Hooves Smacking Loudly (Auditory Imagery)
After Tolstoy makes his raid on the samurai houses, Sand escapes and finds his way to the stables where the samurai keep their horses. Olden writes: "Nudging the golden mare out onto the highway, her shod hooves smacking loudly against the concrete, Sand walked her forward until the horse was in the middle of the road." In this example of auditory imagery, Olden immerses the reader in the scene by describing the hard sound of the horse's hooves on the ground. This imagery makes clear the contrast between the archaic form of transport and the modern concrete roadway as Sand sets out to pit his medieval samurai training against Tolstoy's modern firepower.
The Click Sounding Flat (Auditory Imagery)
When Sand arrives in Saigon, he receives fake passports, cash, and a .45 handgun from Clarke's contact, Ives, who does not like the idea of taking orders from a Black man. Olden writes: "Snapping open the butt, [Sand] let the ammunition clip drop into his left hand, saw that it was full, then with a short, hard motion, jammed it back, the click sounding flat throughout the cab." In this example of auditory imagery, Sand shows off his expertise with the handgun to intimidate Ives, who sits driving in the front seat and hears the menacing sound of the gun behind him.
Blew Off the Top of Sat's Head (Visual Imagery)
When Sand arrives in Saigon, Tolstoy sends the war criminal Long Minh Sat to Sand's hotel suite to murder him. However, Sand is prepared for Sat, and launches a surprise attack from the doorway of the second hotel suite he has rented. Incapacitated on the ground, Sat attempts to fool Sand into leaning close enough that Sat can kill him. Olden writes: "Sat swiftly brought the right hand up strongly, striking to kill. Calmly stepping to his own right, Sand shifted his .45, pulled the trigger and blew off the top of Sat’s head." In this example of visual imagery, Olden displays the graphic, cold-blooded violence that characterizes the novel's fight scenes.
Garlic and Stale Cigarettes (Olfactory Imagery)
When the book's action moves to Paris, Olden writes several scenes from the point of view of IRA member James Devlin Winters. Detailing Winters's disgust with the French people, Olden writes: "Frenchies smelled too, from garlic and stale cigarettes, from bad breath and not bathing often enough to suit James Devlin Winters." In this example of olfactory imagery, Olden draws on stereotypes to illustrate Winters's xenophobic hatred of the French.
