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Shogun (Asian Saga #3)

4.31 of 5 stars 4.31 · rating details · 54,697 ratings · 1,810 reviews

A bold English adventurer. An invincible Japanese warlord. A beautiful woman torn between two ways of life, two ways of love. All brought together in a mighty saga of a time and place aflame with conflict, passion, ambition, lust and the struggle for power.

Hardcover, 1152 pages

Published April 1st 1983 by Delacorte Press (first published 1975)

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Apr 09, 2013 Peter rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Anyone over the age of 16

Shelves: favorite

GoodReads/Amazon management has chosen to ban this review from their "community". The complete version of this review has therefore been moved to the following sites:

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If you, like me, object to what Amazon has done to the world of books, book lovers, and book shops, you can find many alternatives to GoodReads (for reviews) and to Amazon (f...more

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May 09, 2009 Fiona rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: everyone

Recommended to Fiona by: Kandice Zelaskowski

Shelves: books-i-own, series, 2009, historical, treasured, bricks, setting-japan, second-hand, favourites

I have had this book for quite some time in my collection, probably over five years in fact and it wasn't until recently I picked it up, due to a good friend here on GoodReads who prized it as a favourite book.

Strangely, I'd say that I have no real interest in Japan despite having read Memoirs of a Geisha and Tales of the Otori both which are set in Japan or Japanese based. I think Shogun has brought me out of the closet in that respect and I'm very interested now in reading more fiction set in...more

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Apr 03, 2012 Diana rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Diana by: Angie

Shelves: asian, historical-fiction, adventure, favourites

The Dutch ship “Erasmus” is wrecked off the Japanese shores and its English captain, together with his crew, is taken prisoner by the Japanese, who also confiscate their ship and all their belongings. Here they will encounter the Jesuit Spanish and Portuguese priests who want to Christianize the whole country and the Japanese daimyo and samurai who are preparing for war.

Blackthorne, the English captain and also the main character, will face death, humiliation, prison and betrayal countless time...more The Dutch ship “Erasmus” is wrecked off the Japanese shores and its English captain, together with his crew, is taken prisoner by the Japanese, who also confiscate their ship and all their belongings. Here they will encounter the Jesuit Spanish and Portuguese priests who want to Christianize the whole country and the Japanese daimyo and samurai who are preparing for war.

Blackthorne, the English captain and also the main character, will face death, humiliation, prison and betrayal countless times, but his intelligence and knowledge help him become one of daimyo Toranaga’s most precious allies and, thanks to this, he gains access to more wealth and power than he could ever have known in Europe.

The plot of the novel is full of twists and turns and written in short sentences that have great impact on the reader’s mind, adding to the tempo and suspense of the story.

It is very interesting to observe how both the Japanese and the Europeans perceive each other’s cultural background, how they deeply hate each other’s personality and customs at first and then how they progress to mutual respect. With genuine talent, James Clavell reveals the best and worst sides of the two opponents: on the one hand, the civilized Japanese have healthy everyday habits and a rigid code of honour, respect each other and their enemies’ strategies and intelligence, but believe human feelings such as pity or love to be disgusting weaknesses and would have no second thoughts killing their whole families if their superiors wished it. On the other hand, the Europeans believe themselves the masters of the world and think that pity, rectitude and love are supreme values in life, but they would also commit the most heinous crimes in the name of their Christian god.

Although there are many characters in the book – most of them are complex, with distinguishing features – I thoroughly enjoyed observing their development. My favourite character is Toranaga, the ingenious and clever daimyo, a man of great military genius who cunningly deceives everybody else – while also sticking to his code of honour and rectitude – in order to achieve his selfish goals. I was fascinated with his ability to logically read other people’s minds and to devise intricate ploys and manipulate them into thinking what he wanted them to.

Yabu is another interesting character, the most humorous throughout the whole book in my opinion, a man of great ambition but little brains, who gets himself in an important position through the craftiness of his wife and nephew, Obi san, who always interpret the others’ actions for him, suggesting what moves he should make, while he thinks that they are only going along with his own ideas.

I also tremendously enjoyed reading about the importance of women in the feudal Japanese society. They are always dependent on their families, husbands or feudal lords, who have rights of life and death over them, but paradoxically, they are more independent than European women, being the ones who take care of the family money and household, who transact with usurers and who could influence their husbands’ thoughts and decisions.

