Shibumi

By: Trevanian

Narrated by: Joe Barrett

Length: 16 hrs and 44 mins

Publisher's summary

Nicholai Hel, born in the ravages of World War I China to an aristocratic Russian mother and a mysterious German father, raised in the spiritual gardens of a Japanese Go Master, survives the destruction of Hiroshima to emerge as the world's most artful lover and its most accomplished and highly paid assassin. Genius, mystic, master of language and culture, Hel's secret is his determination to attain a rare kind of personal excellence, a state of effortless perfection: shibumi.

Now living in an isolated mountain fortress with his magnificent Eurasian mistress, Hel faces his most sinister enemy, a super-monolith of espionage and monopoly. The battle lines are drawn: ruthless power and corruption on one side and on the other, shibumi.

©1979 Trevanian (P)2005 Blackstone Audiobooks

Critic reviews

• 2005 Audie Award Nominee, Solo Narration (Male)

"It's hard to imagine a more nearly perfect spy story." (Milwaukee Journal)
"Novels about international intrigue demand intricate plotting. Shibumi delivers." (Los Angeles Times)

a good book.

it was a pretty good book, started off kinda slow buy it picked up pretty fast. it was an awesome book.

Wow, makes you think and laugh and feel sadness. Amazing.

I have been in the military 20 years and am an American and while I wondered how I would feel about a main character who had a distinct distaste for the "Americans" - I have to admit I actually agreed with his thoughts - put the way they were. This book will make you think, have you laughing out loud and hoping you are in traffic that days you are listening to it because you won't want to stop. It is so well written that you will be anticipating hearing it again as it has the ability to make you feel as if you have gained a new education and yet the story in and of itself is also so outstandingly written that I felt I would have learned a lot more in high school if this was the type of book I was given to read. You will feel as if you should have had to use two credits getting this novel. It never disappoints. Ashleigh

Classic

Read at very influential age and it had a deep effect on the way I would eventually deal with both life's ups and downs. A fascinating, although stricken fictitious ideal to strive for in living one's life.

A Fated Concept of Reluctant Beauty

Seemingly satire of contemporary books in the same genre, but ended up thoroughly entertaining through the last word.

Only a Russian could be this shibumi

This book is for people who like James Bond, Jason Bourne, and all those other super-ninja Gary Stu action heroes fueled by atomic testosterone. Except if you pay attention, Trevanian is laughing at you. Shibumi shamelessly exploits every single cliche in the genre and then sneers at them. Trevanian's mockery of American culture is acidly funny and not particularly affectionate. Sometimes the self-aware satire and the angry derision seem to blend together.

“It was not their irritating assumption of equality that annoyed Nicholai so much as their cultural confusions. The Americans seemed to confuse standard of living with quality of life, equal opportunity with institutionalized mediocrity, bravery with courage, machismo with manhood, liberty with freedom, wordiness with articulation, fun with pleasure - in short, all of the misconceptions common to those who assume that justice implies equality for all, rather than equality for equals.”

So what to make of a book where the main character is named Nicholai Hel? His mother was a Russian aristocrat, he was born in Shanghai, he was raised by a Japanese go master, and in the aftermath of World War II, he becomes the most ninjaest ninja ever. He learns Basque while spending three years in solitary confinement and so he moves to Spain to hang out in Basque country with his Afro-Euroasian concubine who is lovingly described as a collection of all the best body parts from the sum total of her ethnicities.

The plot is your basic revenge thriller: Hel's ties of duty and obligation bring him into conflict with the Mother Company, which is the umbrella organization representing all the world's energy interests and pretty much controls the Western world. In between snappy dialog in which Hel shows off how he is just so refined and Shibumi and shizzle with derision leveled at every Western country (the Brits, the French, the Italians, and the Germans all get it in the neck at some point, but no one more than Americans), there are action scenes where Hel proves he can do everything from cave diving to killing people with playing cards, equally over-the-top sex scenes 'cause of course learning to kill and play go also makes Hel totally awesome at the sexing.

What elevated this book above the schlock it is pretending to be is the vicious satire and the clever writing. Trevanian could write some sophisticated literary pulp fiction. He was having fun while poking his readers in the eye. He plays it straight all the way through: Shibumi reads like you are supposed to take it seriously, but you can kind of hear his snicker echoing in the main character's dialog. I suspect the racism and sexism was part of the performance. This is a Men's Adventure novel for the cynical hipsters of the 70s, back before appropriating Japanese culture was what all the cool kids did and the idea of structuring a killer thriller around the Oriental game of go (yeah, Shibumi uses words like "Oriental" unironically, and also refers to Arabs as "goat-herds" and portrays all the Arab characters as cowardly gay terrorists) made all the literati who wanted to read something a little more masculine than J.R.R. Tolkien groove on Trevanian's way cool, like, deeep understanding of Oriental culture, man.

Sorry, I can't mock Trevanian nearly as wittily as he mocks me.

This was a fun novel, entertaining on multiple levels. It really does have the tone of a literary author slumming in a chanbara cinema.

What a superb novel

Would you listen to Shibumi again? Why?

I was guided to this book during my quest to read all of Don Winslow's novels. I read SAVAGES and was hooked on Winslow's writing. He wrote a novel that was tied to this Trevenian classic as a prequel with many of the same characters. When i discovered this, I did a little research and found SHIBUMI, (on which Winslow's novel SATORI was based) to be held in high literary regard. I enjoyed it immensely. Like many of Winslow's novels it has broad historical scope with cultural and historical accuracy coupled with a plot that grabs you and won't let go!

Just as good now as when it first came out

Loved it. Great assassin story. The Asian angle is also extremely well done. I am going to learn how to play”Go”!

On another level

Travanian displays his intellect and disdain for western culture while spinning a tale worthy of your attention. Finally an adult adventure movel. Highly recommend.

One of the most enjoyable books I’ve read (listened to) in a long time

I love the character development and pacing of the book. I believe there is more to be had and explored with this character in the future and past and would love for the author to expand on that. A very interesting author in their plot points and weaving of Japanese customs into the narrative bone of this story. The narrator is great and easy to listen to while involved with the book. Enjoy! ❤️❤️❤️

Use to be one of my favorite books

Would you listen to Shibumi again? Why?

No. Nicolai Hel sounded much different in my head. Bit of a milk toast snob in this performance.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Shibumi?

When Cagot dresses elegantly for the dinner party.

Which scene was your favorite?

When he meets Madam Director.