Skip to main content
PBS logo
 
 

Book Reviews of Rising Sun

Rising Sun
Rising Sun
Author: Michael Crichton
ISBN-13: 9780606298230
ISBN-10: 0606298231
Publication Date: 1/2004
Pages: 399
Rating:
  • Currently 4/5 Stars.
 1

4 stars, based on 1 rating
Publisher: Turtleback Books Distributed by Demco Media
Book Type: Hardcover
Reviews: Amazon | Write a Review

45 Book Reviews submitted by our Members...sorted by voted most helpful

gigi avatar reviewed Rising Sun on + 355 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 4
Good murder mystery wrapped up in thought provoking facts regarding Japanese corporations doing business in the United States.
reviewed Rising Sun on + 31 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 3
Older book but Crichton tells a good story. Inner workings of Japanese business - very interesting & an unexpected ending.
reviewed Rising Sun on
Helpful Score: 2
Industrial Intrigue with plot twists that will shock and surprise.
reviewed Rising Sun on + 275 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
You seen the movies, this is so much better. Best selling author.
reviewed Rising Sun on + 683 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
This author getts better all the time. I can't wait to get his next book.
mom2jwn avatar reviewed Rising Sun on + 22 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
if you like industrial intrigue, you'll love this book.
CocoCee avatar reviewed Rising Sun on + 404 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
I had a hard time trying to keep Sean Connery and Wesley Snipes out of my head while ready. But when I did, I enjoyed the book.
reviewed Rising Sun on + 10 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
This book is better and more engaging than the movie.
reviewed Rising Sun on
Helpful Score: 1
Great, of course!
michael avatar reviewed Rising Sun on + 42 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
Great book!! Crichton knows how to deliver a suspense novel that will hold your attention and keep you turning the pages until well after the midnight hour. If you liked the movie you will LOVE the book.
reviewed Rising Sun on + 7 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
Great mystery, must read!!
reviewed Rising Sun on + 220 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
An excellent book of industrial intrigue, made into a major motion picture starring Wesley Snipes and Sean Connery. The book is better, of course.
reviewed Rising Sun on + 35 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
A real page turner. Crichton gives a brief history of business practices between America and Japan, much of which I found very disturbing. Because of Crichton's thoughtful cultural perspective of the Japanese, judgements of "good or bad" or "black or white" are not options. Very thought provoking.
rivergal avatar reviewed Rising Sun on + 14 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
An extraordinary thriller done the " Crichton " way.
reviewed Rising Sun on + 24 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
Publishers Weekly
A young American model is murdered in the corporate boardroom of Los Angeles's Nakomoto Tower on the new skyscraper's gala opening night. Murdered, that is, unless she was strangled while enjoying sadomasochistic sex that went too far. Nakomoto, a Japanese electronics giant, tries to hush up the embarrassing incident, setting in motion a murder investigation that serves Crichton ( Jurassic Park ) as the platform for a clever, tough-talking harangue on the dangers of Japanese economic competition and influence-peddling in the U.S. Divorced LAPD lieutenant Peter Smith, who has custody of his two-year-old daughter, and hard-boiled detective John Connor, who says things like ``For a Japanese, consistent behavior is not possible,'' pursue the killer in a winding plot involving Japan's attempt to gain control of the U.S. computer industry. Although Crichton's didactic aims are often at cross-purposes with his storytelling, his entertaining, well-researched thriller cannot be easily dismissed as Japan-bashing because it raises important questions about that country's adversarial trade strategy and our inadequate response to it. He also provides a fascinating perspective on how he thinks the Japanese view Americans--as illiterate, childish, lazy people obsessed with TV, violence and aggressive litigation. 225,000 first printing; BOMC main selection. (Mar.)
reviewed Rising Sun on + 31 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
Crichton tells another good story. I wouldnt put it in his top 3, but an excellent read. The movie really held close to the book, surprisingly.
reviewed Rising Sun on + 12 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
This is a fast pace novel of industrial espionage and the protection of vital secrets.
reviewed Rising Sun on + 49 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
Good Crichton. It's like Shogun 500 years later with East/West contrasts, misunderstanding and different forms of honor and treachery.
reviewed Rising Sun on + 2 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
Much better than the movie
reviewed Rising Sun on + 50 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
Another Crichton thriller, full of twists and unexpected turns. Full of international industrial intrigue. The "bad" guys in this story are the Japanese...not unexpectedly...Yet, it is still a great read...I couldn't put it down!
