Rating: 
Summary: Great book!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Review: This book is surprisingly good considering the movie was terrible. The story line just kept me going where I can't put the book down. Very well written and definetly one of Crichton's best work.
Rating: 
Summary: Not his best but well worth a read
Review: I have to say that I disagree that the novel is racist - some of the characters are. These opinion's are not neccessarily Crichton's - as represented by how John Conner contradicts many of them. Some opinions are anti-Japanese (Graham), some pro (Conner). Indeed, depite being American, John Conner critisises American ways equally and helps put many things into perspective. Of course, it is a little dated, but it is nonetheless a very good book.The plot constantly twists and turns. What is actually happening is sometimes a little confusing, but you always want to read on so that all the apparent gaps in the plot get filled (which they do). I do feel it takes a few too many twists and turns though - sometimes it reads like a young author wading too deep instead of somebody as experienced as Creigton was at the time (eg. You think somebody is dead, but then you find they're not, the murderer's identity - if I go on I'll ruin the book but you get the idea). This isn't the best you'll ever read, but it is nonetheless a satisfyingly good read.
Rating: 
Summary: Got to hate it when history proves you wrong
Review: The author was in good company when he wrote the book. Unfortunately, for him, things did not turn out as he had predicted. The economic postulates of this book are quite obviously, flawed. The United States was not bought by Japan. If they were indeed fighting a war with us the "bomb" we hit them with was the dot.bomb. Of course that had nothing to do with the ten year decline that they have been experiencing. One wonders who will be to blame for the next round of economic malaise. As far as the story itself goes, it is well written and interesting. There are a number of plot twists and turns and the reader is kept guessing. The dialog was authentically vulagr. Overall not nearly as good as some of the author's other works but a fun read.
Rating:
Summary: A guilty pleasure
Review: "Rising Sun" is one of those books I hesitate to bring up in a casual conversation. It is dated, racist as hell, and unashamedly nationalistic. Having said that, it is a well written and exciting story. Although on an intellectual level I detest Crichton for writing this book, my hands couldn't put it down and I read through it all in one sitting.
Rating:
Summary: Rising
Review: This book is a fascinating murder mystery involving rape, politics, and multiple Japanese corporations. In the middle of all this is Lieutennant Peter Smith, a police officer from Los Angeles. When it becomes clear he can't handle it alone, he asks for the help of Captain John Connor, an expert in Japanese affairs. And so begins an investigation that is exciting and intriguing. Its subject matter is very realistic and its characters are developed well. I couldn't read this book fast enough. Excellent book.
Rating: 
Summary: A great mystery thriller - with a few drawbacks
Review: Rising sun is a great book. While not as heavy on action as Timeline or some of Chrichton's other books, it has enough plot twists and interesting parts to keep you wanting to read more. It starts off when the main character, special liason Peter Smith, recieves a call of a mysterious homocide over at a huge Japanese building. Coincidentaly, the grand opening is on the same night as the murder and the Japanese don't want the murder to interfere with their party. After picking up his sempai, (superior) John Connor, he goes to the building to investigate. When he gets to the building, the suspense starts up and there's a whole bunch of plot twists and investigating. In fact, the first 200 pages or so are great and are worthy of five stars. But after that, it slows down. There's a whole bunch of talking in stead of finding clues and it gets boring after a while. Also, if you are Japanese, I strongly urge you NOT to read this book. Many Japanese will find it offending, partly because of one of the characters in the book cussing them off all of the time. Also, there's a really weak ending. After all of that 270 pages of talking, I expected some shooting or action, but there wasn't. There was just a whole bunch of talking. All in all: PROS: Good plot; lots of mystery and suspense; (for the first 200 pages) and lots of plot twists. CONS: Gets boring after a while; Offensive to the Japanese; Very slow and unintersting; (after the first 200 pages) and a very dull ending. BOTTOM LINE: If you're really in to mystery books, you'll enjoy Rising Sun. But if you're not in to mystery books, it's a safe bet that there are many better books (especially by Michael Crichton) out there.
Rating:
Summary: Dull at times
Review: Rising Sun is one of those books where I read it fast but I didn't really like it. I just wanted to to get it over with. There was so much useless information on Japanese companies and their culture. The whole middle part of the book is about Japan the country and little of anything else. There were some clever things thrown into the mix but overall it was a unimaginative plot. I was actually surprised Michael Crichton wrote this book. This is not is claim to fame. He comes up with an extravagent ideas that involve Time Traveling and Dinosaurs and turns them into bestsellers and movies. Rising Sun is pretty much just another run of the mill police story. I felt at times that Crichton was so focused on getting his opinion out that he made the story and the characters suffer. There was only about 5 pages of suspense in the whole book and that was near the end. If your interested in Japanese culture and politics then this book is for you. But if you want a supense packed journey then check out another Crichton book. Rising Sun is a huge disappointment from Michael Crichton. 2 Stars
Rating:
Summary: Fun Mystery
Review: Rising Sun is not a great book, but it is certainly worth reading. I struggled between 3 and 4 stars, and for me 3 stars is just good while 4 stars is real good. The whodunnit is really quite enjoyable and will keep you guessing, but for some reason I just didn't get engaged with the characters. Crichton just doesn't give enough meat in the character development to support what is a great plot. It is disappointing to be sure. As far as all the criticism over "...-bashing", don't buy it. Crichton is critical of the ... at times, but I think he's fair as a whole in his portrayal.
Rating:
Summary: Entertaining, but disturbingly so
Review: Yes, the narrative rattles along at a good pace, and it held my attention. As a murder-mystery, it's a solid, non-demanding read, but why did I feel uncomfortable with it? Well, running alongside the murder-mystery, Crichton almost lectures the reader on the Japanese "threat". Basically, for Crichton, World War Two has not ended, it's just being carried on by other means, and the Japanese are winning it, mostly by "unfair" methods (although Crichton does weigh in against the weakness and ills of modern American society, which he maintains are a major contributory factor). There are some well-made points here (the emphasis on producing lawyers rather than engineers or scientists, the demand for short-term returns on investment rather than playing the long game, the tendency to concentrate on shares/bonds market rather than on production of goods) which could equally be levelled at the UK. But the criticism of Japan and the Japanese I felt went overboard, and at times was a direct and indiscriminate denunciation of Japanese culture: thus the points made about the difficulty of trading in Japan were lost amid a welter of invective, which I felt that Crichton had placed in the mouths of his characters in order to get it off his chest rather than as a necessary addition to the story. If it is true that the Japanese are winning the economic "war", then let's try to learn why, and then compete with them on a more equal footing. I don't think that we will do this by demonising them: and there is a serious point here - the messages that popular culture sends us about foreigners (even in throw-away thrillers such as this) are important, in that they can colour our perception of others and feed or encourage prejudices. So enjoy the book, but keep a balanced view.
Rating: 
Summary: Japan-Bashing Drivel
Review: The plot of this book serves merely to support an amazing amount of Japan-bashing. While I understand the context of the time - when Japan seemed to be buying up the whole of America, the lack of subtlety that Crichton uses to get his point across is disturbing. Like another reviewer said, he puts what seems to be prepared stump speeches in the mouths of all the characters in the book. Even worse is the obvious stereotyping of Japanese: the only Japanese character who seems to have any redeeming feature is a half-American woman who hates Japan as much as Crichton does. My advice is, if you value objectivity and good literature, give this book a pass and save your money - I wish I had.
| 