Lady Mariko’s personality, courage, erudition and strong sense of honour make her one of the most charismatic female characters I’ve read of lately, her illicit love affair with Blackthorne being all the more enthralling.

I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a good adventure novel and to all those who would like to find out cultural facts about feudal Japan without having to wade through history texts. Don’t be intimidated by its size: it reads so fast that you will be unable to put it down.

(less)

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Feb 27, 2010 Jon rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: classics, favourites, historical, recommendations

Bloody brilliant - re read after a 20 year gap after GR peer group pressure and upgraded from 3 to 5 stars. Pleased to find memory of goldfish so remembered almost nothing from previous read and that had seriously done an injustice with previous rating,

The writing isnt always frist class but at the same time Clavell perfectly encaptures the delicacies of the Samurai code of honour and Japanese life at that time. Its gruesome and bloody and coarse but the plots and counter plots and intrigues kee...more

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Apr 10, 2013 genao rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to genao by: Number One Uncle

As a picture of Japanese history it suffers from what another reviewer hilariously called (I paraphrase, here) our "round-eyed western mythologized POV."

Which, okay—it was written in the 70s, after all.

But as a story? What a fucking story.

I fell into this book as a teenager and didn't come back out until I'd read 600,000 words and had a conversational grasp of transliterated Japanese.

Three days. Three days of bliss.

I dare you to read this and not—at the earliest opportunity—call someone a gaijin...more

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Apr 08, 2009 Rob rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: my liege Lord

Shelves: 2009

So sorry, I am not worthy of the honor of reviewing this novel. If however, my Lord insists it, then I shall endeavor to offer up some humble thoughts regarding its mighty, even epic narrative. Neh? The scope is so vast, the characters and settings are so many, the head is liable to spin at times, so sorry. But the arc it follows is like a peregrine's path through the sky: long but fast and with vicious twists along what might otherwise have seemed a predictable path. I'm sure my Lord would agre...more

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Jul 04, 2007 Craig rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Anyone

Shelves: james_clavell

This is the Clavell novel that most people have read -- which is too bad, because in many ways, it is not his best.

Which is not to say it's not very good -- it is. It's amazing. It's... well, just ask anyone who's read it -- you'll not find someone who didn't like it. But the historical anthropology of the book isn't as well integrated into the narrative as it is in, say, Whirlwind or Noble House.

That being said, this is a remarkable work -- it is perhaps the most sweeping of Clavell's epics, i...more

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Jan 28, 2008 Amanda Clay rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is a fun and fascinating read, not only on its own merits, but also as part of what I like to call the 'male romance' genre. This, along with other manly titles like 'From Here to Eternity', make me giggle because they so closely parallel women's romance novels in the point-by-point adherence to a checklist of what their reader desires. And Shogun hits all the points: a handsome, tall, well-endowed man is, by virtue of his awesomeness, the ONLY person who could succeed in a dangerous situat...more

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Jul 23, 2012 Jacopo rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Il romanzo storico come genere non l'ho mai apprezzato granché, eppure 'Shogun' è uno dei libri più belli che abbia mai letto in vita mia.

Basato su una storia vera, fornisce continui spunti per riflessioni filosofiche, teologiche e sociologiche; personaggi molto ben caratterizzati, nei quali ci si può letteralmente immergere grazie al narratore onniscente, che dà la possibilità di capire stratagemmi, motivazioni e psicologie.
Un interessante confronto tra due culture diametralmente opposte che en...more

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Jul 18, 2012 Eugene Miya rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I'm normally not into this kind of historic fiction. I read this book in the 1980s after Clavell wrote it and some time before word that NBC was going to film a mini-series. At the time my honorable ancestors had finished eating the US economic lunch in the steel industry, then shipping, then the consumer electronics industry, and then the auto industry, and they were getting ready to start on their 5th generation computer project. It was not exactly a great time to be a sensi (3rd generation)....more I'm normally not into this kind of historic fiction. I read this book in the 1980s after Clavell wrote it and some time before word that NBC was going to film a mini-series. At the time my honorable ancestors had finished eating the US economic lunch in the steel industry, then shipping, then the consumer electronics industry, and then the auto industry, and they were getting ready to start on their 5th generation computer project. It was not exactly a great time to be a sensi (3rd generation). Fortunately the TV series was mediocre.

I won't summarize it here for you, that was decades ago, and others have done that, and I've moved on to other things.

