The Ninja

By Eric Van Lustbader

Out of the violent chaos of medieval Japan, a band of men from the mountain provinces rose to become some of the world's most feared warriors. These men trained to perfect their art – a deadly union of martial skill and deception – to defend themselves against the warlords, samurai and bandits who sought to exploit them.

Hundreds of years later their name is a legend whispered down the generations. A select few are still trained in the ancient craft. Fewer still are selected to train at the feet of the most arcane practitioners of the shadow warriors...

Nicholas Linnear is one of these elect. And as the city of New York is terrorized by a ritualistic murderer, he may be the only man who can stop these killings. A ghost, an assassin, guided by honour and tradition: the Ninja.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
• Release date: Jul 1, 2014
• ISBN: 9781784080372

Eric Van Lustbader

Eric Lustbader is the author of nearly forty novels, including the New York Times bestseller The Ninja, which introduced Nicholas Linnear, one of modern fiction’s most beloved and enduring heroes. In 2004, Mr. Lustbader was chosen by the estate of the late Robert Ludlum to continue the Jason Bourne novels, and has published eight international bestselling works to rave reviews. He is also the author of two successful and highly regarded series of fantasy novels, The Sunset Warrior Cycle and The Pearl Saga. He and his wife Victoria are residents of the South Fork of Long Island.

Reviews for The Ninja

[dmclane_4 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

It turned out that this was not a new book at all, but has been around the martial arts world for some time. I enjoyed the read although I’m not into martial arts, as it is a classic good vs. evil story with the observation/demonstration that the disciplines used for good can also be used for evil. Apparently, there’s a series based on the protagonist, ninja, Nicholas Linnear, concentrating on the “Eastern Martial Arts” disciplines. The author’s lengthy descriptions of the fights/attacks or battles between good and the bad guys are lengthy and almost too much, but can be survived and the story moves along at a good pace. All in all, an enjoyable read for someone into the discipline or a curious outsider. I’ll be looking for the sequels.

[mramos_710291 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Nicholas Linnear is stuck between two worlds, half Caucasian, half Asian. We get a very good feel of Post-War Japanese feelings to non-Japanese and how life was for them there. An intelligent man who wishes to study bujutsu. And is only allowed to because if his cousin, Saigo, who does not like him. And before you think there is not fighting, not so. There is a Ninja after Linnear, and the fight scene is written well. Showing the clash of eastern and western thought. There are some explicit sex scenes, including a rape. A little too much for me, but I guess the story needs it so you can see how evil one of the antagonist is. Other then that, this is a very good read.