When my dad gave this to me to read, I hesitated at first because of the sheer size of the book, over a thousand pages in small type. But his excitement won me over, and I picked it up back in March. I finally finished it two months later, and have been please to discover how impressive James Clavell is (was) as a story teller. He takes time and care to build a vast cast of characters, and combines their personalities into an action filled story that is plausible, historically and culturally accurate, and thoroughly entertaining.
The story is set during the Iranian Revolution of the late 1970's, and tells the imaginary story of how a British helicopter company extricated itself, its equipment and all of its expatriate staff from Iran as the country was seized by radical Islam. The story paints a believable picture of how brutal legalism, tribalism, family loyalties, hypocrisy, various cultural beliefs, traditions and ultimately, love, courage and devotion, are all forces that can shape, inspire and also destroy people's lives
