“my advice will effect your future as much as a cherry blossom falling into the river alters its course”. Appropriate the cherry blossom was in bloom as I read this. A mostly great book, but..Trevanian tries to outFlemming the master but wanders into pompous parody and I‘m unsure if it‘s intentional. He occasionally sabotages his own story by crafting thrilling tension and then, puzzlingly, puts the breaks on.Hel is a great but unlikable character