The pace in this book wavers constantly. it is entertaining at times, while it puts you out of place at others. Some people who really enjoy his books my not enjoy this one as much as others. Although it is different, it is still, nonetheless a good read.

RISING SUN is one of the few books from Crichton where there isn't a group of people trapped somewhere, running around, locked in a life and death struggle. Instead, this novel is a traditional whodunnit with liberal doses of cutting-edge technology that the author loves so much and cultural and corporate alienation.The characters tend to be less-than-deep but this didn't bother me too much because the plot, which was obviously Crichton's main concern, is quite engaging. The story works at the same level as a sophisticated game of chess: the villains attempt to block the heroes' every move while the heroes must resourcefully find countermoves to defeat their adversaries. If you've only seen the movie adaptation, you owe it to yourself to read the book. This is one of Crichton's more intelligent efforts and certainly deserves to be judged by its own merits.