This publisher has been bringing out some extremely interesting but commercially risky titles recently, including the wonderfully obtuse "The Structure of Iki." Now comes "Yojokun," another fascinating title from the vaults of specialization. Written by Kaibara Ekiken, a samurai physician with Buddhist inclinations, "Yojokun" concerns itself with how to nurture life and, with a knowledge of the physical, mental and spiritual intersections where holistic health and equipoise can engage, live out our years to the full. Over 300 years since it was written, it remains more relevant than ever.
Alex Berenson, a correspondent for the New York Times, who also happens to have a degree in history from Yale, is a man who knows his Central Asia. CIA operative John Wells, the main protagonist of this fast paced but reflective thriller, needs the patience and aptitude of a samurai and the cunning of a modern spy to survive in the mountain wildernesses of Afghanistan. His mission? To avert the chillingly credible threat of a bioterror attack in New York.