Will I love Shogun?

Because of the new version of Shogun that was streaming on Hulu, I wanted to reread the book I had read some time back in the 1980s and I found a gorgeous, new, deluxe edition from Blackstone publishing. The cover is amazing and the artwork inside the book, consisting of Japanese kanji (ideograms) are aspects that make you feel wonderfully lost in a different time, place, and culture. The book is heavy, that has to be said, but I devoured it all the same, setting aside time every day to disappear into feudal Japan. The insights into that culture, so… show more.

I recently re-read Shogun again for what must be the fifth or sixth time. Despite being well over 1,000 pages, the plot is always engrossing, the narrative fresh, the characters faithfully rendered in great and plausible detail. However, what I love most about Shogun, and indeed the entire Asian Saga of which it's a part, is how much I learn about Eastern culture and traditions through the ages.

Clavell was a committed Orientalist and master storyteller, and Shogun endures as one of his finest works.

One of the surprise successes of television in 2024 was FX’s ten-part re-staging of James Clavell’s epic 1975 novel Shogun (set in 17th century Japan), which had already been a hit in NBC’s 1980 mini-series version. This year’s reboot was much closer to Clavell’s focus and tone, and once the FX run ended, it sent us scurrying to read the original text.

Newly re-issued to tie in to the 2024 TV series, the unabridged novel was a surprisingly quick read for a hefty volume of over 1,300 pages. After struggling a bit to keep up with the complex action and… show more.

The TV show won a record 18 Emmy's. But as great as it was, the show was merely the cliff notes to the immersive world of 17th century Japan that James Claville's epic novel illuminates for us. Japan has always had a special fascination to the western world, so exotic and traditional in their culture, yet in many ways far more advanced than us. This was even more true back then, as we dive into a story of samurai and ninja, pageantry, and at times baffling customs (sepukko as an honor?).

The book functions not just as a great adventure… show more.

This is a new hardcover edition tied to the miniseries and it's beautifully produced, a pleasure to hold and touch--truly splendid as an object in its own right. The author's sense of place and time and the insight into the Japanese characters' minds and lives was hypnotic.

When it comes to historical fiction, especially one set in Asia, James Clavell is the guy to beat (or at least match).

The story of Shogun unfolds in 17th-century, feudal Japan. An undisputedly exotic setting. A British ship is wrecked on its shores, and its stranded navigator must find his way through Japan's complex cultural and political dynamics. Meanwhile there are other Europeans seeking religious influence and commercial advantage.

Perhaps best of all, the characters are monumental and include one of the strongest and most courageous women in literature since Joan of Arc.

I have read everything James Clavell has written.

This book is a story about a British pilot landing in Japan with the intention of breaking up the Portuguese monopoly on trade. He becomes quickly entangled in the country's internal politics and becomes immersed in Japanese culture.

A new film version of the saga is currently on Apple TV and is exceptional. I highly recommend both the book and the mini-series.

Shōgun is a historical novel set in 17th-century feudal Japan that is based on the life of an English sailor named Will  Adams who is shipwrecked there.

He became a samurai and a confidant of a warlord based on Ieyasu Tokugawa. It is a meticulously researched and richly detailed novel that combines historical events with fictional characters and storylines, dealing with themes of honor and loyalty in a world of samurai and daimyos.

It also explores relationships between Japanese and European traders, highlighting the clash of Western and Eastern values. At over 560,000 words long, it is a spellbinding narrative… show more.

I have always been fascinated by the Far East, so when James Clavell published Shōgun, I was enthralled throughout all its many pages. It allowed me to delve into the mysteries of that island nation, so isolated by location and culture from the world I knew.

Years later that fascination was further enriched when I went to work for a Japanese motor vehicle company. My department shared a work area with the Japanese representatives stationed in South Africa for 2 to 3 years, so I was able to build some form of relationship with them. When I visited Japan… show more.

The year is 1600 and finds the hero, Blackthorn shipwrecked just off the shores of Japan. He has a front-row seat in the turbulent metamorphosis of Japan’s society from a society of medieval fiefdoms to a more modern country and the quest of a warlord to unite these fiefdoms and become the Shogun or supreme military commander. The story is told over two books and became a smash TV series.

Clavell works in Japanese phrases in a way it’s understandable by English readers but for me, as an old Latin student, he has Blackthorn and Mariko, who is his guide… show more.