The book was not as bad as I might have thought. Most people reading are familiar with the English language and have Judeo-Christian concepts of mortality, and I have some of that. I'm 3rd generation Californian (a few people wonder whether California is part of that sphere); both Nisei parents, one not in the 442 and the other briefly interned. I was not one of those kids when went off to study Japanese on Saturdays like most of my classmates in Gardena. My dad insisted that we were American.

Clavell did some nice research. The female characters are more than likely 20th century. The group-think in the book is not bad. The best scene and one which was not filmed or shown was the attempt of the browns to leave which the grays were trying to keep them in. 20 men forward. As their numbers reduced the captain of the grays only refreshed equal numbers of grays to browns until one gray guard stood, then 20 more brown samurai advanced, and then again, then 20 more. Yeah, I can believe that.

Oh, another moment/scene in the book made an impression on me: the converted Japanese Christians when faced with death put their Japanese ahead of their Christianity. What's also lost to many Westerners in this story would be that Japan would close its doors for 2 Centuries, kick out all Westerners and give up all but a token number of fire arms which is covered in Noel Perrin's Giving Up the Gun: Japan's Reversion to the Sword, 1543-1879. It would not be until Commodore Perry's gun boat diplomacy that Japan would open up again, and Werner Heisenberg would say that the USA was the cause for the start of World War II as declassified in the Farmhall Transcripts (Univ. of Calif. Press).

Parents noted that we descended from a line of archers. The archery scenes both in the book and series were OK. So I also tried archery in college, and it's seeing a revival in The Hunger Games book and movie. I enjoyed Shogun as a book and could almost push this from 3 stars to 4. But I hasten to add that not writing in English will really be able to give most readers an ethnic experience. The people who remained on the island don't view those of us who left as part of the culture, either.

Enjoy your reading.(less)

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Nov 24, 2008 Sameera Malinda rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. First of all this is probably the biggest book I have ever read. I found it in my usual place, the second hand bookshop. And fortunately it caught my attention. Although at the beginning I had doubts whether I made a mistake of buying it because it was a little slow paced. But soon the pace picked up and I was total captivated by the story of English naval pilot Blackthorne who get stranded in medieval Japan with some of his shipmates.

Clavell depicts a medieval Japan with great details. The main...more

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Jun 16, 2012 Gabriel rated it 3 of 5 stars

Classic novel of western-Japanese interaction, but Clavell profoundly annoys me by falling into the Japanophile abyss. I don’t refer to the (forgivable) inaccuracies and anachronisms which are par for the course in this kind of historical fiction - e.g., language mistakes, the existence of martial arts that didn’t formally exist yet, the rewriting of major battles, etc. Others have already analyzed in painstaking detail how Shogun both adapts and botches history. No, what is more pernicious is t...more Classic novel of western-Japanese interaction, but Clavell profoundly annoys me by falling into the Japanophile abyss. I don’t refer to the (forgivable) inaccuracies and anachronisms which are par for the course in this kind of historical fiction - e.g., language mistakes, the existence of martial arts that didn’t formally exist yet, the rewriting of major battles, etc. Others have already analyzed in painstaking detail how Shogun both adapts and botches history. No, what is more pernicious is the repetition of unfortunate cultural myths in the vein of “western civilization was barbaric and Japan was more civilized.” Just for example, the idea that contemporary westerners thought baths were unhealthy is highly exaggerated at best. Beyond outright myths, the crassness of westerners contrasted with the nobility of the Japanese is a strong theme of this book... and very romanticized when you consider the extraordinary art and literature being produced in the west, not to mention the economically-motivated warfare and meteoric rise of the merchant class in Japan around this time. To say nothing of the barbarity intrinsic to a feudal society in which the upper classes were legally permitted to slay or rape the lower classes for no reason.

ANYWAY, all that ranting is more of a general anti-Japanophile reaction than a unique downfall of this particular book, which truth be told is very entertaining and at least inspired by actual events. I love stories of cultural exploration, when an author shows the perspectives of two strangers encountering the other for the first time and discovering their strengths and weaknesses. It serves as well in science fiction (think Star Trek) as it does in historical fiction, and it is in strong form here. James Clavell also creates engaging (albeit one-dimensional) characters with complex interpersonal relationships; the balance of power is one of the best subplots.

