Kyuden

Rating:
Summary: Excellent read
Review: Could not put this book down till the end. The story is wild but believable. Better than John Grisham, I reckon.

Rating:
Summary: Customer Review
Review: This book is intensely intriguing. My past experiences with such intensity were reading the Tom Clancy and Harry Potter books. I could not put the book down and ended up finishing it after three days in a Fountainbleu Hotel room while all my friends were out in the Miami beach.
Because you can almost believe that heart-pounding adventure is real.
The main character ex-SAS commando Scott Hugh is like James Bond made human. Scott's character has more depth to it as he encountered numerous dangers and struggles throughout his life - his wife died, his love lost and even his plan sabotaged. Yet he still emerged as a hero because he triumphed not in physical successes but in his stubborn will to fight for what legitimately belonged to him. He was a survivor of painful events and his search for love, revenge and sometimes even the unknown made him a person of flesh and blood that readers can relate to. His Japanese opponent policeman chief Kai was like an alter ego to him and hinged between them was Yukiko, whom they both loved, the beautiful Japanese woman who sacrificed love for traditional piety. The author, with clever planning, intricately interweaves the strategic crossfires between the two men who thought alike and hated the same. The cat has become the mouse at times. It was a fight between regrets and aspiration, traditions and freedom, and ultimately the West and the East.
The plot happened in Japan and the author has carefully described the architects, roads, shops and even road signs in the area. He wrote with such familiarity that the readers move in the palace of Kyuden with him. The attention to details proved that the author was knowledgeable and widely traveled. As a foreigner, the author has demonstrated his superb observation skills and understanding of the Japanese culture and history through his portrayal of Ryuichi Yugao. Yugao was a descendant of the Southern Emperors who was denied the legitimate Chrysanthemum throne by the agents of Northern Emperor Meiji 600 years ago. He was determined to restore his kingdom by hiring Scott to steal the sacred regalia from the most tightly secured palace. The author connected the true historical account to the fictitious plot seamlessly with the ritually rigid, honor seeking, and inwardly apprehensive Yugao, who, undeniably, reminds me of some extreme Japanese patriotic figures during the Second World War.
I am impressed by the writing skills (especially the multi-dimensional presentation of the same event) of the author. The only problem I see in this book is the description of some underground sex scenes, which I consider them vulgar existences in the dark side of Japan and Thailand.
This book is "real" because the history is true, the places are there, the people are humans and the fear is authentic. I highly recommend this book to others and I also agree with William Corr at Asiaweek that, "One can imagine Kyuden being turned into an action-packed film with a Japanese setting such as the recent Black Rain . . . . This title offers the brightest hope in a long, long time for Singapore book publishing to make its mark on the world" (Asiaweek, 1997). This can easily become a bestseller with the right promotion.

Rating:
Summary: Easily A Bestseller
Review: This book is intensely intriguing. My past experiences with such intensity were reading the Tom Clancy and Harry Potter books. I could not put the book down and ended up finishing it after three days in a Fountainbleu Hotel room while all my friends were out in the Miami beach.
Because you can almost believe that heart-pounding adventure is real.
The main character ex-SAS commando Scott Hugh is like James Bond made human. Scott's character has more depth to it as he encountered numerous dangers and struggles throughout his life - his wife died, his love lost and even his plan sabotaged. Yet he still emerged as a hero because he triumphed not in physical successes but in his stubborn will to fight for what legitimately belonged to him. He was a survivor of painful events and his search for love, revenge and sometimes even the unknown made him a person of flesh and blood that readers can relate to. His Japanese opponent policeman chief Kai was like an alter ego to him and hinged between them was Yukiko, whom they both loved, the beautiful Japanese woman who sacrificed love for traditional piety. The author, with clever planning, intricately interweaves the strategic crossfires between the two men who thought alike and hated the same. The cat has become the mouse at times. It was a fight between regrets and aspiration, traditions and freedom, and ultimately the West and the East.
The plot happened in Japan and the author has carefully described the architects, roads, shops and even road signs in the area. He wrote with such familiarity that the readers move in the palace of Kyuden with him. The attention to details proved that the author was knowledgeable and widely traveled. As a foreigner, the author has demonstrated his superb observation skills and understanding of the Japanese culture and history through his portrayal of Ryuichi Yugao. Yugao was a descendant of the Southern Emperors who was denied the legitimate Chrysanthemum throne by the agents of Northern Emperor Meiji 600 years ago. He was determined to restore his kingdom by hiring Scott to steal the sacred regalia from the most tightly secured palace. The author connected the true historical account to the fictitious plot seamlessly with the ritually rigid, honor seeking, and inwardly apprehensive Yugao, who, undeniably, reminds me of some extreme Japanese patriotic figures during the Second World War.
I am impressed by the writing skills (especially the multi-dimensional presentation of the same event) of the author. The only problem I see in this book is the description of some underground sex scenes, which I consider them vulgar existences in the dark side of Japan and Thailand.
This book is "real" because the history is true, the places are there, the people are humans and the fear is authentic. I highly recommend this book to others and I also agree with William Corr at Asiaweek that, "One can imagine Kyuden being turned into an action-packed film with a Japanese setting such as the recent Black Rain . . . . This title offers the brightest hope in a long, long time for Singapore book publishing to make its mark on the world" (Asiaweek, 1997). This can easily become a bestseller with the right promotion.

Rating:
Summary: Customer Review
Review: This is one of the best books I have read in a long time. The authenticity, plot and desciption compare favorably to the best in the genre! I could not put it down once I started reading. More believable than James Bond!