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Satori Audiobook
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(3.01) - 820 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
From a #1 bestselling author, a formidable assassin is assigned his most dangerous mission yet in this “home run” of an espionage thriller (David Baldacci, New York Times bestselling author).
It is the fall of 1951, and the Korean War is raging. Twenty-six-year-old Nicholai Hel has spent the last three years in solitary confinement at the hands of the Americans. He has the skills to be the world's most fearsome assassin and now the CIA needs him. They offer him freedom, money, and a neutral passport in exchange for one small service: to go to Beijing and kill the Soviet Union's commissioner to China.
It's almost certainly a suicide mission, but Hel accepts. Now he must survive chaos, violence, suspicion, and betrayal while trying to achieve his ultimate goal of satori-the possibility of true understanding and harmony with the world.
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"Winslow did a fabulous job creating a prequel that is both believable as a prequel and a stand alone book that is extremely entertaining it will serve to introduce a whole new generation of readers a fine book in its own right and a courageous professional choice. "
— Michael (5 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
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“An over-the-top blast…Elegant, well-researched, and magnificently plotted, Satori is exhilarating.”
— Los Angeles Times -
“An expertly calibrated espionage thriller.”
— Barnes & Noble, editorial review -
“Winslow renders breathless suspense and a cast of dark, devious characters from all corners of the globe. Recommend this one to fans of Baldacci and le Carré, as well as, of course, Trevanian.”
— Booklist (starred review) -
“An impressive prelude to a highly esteemed classic thriller.”
— Publishers Weekly -
“Fans of Shibumi’s extravagant style will no doubt enjoy Winslow’s contribution to the Hel story, and, just like Trevanian, Winslow imbues the James Bond–esque superspy atmosphere with a deep knowledge of Eastern cultures, including the ancient Japanese game of Go…Perfect for Shibumi fans and anyone else who likes their espionage over the top.”
— Kirkus Reviews
Awards
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A Los Angeles Times bestseller
Satori Listener Reviews
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" What a wild ride! From Japan to China to Vietnam - plenty of spies, assassins, shady characters and underhanded dealings. Don Winslow does an excellent job of carrying on in Trevanian's footsteps and is fast becoming one of my favorite authors. "
— VelveetaRanch, 2/17/2014 -
" When I read Shibumi, I thought the book was awkwardly arranged and slow paced. After reading Satori, I missed the arrangement and pace of Shibumi. I'm a fan of Don Wilson but Shibumi had a vibe and a writing style that Wilson couldn't, and didn't try to, imitate. Instead he wrote the book in his own personal style, which made the book very entertaining but didn't leave me with the feeling I had at the end of Shibumi. I definitely recommend this book to anybody who read Shibumi if only to revisit the character of Nicoli Hel. "
— Jason, 2/5/2014 -
" Doing justice to Trevanian's work was always going to be a challenge, but Don Winslow pulled it off. Satori is a terrific read and true in spirit to its predecessor Shibumi- an old favorite. "
— Steven, 1/5/2014 -
" Winslow hasn't done wrong by me yet. More satisfying than any James Bond movie- though just about as limited. But that's OK, limitations are what make genre fun. "
— Andrew, 12/23/2013 -
" SATROI was an exposition heavy, paint by numbers espionage thriller that was entertaining enough but, hardly the best use of Don Winslow's skills. "
— Tim, 11/29/2013 -
" I really wanted to like this, but I just couldn't stomach the whole writing style of it and had to drop it. I just felt like I was reading a fanfic. "
— LKM, 11/8/2013 -
" Fast paced action, does this well. Some of the characters are a little wooden but overall good read, "
— Paul, 10/30/2013 -
" Lots of violence, assassination attempts, narrow escapes, dead bodies, characters from different cultures who I tended to confuse. For me, not really worth the effort "
— Lynne, 10/21/2013 -
" Espionage during Mao's China? Stalin's Russia? Then off to supply arms to the Viet Minh? The protagonist's most deadly weapon is his harnessed Qi? This has been one of my favorite leisurely read reads in a long time. Very eager to learn how to play 'Go'. "
— Douglas, 10/20/2013 -
" this was my second Winslow novel, but this was based on another authors characters (so not entirely a Winslow novel). The intrigue was good, but all in all i'm not a spy novel fan as of yet. "
— Toney, 4/12/2013 -
" Big fan of Don Winslow so very disappointed by this. Quite fun but very one-dimensional. Winslow and his characters keeps telling us how brilliant the lead character is, but never show us. Go and Read The Power Of The Dog, or Isle Of Joy. "
— Paul, 6/12/2012 -
" An engaging story with lots of intersecting storylines. "
— Brent, 3/16/2012 -
" This was excellent. Was a huge fan of Trevanian's "Shibumi". This is a very worthy prequel written by a new author. Loved it! "
— Michael, 2/12/2012 -
" Different from his other books; he was asked by the family of late author Trevanian ("Eigar Sanction") to write this prequil to "Shibumi". Thoroughly enjoyable (as are all his books IMHO), so now I have to read "Shibumi". "
— Sandy, 1/27/2012 -
" it is not by Trevanian but by Winslow... "
— Marco, 8/1/2011 -
" Fast paced action, does this well. Some of the characters are a little wooden but overall good read, "
— Paul, 5/8/2011 -
" Now I'm looking for my copy of "Shibumi" "
— Gail, 3/25/2011 -
" This was not my typical read but really did enjoy it. <br/>Don Winslow has a great way of capturing the reader. <br/>I would recomend this book. "
— Tracy, 3/4/2011 -
" I received the book for free through Goodreads First Reads. <br/><br/>Don Winslow's novel Satori, which is based on deceased author Trevanian was so good that I now want to track down every novel of T's just so I can see how the story line's character evolves. "
— Christopher, 2/16/2011 -
" <br/> <br/>SATROI was an exposition heavy, paint by numbers espionage thriller that was entertaining enough but, hardly the best use of Don Winslow's skills. "
— Tim, 2/1/2011
About Don Winslow
Don Winslow is the author of twenty-four acclaimed, award-winning international bestsellers, including six New York Times bestsellers (Savages, The Kings of Cool, The Cartel, The Force, The Border, and City on Fire). Savages was made into a feature film by three-time Oscar-winning writer-director Oliver Stone and a screenplay by Shane Salerno, Winslow, and Stone. Winslow’s epic Cartel trilogy has been adapted for TV and will appear as a weekly series on FX in 2023. The Force is soon to be a major motion picture from 20th Century Studios starring Matt Damon with James Mangold directing from a Scott Frank screenplay. Additional Winslow books are currently in development at Netflix, Warner Brothers, Sony, and Working Title and he has recently written a series of acclaimed short stories for Audible narrated by four-time Oscar nominee Ed Harris.
About Holter Graham
Holter Graham, winner of three of AudioFile magazine’s Best Voice of the Year awards, is a stage, television, and screen actor. He has recorded numerous audiobooks and earned multiple AudioFile Earphones Awards. As an actor, his film credits include Fly Away Home, Maximum Overdrive, Hairspray, and The Diversion, a short film which he acted in and produced. On television, he has appeared in Army Wives, Damages, As the World Turns, Rescue Me, Law & Order, and New York Undercover. He received a BA degree from Skidmore College and an MFA from Vermont College.