One of the many reasons I limit this review to 3 stars is that it doesn’t form a complete story - the ending is a bit of a prelude to a sequel, and the book doesn’t follow a discrete arc so much as it happens to stop at a convenient point. Also, the book is far from great literature, indulging in sex and violence more than attempting to explore the human condition or any other lofty goal. Which, of course, is fine - just not deserving of the highest possible recommendation.(less)

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Aug 11, 2010 Whitelady3 rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: not-own, 2010

I started reading this book in English within the month I dedicated to Japan, but because I was too tired (hectic months) the English sometimes seemed like Japanese so I asked Slayra, who had also lent me the English version, to lend me the Portuguese edition. This gave me the chance to go compare the translation with the original and can say that, despite some changes of names and terms less successful, in my opinion, the Portuguese translation didn't seem that bad.

We follow the story of Blackt...more I started reading this book in English within the month I dedicated to Japan, but because I was too tired (hectic months) the English sometimes seemed like Japanese so I asked Slayra, who had also lent me the English version, to lend me the Portuguese edition. This gave me the chance to go compare the translation with the original and can say that, despite some changes of names and terms less successful, in my opinion, the Portuguese translation didn't seem that bad.

We follow the story of Blackthorne, the first British pilot to set foot in Japan (actually the fictional story is based on William Adams) after passing through the Strait of Magellan with a Portuguese rutter (presumably stolen). Once there, the integration seems difficult not only because of the obvious linguistic difference but there he also meets Jesuit priests, who consider him a heretic for being Protestant, and Portuguese merchants, who consider him a pirate and see him as a threat to their exclusivity in Asia. Besides that Blackthorne finds himself in the midst of a society with different and incomprehensible ways and in the middle of an intricate domestic politics, with Toranaga and Ishido facing each other. Blackthorne is taken under Toranaga's protection, since he's interested in the pilot's knowledge.

We follow the difficult adjustment of the Anjin-san (Blackthorne) to the Japanese culture, with the assistance of Mariko, a Japanese converted to Christianity and fluent in Portuguese (serving as interpreter between the English man and Toranaga). He falls in love with her but it's a forbidden love, however, since she's married to an important samurai. But he adapts and even embraces the Eastern culture, coming to despise his "unclean" colleagues, seen as barbarians. At the same time, we also get to know the politic which resembles a game of patience, where each party expected the other to take a false step has a way to victory.

A phenomenal book but that should not be read lightly. No wonder it took me two months to read it. It's a book rich in history, politics, intrigue and romance. It provides a great contrast between East and West, and the reader, as Blackthorne, slowly opens his mind and comes to accept what seemed strange at the beginning. Moreover, it has fantastic characters, each driven by its own ambition, heart and reason. A book that I can only recommend and which doesn't get a higher rating because I read it at an unfavourable time, which meant that I would fall asleep at parts for the lack of action. :P (less)

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Nov 15, 2008 Lenny Greenberg rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Everyone

Amazing well played-out story. Adventure, love, mystery, treachery all entwined in a story unfolding in a foreign culture, to most in this hemisphere. This novel has it all, well worth reading, possibly my favorite book.

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May 04, 2007 Logan rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction

This fantastic book is exactly what historical fiction SHOULD be. It's sad that most efforts fail to live up to this standard. A rousing tale of a Dutch navigator who washes ashore in 17th Century Japan and proceeds to become caught up in the strife and war that would usher in the Tokugawa era, this book really has it all: intrigue, diplomacy, romance, tragedy, internecine warfar, and NINJAS. Who can resist a book with all of that?

If you like this book I would recommend reading Samurai William,...more

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Apr 11, 2013 Mike Salamida rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Unabashed guilty pleasure. A thousand-some-odd pages -- none of them dull.

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May 06, 2013 Ioan rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Ioan by: Grandpa

I must say, if I am to choose a book as my all time favorite, it has to be this one.. I'm not sure what age people read this at, but you see, I was never an avid reader until I found this book. It opened up a world of imagination and exotic existence to me.