reviewed Rising Sun on + 19 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
Lots of plots, and twisting plots.
reviewed Rising Sun on + 27 more book reviews
A young American model is murdered in the corporate boardroom of Los Angeles's Nakomoto Tower on the new skyscraper's gala opening night. Murdered, that is, unless she was strangled while enjoying sadomasochistic sex that went too far. Nakomoto, a Japanese electronics giant, tries to hush up the embarrassing incident, setting in motion a murder investigation that serves Crichton ( Jurassic Park ) as the platform for a clever, tough-talking harangue on the dangers of Japanese economic competition and influence-peddling in the U.S. Divorced LAPD lieutenant Peter Smith, who has custody of his two-year-old daughter, and hard-boiled detective John Connor, who says things like "For a Japanese, consistent behavior is not possible," pursue the killer in a winding plot involving Japan's attempt to gain control of the U.S. computer industry. Although Crichton's didactic aims are often at cross-purposes with his storytelling, his entertaining, well-researched thriller cannot be easily dismissed as Japan-bashing because it raises important questions about that country's adversarial trade strategy and our inadequate response to it. He also provides a fascinating perspective on how he thinks the Japanese view Americans--as illiterate, childish, lazy people obsessed with TV, violence and aggressive litigation.
Harmony1204 avatar reviewed Rising Sun on + 54 more book reviews
From the flyleaf .. "Rising Sun exposes the raw nerves of a country in profound economic distress, of a people with declining faith in themselves, their leaderers and their past, a people very uneasy about ther future." This is very relevant for today although the book was written in 1993.
reviewed Rising Sun on + 19 more book reviews
This author is always a good read.
reviewed Rising Sun on + 124 more book reviews
Excellent....See the movie too!
reviewed Rising Sun on + 8 more book reviews
Very good story about a murder. American investigator gets led into the heart of Japanese culture guided by an japanese expert.
reviewed Rising Sun on + 18 more book reviews
If you enjoy a smart and intriguing novel this is it!
ckataoka avatar reviewed Rising Sun on + 37 more book reviews
Fantastic suspense novel!! I highly recommend this one.
reviewed Rising Sun on + 5 more book reviews
Industrial intrigue and excellent murder mystery!
reviewed Rising Sun on + 28 more book reviews
This book was a #1 bestseller that was made into a movie, as well as a New York Times Notable book and a Book-of-the-Month Club Main Selection. It's a fast-paced thriller by Michael Crichton, the author of Jurassic Park, Congo, and the Andromeda Strain. From the back cover: "the Japanese saying 'Business is war' takes on a terrifying reality...." I believe the Japanese protested this depiction of their culture.
reviewed Rising Sun on + 27 more book reviews
From Publishers Weekly
A young American model is murdered in the corporate boardroom of Los Angeles's Nakomoto Tower on the new skyscraper's gala opening night. Murdered, that is, unless she was strangled while enjoying sadomasochistic sex that went too far. Nakomoto, a Japanese electronics giant, tries to hush up the embarrassing incident, setting in motion a murder investigation that serves Crichton ( Jurassic Park ) as the platform for a clever, tough-talking harangue on the dangers of Japanese economic competition and influence-peddling in the U.S. Divorced LAPD lieutenant Peter Smith, who has custody of his two-year-old daughter, and hard-boiled detective John Connor, who says things like "For a Japanese, consistent behavior is not possible," pursue the killer in a winding plot involving Japan's attempt to gain control of the U.S. computer industry. Although Crichton's didactic aims are often at cross-purposes with his storytelling, his entertaining, well-researched thriller cannot be easily dismissed as Japan-bashing because it raises important questions about that country's adversarial trade strategy and our inadequate response to it. He also provides a fascinating perspective on how he thinks the Japanese view Americans--as illiterate, childish, lazy people obsessed with TV, violence and aggressive litigation.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal
YA-- The celebrity-studded opening of a huge Japanese office building is marred by the murder of a beautiful American woman. Lt. Peter Smith is called in to investigate and is requested to bring along John Connor, an expert on Japanese culture and fluent in the language. So begins a riveting tale that combines suspense, technology, and a full-scale economic battle for survival. YAs will have no problem following the complex corporate business schemes described by Crichton, whose loyalties are obviously with America. Readers who fear that the Japanese are taking over the U. S. economy will not be reassured.
- Katherine Fitch, Lake Braddock Secondary School, Burke, VA
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.
baeb47 avatar reviewed Rising Sun on + 207 more book reviews
"On the forty-fifth floor of the Nakamoto Tower in downtown L.A.-the new American headquarters of the immense Japanese conglomerate-a grand opening celebration is in full swing.

