depiction of the people and customs, therefore it must be trash. For a lot of reasons, Clavell wrote what he wrote. On the basis of a historical novel, it's likely quite poor. Personally, I liked how everything worked through Malcolm - He could not live up to Dirk or to Hag Struan, made a large number of bad choices and paid for them. It may not have been as gripping a novel, but it did explain a lot of how Tess was running things, the continuation with Gordon and noble house Chen. Regardless. Much better fiction than I've read in a while.
Rating: 
Summary: Very Disappointing
Review: This is not one of my favorite Clavell books - It is longwinded and the ending (is there one ? ) is appalling
Rating: 
Summary: A total come down from a great writer
Review: Gai-Jin, the last of James Clavel's books and in my opinion is his worst. If you are a James Clavel fan and have not yet read this book I suggest that you don't and if you are a first time reader start with "Shogun" or "Taipan". Pathetic, is the best word I can use to describe this novel. It really brought down my opinion of James Clavel as a great author.
Rating: 
Summary: Major flop
Review: This novel is based on a bona fide historical incident which sounds like it should have made the foundation for a great novel. However, Mr. Clavell should have let this one lie if he didn't have a decent story to go along with it, but he didn't. The story wallows along for hundreds of pages, and the only thing that seems to motivate any of the characters is the pursuit of the cheapest kind of prestige. After investing many hours of tedious reading, you might expect something to happen at the end, but don't hold your breath.
Rating:
Summary: Chilling and death Defying
Review: Awsome, there was a fate crawling behind every corner, many characters, good choice of words, makes you feel like you are there, it was one of the best books I've read in a long time.
Rating:
Summary: Kinda Sad
Review: Mr Clavell could have polished this a bit. The Malcolm-Angelinque reltionship was a bit tragic, and I'm sorry but I actually laughed when I read how Malcolm died. There are a few racial stereotypes in a way, but Clavell manages to describe the cultural and political aspects quite accurately. A good read.
Rating:
Summary: Not Shogun, but still a fascinating read.
Review: It's true that this is one of Clavell's weaker works, but it still surpasses most modern literature. This book contains all of his stylistic nuance and a captivating plot, although his characters are somewhat less lovable than those in his other works. Nevertheless, this book is requisite for anyone who loved Clavell's other works and still a great read for everybody else.
Rating:
Summary: Hackneyed plot, stereotyped characters
Review: This book was unfortunately rather bad. It was full of cliched characters, so-so plot twists and offensive racial stereotyping. There seems to be little attempt to explore the culture and plenty of ways in which it exploits it. Clavell introduces all the possible racial stereotypes he can e.g. the beautiful, lustful French woman, the suicidal Japanese spy, the greedy and conniving Chinese servants, the upright English man. The list goes on. Some of the dialogue appears to be straight from a B movie. As an Asian, I felt quite offended by certain sections of the novel.
Rating:
Summary: Captivating!
Review: I was surprised to hear that people didn't enjoy this book! I loved it. It definitely was not Shogun, but then again, what is??? I still think that this book provided much entertainment and suspense. I couldn't put it down! I'm looking forward to reading the rest of James Clavell's novels. (Why is Whirlwind out of print?)
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