I was 9 and I remember having an assignment over the summer: to read 1000 pages by the next school year. To me, a child which was in most ways poorly articulated, this seemed like a daunting task. I remember trying to trick the task with my lo...more

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Apr 11, 2013 Brandon Trahan rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shogun is without a doubt the most enjoyable book I have ever read, picking it up by chance one day in the bargain section of a local Barnes and Noble after the cover art caught my attention. The mental imagery I was able to drum up while devouring its pages has been matched by no other book thus far; the descriptions of character, setting and plot were so thorough that I truly felt as if a motion picture was running through my mind at all times. Shogun turned me on to the general genre of the h...more Shogun is without a doubt the most enjoyable book I have ever read, picking it up by chance one day in the bargain section of a local Barnes and Noble after the cover art caught my attention. The mental imagery I was able to drum up while devouring its pages has been matched by no other book thus far; the descriptions of character, setting and plot were so thorough that I truly felt as if a motion picture was running through my mind at all times. Shogun turned me on to the general genre of the heart-pumping thriller even though I would not necessarily lump Clavell's work into that same, exact category. It's amazing how much of an uptempo pace this book possesses while being well over 1,200 pages in length. Major and minor plot events often find the reader covering 75-200 pages, eventually finding yourself being reintroduced to previous characters while realizing that you have been so fully immersed in the direction of the current events on any given page that you somewhat completely forget about the inclusion of some of the many well-developed characters and story arcs. Character development in Shogun is so well-defined and thoroughly explored to such a fulfilling degree that I would often find myself becoming sympathetic to all parties contained in the pages. Conflicting inner dialogues and emotional struggles of characters initially seeming quite obviously on either end of a moral spectrum often reveal even the most outward appearing black and white issues to be more grey in true essence, a well welcomed necessity in keeping the solid emotional investment of the reading ever present. I took approximately 2 months to cover the first 1,000 pages and roughly another month to cover the last two hundred. I became so panicked as the book was winding down with large plot events still to be resolved that I found myself taking more and more time to finish, as a not-so small part of me never wanted it to end. That mildly depressing feeling I feel that often accompanies the end of a novel, realizing that the journey and adventure is now complete, was especially strong upon completion of Shogun. I could sing the many praises of this book for hours, and I look forward to coming back to it many times over my remaining years to reacquaint myself with old friends and forgotten adventures.(less)

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Apr 09, 2013 Jane Stewart rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction

4 ½ stars. The first 90% is fascinating. The last 5% not well done - just a summary. The ending was sad.

Historical fiction based on actual leaders in 1600 Japan. I loved the thinking, planning, and strategising within the heads of many different characters. For example Yabu is alone with an injured man and thinks I could easily kill him and no one would know. Am I better off if he’s dead or alive? How will I benefit? If I do this then..., if I do that then ...

When John first sees a fortress his...more 4 ½ stars. The first 90% is fascinating. The last 5% not well done - just a summary. The ending was sad.

Historical fiction based on actual leaders in 1600 Japan. I loved the thinking, planning, and strategising within the heads of many different characters. For example Yabu is alone with an injured man and thinks I could easily kill him and no one would know. Am I better off if he’s dead or alive? How will I benefit? If I do this then..., if I do that then ...

When John first sees a fortress his thoughts are analyzing how defenders could defend it and how to attack it. He’s surprised at the size of the outer wall and the lack of cannon. This is a wonderful way for an author to describe something, instead of saying size, color, location.

The swearing is fun. The words are of a different time.

There is a lot of murder and death. For the smallest insult Samurai kill themselves or are killed. So much needless death.

THREE NEGATIVES:
There is a torture scene with a guy boiled alive. I wish I could forget I ever read that. I was disappointed with the lack of justice for the guy who ordered the torture. I was disappointed that when he later died, it was quick with no suffering.

A couple falls in love but one of them dies toward the end. That sadness depressed me and stayed with me too long after the book.

The weakest part was the ending. Throughout the book five rulers are joined against one. In the end there are changes with a final winner, but those changes and battles were not explained. I don’t know who changed and why, and how the end happened. It was too quickly told in a summary fashion, as if the author were tired of writing. I liked the political result, but it wasn’t explained. However, the first part of the book and the characters were so fascinating that it’s still one of the best books I’ve read and worthy of 5 stars.

AMAZON REVIEWER Patrick Shepherd “hypepat” writes a beautiful description of what the book is about. I could not say it better. A portion of his review follows. “It is his portrait of the Japanese, his lovingly detailed characterizations of Toranaga, Mariko, Omi and their deeply intertwined interactions with the English pilot Blackthorne that defines and breathes life into this breathtakingly large and complex story of love, war, and political intrigue. These characters are not static. Each grows and changes as events unfold, most especially Blackthorne himself, growing from a totally self-centered 'barbarian' of unclean habits to a person who can appreciate the beauty, intelligence, and moral rectitude of others, who comes to care deeply for those around him, who comes to understand a philosophy of life totally different from that of his own culture.”

