Rising Sun: A Novel

4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars | 2,299 ratings

Price: 21.88

Last update: 07-29-2024


Top reviews from the United States

Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars no
Reviewed in the United States on February 7, 2024
good book
Phil in Magnolia
4.0 out of 5 stars "Perhaps I Can Be of Assistance, Kōhai"
Reviewed in the United States on March 5, 2017
The novel Rising Sun was originally published in 1992, fully 25 years ago as I write this review, and during that time the world has changed enormously. Michael Crichton writes of a U.S. preoccupied with the threat of an increasingly economically dominant Japan and the story basically revolves around that conflict. History has developed quite differently, it turns out, and the Japanese economic bubble that was taking place when this story was written has now collapsed. Today a more appropriate choice for concern would probably be China. Still, the story is fascinating and enjoyable.

Having seen the Sean Connery / Wesley Snipes movie several times over the years, I was curious to see how similar the book was to the movie. This turns out to be one of those cases where they seem to be practically identical, not only in the major elements of the story but in the feel and personalities of the characters. The most notable difference does not become clear until late in the book and is a fascinating one - the retired Captain John Connor, played in the movie by Sean Connery, is black in the story, and the detective Peter J. Smith, the Special Services Liaison for the Los Angeles Police Department, played by Wesley Snipes, is white. I heard Connery's voice in my mind as I read the words of John Conner, and it was an unexpected surprise when a casual remark late in the story disclosed that Conner would not fit the Connery image at all! That didn't detract from the story but it was an interesting difference.

The action moves quickly as Conner, senpai to the less experienced kōhai Smith, work together to determine the real killer and identify the motivations for the killing and subsequent coverup, and fight off the manipulations being attempted by the Japanese behind the scenes to influence their investigation and outcome. The twists and turns are well concealed and even knowing the story it was enjoyable and often unpredictable to see how it all developed in the book.

I've enjoyed Michael Crichton's books over the years, and although it's likely that I read Rising Sun years ago when it was first released, I did not remember the story from the book. Returning to it now was enjoyable and a worthwhile read.
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Phil in Magnolia
4.0 out of 5 stars "Perhaps I Can Be of Assistance, Kōhai"
Reviewed in the United States on March 5, 2017
The novel Rising Sun was originally published in 1992, fully 25 years ago as I write this review, and during that time the world has changed enormously. Michael Crichton writes of a U.S. preoccupied with the threat of an increasingly economically dominant Japan and the story basically revolves around that conflict. History has developed quite differently, it turns out, and the Japanese economic bubble that was taking place when this story was written has now collapsed. Today a more appropriate choice for concern would probably be China. Still, the story is fascinating and enjoyable.

Having seen the Sean Connery / Wesley Snipes movie several times over the years, I was curious to see how similar the book was to the movie. This turns out to be one of those cases where they seem to be practically identical, not only in the major elements of the story but in the feel and personalities of the characters. The most notable difference does not become clear until late in the book and is a fascinating one - the retired Captain John Connor, played in the movie by Sean Connery, is black in the story, and the detective Peter J. Smith, the Special Services Liaison for the Los Angeles Police Department, played by Wesley Snipes, is white. I heard Connery's voice in my mind as I read the words of John Conner, and it was an unexpected surprise when a casual remark late in the story disclosed that Conner would not fit the Connery image at all! That didn't detract from the story but it was an interesting difference.

The action moves quickly as Conner, senpai to the less experienced kōhai Smith, work together to determine the real killer and identify the motivations for the killing and subsequent coverup, and fight off the manipulations being attempted by the Japanese behind the scenes to influence their investigation and outcome. The twists and turns are well concealed and even knowing the story it was enjoyable and often unpredictable to see how it all developed in the book.

I've enjoyed Michael Crichton's books over the years, and although it's likely that I read Rising Sun years ago when it was first released, I did not remember the story from the book. Returning to it now was enjoyable and a worthwhile read.
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Frankie
5.0 out of 5 stars Japanophoia = Chinaphobia
Reviewed in the United States on September 13, 2023
Although Rising Sun is 30 years old, the depicted anti-Japan sentiments nearly mirror those currently against China. Of course, the two countries are not the same but both experienced meteoric rises in their economies which threatened to supplant the United States.
Shortly after the publishing of this novel, Japan experienced an economic recession (The Lost Decade) which it still has not yet fully recovered. Ironically, China is currently experiencing its own economic downturn, with some experts claim that this will most likely prevent China from ever overtaking the US economy. Given the fear of either country surpassing the United States, perhaps westerners need to consider that Asian cultures seem to discourage innovation (accurately stated by the late Michael Crichton). This mindset will limit those economies to second fiddle in the orchestra known as the global economy.
Eve S.
3.0 out of 5 stars Pretty mediocre
Reviewed in the United States on June 30, 2017
This book was probably more interesting 20 years ago or so. A young woman is murdered at the grand opening of a big new Japanese owned hotel. As detectives smith and Connor try to solve the mystery, the Japanese fight them and refuse to cooperate at every turn. The subjects of racism and Japanese imperialism come up often. In the end, there is a twist when the murderer is revealed but honestly it got very tiring hearing the long and constant Drabble about the Japanese superiority and the Japanese this and the Japanese that. It was just too much. This book could have been half as long and more interesting. I also objected to the ridiculous way Connor never ever told his partner about any theories or developments in the case. Smith was useless and a terrible cop. Kind of dull and very unrealistic. Waaaayyy too wordy
David Andrews
4.0 out of 5 stars Prescient and Well-Aged
Reviewed in the United States on June 5, 2017
Michael Crichton was, of course, a master of the techno-thriller. Jurassic Park, The Andromeda Strain, Sphere, Prey - From the 70s until the late Aughts, when Crichton passed away, there were few better masters of plotting and pacing. Often overlooked in his resume, though, is Rising Sun, a book that is really interesting to read even now, 25 years after it was published.

Rising Sun is, primarily, a murder mystery, a standard thriller novel, but placed in a slightly different timeline than ours. In this timeline, the Japanese have leveraged their ability to protect their markets while exploiting ours to become the foremost producer of just about everything modern. As a result, they find themselves owning most of Los Angeles, where Rising Sun takes place.

Interwoven through the very good murder mystery are occasional sidelines into the corruption of modern Washington politics and the media, as well as the nigh-impenetrable facade of Japanese business culture. There are warnings in Rising Sun (again, written 25 years ago) that appear to have born fruit today - the decline of manufacturing in America, our dependency on Wall Street, and the imminent rise of ‘alternative facts’ (the idea that the real truth doesn’t matter, perception is all that counts).

Of course, there are plenty of things that stick out to a modern reader. VCRs and car phones, for instance, will be just about incomprehensible to younger readers, as might pay phones and ‘land lines’, but they don’t detract from the plot terribly much. I’d say that, overall, Rising Sun holds up remarkably well 25 years after it was written.

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