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Summary: A fun, if paranoid, glimpse at Japan v America circa 1989
Review: I'm guessing Crichton wrote the bulk of this book several years before it was published, at least that's the impression you get reading it. It captures with nearly eerie perfection the contradictory ways Americans viewed the Japanese in the late 1980's; the mix of admiration for their business acumen, engineering prowess, long term planning, and social stability blended with fear and resentment, the notion that the ruthless nature of 'Japan Inc' would soon reduce America to a 2nd class economic power. Well, guess what? By the time this came out (with a movie version a year or so later) the Japanese economic bubble had burst, and we got to see that they were mortals after all, just as capable as anyone else of bumbling incompetence. This book has been accused of being racist, and I suppose there's some truth to this charge (after all, what else is the message other than the 'danger' posed by those ever scheming inscrutable Orientals?) but the timing was off. Japan bashing was no longer in fashion because they weren't seen as a threat any more. Still, this book serves a purpose in that it captures a moment in American history, a time when pundits stirred up fears of losing everything from our auto industry to our golf courses to the Japanese while at the same time the business and management sections of bookstores were crammed with titles whose collective theme was that the key to success was to follow the Japanese corporate model. How ironic then, to note how America proceeded from that low point to enter the boom years of the 90's while Japan went into a decade of stagnation from which it has yet to emerge.
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Summary: Rising Sun In the Black Night
Review: Michael Crichton's book "Rising Sun" is an exciting mystery story led by Lt. Peter J. Smith of the LAPD. Lt. Smith is called out to an L.A. high-rise building where the grand opening party for the Nakamoto corporation. Inside this galla event is the body of a mudered American women. The women, known to assosciate with the Japanese, is found in an area that was not closed off leaving suspicions that the body was tampered with. The biggest run around by the Nakamoto company was the security tapes. Their technology was so advanced, so nearly perfect, that the tapes could have been changed, deleted and rerecorded, or even destroyed with little or no trace. "They say 'business is war', and they mean it." As America struggles in the west for control of economy with the Japanese who seemingly own everything, a scandle arises that could possible tear apart the very fabric that makes a large portion of the area's economy go down in flames. With Japan Guru and ex cop John Connor at his side, Lt. Smith is bound to break the case. The suspense, contreversy, and intriguing plot that go along are where Crichton show's his writing talent. Rising Sun is a work that would easily rival his other books such as Jurassic Park and in my opinion would make an even better movie. I give "Rising Sun" five stars and a must read to any one who remotely likes Jurassic Park or Michael Crichton.
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Summary: In case you missed his point . . .
Review: I confess I read this book in a single day, skipping some of the sermons. I enjoyed the mixture of fast-paced narrative and paranoid vision of American decline. Crichton is intelligent and a good story-teller. But I wouldn't read it twice, as I with a really compelling story. A haunting tale can be built upon a vision of pure paranoia, as George Orwell showed in 1984. When we open a novel, we are entering an imaginary world, or at least the world as the author sees it in some mood, so it does not do to be too thin-skinned. (As some below appear. Literature must come from honest private impression, not the censored version of reality that is public convention.) But in the best anti-utopian stories, the sermon is imbedded in the tale, and then explained by the narrator (That Hideous Strength) or some guru-like wise man (the Fishburne character in Matrix) or villain (O'brien in 1984, the cave-dweller in Well's Time Machine, )late in the story. You feel the creapiness of the place before anyone explains it to you, and the impression it leaves comes from the images, in which exposition clothes itself. Crichton is an overly intrusive author. His sermons about the danger of aggressive Japanese business practice and empty American self-confidence pop up so often they impede rather than add flavour to the story; I found myself skipping them. Crichton doesn't give his characters enough life of their own: they all puppet the party line. C. S. Lewis said of George MacDonald that his novels contained many sermons, and this was a relief because he was a poor novelist, but an excellent preacher. Michael Crichton, by contrast, writes an exciting story, but his preaching tends to be over-wrought. And why do nearly all his characters, professional or blue collar, male or female, swear like staff sargeants? Enough, already. Most people I know can get through a whole day without four-letter words, let alone a sentence. As an American who lives in Japan, I think some of Crichton's points are merited -- Americans, by contrast to Japanese, can be yacky and whiny, we have too many lawyers, and service is not nearly as good. Much of what he says about the Japanese rings true as well; I'm not totally averse to a little Japan-bashing. On the other hand, Crichton's Japan guru, Conner, says some things that made him seem considerably less wise in my eyes. Japanese have "never been guilty or embarrassed about sex." Nonsense. He must be reading too much James Clavell. They "have no problem with homosexuality." Get real. Maybe 400 years ago. "No other country tolerates" the level of violence of the U.S. Untrue. Many countries have much higher violent crime rates than America. The U.S. "soon will be third in the world" economically, after Japan and "Europe." Didn't happen. Imagine how Americans are going to feel in ten years, when China, with a population ten times that of Japan, becomes fully developed. Or worse yet, when computers take over . . . Nor there's a thought to make a healthy man paranoid. author, Jesus and the Religions of Man
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Summary: Crichton Does It Again
Review: This book is like all of Crichton other works a great plot but also filled the tons of side knowledge that is easy and enjoyable to read.
