Whirlwind

The Asian Saga, Book 6

By: James Clavell

Narrated by: Derek Perkins

The gripping epic novel of the 1979 Iranian Revolution by the #1 New York Times bestselling author and unparalleled master of historical fiction, James Clavell

Tehran, Iran 1979: Simmering religious tensions finally explode, and the Iranian people rise up against the Shah. The country, once secular, is now thrown back into an orthodoxy that threatens to tear it apart. The United States and Russia go on high alert, with warships heading to the Middle East. The region becomes a powder keg, waiting to explode. Caught up in the revolution are a British helicopter company and its pilots. The oil fields of Iran need helicopters to ferry workers and administrators, and when the main US aviation company pulls out of Iran fearing what might come next, S-G Helicopters steps in to fill the void. Soon they realize that they, too, must leave or risk losing all their machines to whomever takes control of the country. The company risks bankruptcy if that happens—which would ruin Andrew Gallavan and reveal that the company is actually owned by a secret Hong Kong–based consortium: Noble House, controlled by the Struan family. Caught in between is his son, Scot, a pilot in Iran who must help save his father’s company, but also the other pilots and their families. In a risky move, the pilots concoct a plan to get their choppers out of Iran. But will they be able to escape a country crumbling around them before it’s too late?

A rich panoply of characters brings to life the events of forty years ago, events that even now have ramifications throughout the Middle East and beyond. Fast-paced and full of action and intrigue, Whirlwind is an intricately plotted and detailed tale of war, love, and the ingenuity of the human spirit, told by James Clavell, the unparalleled master of historical fiction.

©1986 James Clavell (P)2016 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Enjoyed

Well written and delivered, would have liked more about the Noble House to finish the series, but, I think many elements were tied in perfectly.

excellent<br />

good story and narrative! Good narration and plot, intertwined with religion. Highly recommend! if you like clavell you love this!

Took a while to get into but great once you get the hang of it

Took about a couple of rotations in the story to know the who or what of the whole thing, but once the characters became familiar I really enjoyed the story.

character development

enjoyed recognizing characters by inflection and voice. excellent performance. stay with this book. takes a bit to get into it. like the references to previous books and characters though not overdone.

Very long, but worth it.

Clavell's novels are all about the details. This one doesn't disappoint. While only marginally connected to the Noble House and not in China, Clavell still shows off his ability to get inside the mindset of both his characters and the culture around them. The Islamic revolution in Iran is a fascinating backdrop to the story. And, given the recent events in Iran today, I felt this book really gave me some insight into what was going on.

Good book. Wish there were more.

Great last book in the Asia Saga. Though certainly not a finale by any means. Clavell does what he does best giving you multidimensional (grey) characters and an amazing and exciting narrative backdrop. Probably more action oriented than the other books in the series, and in this case that works out excellently. Possibly my favorite book in the series (though I think Tai Pan beats it.).

Since a very complex book with many characters.

This book is a less than complete and to the Asian saga series. It was satisfying to meet some old characters from Noble House. However, the book lacked the ingenious plot, twist, and humor of the series. It is also a very long book that takes quite a while to gear up to Clavell‘s usual plot intensity. If you love the Asian series, you might as well finish it with this book. On its own, the book is less than perfect.

Literally the End of an Era!

This is last of James Clavel's six tomes based on various parts of the Orient. This begins the day the Ayatollah lands in Tehran following the departure of the Shah. A British-Iranian helicopter company providing support services for the Iranian state oil company is Clavel's framework for this saga which ends prior to majority of the US embassy brouhaha.

As in all his tomes, Clavel utilizes his occidental characters to introduce us to his primary character - the country in which the story takes place, in this case, Iran.

What is difficult for many western readers to grasp is exactly how ancient these societies of the Orient are. In the case of Persian Iran, some 4,000 years old. The very maturity of all these oriental societies prejudice their outlook on the outside world with an ingrained chauvinism that is highly misunderstood and resented by the outside world. Clavel never says whether this attitude is good or bad, simply that it exists. (He does insinuate that parts are good in all his books).

The added f factor in the story is the various flavors of Islam conflicting. In this case there are moderates, socialists, extremists and Kurds fighting for supremacy. For most of the tome no one know which side the Ayatollah will support. All use the Takbir, "Allāhu akbar ", as their battle cry. The urban society doesn't want to surrender the freedoms exercised historically. The rural extremists desire to bring sharia to Iran. The smallest group of Iranians are the Soviet influenced socialists who are either students or live along Iran's northern border with the Soviet Union. Intermingled into this are the military, the secret police, various external spy agencies, the existing aristocracy, the desire to maintain the flow of oil, etc. All sides are completely convinced that what they are doing is "in sha Allah". Literally meaning, "God willing", but used colloquially to mean, "God's will". If one can grasp just this concept, one can understand much of what Clavel is trying to say.

Narration is superb.

Time of turmoil

the performance was excellent with great emotions in the narrative. The story is average due the lack of full character development and a lot knowledge of a culture. A bit to long but enjoyable.

made my head spin.. like a whirlwind!

I found the narration amazing.. characters were easily discernable and well played.. and this book he as lots of different characters... this may be my favorite book oh JC!