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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent Series,
By
This review is from: Island of Exiles: A Mystery of Early Japan (Sugawara Akitada) (Paperback)
I only just discovered these novels and have enjoyed them enormously. This is the fourth in the series and to date the most enjoyable. The main character is very likable but the writer has also created other characters like Akitadas servant Tora who make these books such a great read. I am now looking forward to starting the fifth novel called "The Hell Screen" and meeting up with Akitada once again.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent,
By Carlos (Brussels, Belgium) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Island of Exiles: A Mystery of Early Japan (Sugawara Akitada) (Paperback)
If you are looking for an experience similar to Van Gulik's Judge Dee, this is a very good option. Solid crime novel with an historical setting, Sugawara Akitada's stories have an increased focus on characters and their relationships, but the elements of mystery, thriller, adventure, and historical "added value" is there.
I discovered the series a few years ago and have read all that is published. My favorite is "Black Arrow", but this "Island of Exiles" is good by itself and important also in the context of the overall series, since some characters will play a role in other books ("the Convict Sword"). I also enjoy the Penguin edition, as usual.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta) Amazon.com:
4.5 out of 5 stars (11 customer reviews) 14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
excellent sequel,
By Rosomax - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Island of Exiles: A Mystery of Early Japan (Sugawara Akitada) (Paperback)
I thoroughly enjoyed all the previous books of the Akitada series, but this one in particular really shines. Parker's prose became more and more crisp and concise, action swift, intrigue intricate. Previously I always thought of Robert Van Gulik when reading them, but now I would venture to say that I like the authors voice more. Actually, there's a embedded story about stolen silver bars for which Parker credits Van Gulik himself.
"The Island of Exiles" finds the likable hero in pretty severe circumstances, but with some good luck and quick thinking he's able once again to avoid a certain death. Moreover, it shows Akitada as a man not invincible to his own lapses of judgment and all-too human failings. Definitely a page-turner. I missed the lively adventures of Tora and Genba, as well as Seimei's Confucius quotes, but otherwise the "spirit" of the series is all there. Domo-arigato gozaimasu, I.J.-san. 7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Almost perfect,
By Lisa Brandt - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Island of Exiles: A Mystery of Early Japan (Sugawara Akitada) (Paperback)
I have read all of the "Sugawara Akita" mysteries/thrillers. They always strike me as a tiny bit excessive in some respects (the thriller respect, mostly) but still irresistible. This volume is no different; or, if it is different it is even better. The historical authenticity is very strong, perhaps more so than usual, and the characters are appealing. If you love feudal Japan, don't miss this one.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Parker Just Keeps Getting Better,
By UFO6 - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Island of Exiles: A Mystery of Early Japan (Sugawara Akitada) (Paperback)
I've developed a voracious appetite for Parker's Sugawara novels that's unlike anything I've experienced for a long time, and if it didn't carry with it an unwarranted diminution of her previous titles, I'd call "Island of Exiles" her best work yet. There are scenes in this novel reminiscent of Tolkien, as raw and gritty a dramatization of a man's reduction to an animalistic state as I can remember.
This one vaults Sugawara entirely out of his familial and official milieus to do some undercover work - *seriously* undercover - and the departure is both harrowing and exhilarating. Akitada's extramarital fling in this one detracts somewhat from his character's sense of integrity, but in Sugawara's cultural/historical context it's certainly not an implausible nor even unusual occurrence. Presumably his lapse will feed into later character evolution? At any rate, the plot, which begins with a horrific, dreamlike ordeal, builds gradually into an absolute rip-snorter that is thoroughly engrossing. I lost countless hours zooming in on Sadoshima Island via Google Earth while reading this novel, and have added it to my list of must-visit Japanese locales for future vacations. The novel feels so real that I half expect to find the temples and horrific mines Parker describes when I get there. Actually, I was floored when I saw the posted images of the real-world Choukoku Temple at Hase - the image of Shunsai's monastery that Parker had painted in my head previously was virtually identical to them. Once again, the wait for her next is going to be as excruciating as it was for this one. Amazon is indicating the hardcover version of "Island" is set for release in a couple of weeks - very odd that the paperbacks were published beforehand. I highly recommend Parker's novels for historical fiction fanatics, Japanophiles in particular. Reading the Sugawara novels in order is not essential but on the whole probably more enjoyable, as there are numerous references within them to prior cases. Enjoy! |
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