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Bob Lee Swagger is getting long in the tooth. Hunter's great character needs to come to resolution, and this West-East mashup isn't the vehicle to take Bob Lee to his retirement.Those who read this story need to keep in mind that is that, a story. Maybe not a great entry in the Bob Lee sage, but still fairly satisfying and as well written as most of the rest. It does not rise to the pinnacle of Hunter's best works even while being recognizably a part of the total canon.Another synopsis laden rev...
Things get better somewhere in the middle of book. There was finally some action going on cause I was getting kinda bored with all encyclopedia stuff that found it's way into the narrative. The strangest thing in the book is how Swagger learned how to fight with a sword so good he could beat all those Japanese fighters who spent long years in learning and practice? I actually liked how story echoed the legend about 47 samurai. The history repeats itself.
Love Bob Lee Character, and will probably finish series, but I didn't enjoy the narrator - Buck Shirner..... Stephen Hunter always weaves a great story, but I felt this was not as good as the others, maybe just not my cup of tea/story ......
This book has it all: original premise, likeable characters, fast paced action and a bit of dark humor. The narration by Buck Schirner is a perfect match for Stephen Hunter's writing, and the result is pure, unadulterated entertainment.
Not my favorite of his but it does have some great scenes and he does his research.
If you speak or understand Japanese at all do not waste your time with the the audio version of this book. The reader has horrible pronunciation. He has no idea how to say some of these words. Also his Japanese "characters" boarder on racist.It seems as though the author took one trip to Japan and based his stereotypes on his first impressions.If you know nothing of Japan this is as entertaining as any other book of this type. Passes the time and is quickly forgotten or mingled with a zillion ot...
I really do try not to be cynical and always try to give the author credit when I’m reading because they did, after all, go through the effort of writing a book and getting it published. All the more so, really, because Stephen Hunter has been one of my recent favorite thriller writers. The dude is awesome. I also try my best to suspend belief at all times in the service of just having more fun with a book. All that said, this book was...just kinda dumb, really. Honestly, I was really trying to
I was not supposed to like this. Rambo, A-team, Seagal, all those American Ninjas, except this time in the guise of a samurai, and off course, America is the greatest. All of those combined, with lots of blood and gore, but I did enjoy it, because Stephen Hunter is a good writer, actually, make that a very good writer
I'm sure that some will read this book and rate it lower than I have...there is a HUGE eye roll factor here in at least one way. I'll say this...do some mental exercise and beef up your "suspension of disbelief muscles". I like the Bob Lee Swagger character pretty well. However the Bob here isn't quite the Bob we've met before. There's not a huge difference but anyone who's followed the series will probably see the differences.This however is not the eye roll factor. I'll have to discuss that un...
Audiobook - listened to 4 of 12.5 hours - 1 star out of 5 - DNFI started this novel with some reasonable expectations although GR readers reviews were pretty mixed. The narrator was OK, but the story - it just went everywhere and nowhere for me. After a couple of hours of thinking "umm ... am I going to like/finish this?". A couple of hours later I went back to the GR reviews and found that I had tilted way towards agreeing with the one and two star reviews, figured Bobby Lee wasn't going to get...
Stephan Hunter has been my movie reviewer of choice for more than 30 years. First, when I lived in Baltimore and read him in the Sun, then when he followed me down to DC and took a job with the Post. (That doesn't sound too egotistical, does it? Something tells me Oliver Sacks would have a field day parsing the self-absorption in that sentence.) That said, he (we) are still boys at heart. Full of all the fascination for things that go boom or cut and bleed. It was only a matter of time when all
A very compelling read I burned through in three days. Stephen Hunter has always known how to weave a top quality yarn and The 47th Samurai is one of his absolute finest.
Bob Lee will go as far as he has to to succeed in his battles. The ending was precious.
Wow! Hunter just keeps getting better. The series may have to end prematurely, however, if Bob Lee Swagger keeps getting chunks of his anatomy shot off, blown off, or as in "The 47th Samurai" carved off. And ol' Bob Lee ain't getting any younger. There are some lessons here, about loyalty and honor, and respecting the wisdom and experience of older generations, but Mr. Hunter doesn't let them get in the way of a good story. Outstanding read.
Bob Lee Swagger becomes a Samurai. I mean, really? I thought he was a rifleman! So what's next?Bob Lee Swagger is a surfer. And he pals around with Dennis Wilson of the Beach Boys, and together they break up a murderous hippie cult. ("Let go of the girl, Charlie. I mean it!")
Don't read it for accuracy or believability.But if you can suspend your disbelief, it's a thriller. Another Bob Lee Swagger book, and I enjoyed it every bit as much as the others, perhaps more. The cultural insights into Japan and the respect in which Hunter holds the culture are both interesting and touching. I actually believed, while reading it, in a "trees instead of forest" mindset, that Swagger could do those things with a sword even on so little training. It's a lot of fun, but has its is...
A decent action thriller with a few interesting twists. I appreciate the work of authors that shows that they have put an effort into researching the information they include in their novels. My all time favorite Tom Clancy was one of them: the level of technical and political detail was always satisfying and showed to me that the author respects his reader and doesn't take their satisfaction with just a nice story for granted. The same is the case here: I assume Hunter had consulted his work wi...
What a silly book that was clearly written by a writer who unapologetically knows little of Japan. That the average Japanese holds up samurai culture as a paragon is little more than a gaijin fantasy. And real samurai sword fighting? Please. Another sad example of a misinformed writer adding to the exotic Japan myth.
Six-Word Review: Strange request, danger lurks, Swagger prevails.I admit I'm a Stephen Hunter junkie. His stories are full of coincidences, improbable heroes, including Bob Lee and his dad, and unlikely scenarios but I read his books to escape reality not immerse myself in it. If a reader wants literature instead of an action-filled yarn, avoid Hunter.In this issue, Swagger is visited by the son of a Japanese officer his dad had a deathly encounter with on Iwo Jima in WW II. Swagger Senior ended...
Stephen Hunter must have spent considerable time researching Samauri, swords, and Japanese culture in general because it is so detailed that sometimes it gets tediously more noticeable than the plot. I did not enjoy this book as much as the previous appearances of Bob Lee Swagger, but am glad that I read it. Hunter's character's are fun, full of energy, all built around Swagger's indestructabilty and vulnerabilty. You have to love Hunter's sense of humor which is best exposed in his acknowlegeme...