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Cover of Shibumi

Thriller · 1979 · R

Shibumi

by Trevanian

The world's greatest assassin — and the one thing that could stop him.

For17+GenreThrillerLength370 pagesRead time~9.5 hours

This analysis was generated by AI from publicly available reader reviews, literary criticism, and book discussions. It has not been verified by a BookLens community reviewer and may contain errors. Be the first to verify →

Content snapshot

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What's in this book, at a glance — five things readers want to know before they start.

Violence

A lot

Assassinations and violence; the protagonist is a professional killer and this is depicted without flinching

Language

Some

Some strong language

Sexual Content

A lot

Explicit sexual content; sexual scenes are present and relatively explicit

Substance Use

Barely any

Social drinking and mild substance use

Emotional Intensity

Some

Cool psychological detachment from violence; themes of the West's moral bankruptcy

What this book is about

Nicholai Hel is the world's most dangerous man: a master of go, ninjutsu, and the Japanese aesthetic of shibumi — effortless perfection. When the CIA targets him for an assassination that has gone wrong, Hel must call on everything he is. Trevanian's beloved spy novel is wickedly satirical about American power and steeped in a rich portrait of an extraordinary character.

Notes for sensitive readers

Reader-flagged moments and themes that may affect your experience.

Explicit sexual content

Assassination violence

Adult spy thriller content

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