Shibumi Ober Der Leise Tod; Im Auftrag Des Drachen

by Trevanian

Shibumi Ober Der Leise To...

by
Trevanian

book data

793 ratings, 4.20 average rating, 112 reviews (more data...)

rating	frequency	%
5		46%
4		33%
3		14%
2		3%
1		1%

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published

1988 by Knaur (first published 1979)

details

Perfect Paperback

isbn

3426017326 (isbn13: 9783426017326)

description

A westerner raised in Japan, he survived the destruction of Hiroshima to emerge as the world's most artful lover and its most accomplished assassin. H…more

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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 1,045)

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Apr 23, 2007

Jacob rated it:

(review of isbn 0786134836)

Read in July, 2004

recommends it for: spy novel fans

classic spy novel--learned that airports had inferior screening policies in the '70s from reading this book, also that Go is a Japanese game which holds all the secrets of life.

this book is must read. put down your bibles and read Shibumi.

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Jun 25, 2008

Rozbeans rated it:

(review of isbn 1400098033)

Read in January, 1992

My high school senior year literature teacher gave me this book to read during a post graduate visit. It's an amazing book about a hired killer with a zen like outlook on life and death. One of my favorite books ever.

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Nov 14, 2007

Shawn rated it:

(review of isbn 0345311809)

Read in January, 1980

In essence, this is a spy book, but it contains some gems which will stick with you, including spelunking scenes, and the art of understated excellence which compels you to cut all of the rose blossoms from your garden save that one perfect one, so as not to offend your visitors' eyes. Also references the Basque ethnic group, and the board game, Go. What else do you need?

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Aug 24, 2008

Card rated it:

(review of isbn 1400098033)

excellent thriller. Hel can kill you with anything, Trevanian is in top form with this one. dare not miss it. from the cherry blossoms of Japan to dark caves to the mists for the final showdown... I go back and re read this evry once and a while and always come away loving it.

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Apr 06, 2008

Gerard rated it:

(review of isbn 1400098033)

Read in January, 1999

I don't even know where to start with this book. There is so much in its covers. VERY highly recommended.

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Apr 07, 2007

Michael rated it:

(review of isbn 1400098033)

recommends it for: perversely...everyone

Shibumi is, without question, the stupidest book I have ever read. Period. Full stop. It's not close. Shibumi is the 1927 Yankees of stupid books. John Grisham and Dan Brown, working together, operating at the peak of their vaguely misogynist, airport-novel spewing powers, could never hope to approach the mind-exploding stupidity of this book.

The protagonist of Shibumi, Nikolai Hel, is best described as an amalgam of James Bond, Bruce Lee, Robert Mitchum and Jesus Christ. He is the l...more Shibumi is, without question, the stupidest book I have ever read. Period. Full stop. It's not close. Shibumi is the 1927 Yankees of stupid books. John Grisham and Dan Brown, working together, operating at the peak of their vaguely misogynist, airport-novel spewing powers, could never hope to approach the mind-exploding stupidity of this book.

The protagonist of Shibumi, Nikolai Hel, is best described as an amalgam of James Bond, Bruce Lee, Robert Mitchum and Jesus Christ. He is the least plausible, most ridiculous character in all of western fiction. He can kill any opponent, bed any woman, and presumably bed any opponent...but only if it was a girl opponent.

Hel is a master of an unnamed (and undescribed) martial art referred to as "Naked/Kill" which allows him to use household objects as deadly weapons, and much as made of the fact that it is completely impossible to defend yourself against him. Riiiiiight.

As the book jacket states, Hel is the ultimate assassin, but he cares not for such things, preferring instead to meditate on eastern philosophy in his enormous Basque castle and go spelunking (yes, seriously) emerging only to collect new female acolytes for sex training. I believe the term "Stage IV Lovemaking ability" is used w/r/t to our hero at one point.

About half the book is devoted to Nikolai's childhood (raised by Japanese prostitutes, of course) and coming of age as master assassin/sex deity, before finally getting to the "plot" in which the "Mother Corporation" tries to hire him, then kill him when he refuses. I will leave it to you bright sparks to figure out who triumphs in the end.

In my research for Shibumi quotes, I came across a wiki on bookshelved.org where the authors refer to Shibumi as a sardonic sendup of the spy novel genre. They express incredulity that Amazon reviews the book as a straight thriller. One refers to the book as"pure camp" and "one long piss take" from cover to cover.

