Satori

By: Don Winslow

Narrated by: Holter Graham

Length: 12 hrs and 28 mins

Publisher's summary

Nicholai Hel - genius, mystic, and the perfect formidable assassin - was first introduced to listeners in Shibumi, the classic number one best seller by master storyteller Trevanian. Now critically acclaimed author Don Winslow continues Hel's story for the first time in this all-new, blockbuster thriller.

Prepare to meet the world's most dangerous man....

It is the fall of 1951, and the Korean War is raging. Twenty-six-year-old Nicholai Hel has spent the last three years in solitary confinement at the hands of the Americans. Hel is a master of hoda korosu, or "naked kill," is fluent in seven languages, and has honed extraordinary "proximity sense" - an extra-awareness of the presence of danger. He has the skills to be the world's most fearsome assassin and now the CIA needs him.

The Americans offer Hel freedom, money, and a neutral passport in exchange for one small service: to go to Beijing and kill the Soviet Union's commissioner to China. It's almost certainly a suicide mission, but Hel accepts. Now he must survive chaos, violence, suspicion, and betrayal while trying to achieve his ultimate goal of satori - the possibility of true understanding and harmony with the world.

©2010 Don Winslow (P)2011 Hachette Audio

Out of His League!

So unlike his previous work, I had the feeling Winslow "had always wanted to try political intrigue" as his motivation for this dog. It drones on interminably from cliché to cliché, never really building any suspense and it's protagonist is paper thin and not really very likable. By the time I gave up on the book (which I rarely do) I was hoping someone would just shoot the bastard.
About mid way through we are taken to a climactic moment that just begged for some imaginative escape or twist and we are offered a solution so implausible and uninspired that I thought the thing was over with, but sadly we had only reached the end of the first download.

Awesome Prequel to Shibumi

Don Winslow scores another monster hit with this book. If you enjoyed Shibumi, you WILL enjoy this as well. It made me long for a sequel to Shibumi.

I was skeptical

I was skeptical that this book would come anywhere close to being as good as Trevanian's "Shibumi." I was pleasantly surprised. As the cliche goes, "I couldn't put it down." Great prequel. Great plots and premises, writing and enjoyable narration.

If you liked Shibumi, you will like Satori

What made the experience of listening to Satori the most enjoyable?

Winslow took on an impossible assignment and pulled it off. I was so glad to back in the world Trevanian created. What impressed me the most was the performance by Holter Graham, it was outstanding. So many characters, accents and foreign languages to contend with, I'm so impressed with his work on this. It seems to me, that one of the most difficult things for a narrator to do, is to voice the opposite sex without sounding comical or artificial. Graham did such a great job on this, I forgot this was a male narrator. His talent allowed me to experience the book, without getting pulled out of it because of a bad accent or mispronunciation. Bravo.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

The story was excellent, not predictable at all, in a good way. There were parts that surprised me, but the author replays the scene over in Hel's head to show where he (and us) missed things.

Which scene was your favorite?

I wouldn't want to give anything away, but near the end, I realized how drawn into the book I had become. I was experiencing the same feelings as the characters, and I wanted it to end so I could relax. Most books don't pull me in.

Any additional comments?

I hope Winslow writes another one.

Shibumi/Satori...Bravo

I've read Shibumi Thrice, Satori has many characters, I had to reach back to Shibumi to keep up

Wrong Narrator. Not a bad story...

Not the right narrator for this. Should have had someone with some weight like RC Bray.

The story was interesting, not great. There are better Winslow stories.

flawless

Since this was a thematic departure in some ways for Don Winslow I didn't have very high expectations.
I was not very familiar with Shibumi or it's author Trevanian when I started Satori. Now I can't wait to read it.
Hel is a truly fascinating and layered character and, admittedly not having read Shibumi yet, I would guess Winslow has done Trevanian proud with his recreation.

Entertaining

The subnotes and attention to detail were of Trevanian quality. Heil is likeable indeed

Better than I could have imagined!

Excellent prequel to Trevanian’s “Shibumi!” Really hope Don Winslow will agree to write more novels based on Nicholai Hel.

Nice But Not Winslow's Best

Nice thriller but not Winslow's best. Winslow is best when his characters are beach bums, potheads, or surfers. Here he takes a risk by taking one of Trevanian's beloved characters and trying to write a new adventure for him. It doesn't work that well if you have already read or heard "Shimumi" and loved it (the opposite may be true if you haven't). The main character learns to become a assassin to quickly and easily to be believable. Also the character doesn't have the cynical devil-may-care attitude and feeling of the original character. It just doesn't work well. I give this three stars more out of charity because I am a Winslow fan more than because I think it deserves even that. The reader is great but he can only do so much with the story.