On the forty-sixth floor, in an empty conference room, the dead body of a beautiful young woman is discovered.

The investigation beging...and immediately becomes a headlong chase through a twisting maze of industrial intrigue ... a no-holds-barred conflict in which control of a vital American technology is the fiercely coveted prize - and the Japanese saying "business is war" takes on a terrifying reality ..." (From the back cover)
reviewed Rising Sun on + 13 more book reviews
On the forty-fifth floor of the Nakamoto Tower in downtown L.A._ the new American headquarters of the immense Japanese conglomerate_ a grand opening celebration is in full swing.
On the forty-sixth floor, in an empty conference room, the dead body of a beautiful young woman is discovered.
The investication begins...and immediately becomes a headlong chase through a twisting maze of industrial intrigue...a no-holds-barred conflict in which control of a vital American technology is the fiercely coveted prize_and the Hapanese saying "business is war" takes on a terrifying reality...
reviewed Rising Sun on + 47 more book reviews
On the forty fifth floor of the Nakamoto Tower in downtown LA-the new American headquarters of the immense japanese conglomerate- a grand opening is in full swing.

On the forty sixth floor, in an empty conference room, the dead body of a beautiful young woman is discovered.

The investigation begins...and immediately becomes a headlong chase through a twisting maze of industrial intrique...a no-holds barred conflict in which control of a vital American technology is the fiercely coveted prize-and the Japanese saying "business is war" takes on a terrifying reality...

from the back of the book.
This from the author of Congo...Sphere...The Great Train Robbery...etc etc. A great author.
reviewed Rising Sun on + 8 more book reviews
Exactly what you expect from this author--gripping storytelling.
TakingTime avatar reviewed Rising Sun on + 1072 more book reviews
a young womans death and a Japanese conglomerate stir this story into a terrifying tale
reviewed Rising Sun on + 40 more book reviews
From Publishers Weekly
A young American model is murdered in the corporate boardroom of Los Angeles\'s Nakomoto Tower on the new skyscraper\'s gala opening night. Murdered, that is, unless she was strangled while enjoying sadomasochistic sex that went too far. Nakomoto, a Japanese electronics giant, tries to hush up the embarrassing incident, setting in motion a murder investigation that serves Crichton ( Jurassic Park ) as the platform for a clever, tough-talking harangue on the dangers of Japanese economic competition and influence-peddling in the U.S. Divorced LAPD lieutenant Peter Smith, who has custody of his two-year-old daughter, and hard-boiled detective John Connor, who says things like \"For a Japanese, consistent behavior is not possible,\" pursue the killer in a winding plot involving Japan\'s attempt to gain control of the U.S. computer industry. Although Crichton\'s didactic aims are often at cross-purposes with his storytelling, his entertaining, well-researched thriller cannot be easily dismissed as Japan-bashing because it raises important questions about that country\'s adversarial trade strategy and our inadequate response to it. He also provides a fascinating perspective on how he thinks the Japanese view Americans--as illiterate, childish, lazy people obsessed with TV, violence and aggressive litigation.
reviewed Rising Sun on + 715 more book reviews
Grand opening celebration on 54th floor of the Nakamoto Tower in downtown LA--on the 46th floor, in an empty conference room the dead body of a beautiful young woman is discovered..the investigation begins...
reviewed Rising Sun on + 36 more book reviews
Perhaps the first hint of Chrichton's recently more dramatic tilting toward the political right - Japan bashing at its best!
reviewed Rising Sun on + 26 more book reviews
On the 45th floor of Nakamoto tower in downtown LA the new american headquarters of the immense japanese conglomerate the grand opening celebration is in full swing.
On the 46th floor, in an empty conference room, a dead body of a beautiful young woman is discovered. The investigation begins...
reviewed Rising Sun on + 167 more book reviews
On the45th floor of the Nakamoto Tower in downtown LA, the new american headquarters of the immense Japanese conglomerate, a grand opening celebration is in full swing.

On the 46th floor, in an empty conference room, the dead body of a beautiful young woman is discoverd.

The investigation begins and immediately becomes a headlong chase throug a twisting maze of inddustiral intrigue, a no-hold-barred conflict in whcih control of a bital American technology is the fiercely coveted prize and the Japanese saying "business is war" takes on a terrifying reality.
reviewed Rising Sun on + 16 more book reviews
On the 45 floor of the Nakamoto Tower in downtown LA a grand opeing celebration is in full swing. On the 45 floor the dead body of a beautiful young woman is discovered.
Now a major motion picture.
reviewed Rising Sun on + 102 more book reviews
On the forty-fifth floor of the Nakamoto Tower in downtown L.A.-the new American headquarters of the immense Japanese conglomerate-a grand opening celebration is in full swing.
On the forty-sixth floor, in an empty conference room, the dead body of a beautiful young woman is discovered.
The investigation begins...and immediately becomes a headlong chase through a twisting maze of industrial intrugue...a no-holds-barred conflict in which control of a vital American technology is the fiercely covedted prize-and the Japanese seying "business is war" takes on a terrifying reality...
reviewed Rising Sun on + 77 more book reviews
A grand opening celebration is in full swing in the Nakamoto Tower in downtown L.A. when the dead body of a beautiful young woman is discovered. A chase through a twisting mase of intrigue begins and the control of a vital American technology is at stake.
mamatraub avatar reviewed Rising Sun on + 151 more book reviews
I was not able to finish this book, I have a problem with such colorful language.