This book deals with a murder that took place in a new Japanese company building. It gives a great look into the way business is done in Japan.
This book comes highly recommended along with all of his other works.
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Summary: A high school student from Houston, Tx
Review: I am not very familiar with Michael Crichton's work being that this is the only novel of his I've read. However, after reading this book I feel that he could be one of the best modern authors out there. This book alone is in my opinion more than the adequate amount of literary excellence it takes to catapult Crichton to the fore front of great modern writers. Let me begin by saying that while this is definitely a mystery novel, (and the best one I've read in some time) some on the concepts it deals with are far more complex than your average murder mystery. The novel begins simply enough with a young police detective, Lieutenant Peter Smith, receiving a rather strange report at his apartment during a quiet, slow evening for him. It appears that the corpse of a pretty young woman has just been discovered on the forty-sixth floor of the Japanese Nakamoto Tower in downtown Los Angeles. As a detective in the Special Services divison of the L.A.P.D. Lieutenant Smith is someone who is called upon when assistance is required in situations involving any type of foreign people holding high legal or business statues in the U.S. In this case it is the Japanese corporation of Nakamoto. After picking up his sempai(or his trainer and guide for these types of situations)Conor, they rush to Nakamoto. It seems the dead body could not have been discovered at a more inconvenient time for Nakamoto during their grand opening party. As the police begin their investigation they are given the cold shoulder by many of the Japanese employees and personnel of Nakamoto, and suspicions of a possible over-up arose amongst the detectives. As their investigation proceeds, Smith and Conor plunge head-first into the underworld of Japanese corporations and business in American and find themselves in a twisted maze of economical intrigue. This novel really give you the sense that Japan is still just as much at war with the United States as they were during the early forties. Only instead of fighting through military strength as in World War II, they are fighting through economic power. The novel describes how Japanese businesses are popping up all over the U.S. and how the Japanese are buying everything they can get their hands on in America. The scenario that the Japanese might become economically stronger than us and practically own America is heavily implied in this novel. It gives you the disturbing but very possible fact that corporations are becoming more powerful than the ctual government. In the novel, the Japanese Realize this and do everything in their power to use it to their advantage. As detectives Smith and Conor wind deeper and deeper into ther investigation, they begin to realize that the Japanese are most definitely not on their side. This is understandable considering the fact that if certain information about the dead and possibly murdered woman were to leak out, Nakamoto's future would be jeopardized, thus causing the Japanese to lose their grip on economic power they've established in the United States. After all the Nakamoto corporation is one of their largest and most valuable assets in their struggle to maintain possible economic superiority. All in all the book really is about how powerful corporations are becoming in modern days and how th Japanese maybe using this to their advantage in successful but rather devious ways. It also vividly describes how Americans have become exceedingly lazy and not thorough when it comes to business and matters of importance. This is one of the aspects of this novel I found so enthralling. The relationship between how Americans conduct business as opposed to the Japanese. The investigation of the death at Nakamoto is a great addition of reality to the twisted plot. Through out all the economic intrigue and corruption, and plots of the Japanese taking over America through their own businesses, it is easy to get lost in the process. The mystery of the deat woman shows that no humans, not even the Japanese, are infallible. It shows how one slight mistake could bring something of the size and magnitude as an international billion dollar corporation to its knees. I think this is an extremely thought-provoking excellent mystery/economic conspiracy and philosophy novel. However, I must warn you, certain subject material in this novel may be interpreted offensively by some readers, especially if you are Japanese. If you become offended at any point during the course of reading this novel, then maybe it is better you don't read it at all. After all, you must remember it is a fictional novel and is in no way a legal or government reprimand against any certain people. If you're looking for a complex myster novel that really makes you think, and you are not easily offended, I strongly urge you to buy this book. You won't regret it. I know I don't.
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Summary: different style for author-tight gripping mystery
Review: ~~~~
Be aware that you won't find Crichton's insired science fiction here.
~~~
But you will find a carefully plotted suspenseful mystery, interesting characters, and a fascinating glimpse into the culture of Japanese business in American seen through the admittedly prejudiced eyes of the detectives.
