Duel for the Samurai Sword

Race Against Time #5

by J.J. Fortune

Stephen and his Uncle Richard travel to Japan when Richard's old kendo instructor asks for help

144 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1984

Reviews

[Bart Gilbertson]

In their 5th adventure together, Uncle Richard and Stephen find themselves on the streets of Tokyo, Japan being pursued by members of the Yakuza under the behest of a power hungry crime lord named Sakuma Mori. Richard was gifted a priceless sword from his former master while on his deathbed, a sword that Sakuma covets and unjustly believes should be his. Because, with this sword, he could rule the entire Yakuza underworld and demand the respect of all its leaders. Joining Richard and Stephen is Aka, the daughter of Richard's former master, as they are pursued by car and on foot all over Tokyo which leads to the final showdown ... a climactic duel of swords that will settle matters once and for all.

Of the books in the series, I felt this was one of the better ones. It is quirky, humorous in places, and full of narrow escapes and adventure. I really enjoyed this one. Present once more, are their "super" wrist watches, the Kronom K-D2, that can do basically whatever they need them to in a tight spot. Having smart phones today with all of their capabilities, almost makes these devices insignificant. But, back in the day, when these books were written, it was rather impressive.

I highly recommend this one. It is a fun, quick read and worth the time you spend. The chemistry between Uncle and Nephew are spot on here, as they race against time to get home (as usual) before the unsuspecting parents do. A solid 4 stars out of 5.

[Christin Singstad]

«Å gå i teateret med onkel Richard mens mor og far er bortreist, er langt fra kjedelig. Stephen får riktignok ikke sett noe av forestillingen, for onkel Richard må i all hast reise til Tokyo. Og Stephen blir med.
Sammen med Aka, datteren til onkelens gamle fektelærer, kjemper de en innbitt kamp. De må forhindre at en gjeng banditter får tak i det gamle samuraisverdet. Et sverd som aldri trekkes uten at noen mister blod».


Jeg synes denne boka var ganske spennende. Kapitlene var korte og veldig lettlest, i tillegg til at boken er relativt kort. Boka gikk egentlig fort å lese, men på grunn av VM tok jeg meg litt lengre tid. Denne boka er et godt opp fra den forrige jeg leste, og J.J skriver godt. Jeg så ingen skrivefeil, så språket klinger godt sammen med teksten. Anbefales virkelig å lese!

[Sean]

I LOVED this book as a kid! What I still don't understand is how the Karate Kid II got away with their film-the plot is lifted right from this book! (And yes, the book came first) I know it is a kid's book, but another big movie M. Night Shyamalan's The Village was successfully sued by children's author Margaret Peterson Haddix, for the book Running Out of Time, and I think that has less credibility than this! I loved this series and am sorry that it was so short-lived and sold so poorly. I think the entire series is excellent, and it's a real kick in the face (no karate pun intended-and by the way, this book is NOT violent) that a big Hollywood movie stole a lot of the plot

[Kari]

Adventure book. Nothing more, nothing less