Rico says he finished this book and enjoyed it immensely. Having read
The Master Sniper by Stephen Hunter, he was prepared not to like this one, but he was wrong. It's a moves-right-along story: "Bob Lee Swagger, retired marine master sniper and hero of bestseller Hunter's 1993 thriller,
Point of Impact (forthcoming as the film
Shooter), returns in this riveting homage to the myth of the samurai. Philip Yano, the son of the Japanese officer who commanded the bunker on
Iwo Jima where Swagger's marine father won the
Medal of Honor in 1945, approaches Swagger about a missing sword wielded by his father, Hideki, during the battle for the island. The sword turns out to be not just a family heirloom, but a national treasure that evokes echoes from the most sacrosanct corners of Japanese history. Yano's search reveals there are those who will gladly kill for the honor it bestows upon the possessor. Plunged into a Japan where honor and loyalty outweigh even one's own life, Swagger finds that an old warrior like himself still has much to understand."
In the knows-enough-to-be-dangerous, Zelig-like quality of Rico's life:Rico studied martial arts, including karate (as a child), as well as (as an adult) aikido with Sensei David Brown and others, aiki-jiu-jitsu with Don Angier, and a little kendo.
Rico has seen just about every samurai movie (and there are many) mentioned in the book and owns several of the books mentioned.
Rico speaks no more Japanese than Bob Lee Swagger.
Rico has been known to eat enough sushi for an army of samurai.
Rico went to Fukuoka, Japan (for Claris) back in the late 1980s. While there, Rico saw a lot of yakusa in the flesh.
Rico owns (like Bob Lee Swagger in the book) an antique samurai sword that was cut down during World War Two and hidden inside gunto mounts.
Rico says none of this qualifies him to
do any of the things described in the book, but it does give him a better appreciation for what the hell's going on. Even if you don't, but just like a finely-crafted and well-written thriller, it's worth a read.
Rico says he finished this book and enjoyed it immensely. Having read The Master Sniper by Stephen Hunter, he was prepared not to like this one, but he was wrong. It's a moves-right-along story: "Bob Lee Swagger, retired marine master sniper and hero of bestseller Hunter's 1993 thriller, Point of Impact (forthcoming as the film Shooter), returns in this riveting homage to the myth of the samurai. Philip Yano, the son of the Japanese officer who commanded the bunker on Iwo Jima where Swagger's marine father won the Medal of Honor in 1945, approaches Swagger about a missing sword wielded by his father, Hideki, during the battle for the island. The sword turns out to be not just a family heirloom, but a national treasure that evokes echoes from the most sacrosanct corners of Japanese history. Yano's search reveals there are those who will gladly kill for the honor it bestows upon the possessor. Plunged into a Japan where honor and loyalty outweigh even one's own life, Swagger finds that an old warrior like himself still has much to understand."
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