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A review by lmmountford
Rising Sun by Michael Crichton
3.0
So, can Crichton write a novel without a very heavy undertone?
I like the movie that was based off this, Conery and Snipes are very entertaining together and the dialogue is hilarious at times, there is some action but nothing gratuitous though i have a little trouble at times following what's happening. At least in that, this book and the movie have something in common. More than once i found myself scratching my head and mouthing 'what the hell is going on'. The book has a very confusing layout that is undone by Crichton's style, the simple way of putting this is the entire movie is Smith's transcript in an interrogation. It's told from the first person but it also has Crichton's signature mass of technical details that are very well researched but can be difficult for a layman to understand out the hell is going on.
This is the fifth Crichton novel i've read and honestly, i think this will be the last. This had all the elements that mad me give up on Disclosure. There is such a heavy undertone, namely the entire world is going on abut it, that it makes it impossible to believe. Everything in this book is abut the Japanese , everyone is talking abut them, everyone is dealing with them or has thoughts on them. Crichton is trying so hard to get a point across i just got sick of hearing about it. Also, the characters lack a lot of believability. For example if my actions caused a man to commit suicide and then i found out i had it wrong, i might feel a tad guilty.
To sum up, an interesting read but nothing really left an impression. If you're looking for a fast paced thrill ride, stay away.
I like the movie that was based off this, Conery and Snipes are very entertaining together and the dialogue is hilarious at times, there is some action but nothing gratuitous though i have a little trouble at times following what's happening. At least in that, this book and the movie have something in common. More than once i found myself scratching my head and mouthing 'what the hell is going on'. The book has a very confusing layout that is undone by Crichton's style, the simple way of putting this is the entire movie is Smith's transcript in an interrogation. It's told from the first person but it also has Crichton's signature mass of technical details that are very well researched but can be difficult for a layman to understand out the hell is going on.
This is the fifth Crichton novel i've read and honestly, i think this will be the last. This had all the elements that mad me give up on Disclosure. There is such a heavy undertone, namely the entire world is going on abut it, that it makes it impossible to believe. Everything in this book is abut the Japanese , everyone is talking abut them, everyone is dealing with them or has thoughts on them. Crichton is trying so hard to get a point across i just got sick of hearing about it. Also, the characters lack a lot of believability. For example if my actions caused a man to commit suicide and then i found out i had it wrong, i might feel a tad guilty.
To sum up, an interesting read but nothing really left an impression. If you're looking for a fast paced thrill ride, stay away.