Kinki Lullaby

This is another great book from Isaac Adamson. He's so creative. His books are so good! You just can't put them down! I love all the tidbits about Japanese culture in his books. It really brings the story alive. You learn some really neat, obscure things, and he's just so creative and fun! I love all of his books. My favorite is definitely Hokkaido Popsicle, but, they are ALL wonderful and I recommend anyone interested in Japan or Japanese culture get them!

In spite of its name, K-Lullaby did not lull me to sleep. In fact, I found myself awake till 4:00 am finishing it. I actually recommend trying this (If you can spare the time and energy) because it seems to lend to the enjoyment of this mystery novel. Like Dreaming Pachinko, an earlier member of the Chaka mystery series quartet, this book deals a lot with sleep, dreams, uncertainty, and the surreal. Kinda heavy? nah....I liked it a lot. The words "sly", "punchy", and "kick ass" have been used to exhaustion when describing the Chaka books. It's no surprise that this book is full of Isaac Adamson's wonderful hysteric humor. However, it is certainly the most serious of the Chaka books thus far. Kinki Lullaby tends to deviate between fun and deep introspection. The result is that the reader feels that they are in a more "real" Japan than the Japan portrayed in say, Tokyo Suckerpunch. This is a world where not everything is quite right. And Billy Chaka is the perfect protagonist for the story. He's a wisecracking philosopher in a story that at once feels incredibly real in its sense of humanity, yet incredibly surreal.Even though you may pick up this book looking for a fun read, I must warn you that you are going to learn. Adamson integrates all sorts of interesting cultural and historic references into his books. Kinki Lullaby is a story about bunraku, the art of Japanese puppetry. After I read this book, I gained an intense interest in bunraku! The Japanese can't do anything without it turning into an art, can they? Kinki Lullaby is a mystery, but it also seems to have a taste of the horror novel in it. Perhaps you will have to read it to understand what I mean!In closing, I would say that I highly recommend this book, as well as the three other books in the Billy Chaka series: Tokyo Suckerpunch, Hokkaido Popsicle, and Dreaming Pachinko. They will especially appeal to people who love mysteries or have a strong interest in Japan/Japanese culture. I know that I have not actually given a true synopsis on this book!! *sweatdrop* But I do hope that you may perhaps gain a better understanding of the book through this review.

This is easily Isaac Adamsons best Chaka novel to date. His books are fun and easy to read. This time Billy Chaka isn't as nice as he used to be and I believe it fits his character better. This is the best and easiest way to read a great entertaining story while learning something you probably never knew before about Japan. If you've ever been to Japan and plan to go back one day, these books will hopefully keep you at bay until you do. It pays just enough attention to Japanese detail to make those who have been there appreciate it, without losing those that haven't gotten the chance to go yet. Try his others, all of them are worthy of a read.

Billy Chaka returns in Kinki Lullaby, the fourth book in the series created by Isaac Adamson. This is probably the sharpest novel of the bunch, a testiment to Adamson's maturation as a writer. Intriguing from start to finish, Kinki Lullaby is worth picking up for any reader wishing to have a vicarious adventure in a hyper-stylized Japan. Fans of the Billy Chaka books should be pleased.