Enzan: The Far Mountain (Connor Burke Martial Arts Series #5)

by John J. Donohue

Overview

Chie Miyazaki is wild and spoiled—the pampered child of a cadet line of the Imperial house of Japan. When she disappears in the United States accompanied by a slick Korean boyfriend, it sets off alarms among elite officials in Japan’s security apparatus.

The Japanese want the problem solved quietly, so they seek out Connor Burke, prize student of Sensei Yamashita. Burke suspects that he’s being used, but he accepts the assignment out of honor for his revered sensei.

A covert search and rescue operation turns into a confrontation with a North Korean sleeper cell, and Burke finally discovers the secret that drove Yamashita from Japan so many years ago and the power behind the decades-old connections that pull Yamashita back into danger in the service of the imperial family.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781594392818
Publisher:	YMAA Publication Center
Publication date:	07/01/2014
Series:	A Connor Burke Martial Arts Thriller , #5
Pages:	296
Product dimensions:	5.10(w) x 7.90(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

A nationally know expert on the culture and practice of the martial arts, John Donohue has been banging around dojo for more than 30 years.

Fascinated with the themes of human action and potential he uncovered in his research, John began thinking about the fictional possibilities inherent in the world of the martial arts.

John has always been fascinated with other cultures and was attracted to the Asian martial disciplines because of their blend of philosophy and action. He began studying Shotokan Karatedo in college. He joined practical training with more formal education, completing a Ph.D. in Anthropology from the State Universityof New York at Stony Brook.

Fusing the way of the pen and the way of the sword, while writing John has trained in the martial disciplines of aikido, iaido, judo, karatedo, kendo, and taiji. He has dan (black belt) ranks in both karatedo and kendo.

Editorial Reviews

Incredible ... delightful ... couldn't put it down. (5 hearts)

Heartland Reviews

A Zen master, a princess, and a martial artist burst out of their archetypes to reveal deep and likable characters. Stupendous!

Foreword Reviews

3 out of 5 stars. I strongly suspect that readers of John Donahue’s four previous “burke books” need only to be told that there is a new one out titled “Enzan: The Far Mountain” and they will seek it out. However, if you are new to the John Donahue‘s fiction, as I was, I offer this advice; you need not be overly concerned about the book being part of a series as it stands quite well on it’s own merit. The story is this: the daughter of a rich and powerful Japanese family is a willing participant in sex games with thugs. Pictures of her activities are being sent to her father, a high-ranking diplomat in the Japanese Foreign Service, in order to embarrass and manipulate him. The family reaches out to Burke and his Sensei, Yamashita for help. Why them? The answer comes to light in a diary written by Yamashita‘s old enemy Mori. When Burke decides to shoulder the burden to shield Yamashita, the double dealing and betrayals only wrap them tighter together. The story is awash in the culture of Japan and Burke’s devotion to the “way of the warrior” lends a semi-religiosity to the story. These injections of Japanese aestheticism and martial arts philosophy provide both reasons for, and contrasts to, the violence surrounding the mission to retrieve the errant daughter. I found “Enzan” to be well written and interesting. The actions of Burke and Yamashita have realistic consequences; they, and their opponents are skillful, but there is no superhero, or mega-villain, within it’s pages. All the characters have voices that seem true to life; they interact and clash in an unfantastic manner with that of Burke. I think anyone, and particularly those who have an interest in Japanese martial arts, will enjoy this slim novel. I received an advance reader’s copy of “Enzan: The Far Mountain” from NetGalley.

J Alton

4 out of 5 stars. Although I am not someone who engages in the martial arts, and had not read the earlier books in this series, I thoroughly enjoyed this one. The main character is engaging and I appreciated his self-deprecating wry humor. The plot held together reasonably well for a thriller. I am now going to see if I can read some of the earlier books in the series, which is as strong a compliment as I can make.

David Daniel Klipper

4 out of 5 stars. Interesting plot and well written. Recommend for those Einstein martial arts.

Marjorie Benet

A Zen master, a princess, and a martial artist burst out of their archetypes to reveal deep and likable characters. Stupendous!

ForeWord Reviews

2014-03-17
The fifth installment in an imaginative martial arts thriller series. Connecticut-based anthropologist, black belt and prolific author Donohue (Kage: The Shadow, 2011, etc.) is a martial arts expert who has parlayed his acumen into a succession of popular crime dramas featuring heroic defender Connor Burke. This time around, Burke takes time out from his intensive training regimen with aging sensei Yamashita Rinsuke to be propositioned by the powerful and elite Japanese Miyazaki family. Under the guise that Yamashita has somehow become indebted to them, the Miyazakis commission Burke, renowned for his work with the Kunaicho ("the Imperial Household Agency") in aiding the Japanese royal family, to locate and return their defiant, nymphomaniacal 23-year-old daughter, Chie, who has gone missing. Initially, Chie's father attributed his daughter's absence from school and home to restless "daughter-gone-wild-in-grad-school" syndrome; family honor and confidentiality prevented them from taking more drastic and conventional actions to find her. But Chie's sketchy, low-life boyfriend, Lim, and her history of drug use has everyone believing her disappearance could be a malicious kidnapping. Against his brother's better judgment, Burke embarks on a treacherous investigation with a Brooklyn mobster's assistant, Alejandro (who also seems to disappear midway through the novel). Soon, the investigation is bolstered by a precious book containing Yamashita's expansive personal history. Chapters featuring an onslaught of Taser-armed skilled torturers and tactical villains unfold as the tension mounts and Burke's progress in finding Chie is blocked at every pass. His saving grace comes after drawing on the powerful wisdom obtained throughout his tutelage by Yamashita. Once tough-talking Chie enters the fray, the plot heats up, and Donohue's talent for serpentine, fast-paced action erupts. Throughout the book's first half, Donohue cleverly intertwines the story with opinions and interesting perspectives on Eastern Zen philosophy and the rich history of martial arts, a direction that not only expands the breadth of the mystery, but also serves to enlighten his audience throughout this vivid, exhilarating ride. Multilayered and satisfying, a welcome and well-developed addition to an accomplished martial arts series.

Kirkus Reviews