Satori
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4.2 • 329 Ratings
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- $10.99
Publisher Description
Nicholai Hel-genius, mystic, and the perfect formidable assassin returns in this blockbuster thriller from the #1 bestselling author of Shibumi.
"Winslow imbues the James Bond-esque superspy atmosphere with a deep knowledge of Eastern cultures, including the ancient Japanese game of Go. There is plenty of fun to be had for readers." —Kirkus Reviews
Prepare to meet the world's most dangerous man ...
It is the fall of 1951, and the Korean War is raging. Twenty-six-year-old Nicholai Hel has spent the last three years in solitary confinement at the hands of the Americans. Hel is a master of hoda korosu, or "naked kill," is fluent in seven languages, and has honed extraordinary "proximity sense"—an extra-awareness of the presence of danger. He has the skills to be the world's most fearsome assassin and now the CIA needs him.
The Americans offer Hel freedom, money, and a neutral passport in exchange for one small service: to go to Beijing and kill the Soviet Union's commissioner to China. It's almost certainly a suicide mission, but Hel accepts. Now he must survive chaos, violence, suspicion, and betrayal while trying to achieve his ultimate goal of satori-the possibility of true understanding and harmony with the world.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Nicholai Hel was already an accomplished assassin, a master of hoda korosu ("naked kill"), when introduced in Trevanian's 1979 Shibumi. Now Winslow (The Life and Death of Bobby Z.) dons Trevanian's mantle and cloaks Hel in a tangled series of adventures and misadventures in this exciting prequel. Hel's conditional ticket out of an American-run prison in 1951 Japan requires him to acquire a new face and identity and to carry out a probably suicidal mission to assassinate Soviet commissioner Yuri Voroshenin in China. In the guise of 26-year-old Michel Guibert, a French arms dealer, Hel enters a labyrinthine world of intrigue as various Chinese factions and foreign interests struggle for advantage. Winslow successfully fleshes out Hel's mixed heritage (aristocratic Russian mother, surrogate Japanese father and mentor), and eventually takes him to war-torn Vietnam, where Hel's expertise in applying Go strategy is as important to his survival as his physical skills. Winslow has crafted an impressive prelude to a highly esteemed classic thriller.
Customer Reviews
Satori
This book was/is a fantastic read.
I am so very upset that Mr. Winslow has decided not to write another novel along the lines of this character. He makes Jason Borne look inept and struggling.
I am extremely disappointed.
Winslow Fan
This is the first Winslow book I ever read. It was so good, I have become a huge fan. This book is incredibly well written. It's characters are complex and their environments beautifully depicted-researched. Side note, there is a 5 page scene at a casino that could be one of the funniest things I have ever read in thriller/mystery...laugh out loud funny!
Satori
So so. Horrible ending