Written by Lukas Krueger
Sometimes, a sequel is exactly what you expected. It might add a few extra turns to bring something new, but largely, it bears a striking resemblance to what came before. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, particularly where the stories are pure escapism that isn’t designed to challenge the reader. And especially if you enjoyed that first story and its trappings. Lukas Krueger’s The Ghost of Hong Kong Island, Part II is one such sequel (you can read my thoughts about Part I here, and I’ll have my review for Part III up here on Friday). Like that first book, Part II is purely escapist fiction with no hidden layers or depth. Readers’ mileage on the first book—and indeed the second—will vary depending on their affinity for martial arts movies. If you enjoyed Part I, you’ll likely enjoy Part II. If you didn’t enjoy Part I, Part II doesn’t change the formula enough to change your mind.
The similarities between The Ghost of Hong Kong Island, Part II and the first volume are felt throughout the book’s DNA. This makes reviewing the book all the more difficult, when simply linking to my previous review would convey much of the same information. This second novel adds some science fiction elements to the story as well as a dash of romance, and it is told with less urgency. However, none of these differences make it feel like a particularly different book.
At 324 pages in paperback and hardcover (or an estimated 326 pages on Kindle), The Ghost of Hong Kong Island, Part II is slightly longer than its predecessor. Like many sequels that aim to up the ante, it adds more moving parts to the story than the original. Despite its increased scope and the added elements to the story, the book moves at a slower pace. Given its aim of reflecting Hong Kong action movies, the slower pace doesn’t work to its advantage. With seven chapters dedicated to the book’s prologue, more judicious editing could have cut down on the extraneous material, making for a streamlined reading experience.
Despite the extra padding, the plot itself achieves its primary goal of entertaining the reader. It includes a few twists and turns, but none of these are particularly surprising, especially if you’ve read the blurb. The plot doesn’t doesn’t aim to challenge the reader, and instead builds up the growing threat as it moves from set piece to set piece. The story takes some dark turns, particularly during the prologue chapters. These turns don’t add to the overall story, and instead aim to add shock value to it. The scenes are gruesome which works for the genre, but as the book is aimed towards young adult readers, these scenes are a bit too much for any young adult readers.
One area that Part II exceeds Part I is in its representation of female characters. This book creatures more of them than in the original trilogy. However, the treatment of females isn’t handled better; instead, it features femme fatales, a mother and now, a daughter. The characters. A wholeThe characters aren’t given much de[th.which suits the story as a whole, but may disappoint anyone looking for depth. In reading it, I couldn’t see where the lines are drawn.
The dialogue doesn’t do much to establish the characters or set them apart from each other. Every character sounds similar, and they all sound dissimilar to real people having conversations. While it suits the style of the story being told, after two books in, I still can’t say whether it’s accidental or by design, reflecting an earlier era, or the author’s style. If the former, as characters make statements about the over the top events, I wish Krueger would have leaned into it a bit further.
Although the prose is clear, it doesn’t elevate the story. It instead chronicles the events, explaining their sequence. This works for the action sequences, however, which play a large part in a book inspired by Hong Kong martial arts films. The prose also presents the world well, focusing on the broad world around the events, presenting a world that feels real.
As much as the title is marked Part II, it feels like a sequel to the first book instead of a continuation. Characters—both heroes and the villain—reappear from the first book, and events follow on from that story. Thanks to this approach, The Ghost of Hong Kong Island, Part II feels like a standalone story, and readers who haven’t picked up the previous book will be able to follow along easily.
Despite having some differences and a slower pace, The Ghost of Hong Kong Island, Part II is a similar book to the first in most regards. If you enjoy the genre, and don’t mind thin characters and prose, you’ll likely find quite a lot to enjoy.
Favourite Passage
As the heroic Intelligence agent proceeded into the line of fire the force of the net lifted her off the ground and smashed her body against the brick wall, suspending her in mid-air like prey caught in a trap.
The Ghost Ninja of Hong Kong Island, Part II, Chapter 22
The Ghost Ninja of Hong Kong Island, Part II was provided by BookSirens for the purpose of an honest review.
The Ghost Ninja of Hong Kong Island, Part II is available in paperback, hardcover, and on Kindle, exclusive to Amazon.
Note: I do not post scores for reviews on this website, but do post them on my Amazon and Goodreads reviews:
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Interested in purchasing The Ghost Ninja of Hong Kong Island, Part II?
Please find a link below; please note I do not collect any proceeds from the sale.
The Ghost Ninja of Hong Kong Island – Part I (The Ghost Ninja of Hong Kong Island Trilogy Book 1)
wastanley.com 