Maximum Target - Martin Gower

[Mulboyne]

"Maximum Target" by Martin Gower: "Asia's most dangerous flashpoint - North Korea. Mission impossible for three people - a Sartre-reading yakuza, a glamorous American activist and a shadowy agent of the regime. Martin Gower takes you on a dizzying ride through the seething jungles of Mindanao, down the neon-splattered back-alleys of Tokyo,across the vast baking emptiness of Mongolia, and into the innermost chambers of the Dear Leader's personal pleasure dome. "

"Martin Gower" is the pen name of an old Japan hand (not me, I hasten to add). That helps explain why it already has some encouraging blurb written by the likes of Mark Schreiber and Bill Emmott.

[omae mona]

"Martin Gower" is the pen name of an old Japan hand (not me, I hasten to add). That helps explain why it already has some encouraging blurb written by the likes of Mark Schreiber and Bill Emmott.

Hmmm..

a Sartre-reading yakuza,

Is the author Jake Adelstein?

down the neon-splattered back-alleys of Tokyo,

Or could it be Debito, based on his experiences looking for "Japanese Only" signs there?

and into the innermost chambers of the Dear Leader's personal pleasure dome.

Or perhaps the story is based on the experiences of Kim Jong-Il's personal goat trainer, possibly a regular here on FG.

[Coligny]

"Maximum Target" by Martin Gower: "Asia's most dangerous flashpoint - North Korea. Mission impossible for three people - a Sartre-reading yakuza, a glamorous American activist and a shadowy agent of the regime. Martin Gower takes you on a dizzying ride through the seething jungles of Mindanao, down the neon-splattered back-alleys of Tokyo,across the vast baking emptiness of Mongolia, and into the innermost chambers of the Dear Leader's personal pleasure dome. "

Awwwww gosh... how I miss the cold war... At least it was giving an endless supply of cool movies... The last remake of Red Dawn called "tomorrow when the war began" was not so bad... If you except the teenage pijama party for the first 30 minutes and the fact they fight "non descript-generic to the bones sort of maybe asian" invasion force... and there is no seks despite the number of hot Australian babes on the payroll...

[Catoneinutica]

"Martin Gower" is the pen name of an old Japan hand (not me, I hasten to add). That helps explain why it already has some encouraging blurb written by the likes of Mark Schreiber and Bill Emmott.[/I]

You know, not to knock Mulboyne, but I never would've thought of him in any case as an Old Japan Hand because he doesn't live here full time AFAIK. William Stonehill? Tag Murphy (no relation to Tag Heuer)? William Pesek? Robert Feldman? Der Jesper? Steve Schultz is too busy translating other writers' oeuvres. One of the usual TUJ flunkies?

[Greji]

Hmmm..
".....Or perhaps the story is based on the experiences of Kim Jong-Il's personal goat trainer, possibly a regular here on FG....."

You would be surprised how hard it is to train souju guzzling goats to wear selected items by Victoria's Secret.....

[Taro Toporific]

....William Stonehill? Tag Murphy (no relation to Tag Heuer)? William Pesek? Robert Feldman? Der Jesper? Steve Schultz...One of the usual TUJ flunkies?

Sorry, I can't claim it was me.

[Catoneinutica]

Sorry, I can't claim it was me.

Ahhh...Mister Olde Japan Hand himself issues a non-denial denial. Kids, I think we have our author!

-catone
-hope Taro got some NK slavechix (tm) as part of his advance.

[Mulboyne]

A couple of phrases I noticed in a quick flick through a copy:

"Roppongi, the neon groin of Tokyo"

"It was an impressive sight, a veritable United Nations of tits and ass"

"The next few weeks shot by like the cars of a bullet train"

[Yokohammer]

"Roppongi, the neon groin of Tokyo"

Now that's classic. Colorful, accurate, and concise.

[Greji]

Or perhaps the story is based on the experiences of Kim Jong-Il's personal goat trainer, possibly a regular here on FG.

Fuck you again mona. I told you that in confidence and here you go testifying in front of God and everybody. Do you also have any idea how hard it is to find a kimchee eating goat?