Dai-sho

Frank DiPalma #1

by Marc Olden

Strong spine with light creasing. Bright clean cover has light creasing, shelf and edge wear. Text is perfect. Same day shipping first class.

Genres: Thriller, Martial Arts, Action, Pulp, Japan

416 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1985

About the author

Marc Olden (1933–2003) was the author of forty mystery and suspense novels. Born in Baltimore, he began writing while working in New York as a Broadway publicist. His first book, Angela Davis (1973), was a nonfiction study of the controversial Black Panther. In 1973 he also published Narc, under the name Robert Hawke, beginning a hard-boiled nine-book series about a federal narcotics agent.

A year later, Black Samurai introduced Robert Sand, a martial arts expert who becomes the first non-Japanese student of a samurai master. Based on Olden’s own interest in martial arts, which led him to the advanced ranks of karate and aikido, the novel spawned a successful eight-book series. Olden continued writing for the next three decades, often drawing on his fascination with Japanese culture and history.

Reviews

[Phil · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another 'Kung Foo' pulp 80s thriller from Olden, but this time with a supernatural aspect that makes this border either on horror or fantasy as well. Our main protagonist, Frank DiPalma, is an ex-NYC cop who practices martial arts and even wrote a book on Japanese martial arts and swords (the title refers to the long (Dai) and short (sho) swords samurais used in combat). First published in 1983, most of the story takes place in Hong Kong and Tokyo which was seriously cool, as Olden gives both cities a serious gritty feel. Hong Kong, facing 1997 when it reverts back to China, and Tokyo, the beating hart of both old and new Japan.

The antagonists: Nosaka, a WWII vet who led Japan's secret police and penal system for POWs and now a leading industrialist/banker, and Kenpachi, a Japanese patriot famous film director for whom Nosaka serves as his mentor about all things Japan. In a somewhat bizarre turn of events, DiPalma's old flame Jan is producing her first film with Kenpachi as the director; the film is set largely in Hong Kong and Tokyo. DiPalma has a long history with Kenpachi, and not a very nice one. DiPalma now works hosting a TV show in NYC about crime and such and has become fairly famous himself.

I will not go into details to avoid spoilers, but the gist is something like this. Nosaka was originally sentenced to hang for his war crimes during WWII, but the cold war broke open and the US realized it could use Nosaka's intelligence regarding Russia and China, so he got off the hook. Nosaka nurtured a deep hatred for the Allied team that prosecuted him then and vowed vengeance before his death (he is now in his 80s). Kenpachi, on the other hand, wants to commit seppuku after the film is completed-- he is at the top of his career and in his 30s, never wants to grow old and diseased. He also wants his death to awaken the old Japanese spirit he sees being crushed by Westernization.

What does this have to do with DiPalma? Well, he has a son in Hong Kong via a Chinese woman who he dated 12 years ago, but they never married. The son's step-father works in a branch of Nosaka's bank in Hong Kong and is as dirty as they come. He wants to blackmail Nosaka and has a huge file of dirty deeds. Well, Nosaka and Kenpachi team up and reconvene a WWII group of warriors and ninjas who decide to take care of business. DePalma learns of the file. When the bodies start adding up (including DiPalma's old flame and her husband), leaving Todd (DiPalma's son) an orphan, DiPalma flies to Hong Kong to sort things out, and want to go to Tokyo to get some justice...

Olden includes lots of steamy sex, erotic scenes, ninja action and all kinds of other foo. The supernatural aspect has something to do with a samurai spirit from the 16th century and a famous (if mad) swordsmith from Japan who created 'evil' weapons during the same era.

Overall, exciting at times, loved the grit of Hong Kong and Tokyo. Fairly complicated story, but Olden ties it all together nicely. While no Shōgun, a nice pulpy Kung Foo thriller. 3.5 ninjas, rounding up!

[K · Rating 4 out of 5]

Would have been a 5 star but for a bit too much mysticism for my tastes. I am a fan of Feudal Japan and martial arts so this book's flaws get more of a pass than were the subject matter different. It has enough twists in plot for a good read, and the connection to tradition and Budo appealed to me. All in all, I enjoyed this book.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

There's really only one good reason to read this book: ninjas. This story's got ninjas all over the place. And samurai, which are similar to ninjas. It also has a lot of people who are neither samurai nor ninjas but still practice the martial arts and fight a lot. Pretty much everybody in the story practices some form of martial art and has become very proficient at it. Even the 11-year-old boy kills a few people with his kendo skills. Anyway, that's the sort of stuff that makes the book a fairly satisfying read. If that doesn't sound appealing to you, though, you'd probably best steer clear. Because the other story elements only go downhill from there. Olden is extremely well-versed in Japanese culture, and I really enjoyed the insights he provides, along with the mystical elements the story utilizes every now and then. However, many aspects of the plot are about as far-fetched as they come. (For example, it's amazing how people in the story randomly come together from all over the world only to discover that they've all been previously acquainted.) Olden has a strange habit of giving us way too much back story on unimportant characters, while rushing through far more interesting and relevant scenes. The main characters are a middle-aged, grey-haired ex-cop turned news anchor who fights with his cane, and his eleven-year-old son. I love seeing older guys as leads in action stories, but Olden can't write the kid's dialog worth a darn. It's also talky and slow-paced for this type of story, definitely a far cry from the likes of modern thrill-meisters like Patterson or Brown. Still, if you loved The Octagon with Chuck Norris, this is of similar pedigree.