NARRATOR - David Case:
For the first hour or so I didn’t like him - his dry British voice. But later I found him excellent. I loved his emotional interpretations as John Blackthorne the main English character. I liked his voice for women. Some male narrators sound gay when doing women, not David Case. He does women well by softening his voice, not drawling the vowels. At first, some of the Japanese voices sounded strange as if he were holding his breath, but it grew on me. It was a way for variety.

DATA:
Narrative mode: 3rd person. Unabridged audiobook length: 48 hrs and 26 mins. Swearing language: strong including religious swear words. Sexual language: none. Number of sex scenes: 11 referred to no details. Setting: 1600 Japan. Book copyright: 1975. Genre: historical fiction.(less)

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Mar 12, 2013 Poovy Pillay rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Starts of slow but this is my all time favourite book. The intricate web of deceit that is weaved is extraodinary. Set in feudal age Japan, an English sailor is shipwrecked in a land the west knows very little about. The west is in constant search of new trade and have already managed to make some inroads into China but can never get into Japan. They catholic church by way of of Portugal, are always looking to outdo the rest of the west at any cost to extend their influence and power.

An english...more

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Feb 11, 2013 Ton rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction, novels

Fascinating look into feudal Japan of the late 16th century. Blackthorne, an Englishman in service to the Dutch East India Company gets stranded in Japan with the remnants of his crew. A stranger in a strange land, Blackthorne (pronounced Brekfon by the Japanese, who quickly rename him Anjin-san for his profession) has to navigate a veritable quicksand of enemies and danger, in order to win his freedom and a chance to return home. In the background is the political upheaval in Japan, where the t...more

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Jan 23, 2013 JB rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Here’s the good: Clavell’s historical fiction is bright in that it draws the reader into a time and place with minimal effort. I was drawn to know more about the unpredictable protagonist—Blackthorn—as well as other thoughtful characters, and ended up learning a lot about 17th Century Japan and gained some nuances and insights into ancient Japanese culture.

The first several hundred pages of this behemoth are great. The next few hundred, not so much… was this guy getting paid by the word? Around...more

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Nov 03, 2012 Sean Watson rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I'm not exaggerating when I say that this is possibly the best book I've ever read. Not every book Clavell has written is great, but with Shogun and Taipan, he was not far off perfection. The novel first drew my attention when my parents were watching the miniseries back in 1980. Though only a kid myself, I was permitted to watch it along with them and found it fascinating. It took me two months, but I first read the 1200 page book as a sixth grader and have reread it every two years since.

Shogu...more

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Oct 03, 2012 Jacob rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I don't recall if this was my second or third time reading through Shogun, but it has held up, and more. Even compared to some of the better fiction I've been reading lately, Clavell is masterful and vastly superior both in his choice of words and in his ability to keep a lengthy volume moving at a steady velocity. His pacing is vigorous throughout, though this can make putting the book down, even after a hundred pages, difficult to do. At its heart this book seeks to show the intersecting of tw...more

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Sep 17, 2012 Michelle Werlau rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

My dad had been recommending this book to me since I was in late middle school/early high school. I finally got around to reading it about 8 years later. After I read it, I beat myself up for waiting so long. This was the very first historical novel I had read. I really thought I was going to hate it. I thought it was going to be boring because I never had any real interest in Japanese culture. Yeah, I was wrong. I loved the history and the details focused on Japanese samurai culture and traditi...more

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Aug 18, 2012 Onaida rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Anyone over thirteen.

Recommended to Onaida by: My father

The description really does not do this book justice; it makes it sound like a fantasy romance novel. I will start this off by saying how wrong that is as a description. This book is a capsule of history, showing a pivotal point in Japan's past when any decision could have changed the world today utterly. It sets the stage for the second World War, in showing how Nippon, unlike its other Eastern neighbors, managed to avoid colonization and control of the West. Clavell, in the place of his strand...more

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Aug 16, 2012 Mark rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Perhaps the most involved book I've ever read, but most worthy of reading. The Heina period of Japan (aka Age of the Samurai, Age of the Golden Prince, The Court Period) represents all the stereotypes Americans think of when someone mentions ancient Japan. Clavell preserves the societal rituals and ranking system well from the Eta (those so low in standing they aren't given a name, just called by what they do for a living) right up to the nobility of Emperor and Regeant. Overall, Shogun shows th...more

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Aug 16, 2012 Voronwer rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical, series

Shogun wasn't a book that I loved to read. I had to struggle my way through. James Clavell manages to paint an amazingly interesting world, but fails to really make me care for any of the characters. What kept me going was my interest in the history. Japan, so far, is a bit of a blank in my knowledge and if Clavell succeeded in one thing, then it's to bring this world alive and provide a window for my Western background into Japan.

