Book Reviews

The Ghost Ninja of Hong Kong Island, Part III

W.A. Stanleyby
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For the past seven months, Brandon has done all he can to help Sadie manage her frightening gift, combining it with a distinct style of combat so she can live a normal life. Unfortunately, when the gifted child begins experiencing nightmarish visions of stranded explorers in the remote reaches of Hokkaido, he is forced to devise a rescue mission. Brandon leads a team of highly trained rescue personnel, each equipped with superior firepower into the rugged Hokkaido wilderness to locate and save the stranded explorers. But when a devastating typhoon barrels through Northern Japan the team is forced to seek refuge inside the remnants of 'The Kinjo Temple Gateway', an impossible maze of tunnels that’s demanding and deadly. Trapped beneath the earth, Brandon and his team must rely on Sadie's power to battle unfathomable forces and find the stranded explorers. But it will be a hard road. For this is an underground labyrinth like no other—a complex web of paths twisting and turning in every direction, making for a treacherous, taxing, and life-threatening journey—the most dangerous place Brandon has encountered in all his many adventures.
The Ghost Ninja of Hong Kong Island, Part III
Written by Lukas Krueger

It’s somewhat ironic that, after stating in my review of The Ghost Ninja of Hong Kong Island, Book II (click here to read it; and here to go all the way back to Book I’s review) that it is exactly as I expected, that Book III takes a divergent path. It’s not so much that author Lukas Krueger tells an unexpected tale in the trilogy’s closing chapter, but his presentation has evolved past those first two books. Reading it feels different to those stories, but to those who have read those books, it will still feel all too familiar.

Throughout The Ghost Ninja of Hong Kong Island, Book III, Krueger still tells a story that owes a heavy debt to Hong Kong action movies, and it still feels like one of those films committed to the page. Yet, through these pages, the author has opted out of featuring overly dark subject matter. It’s still a visceral action story, but one where the focus is on action sequences instead of attempting to make it edgy. Further, where the first two books reduced their female characters to their gender, the third book treats them as actual characters.

The biggest difference between The Ghost Ninja of Hong Kong Island, Book III and its predecessors, however, isn’t the story avoiding overt darkness, nor is it how it treats its female characters. It’s in its prose. Where the prose in the first two books is simple, only conveying events, the third book kicks things up a notch as it sells largely the same cohort of characters and similar events. The language used remains simple enough to finish the book quickly, but the sentences pack more colour in. This isn’t to say the prose has fixed every issue I’ve had with it; it’s often clunky, using more words than it needs to, and repeating them more than it should.

The dialogue, however, is about on par with the first two books. The characters don’t speak in natural sentences, and their speech patterns are largely the same, no matter how similar they may seem. As it did in the first two books, this works in the book’s favour, adding flavour to the story. While I’m unsure about whether this is a deliberate decision, the dialogue adds a certain amount of charm, reminiscent of the action movies of yesteryear.

The characters remain thin throughout the book. Krueger hasn’t expanded upon them. Yet with the dialogue, they don’t resonate. Given the book’s inspiration, the dialogue works, with them sounding like they stepped out of a Hong Kong action film. When read in that light, the dialogue serves its purpose.

As the longest book in the trilogy at 346 pages (or an estimated 348 pages on Kindle), The Ghost Ninja of Hong Kong Island, Book III is brisker read than its page count suggests. This is partly due to the simplicity in the author’s words, and partly due to the undemanding story. The combination of elements means the book can be enjoyed over the course of a day or two.

Although The Ghost Ninja of Hong Kong Island, Book III tells a simplistic story, it works in the case of the story. It’s erll-paced and builds nicely. The pacing feels about average—faster than the second book, but slower than the first. By the time it reaches the book’s conclusion, the ending feels both earned and satisfying.

Although The Ghost Ninja of Hong Kong Island, Book III is the concluding chapter in a trilogy, it stands well enough alone. The book catches new readers up on past events in an organic manner, letting them know what they need to know, but not by holding their hand.

The Ghost Ninja of Hong Kong Island, Book III feels more confident and assured than the first two books in the trilogy. While some of the writing is awkward, it offers a satisfying conclusion to the trilogy.

Favourite Passage

As the sumo threatened to win their tug-of-war battle, proposing to lock them in a wild clinch, Sadie Cheng acted on instinct. She screamed with rage as she pushed off from the aisle floor with her feet and drove the crown of her head into his chin with stunning force. A spray of blood burst forth from the sumo’s mouth like a powerful uppercut had been delivered, sending him crashing down to the canvas below with an almighty boom.

The Ghost Ninja of Hong Kong Island, Part III, Chapter 12

The Ghost Ninja of Hong Kong Island, Part III was provided by BookSirens for the purpose of an honest review.

The Ghost Ninja of Hong Kong Island, Part III 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)

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