Gaijin

I had not read anything of Marc Olden before reading this book, but now hope to find more of his novels if they're anything like this one. The story is fairly complex but not so much as to be confusing, the characters are well-developed, there is plenty of action and the pace of the story is quick and lively.As I said the story is complex but to briefly recap, this is a story of Simon, an accomplished thief, who together with his equally savvy ex-CIA mom, battles with Gaijin, an Englishman who has forsaken his country of birth to join the Yakuza (Japanese Mafia). Though Simon would have to be considered the main character, there are several other characters who have as much or more "page time", yet the story never gets confusing, a testament to Olden's writing skill.The only negative I would have is that occasionally Olden gives an elaborate buildup to events that turn out to be relatively minor, but overall the story is definitely worth a read. It sort of reminds me on Tom Clancy's novels before he got so wordy.

I honestly believe Marc Olden personally practices martial arts. His description and narrative are simple, but clear. Many twists and turns make you keep the pages turning. Gaijin makes you wonder how deep is hatred, how awesome it is to go on nurituring pain so you can remember the wrongs done against you. Suspense in this book is masterful, no writer comes close to Marc when it comes to blending and bending the East and the West.

Marc Olden chooses his subjects well, he is graphic in description with attention to detail. He lets the reader immerse himself into the world he created in his writing making one feels the character. Delightful, Entertaining, precision violence, graphic and down right suspenseful.

The wars of any kinds are all disastrous. The most gloomy factor of wars is that each participating side holds the view that it is fighting for what is right and just, yet in most times the reality lies that none of the participating sides are viewed as just and worth other's sympathy. This has destined the miserable endings of the characters in this novel. The Gaijing fights vigorously for the Japanese, while Simon for his own dignity. The result is simple, both of them have lost their most valuable possessions: Gaijing, his beloved woman and hard-earned status in the underground sphere; Simon, his smart and a little stubborn mother.