The interactions of the special liason team, called out to deal with crimes involving foreign dignitaries, and the walls they run into as both the Japanese business hierarchy and American celebrties close ranks to hide crucial information, makes a fascinating, taut, well placed mystery,
~~~~Crichton's attention to detail is evident even outside the sci-fi world.
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Summary: A thrilling, yet dated ride of intrigue
Review: Michael Crichton takes us on an adventure into Japanese-American corporate finance with a little murder twist thrown in. He includes a lot of Japanese "take-over" of American business in this tale and how this culture handles murder in the board room. Like other Crichton novels, this book is suspensful, thrilling, and entertaining. Why did I only give it three stars? It's not one of my favorite books by Crichton and the corporate tale is a bit dated and maybe even somewhat jaded. It is a good book though, and I highly recommend it.
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Summary: An absolutely Superb Murder/Mystery
Review: I totally disagree with those who claim this novel to be anti-Japanese and/or racist. Pay attention to the detail of the story and Crichton's comment's at the end of the book and you will know how he feels. Rising Sun is nothing more than a vehicle to tell a story from the viewpoint of one particular character. Would I agree that Rising Sun is Politically INCorrect? Yes -- a little...but so is Disney's Song of the South, does it mean there was some ulterior racist motive by the author? I don't believe it for a second. If you'll remember, Rising Sun came out at a time when wealthy Japanese Industrialists were snatching up sections of Los Angeles and huge portions of Hawaii left and right. I believe in many ways Crichton pays a HUGE compliment to the Japanese people portraying them as fierce competitors who do not take business decisions lightly. I myself have worked for a Japanese company in the past, and I can tell you they are incredibly smart people with a work ethic that puts most of the world to shame. With that aside, Rising Sun is so TOTALLY different from Crichton's other novels that I very nearly passed it by. But I decided to take a gamble and it paid off really well. In fact, I'd love to see him do another murder/mystery. He is easily one of the most adaptable authors I have ever read (next to Greg Iles). The forensic descriptions and technical detail are in fact amazingly detailed (as usual) and on many levels I felt I was right in the middle of the action AS it was happening. Crichton's attention to each and every nook & cranny of the plotline serves to give us what certainly feels like an insiders view of what a murder investigation is really like. Word of caution: The movie version is truly one of the worst film-adaptations I have EVER seen. I like Wesley Snipes, but he in NO WAY fits the character he portrays in the novel. PLUS, if you think that because you may have seen the movie you know the outcome, you DON'T. Another MAJOR screw-up in the movie is they alter the plot SO much that we have a completely DIFFERENT murderer in the movie than in the book. It never ceases to amaze me how Hollywood can take a perfectly good novel, and think that in order to make it better, they have the talent to re-write it. They need to ask themselves this: WHAT exactly was it that made the book to popular in the first place? Keep it as close to the novel as possible and you'd be surprised at how successful these stories can be on the big screen (take Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings as one impressive example). All in all this is one of my top 3 favorite Crichton novels, and I am quite anxious for his follow-up to Timeline (c'mon Michael! It's been almost 3 YEARS...!). For fans of the murder/mystery genre, don't let his past techno-sci/fi novels keep you from this well told tale of suspense. Not just good, but simply GREAT storytelling.
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Summary: Great fun & intriguing theme...
Review: Very amusing whodunnit with many stings in the tail before we reach the riveting conclusion. However, what makes this a far more interesting read is the very provocative "japanese in America" corporate backdrop. Clearly, Crichton is using the detective/mystery context to raise all sorts of mischevious questions about Japanese infiltration of U.S. corporate institutions, American xenophobia, and the existence of worlds-within-worlds in today's corporate life. Some of this "paranoid" description seems a little dated at this point, in 2002 -- clearly, the mired-in-recession Japanese are less of a threat today than was perceived in the early '90s, when the book was written. Nevertheless, a page-turner in the classic sense, as well as a not-so-subtle social commentary... One of Crichton's better efforts.
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Summary: From the perspective of a fan of Michael Crichton. . .
Review: . . .I can only cautiously endorse this book. The plot is tightly written. The characters are well-developed and believable. The anti-Japanese message is certainly politically incorrect and a bit problematic -- but probably not all that inaccurate. (This element of the novel will no doubt offend many). The violence is graphic -- much more so than the typical Crichton novel. The sex is quite graphic -- FAR more so than anything else I've ever read by Crichton. (This element will also offend many). As I stated, I would give this book an endorsement because it truly is quality research and writing. However, the controversial elements in the book are very real -- and if you're easily offended by such things, give this one a miss.
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