That is the main reason I liked this book and it's why I didn't p...more

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Jul 27, 2012 Sophie rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction, fiction, owned

Yes. I read 1,152 pages of a book I liked less and less as the pages went by. I could have given this 3 stars, maybe, but I was so unsatisfied with it all that I can't do it.

It isn't even that it was unreadable - considering its size, it was a fast read, even though I had to use some special motivational tricks in the end when I just wanted to get it over with. The main problem was that there wasn't a single character I really liked, and god, I hate Blackthorne from the bottom of my very soul. I...more Yes. I read 1,152 pages of a book I liked less and less as the pages went by. I could have given this 3 stars, maybe, but I was so unsatisfied with it all that I can't do it.

It isn't even that it was unreadable - considering its size, it was a fast read, even though I had to use some special motivational tricks in the end when I just wanted to get it over with. The main problem was that there wasn't a single character I really liked, and god, I hate Blackthorne from the bottom of my very soul. It's been a while since a fictional character irritated me as much as he did. I should have known when one of the first things we learn about him was that he has a huge cock. Ah, I don't know, I'm being a bit unfair, maybe, but really.

I think - apart from the permanent POV switches and the weirdly transcribed Japanese (and sometimes just plain wrong Japanese - correct me if I'm wrong, but I doubt that "konbanwa" ever was used as a morning greeting)- what annoyed me most that I spent 1,000 pages reading in anticipation of a battle only to realize at page 1,000 that there probably wasn't going to be one. I just thought there'd be more about the actual Torunaga-becoming-Shogun or whatever, although all the planning and intrigues were somewhat interesting. I also suspect my main problem with the book was its length - the things I found annoying maybe wouldn't have been as annoying if there had only been 500 pages of them. And to be fair, it may have suffered a bit in comparison to "Bring up the bodies", one of the most remarkable and well-written historical novels I've read. (And the latter is written from a single POV, which is much more interesting, in my opinion. Oh, it's not that multiple POVs are bad, but is it really necessary to the include five sentences from the POV of a Japanese captain we'll never see again just to underscore how awesome Blackthorne is? And is it necessary to repeat the part about his cock again and again?)

In the end, if I could turn back time two weeks I'd tell myself not to bother. The only really memorable scene for me is the one where Mariko talks to him about "pillowing" (a word that had me gnashing my teeth after the 200th time it was used - almost as badly as "thee"). First, she suggests he sleep with one or three of the servant ladies in the room, then she suggests a boy. He goes apeshit at that suggestion, and then one of the samurai in the room suggests Mariko ask him whether he'd prefer a duck or a sheep. She doesn't, of course, but even after the fight settles down, the samurai again suggest they could get a duck, just set in the room and see. I think that guy was my favourite character. (less)

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May 13, 2012 Christian rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Ambientada en el Japón del siglo 17, la trama gira en torno del piloto de buque John Blackthorne, cuya nave naufraga en las costas de Japón. Él y el resto de la tripulación son hechos prisioneros por el señor feudal local, quien planea entregar a Blackthorne como regalo a su propio amo, uno de los más importantes en todo el Japón. A medida que el piloto se introduce en la cultura japonesa, comienza a ganar la confianza del señor feudal, en gran parte por sus conocimientos y por la curiosidad que...more Ambientada en el Japón del siglo 17, la trama gira en torno del piloto de buque John Blackthorne, cuya nave naufraga en las costas de Japón. Él y el resto de la tripulación son hechos prisioneros por el señor feudal local, quien planea entregar a Blackthorne como regalo a su propio amo, uno de los más importantes en todo el Japón. A medida que el piloto se introduce en la cultura japonesa, comienza a ganar la confianza del señor feudal, en gran parte por sus conocimientos y por la curiosidad que tiene el líder sobre el mundo exterior y el uso que puede hacer de Blackthorne para ganar las batallas internas en el territorio.

