The Ninja (book)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article may need to be wikified to meet Wikipedia's quality standards.
Please help improve this article, especially its introduction, section layout, and relevant internal links. (help)

The Ninja was written in 1980 by Eric Van Lustbader and is a tale of revenge, love and murder. The author blends a number of known themes together: crime, suspense and Japanese martial arts mysticism.

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

It is initially set in Japan following the end of World War II and follows the story of Lustbader's hero Nicholas Linnear, a man raised by Anglo-Japanese parents.

As a youth, Linnear is introduced to the world of kenjutsu and iai-jutsu (Japanese fencing) at a local dojo also attended by his cruel and violent cousin Saigo. Linnear is a natural and soon becomes adept, much to the annoyance of Saigo. During a training exercise Nicholas and Saigo duel and Nicholas defeats him. Saigo is enraged and leaves swearing revenge. When they next meet Saigo is a considerably more skilled martial artist than Linnear and defeats him quickly. Saigo then brutally rapes Nicholas and his girlfriend before kidnapping and murdering her. Later we learn Saigo has joined a ninja dojo and has become a ninja.

The ninja are introduced not as magical or almost mythical people, but rather as supreme martial artists who have reached the highest level and seek to progress further. It is suggested that by becoming ninja they strive to advance to an even higher plane. However, we soon learn this is not without a high personal cost.

Many years later, Linnear has moved to America and leads a peaceful academic existence. He meets a beautiful, if disturbed, woman with whom he falls in love. This peace is shattered when a prominent local businessman is murdered in an extremely violent and unusual manner (by a ninja shaken). The local police are baffled and consult Nicholas as he is known to be an authority on oriental studies. Linnear quickly realises that a ninja is the murderer and the next target is his new girlfriend's father.

Linnear's investigations reveal Saigo is the ninja and this puts him on a deadly collision course with his cousin.

Linnear and Saigo are portrayed as opposites. Linnear is a likeable, if a little cold, hero and Saigo is a violent and dangerous foe. Both are equally skilled in their disciplines, differing only in the philosophy that drives them. Both men are troubled. Saigo battles with his inner demon of self-doubt, whilst Nicholas is a man torn between two worlds and feeling he belongs to neither.

This article or section does not cite its references or sources.
Please help improve this article by introducing appropriate citations. (help, get involved!) This article has been tagged since November 2006.
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org../../../t/h/e/The_Ninja_%28book%29_ce36.html"