Rising Sun

 

Author: Michael Crichton

Genre: political mystery

Number of pages: 371

First published: 1991

Setting: LA

Rating: 3 stars

First sentence: Actually, I was sitting on my bed in my apartment in Culver City, watching the Lakers game with the sound turned off, while I tried to study vocabulary for my introductory Japanese class.

One sentence comment: The book starts intriguingly, but its middle section reads more like a business report, focusing too heavily on business conflicts.

 

The book feels ageless in its relevance. Though penned thirty years ago during Japan's economic challenge to the US, its themes of rivalry and the call for assertive action feel entirely contemporary, echoing the US's present-day approach to China. It's almost prophetic how Crichton's vision of the US taking decisive measures aligns with the current administration's efforts to regain control.

 

Looking at it from another angle, the rise and fall of economic powers, like Japan, seems almost inevitable—a recurring pattern in history. A nation's economic strength directly influences its global standing, but maintaining that position often proves difficult due to a mix of internal and external pressures. Japan's "Lost Decades" in the 1990s exemplify this. Its significant economic downturn followed the bursting of a massive asset price bubble in real estate and stocks, leading to prolonged stagnation, deflation, and a surge in non-performing bank loans.