A fan of Stephen Hunter before, even more now that I’ve read The 47th Samurai. This starts with Bob Lee Swaggart’s father, Earl, becoming a Medal of Honor winner on Iwo Jima, as Hunter gives more details about that story. Earl was the cloth from which Bob Lee was made. At Iwo, Earl came in possession of a sword that he got from a dead Japanese soldier, Captain Hideki Yano, and it is decades later that Philip Yano, the son of the man he killed, in search of the sword, contacted Bob Lee. It would give away too much of the story to say too much more, but the adventure takes Bob Lee on two trips to Japan, both of which are filled with death. Even though our hero seems out of place in a country where he does not speak the language, Hunter creates a believable scenario in which Bob Lee operates with his usual soldier’s mentality and unflinching ethical standards. He also digs into some aspects of Japanese history and culture. I’m a bit of a Nipponophile, and I’ve remained in touch with the Yano family from Osaka since the late 60s. In their household, swordplay was an important skill to learn, at least for the boys. I literally could not put this book down, stayed up late, got up early –finished it in under 24 hours. This one is far more than just another airplane book.
No comments:
Post a Comment