Shibumi

Trevanian. Shiubumi. New York: Crown1979. Print.

First Sentences:

The screen flashed 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3...then the projector was switched off, and lights came up in a recessed sconces along the walls of the private viewing room. The projectionist's voice was thin and metallic over the intercom. "Ready when you are, Mr. Starr."


Description:

I was intrigued and utterly captivated by Trevanian's Shibumi, when I first read it in the early 1980s. After stumbling across it again at a used book sale, I thought it was worth a purchase and re-read, and I wasn't disappointed. The story, characters, plot, and writing hold up very well forty years later.   

Trevanian, author of the best seller and movie, The Eiger Sanction, offers a new character, Nicholi Hel, a most interesting, dangerous man. Raised by a Russian aristocrat mother and later by a Japanese general in Shanghai who taught him the strategic game of Go, Hel becomes an international figure, master of many languages and cultures. 

His passion is spelunking in dangerous caves. He has also picked up a skill known as "hoda korosu," or "naked kill," which allows him to use common household objects (playing cards, paper clips, etc.) to do bodily harm to enemies.  

Throughout his future life, although he was seldom armed, he was never unarmed; for in his hands a comb, a matchbox, a rolled magazine, a coin, even a folded piece of writing paper could be put to deadly use....For  Nicholai Hel, the average Western room contains just under two hundred lethal weapons.

In his youth, he suffered many hardships including the loss of his mother, the bombing of Hiroshima, and imprisonment by the American government, Naturally, he has a few grudges against several people and countries. 

It is only natural that he uses his skills to become the world's most feared assassin, although the book does not detail any of his "stunts" as he refers to them. Most have happened prior to the book's major narrative when Hel is retired and seeking to live in peace. 

But the Mother Company, an international organization which controls the CIA, NSA, etc., has botched a recent assassination attempt on the Munich Olympics killers. They will not leave Hel alone after learning one of the assassination survivors showed up at Hel's isolated Basque home to ask for help.

A violent man, no. His calm voice and demeanor reflects his thoughtful study of the life philosophy and practice of "Shabumi," the state of effortless perfection. He has restored a castle to fit with his lifestyle, including a rain porch where he can listen to the tones of rain on the roof, garden, and stream (which he tunes for more perfect sounds by moving the stream's rocks into different positions). These luxuries require money, hence his anonymous profession of the past as a highly-paid assassin.

Shibumi has to do with great refinement underlying commonplace appearances. It is a statement so correct that it does not have to be bold, so poignant it does not have to b e pretty, so true it does not have to be real. Shibumi is understanding, rather than knowledge. Eloquent silence. In demeanor, it is modesty with pudency....elegant simplicity, articulate brevity.

I don't want to reveal too much of the plot, but suffice to say this character, Nicholai Hel, is fascinating on every page. He calmly discusses philosophy, social mannerisms, game theory, life choices, and cultural differences, each of which is intriguing and absorbing to read about. These have shaped his upbringing and still influence his current life. And now he finds himself unwillingly drawn back into the world of secret, nefarious operations.

If you are a fan of thrillers, government covert plans, international politics, cultural philosophy, and just great characters, I highly recommend Shibumi. It is the best of this genre, next only to I Am Pilgrim (see below) that I have ever read...and I have read a bunch of them. Enjoy.

 

Happy reading. 

 

Fred

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If this book interests you, be sure to check out:

Hayes, Terry. I Am Pilgrim  

The best international thriller I have ever read, regarding a terrorist and his plot to destroy the United States, and his pursuer from a secret government agency. Unbelievably tense, well-written plot with two great characters. Highest recommendation.  (previously reviewed here)