Whirlwind

The Asian Saga, Book 6

By: James Clavell

Narrated by: Derek Perkins

Length: 52 hrs and 59 mins

Publisher's summary

The gripping epic novel of the 1979 Iranian Revolution by the #1 New York Times bestselling author and unparalleled master of historical fiction, James Clavell

Tehran, Iran 1979: Simmering religious tensions finally explode, and the Iranian people rise up against the Shah. The country, once secular, is now thrown back into an orthodoxy that threatens to tear it apart. The United States and Russia go on high alert, with warships heading to the Middle East. The region becomes a powder keg, waiting to explode. Caught up in the revolution are a British helicopter company and its pilots. The oil fields of Iran need helicopters to ferry workers and administrators, and when the main US aviation company pulls out of Iran fearing what might come next, S-G Helicopters steps in to fill the void. Soon they realize that they, too, must leave or risk losing all their machines to whomever takes control of the country. The company risks bankruptcy if that happens—which would ruin Andrew Gallavan and reveal that the company is actually owned by a secret Hong Kong–based consortium: Noble House, controlled by the Struan family. Caught in between is his son, Scot, a pilot in Iran who must help save his father’s company, but also the other pilots and their families. In a risky move, the pilots concoct a plan to get their choppers out of Iran. But will they be able to escape a country crumbling around them before it’s too late?

A rich panoply of characters brings to life the events of forty years ago, events that even now have ramifications throughout the Middle East and beyond. Fast-paced and full of action and intrigue, Whirlwind is an intricately plotted and detailed tale of war, love, and the ingenuity of the human spirit, told by James Clavell, the unparalleled master of historical fiction.

©1986 James Clavell (P)2016 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

excellent<br />

good story and narrative! Good narration and plot, intertwined with religion. Highly recommend! if you like clavell you love this!

Took a while to get into but great once you get the hang of it

Took about a couple of rotations in the story to know the who or what of the whole thing, but once the characters became familiar I really enjoyed the story.

Enjoyed

Well written and delivered, would have liked more about the Noble House to finish the series, but, I think many elements were tied in perfectly.

Very long, but worth it.

Clavell's novels are all about the details. This one doesn't disappoint. While only marginally connected to the Noble House and not in China, Clavell still shows off his ability to get inside the mindset of both his characters and the culture around them. The Islamic revolution in Iran is a fascinating backdrop to the story. And, given the recent events in Iran today, I felt this book really gave me some insight into what was going on.

Good book. Wish there were more.

Great last book in the Asia Saga. Though certainly not a finale by any means. Clavell does what he does best giving you multidimensional (grey) characters and an amazing and exciting narrative backdrop. Probably more action oriented than the other books in the series, and in this case that works out excellently. Possibly my favorite book in the series (though I think Tai Pan beats it.).

Since a very complex book with many characters.

This book is a less than complete and to the Asian saga series. It was satisfying to meet some old characters from Noble House. However, the book lacked the ingenious plot, twist, and humor of the series. It is also a very long book that takes quite a while to gear up to Clavell‘s usual plot intensity. If you love the Asian series, you might as well finish it with this book. On its own, the book is less than perfect.

character development

enjoyed recognizing characters by inflection and voice. excellent performance. stay with this book. takes a bit to get into it. like the references to previous books and characters though not overdone.

Good Book But Not The Best of Asian Saga

I am a huge Clavell fan and I enjoyed this book. However, I would it put it at the bottom of the Asian Saga along with Gai-Jin whereas Tai-Pan and Noble House are significantly better listens in my opinion. The ending (last couple of hours) felt a little rushed perhaps, which is a funny thing to say for a 53 hour long book. The narrator does a good job as well but again he is no Gildart Jackson or John Lee...

loved the book.

loved the book and the narration. I am a great fan of James Clavel, but I never had an interest in reading g this one book until now and I'm so glad that I listened to it, I could hardly stop for breaks.

A change in gears for the series..

not what I was expecting from the series but was hella good nonetheless. Great story and characters of course. performance was excellent.