Rating: 
Summary: Mindblowing. Wonderful. Suspensful.
Review: Rising Sun offers an insight into Japan, and Japanese economics that was once unknown. Although it is now a cliché by saying this, Rising Sun brings new meaning into the Japanese motto: 'Business is War'. Japan seems to be a peaceful country but when it comes to business they are like pit bulls. Japan has been slowly taking over the American economy and all of her markets. Major corporations are owned by the Japanese, some even go as far as to say they own some cities and the American Government. Rising Sun uncovers the shocking truth about Japanese business when a murder take place in L.A. in the headquarters of a Japanese corporation called Nakamoto. When the LAPD moves in to investigate they only run into brick walls set up by Nakamoto. Rising Sun has to be Crichton's best novel since Jurassic Park. Rising Sun may be a fairly large book but the suspense will keep you turning the pages. One could read it in a day. You know who killed who'or do you? The twists in the plot will keep you reading. I definitely recommend this book to all.
Rating:
Summary: Crichton's look at the Japanesse inside a great thriller
Review: I loved this book. Crichton is perfect. I coundn't put this down. I read this in less than a 24-hour period and its nearly 400 pages. Great book great book great book. It has become a bit dated because the Japanesse business surge has lessen. I still recommend it because of its great story. What I can't believe is the reviews I read here! This book is not offensive to the Japanesse businesses. It simply points out the cultural differences between American dirty business and Japanesse dirty business. He takes a very objective look at both countries people and business and shows why we are losing the battle. He also gives extremely competent opinions of how to fix the problems. I read a review by The New York Times that put into words what I thought after reading this. "Every so often, a work of popular fiction vaults over its humble origins as entertainment, grasps the American imagination and stirs up the volcanic subtexts of our daily life. Uncle Tom's Cabin was that kind of book; so was Laura Z. Hobson's Gentleman's Agreement. Michael Crichton's 8th novel, Rising Sun, a thriller set against the background of current American-Japanesse tensions, is likely to be another...That he should now write so passionately and engagingly on matters of Japanesse culture and the survival of a free and productive America- that is the true surprise of Rising Sun...Rising Sun exposes the raw nerves of a country in profound economic distress, of a people with declining faith in themselves, their leaders and their past, a people very uneasy about their future. Despite the book's provocative tone, Mr.Crichton is no xenophobe, no fool, no ranting bigot. The questions he poses are of great consequence in the debate about America's condition at the end of the American century. What more could one ask of a work of popular fiction?"
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic !!!
Review: Great read. we get a good peak at japanese customs and the financial tech rivaly betwen the US and the Japs. Good fun.And as always MC books high on tech this time the centre piece is video survellience cameras and the gizmos
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent Suspense-Somewhat Offensive
Review: Michael Crichton knows how to write a good suspense novel. His novels are different from other writers like Vince Flynn or Clive Cussler. Michael Crichton researches the topic he is writing about and that makes reading about it much more enjoyable. Rising Sun begins as a simple detective story, you'll think "Oh, more of the same catch the killer and the book's over." But that isn't the case in Rising Sun. Crichton weaves insights about the Japanese people and their ways into the story, educating us as well as the protagonist, Peter Smith of the LAPD. Multiple times I was reading and realized that I had no idea where the plot would turn next. It was hard for me to stop reading, the chapters are usually short, so you'll think just one more and then I'll put it down. But you keep reading. Crichton manages to write a great story, but he drops some anti-Japanses propaganda into the novel. Tom Clancy managed to write a novel, Debt of Honor, about Japan's business is war mentality and kept it clean. Crichton's anti-Japanese leanings are the only bad part of the book. This will be enjoyed by fans of his other works.
Rating: 
Summary: A disappointment
Review: Instead of being an engaging novel, Rising Sun was a political platform from which to vent about the disintegration of the American economy at the hands of the Japanese. In an attempt to make this long-winded speech into a ficticious "story", the author offers us faded characters, and dialouge that is unimaginative, listless, and after a while, irritating.The murder of the young Japanese woman...the event from which the novel supposedly emerged, is apparently still a mystery..an occurance with no meaning, no relevance, and no motivation. This was a disasterous divergence from the author's usaual genre.
Rating:
Summary: Rising Sun rises above other murder mysteries
Review: LAPD lieutenant Peter J. Smith was watching the Lakers game while listening to a Japanese vocabulary tape when he received a call that would shatter his peaceful evening. Apparently a young and gorgeous woman was found dead on the 46th floor of the newly built Nakamoto Tower, home of the new Japanese electronics company that just moved into town. Coincidentally, Nakamoto¡¦s opening bash was going on that night as well, just two floors under the crime scene. Evidently embarrassed and distressed at having something so horrible happen during their opening party, a cover up effort by Nakamoto had already begun even before Smith reached the crime scene. So the investigation began; with clues vanishing by the second, chances of the killer ever being found are turning bleak. Luckily for Smith, he has detective John Conner who is known for his experience at dealing with the Japanese, on his side. Though this book¡¦s plot is painted like a stereotypical murder mystery, it packs in a lot of action and has a powerful message as well; watch out, the Japanese are taking over.