This is food for thought. If Shibumi was written as satire, my rating would immediately go from 1 star to four or 5. There is no denying that this book is funny. If it was MEANT to be funny, I would have to take back most of the bad things I have ever said about it. The Wiki on Trevanian (nee Robert Whitaker, university professor) could be interpreted as evidence. Surely an educated man would not have created this thinly veiled masturbatory fantasy for ineffectual 12 year old boys in earnest? He must be joking...right?

I don't know. I just don't know. Suffice to say, Shibumi stands alone. It is, to borrow from my main man Neal Stephenson, fractally stupid; meaning that if you were to examine any minute aspect of it, that aspect would be as stupid as the book in its entirety.(less)

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5 comments

Feb 12, 2009

Manny rated it:

(review of isbn 0345311809)

bookshelves: games, too-sexy-for-maiden-aunts

Read in January, 1984

If you've ever wanted to know what it takes to become the world's hottest lover and most kick-ass ninja-style assassin, then Shibumi lets you in on the secret. First, you need to learn to play Go well; then you have to become fluent in Basque.

Real Go players tell me I'm about second Dan strength, but unfortunately I don't know any Basque at all. One out of two ain't bad, I guess. Anyway, you've probably figured out why I adore this engagingly crazy book.

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7 comments

Apr 25, 2008

Tim Hainley rated it:

(review of isbn 0345311809)

Read in August, 2007

Less a novel than Trevanian's expansive personal shitlist of people he hates in novel-form. A partial list of said people includes: Arabs, Americans, young people, some Jews, women who aren't concubines, feminists, Texans, Russians, Prussians, merchants, Andy Warhol, modern Japanese, Arabs (seriously,) Italians, French, Brits, some Basques, Cowboys, War Criminals (Japanese ones excluded,) Christians, chess players, wine snobs, Clint Eastwood, bankers, airport security, gays (this despite his see...more

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1 comment

Jul 25, 2009

Mike rated it:

(review of isbn 1400098033)

Read in July, 2009

There are very few books (the estimate is eight) that feature the Japanese board game Go as a central feature. This is not the best, but at least it shows a working knowledge of the game. I am a Go aficianado and from that standpoint, the book does not disappoint. Trevanian has always been a master of phrases and his command of many languages makes him a maven of the written tongue. That said, this has some serious flaws.

First, all of his male characters are completely cynical and c...more

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Jun 19, 2009

Marius van Blerck rated it:

(review of isbn 1400098033)

Read in June, 2009

I must really be missing something. A quick internet search locates many favourable reviews of both this book, and of its author, Rodney William Whitaker (aka Trevanian), who apparently positioned himself as someone who read Proust, but not much else written in the 20th century. Consider this statement from Wikipedia: Shibumi is elaborately written, using a very extended vocabulary, based on a sound knowledge in history and geopolitics, switching easily from pessimism to wry humor, Shibumi is mo...more

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Nov 07, 2009

Stef rated it:

(review of isbn 0786134461)

bookshelves: audiobook, fiction, history, japan, spy, thriller

Read in November, 2009

Shibumi is a geopolitical thriller featuring one of the most blatant Gary Stu characters outside of James Bond. It was published in 1979.

It's well researched and well written; the parts set in the Basque Pyrenees are especially rich. (The author lived there for a while.) The parts of the story about post-war Japan, Go, and caving seemed pretty convincing too. The parts about the supercomputer database, not so much.

In a way this book reminds me of the rock supergroups in...more

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Apr 23, 2008

Bruce Saunders rated it:

(review of isbn 1400098033)

Read in January, 1997

Shibumi is a classic my dad recomended to me. In Nicholai Hel, Trevanian revealed a character that was dark and deadly and to top it he is the most dangerous man alive, a "mauve card". Anyone who likes thrillers, suspence, espionage and james bond (hel would kick his ass) is gonna love this, brilliant! but beware the writers racism and misogyny are bluntly shown, though thru characters who would, possibly, think that way.

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Dec 30, 2008

Sarah rated it:

(review of isbn 1400098033)

bookshelves: crime-law-politics-mystery

Read in January, 2009

I rarely write book reviews, but I have a bone to pick.
There were many very interesting parts of this book, and it started strong. Half-way through, when the main character (Hel) catches up with the present, all goes to hell.
1) Trevanian substitutes thesaurus use for style.
2) None of the main characters have any redeeming value. Despicable human beings.
3) Every woman is an easy lay, and "our hero" is more than happy to oblige. Give me a break.
4) This book ...more

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Aug 03, 2007

Sam rated it:

(review of isbn 1400098033)

recommends it for: your mom

my first spy novel, which I wouldn't think I'd enjoy -- very entertaining, and surprisingly relevant for a novel written 30 years ago. Kind of like the "Bourne" series, only more pretentious and political. It has some interesting commentary on the U.S.'s underhand working in foreign affairs, especially in Japan and the Middle East.

