Ein Buch, wo man nicht weiß, was Fiktion und was Realität ist.
Der Autor schafft es wunderbar die Story so wirken zu lassen, als wäre es tatsächlich passiert. Was letztlich Fiktion und Non-Fiktion ist, erfährt man am Ende. Wer sich jedoch bereits mit dem Thema Nordkorea auseinander gesetzt hat, erkennt es bereits recht deutlich beim lesen und ja, das Buch haut rein.

(Es gab nur eine Szene gegen Ende, die diese Blase platzen lies und ein Hauch zu viel war. Mein einziger kleiner Abzug an dem Buch.)

I read this book as part of a book club and I doubt I would have read it otherwise. The only other book I read about DPRK was [b:Dentro do Segredo|16167764|Dentro do Segredo|José Luís Peixoto|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1353792467l/16167764._SY75_.jpg|22013273] and, even though I am interested in the topic and will probably keep reading about this mysterious country, I would have preferred to stick to factual books instead of fictional ones like Star of the North. Within fiction, there is always danger of giving way to prejudice and adding unrealistic details to real stories. That being said, I think D. B. John did a good job of laying out his sources in the end of the book and, therefore, I value the work he has done and I am happy to support it.
About the story itself, it started out a bit confusing due to the amount of characters but got better as I kept reading it. Some details were a bit unrealistic, specially when it came to the superhuman abilities of Jenna and Cho, but the book is enjoyable for those who are into action and espionage. I am not a fan of the writing style itself - too many adjectives, comparisons and metaphors. I would have preferred a cleaner prose to match the fast-paced plot.

Star of the North is a thriller that is told from several points of view in America, North Korea and South Korea. Our main protagonist is Jenna, a Korean-American university professor whose twin sister was kidnapped from a South Korean beach. Even though 12 years have passed since then, she knows her sister must still be alive and is desperate to find answers. She is finally given a chance to find out for herself when she is recruited by the CIA to investigate North Korea.
Other stellar characters of note include Mrs Moon, a North Korean peasant woman who is doing time in a penal colony and just trying to get by, and high-ranking Korean government official Cho. I won't say how, but these three threads come together in a marvelous twist at the end.
This is my absolute favorite type of book! Star of the North was incredibly well researched and detailed factual aspects but the story was gripping and unexpected. This book would be an excellent pick for fans of LeCarre or any other spy thrillers who are looking for something new.

Star of the North is a thriller that is told from several points of view in America, North Korea and South Korea. Our main protagonist is Jenna, a Korean-American university professor whose twin sister was kidnapped from a South Korean beach. Even though 12 years have passed since then, she knows her sister must still be alive and is desperate to find answers. She is finally given a chance to find out for herself when she is recruited by the CIA to investigate North Korea.
Other stellar characters of note include Mrs Moon, a North Korean peasant woman who is doing time in a penal colony and just trying to get by, and high-ranking Korean government official Cho. I won't say how, but these three threads come together in a marvelous twist at the end.
This is my absolute favorite type of book! Star of the North was incredibly well researched and detailed factual aspects but the story was gripping and unexpected. This book would be an excellent pick for fans of LeCarre or any other spy thrillers who are looking for something new.

I so badly wanted to love this one! It was a really promising start, and I was genuinely hooked, but then I got to just over halfway and completely disengaged from the whole thing! Which is really annoying, because it was an intriguing premise. But it lost me somewhere around the middle, and I was done for by then! Still though, great plot and really topical, just lost my way with it!

I dithered between 2 and 3 stars, but ultimately I'm rounding up because as ridiculous and as unbelievable as the entire second half/conclusion was, it at least made me laugh out loud.

Spoiler

I mean, at one point our hero basically takes out an entire army batallion while accidentally high on crystal meth - what's not to love?

There was insta-love (ok maybe I'm being harsh, insta-crush more like), characters who are walking stereotypes, events (like a spontaneous rebellion with catchy slogans, in only the most repressive state in the world) that happen only because the plot needs it to, a genius hero who can incapacitate three trained men because she did judo in high school (a decade ago) - you get the drift. Go in with the right expectations, and you'll probably love this book. It did do a good job of weaving actual DPRK espionage activities into the story.

I think I was disappointed because given the way the author is presented as "one of the few westerners admitted into the DPRK", I had expected a better understanding of the country (and it's people's psyche) and a little deeper insight than "cult of Kim, arbitrary rules, everyone lives in fear of displeasing a Kim". Turned out it was just your run of the mill cold-war themed beach read.

After reading this book, you realize what a blessing it is to be a US citizen. Heartbreaking to see what occurs in North Korea in present day.

A suspenseful and intriguing story.