[Steven Allen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good read, but not one that I will add to the permanent library collection. I have always enjoyed books about the Far East ever since reading Clavell's Shogun. In my youth, I could only dream of visiting the exotic locations mentioned in these books - part of what drew me to a career in the military was the opportunity to see places I had only read about.

[Leo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wäre ich nicht ohnehin so ein Japan- und Ninja-Fan, hätte ich das Buch wahrscheinlich nach kurzem Reinlesen als Trash abgetan und beiseite gelegt. Zwei Faktoren waren einfach überpräsent:

1. Andauernd werden irgendwelche japanischen Ausdrücke kursiv und zwischen zwei Kommata eingeworfen, als wollte der Autor damit zur Schau stellen, dass er auch wirklich Japan-Kenntnisse besitze. Meiner Meinung nach kann man diese entweder anständig in den Text einfließen lassen, sofern es dafür keine angemessene Übersetzung gibt, oder sie einfach weglassen, da sie selten zum besseren Verständnis beitragen.

2. Das Buch - zumindest die deutsche Übersetzung - wimmelt von Rechtschreib-, Tipp- und Übersetzungsfehlern.

Drei Sternchen verdient sich der Roman allerdings mit Merkmalen, die für die Qualität einer Geschichte dann wohl doch die wichtigeren sind:

Er ist unterhaltsam. Unter dem teilweise etwas platten bis albernen Schreibstil (womöglich auch der Übersetzung verschuldet) verbirgt sich eine interessante und sogar politische Handlung, ausgeführt von Charakteren, die man dank der jeweiligen Gedankeneinblicke und Beschreibungen (auktorialer Erzähler, hehe) deutlich vor sich sehen und entsprechend eine Haltung zu ihnen einnehmen kann; wobei doch deutlich mehr Unsympathen als das Gegenteil zum Zuge kommen.

Ob ich Dai-Sho abschließend eher trashig oder doch einfach nur abgefahren finde, kann ich schwer beurteilen. Übersinnliche Erfahrungen, Wiedergeburt, Ultranationalismus und Transsexualität an jeder Ecke sind eben doch eine recht seltsame Kombination.

[Shadow · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Dai-Sho” is very reminiscent of Eric van Lustbader's work from the 1980s--particularly his bestseller “The Ninja”. Like that novel, this one has international intrigue, a conspiracy going back to war-time Japan, a tough New York cop, martial arts experts, lethal ninja assassins, espionage, Eastern mysticism, brutal violence, depraved villains and sexually-charged characters. I actually preferred this to Lustbader’s books because Olden doesn’t go overboard with the sex and his action scenes are more believable. My favorite scenes were the ninja assassinations, of which there are several. My main criticisms are that none of the characters were particularly likeable and the supernatural element got a bit far-fetched--into supernatural horror territory like The Exorcist, The Omen or The Shining. But if you’re an 80s kid like me and you love ninja movies, “Scarface” and classic horror, this should be right up your alley. Marc Olden is a great find for me; I will definitely be checking out his other novels of that era such as "Giri", "Gaijin" and "Oni".

[John Grace · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this back in high school, figured it was time for a third reading. Gen X had to read novels for our sex and violence kicks, we didn't have Grand Theft Auto to satisfy that need. Olden's foray's into "Oriental lust & intrigue" airport reads were superior to Eric Van Lustbader's work and far more accurate in their depiction of martial arts and Asian cultures. The sex and violence were often a bit much but seemingly mandatory for men's fiction of the day. Dai-Sho isn't the best Olden, but it's enjoyable enough and superior to most of the Black Samurai paperbacks that he churned out in the 70s.

[Donald Trump · Rating 2 out of 5]

Low Energy!
** 2 Stars.

[Douglas · Rating 1 out of 5]

this book opens decent enough with the samurai and the ninja fighting then the samurai gets an arrow to the eye that goes straight through and he continues to fight on as if he was just bit by a mosquito the Ridiculousness doesnt stop theres a kid who practises kendo has the dead samurai inside of him and goes passes out sevral times rememerbing all the details visualizing himself in the samurais role cutting down the ninjas and then the author introduces some gay japanese film maker who apparently is renown in the us and japan but he hates the westernaztion of japan so what hes gonna do about it kill himself in hopes of japan returing to the tokugawa age

[Charles]

So far so good. I love this shit.

[Mike · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fast paced thriller with very interesting storytelling. One of the most original and exciting thrillers I've read in a long time.

[Brian Thomas · Rating 1 out of 5]

The worst book I've ever read.

[Ridhwaan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read.

[Danielle Peterson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice to read on the commute. It's a page turner and I wanted to find out what happened next.

[Roger · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed it but I read it too long ago to remember much about it. I was about 9.

[Frank Docherty]

This book is another classic, it is written by an author of great talent