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May 04, 2008

Tim rated it:

(review of isbn 1400098033)

Read in January, 1990

recommended to Tim by: Jim

Think: James Bond for smart people. Great novel which fuses thriller and spy and martial arts and snobby intellectual genres -- and features a guy who plays the Asian game of Go! It was especially fun for me coming out of college when I had gotten hooked on Go, and was about to travel to Japan for the first time.

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1 comment

May 15, 2007

Jeff rated it:

(review of isbn 1400098033)

bookshelves: novels

If you can read this book and not want to be Nikolai Hel, let me know. I'm normally not a fan of the hitman/assassin/somewhat Bourne Identity-esque type of fiction, but I gave this one a chance a liked it quite a bit. Definitely recommended for anyone who wants their dosage of badassedness and some sex on the side.

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Dec 02, 2008

Leftbanker rated it:

(review of isbn 1400098033)

bookshelves: novels

I'll have to create a new bookshelf for this one called “guilty pleasures.” I read Shibumi in English many, many years ago and picked it up in Spanish recently from the bargain bin of a great bookstore here in Valencia called Paris-Valencia. I can justify reading absolutely anything in Spanish so I don't feel like a 'tard reading this half-assed spy novel. Anything to improve my Spanish. For some reason the dust jacket has a picture of an ante-bellum southern mansion on the front cover—ta...more I'll have to create a new bookshelf for this one called “guilty pleasures.” I read Shibumi in English many, many years ago and picked it up in Spanish recently from the bargain bin of a great bookstore here in Valencia called Paris-Valencia. I can justify reading absolutely anything in Spanish so I don't feel like a 'tard reading this half-assed spy novel. Anything to improve my Spanish. For some reason the dust jacket has a picture of an ante-bellum southern mansion on the front cover—talk about random. They could have put a photo of just about anything you could imagine and it would have made the same amount of sense (or complete lack of it).

The actual plot is pretty weak and the author's constant racist, sexist, and bigoted commentary about the lesser races—whatever the fuck those are—is annoying, but I appreciate what he tries to say with his central character, the assassin Nicholai Hel. For as outrageously silly as the book is at times, he does get the message across that human beings are capable of much more than we give ourselves credit for if we only apply ourselves. Most people are just too lazy or too content with their own mediocrity. Unfortunately, the author doesn't seem to think that just any old homo sapien is destined for any sort of greatness as his character is “the result of thousands of years of breeding.” Huh? All I have ever seen royalty produce are inbred goofs like Paris Hilton and Princess Di.

Then there is the Japanese minimalism which shapes the character of the protagonist. I have never particularly admired Japanese culture or values—not that I know much about them. They seem uptight and constipated to my Western way of thinking. I'd much rather look at a ratty patch of weeds than a tortuously-sculpted Japanese garden, but I can appreciate the beauty and comfort of their brand of minimalism—something the protagonist attempts to perfect in his life of Shibumi. This is a personal quest for “effortless perfection” in everything you do.

There is a very long sections in the book in which the author describes spelunking expeditions—a hard thing to do and keep it interesting. I think he pulled it off rather well. I learned a lot of great vocabulary in Spanish as I read through these portions which may come in handy if I do any mountaineering in Spain.(less)

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May 22, 2007

Chris rated it:

(review of isbn 0345311809)

If you want to be awesome, then you need to read this book. I think it worked pretty well for me, if I don't say so myself.

Also, it's probably more of a guy book -- it's basically a spy book involving the world's greatest assassin and most artful lover.

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1 comment

Jan 29, 2008

Brian rated it:

(review of isbn 1400098033)

How do you kill five people on an airplane without any weapons? This book will answer that and provide you with a fun story to keep you entertained. Although I would keep this one in the PG-13 category due to some companionship scenes.

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Feb 07, 2008

Renee rated it:

(review of isbn 1400098033)

I'm not usually a big fan of the espianoge story line, but this story really held my attention. I think I liked the interesting mix of Japanese culture (whether it is accurate or not, who knows) .. but I really enjoyed this book.

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