Floating City is the sequel to Kaisho( I reviewed it long back) and it sorely disappoints. Its not as if Kaisho ended with a great promise that Floating City belied. Its just that Lustbader has become so predictable that after a few pages you just want the books to end and get it over with.
The fabtastic plot of Japanese Yakuza colluding with America based Italian Mafia to create a worldwide network of crime and money moves a level higher. Kaisho, the* Oyabun of *Oyabun(yakuza boss), deposed in the previous book is still in hiding because of the death threat. He had summoned Linnear to fulfil his father’s promise of help. Meanwhile, back in the U.S., Linnear’s old friend, ex-NYPD detective
Lew Croaker, is also on the case, unleashing his prosthetic hand,
complete with retractable claws and powered by lithium batteries,
whenever the occasion arises. Celeste and Margarite Goldoni are there as well. Vesper Arkham is an interesting addition to the series.
Despite murdering the assassin Do Duc in Kaisho the threat is not gone and now Nicholas has to fight Rock and Michael Leonforte who together rule the Floating City. They are building a nuclear wepaon to kill Okami as well as make it big in the arms market. The novel moves back and forth in both time and space making it tough for first timers. The numerous Japanese terms will confound neophyte Lustbader readers,
but veteran fans will appreciate this richly detailed, if slow-moving,
novel.
The climax falls flat for anyone who has read Kaisho or other novels. It is not only predictable but worse unconvicing. Rock is a Messulethe( a Vietnamese dark magic) as well but shows no proficiency? The Michael Leonforte angle is not properly explored- it seems he and brother Cesare Leonforte are kept aside for the next novel!