Shogun está ligeramente inspirado en la historia de William Adams, quien fue el primer inglés en pisar Japón en 1600. No era el primer occidental que lo hacía ya que los portugueses y los españoles habían llegado unos 50 años atrás. Aparte de ser el primer inglés, él y sus compañeros holandeses, fueron los primeros protestantes, para disgusto de los sacerdotes jesuitas portugueses, que ya había establecido iglesias en Japón.

Por increíble coincidencia histórica, William Adams llegó a Japón el mismo año en que Tokugawa Ieyasu derrotó a sus enemigos en la batalla de Sekigahara, puso fin a la era de los Reinos Combatientes y unificó Japón comenzando la era Tokugawa, que iba a durar hasta la renuncia del último shogun y la Restauración Meiji en 1868. William Adams logró convertirse en un amigo y confidente de Tokugawa Ieyasu durante este período.

Shogun es uno de esos libros difícil de clasificar. Contiene demasiada historia, pero Clavell se toma algunas libertades por lo que puede describirse también como ficción histórica. Al no ceñirse a esto, William Adams se convierte en John Blackthorne y Tokugawa Ieyasu se convierte en Toranga Yoshi.

A pesar de que la novela puede ser larga, nunca se vuelve aburrida, de hecho, la historia pone cada vez más y más compleja a medida que avanza. Por ejemplo, el choque cultural más evidente que domina todo el libro es el de los japoneses frente a los bárbaros occidentales. Pero los bárbaros occidentales están profundamente divididos en campos de protestantes y católicos. Por el lado católico, los portugueses y los españoles tienen sus argumentos sobre el territorio japonés y los jesuitas y los franciscanos tienen distintos argumentos sobre la forma correcta de impartir su religión a los japoneses. Están los enfrentamientos de la iglesia con la marina portuguesa y con los comerciantes sobre quién tiene la autoridad final y los problemas que los jesuitas tienen entre sí. Y todo esto es sin ni siquiera empiezan a llegar a la parte japonesa: la compleja situación política, las distintas alianzas, traiciones, ambiciones, feudos, vasallos, etc.

Cada personaje que entra en la acción, incluso los secundarios, están completamente desarrollados, con sus historias, sus conflictos de lealtades y sus motivaciones. A pesar de que los resultados están predeterminados por la historia, el lector no se siente que los personajes son arrastrados por los eventos históricos. En su lugar, da la sensación de que están eligiendo su propio destino.

El libro es un gran documento de las costumbres japonesas, su forma de vida, su comportamiento social y el código de Bushido y gracias a las descripciones, el leerlo da la verdadera sensación de estar allí.

Un gran acierto del autor es no escribir en un principio los diálogos entre japoneses en inglés (o en nuestro caso en español). Al igual que Blackthorne, escuchamos (leemos) en japonés las frases mientras otro de los personajes traduce los diálogos. Así, Blackthorne (y nosotros) va aprendiendo parte del idioma y de su correcto uso a lo largo del libro.

Como dijimos, es un libro extenso, pero la historia y los personajes compensan completamente el tiempo de lectura.(less)

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About James Clavell

James Clavell, born Charles Edmund Dumaresq Clavell was a British novelist, screenwriter, director and World War II veteran and POW. Clavell is best known for his epic Asian Saga series of novels and their televised adaptations, along with such films as The Great Escape, The Fly and To Sir, with Love.

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Quotes from Shōgun

“Karma is the beginning of knowledge. Next is patience. Patience is very important. The strong are the patient ones, Anjin-san. patience means holding back your inclination to the seven emotions: hate, adoration, joy, anxiety, anger, grief, fear. If you don't give way to the seven, you're patient, then you'll soon understand all manner of things and be in harmony with Eternity.” — 94 people liked it

“Always remember, child" her first teacher had impressed on her, "that to think bad thoughts is really the easiest thing in the world. If you leave your mind to itself it will spiral you down into ever-increasing unhappiness. To think good thoughts, however, requires effort. This is one of the things that need disipline –training- is about. So train your mind to dwell on sweet perfumes, the touch of this silk, tender raindrops against the shoji, the curve of the flower arrangement, the tranquillity of dawn. Then, at length, you won't have to make such a great effort and you will be of value to yourself,…” — 51 people liked it

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