Throughout the book, Michael Crichton makes it clear that Japan was trying to take over certain US industries, which can be disturbing sometimes because he constantly treats Japanese as if they were tireless machines. For instance, many times in the book he stresses how Japanese can finish or do something much faster than the Americans as if they were machines or extreme workaholics. Though this may sound pleasing to an American, who of course would not be happy hearing that the Japanese can do something better and faster than them, to me it often feels like excess criticism that doesn¡¦t add much to the story at all.
But nevertheless, this book was an interesting, intriguing read. Though it often contained a biased voice against the Japanese, this book is still a very well written story with an exciting and exhilarating plot. With many plot twists and unexpected surprises, this book held my attention and kept me yearning for more. It drew me into the unfamiliar world of the ¡¥Japanese Company¡¦, a place were employees are expected to make sacrifices for the company. As a result, I found myself reading not just a usual murder mystery, instead this book was more like a fantasy book where you are completely submerged into another world, one much different than the one we are in. While there are low-key, bland moments were it seemed that the killer was never going to be found, Crichton ¡§reimburses¡¨ readers for these moments with thrilling gunfights, and stimulating sexual themes. So whether or not you're fond of the Japanese, as long as you are a fan of murder thrillers, Rising Sun will deliver.
Rating:
Summary: Kohai!!!!!!
Review: After finishing this book, I let out a big breath, probably the first one in over 3 hours, as I could not stop reading this book for its(no pun intended)breathtaking plot and international intrigue. At its heart, this novel is a book about how Japan is taking over America's economy(there are good examples from Crichton, he has done his research, check the rather large bibliography), and the fact that the Japanese will do anything to control it. As Crichton states many times, Japan's motto is "Business is War", and after finishing this, I cannot help but agree. The story revolves around Lt. Peter Smith and John Connor(haha), who investigate the murder of a beautiful young girl, who was murdered at the Grand Opening of the Nakamoto Building.A great mystery ensues, and even Crichton's lack of detailed descriptions flies by your mind like the pages you are reading. I recommend to read this over the weekend on a soft hammock, just to prove you want fall asleep.Also check out Sphere and Jurassic Park, but do not go anywhere near The Terminal Man.......UGH!
Rating:
Summary: Special services liaison
Review: To the Japanese business is war by other means. What is the Nakamoto murder and 12 years after this book's writing can it still hold a reader's attention? The answer is yes. Special services is a diplomatic detail in the LAPD. A homocide is reported at the Nakamoto Tower. A caucasian woman has died. Peter J. Smith has been assigned to the Special Services detail for the past six months. An experienced officer, John Connor, tells Smith that a foreigner can never master the etiquette of bowing. The ninety seven floor building had been constructed from prefab units from Nagasaki. In the 1970's 150,000 Japanese students a year were studying in America while 200 U.S. students were studying in Japan. Peter Smith is dealing with Mr. Ishiguro. A very important business reception is taking place and Mr. Ishiguro does not want his guests to be bothered by any aspects of the investigation whatsoever. Every homocide scene has energy. The author states that Japanese people are sensitive to context and behave appropriately under the circumstances. There is a shadow world in New York and Los Angeles and other American cities available only to the Japanese. Two men had already searched the victim's apartment. In Japan every criminal is caught. There is a ninety nine per cent conviction rate. In the U.S. it is seventeen per cent. A crime occurred with the expectation it would not be solved. In Japan scandal is the most common way of revising the pecking order. Officer Smith would like to find a house suitable for raising his daughter but has found that the real estate prices are beyond his means. National cultures clashing create fragility in understanding as does the clash of business cultures. Out of the blue it would seem the two police officers are the subjects of bribery attempts by the Japanese. The solution of the crime is elaborate and laid out with care. All in all the story is very engrossing.
Rating:
Summary: Not as good as the movie
Review: I never thought I would say that, especially with a Crichton novel, but this one was really not as good as the movie. The plot wasn't as deep, the characters weren't as developed, the suspense wasn't as great. Perhaps I am just a bit off-set by the lack of science fiction, a staple in most of his novels. Perhaps I just found this story _too_ believable, and the characters _too_ real. In any regard, it was a great book, but not one of his best.
Rating:
Summary: Riveting, informative
Review: A beautiful young call girl is murdered in the corporate boardroom of Nakamoto Towers in Los Angeles, during a gala event of the Japanese giant company - Nakamoto. The incident is embarassing to the conservative Japanese people because of its sexual connotations and they try to hush up the matter! This intriguing incident sets the stage for the book, a descriptive view of the Japanese way of working, their corporate culture, their business tactics. The opening is reveting, the reader is kept on the edge of the seat - and then slowly Crichton reveals the actual theme behind the story. This tactic by Crichton is a sure winner to grab the attention of his reader. He then consolidates the attention with a saga of the stark dark world of business dealings. Little was known about Japan's corporate culture when this book came out. It was also the time when Japanese domination of the world economics had started. The Japanese looked like simple, docile people at home, but at business it came down to "Anything fair in business, business is war". The book also brings out the differences in the Japanese style of working and the American style. Americans are more forthcoming and outright in projecting their view on things. Japanese, on the reverse side, are more secretive, tightlipped about their collaborations, strategies - the inherent belligerence within, gets masked by the placid exterior!!! This book is definitely a winner... well researched, it gives oodles of insight into a highly successful country's working strategies. Intelligently interwoven with a murder mystery and set in the background of a thriller, even heavy topics like business and economics sink in with effortless ease. The book makes interesting reading (though a little outdated for the present times) and I definitely recommend it to all.
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