Scan barcode
posies23's review
4.0
The third book in the series adds a healthy dose of humor and satire into the over-the-top adventures of Remo Williams. This humor comes primarily in the interactions between Remo and Chiun, his teacher, as they follow their mission to find a missing Chinese General. I found this book to be much more entertaining than the first two --there's still a lot of "politically incorrect" content, but the whole thing is incredibly over the top and strangely entertaining.
paladintodd's review
4.0
Needed a light hearted vacation read and this from my past popped into my head so I revisited it.
Holy f*uck, it's hard to believe we used to think that this sort of thing was OK. "This gal won't do what I want so I'll rape her. She'll like it so much she'll be more compliant." -- is just gobsmackingly amazing to see on the page. Yeah, I know, it was everywhere (looking at you Bond, James Bond) but that was really, really hard to read.
Setting that gigantic flaming, rancid turd aside -- it was fun to reacquaint with Remo, Chiun and Smith.
Holy f*uck, it's hard to believe we used to think that this sort of thing was OK. "This gal won't do what I want so I'll rape her. She'll like it so much she'll be more compliant." -- is just gobsmackingly amazing to see on the page. Yeah, I know, it was everywhere (looking at you Bond, James Bond) but that was really, really hard to read.
Setting that gigantic flaming, rancid turd aside -- it was fun to reacquaint with Remo, Chiun and Smith.
gengelcox's review
adventurous
funny
fast-paced
3.0
With book 3, the Destroyer series found its voice by finally bringing Chiun along for the ride. This book establishes pretty much all the major tropes used by the series afterward: the son/little father relationship between Remo and Chiun, the legend of Shinaju and its night tigers, and the antagonism between Shinaju and China.
It’s not a surprise that the depictions of Nixon and Kissinger are favorable. These books, intended to be racked next to Marc Bolan and other pulp military books, are conservative in nature. What is surprising is how nuanced the treatment of race is. Although there are many stereotypes used, Murphy and Sapir slipped in some ringers in an attempt to sway their white male audience that not all X are like X.
The fact that Remo and Chiun are indestructible is just another aspect of this series’ real inspiration: the world of comics. They are superheros without capes, meant to bring justice to the world. Of course, the way they do it is very anti-heroic, similar to Marvel’s The Punisher, who would have likely done well as a pulp action-adventure book star.
gls_merch's review
2.0
Inspired by my affection for the cheesy 80s movie Remo Williams, I decided to check out Chinese Puzzle. It's a formulaic pulp novel, featuring extremely unbelievable characters. I also have to deduct points for stereotypical and culturally insensitive portrayals of Orientals and blacks. It's awfulness inspired a few chuckles, but overall it was an utterly forgettable experience.
vulco1's review
3.0
Remo! You did it! Pretty solid entry. I think I liked it more than the second book
More...