Reviews with content warning for Suicide - Шогун

This was the most epic adventure I’ve ever been on when reading a book.

Yes, it is really long. Yes, it probably could have been shorter and still managed to tell the story. But what this book did so well was deep character development. Each character (and there are MANY) was fully formed. So yes, the book could have been shorter to get the plot across (because honestly plot-wise not all that much happens here), but perhaps the characters would not have been so fully fleshed out if it had been a shorter book.

I think you will love this book if many of the following apply to you:
•You are not turned off by a large cast of characters
•you do not mind super slow plot pacing
•you appreciate fully developed characters over exciting plot action
•you enjoy morally grey characters and love the nuance that is human morality and ethics

Content Warnings

leeanne212's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Picked this book up because of all the hype with the 2024 series. I thought even though it was old, I would give the book a chance. I figured it would have a lot of racism and misogyny to wade through. Even though there is some, it is relevant to the story set in the 1600’s feudal Japan. I thoroughly enjoyed a glimpse into a country and culture I know little about.

Content Warnings

mr_engineer's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous challenging informative tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This classic helped propel Western interest in Japanese culture.

The main character has only his wits and tenacity to keep him alive in a foreign and deadly land.

The ending really does it for me:

"Mariko-san, it was your karma to die gloriously and live forever. Anjin-san, my friend, it is your karma never to leave this land. It is mine to be Shogun."

Content Warnings

pants_'s review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark reflective tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot

4.0

Content Warnings

himpersonal's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous emotional informative inspiring sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I first came to know about this story as a child when I had a little crush on Richard Chamberlain and accidentally came across Shōgun on TV. I was too young to understand the full story, but I got the basics. In actuality, I didn't care about the story. I was glued to the TV because it was the first time I was seeing Asian faces on TV in a positive light (aside from the Hong Kong kung fu productions with the dubbed voices that played on Saturday afternoons). The only other "Asians" I'd seen on TV until then were yellow face actors in The Pearl and Breakfast at Tiffany's, terrible characters from Thoroughly Modern Millie, and exaggerated accents by Pat Morita in Happy Days and Karate Kid. I don't actually remember how the Japanese were portrayed in Shōgun back then, but I remember it was the first time Asians were being taken seriously and on their turf. This was all while kids at taunted me that I should go back to China (I'm Korean).

This show opened up a world of new possibilities for me - about how I could see myself in the world and how the world could receive me other than a misfit. It was also the first time I saw a white person trying to fit into a world that looked a lot like mine and not at all like his. It never occurred to me that the reverse could be true. Fast forward many years, one of my college majors being in Asian studies, several years of living in Japan, gaining fluency in Korean, Japanese, and (hopefully someday soon) Hindi, and lots of travel all over Asia, and I feel like this story was what germinated my ongoing pursuit of expanding my appreciation of the nations that make up my origins. So, even though this book was SO long, I was happy to read it. (In truth, I was unsuccessfully trying to find a book longer than Stephen King's It so that I wouldn't have to see it as my longest book of 2024 every time I revisited my 2024 reading list.)

What I liked most - Mariko. Such a great hero. And Toranaga was a close second. These characters are so well developed. And the choice to write this at a time where samurai could choose to fight by the Bushido code and the respect of the sword or lean into modernized weaponry was brilliant. Between Christianity and guns, it seems no country was safe from westernization. I expect the rest of the war in the other books might demonstrate the generational trauma caused by these impositions, but I will need to wait and see until I can get to those other books.

It's clearly written by a white man. Even if I hadn't known the author's name, that much was obvious to me. I read that Clavell considered these works to be very pro-Japanese. I think he achieved that, but there is also evidence of his perspective as an outsider trying to be an insider (which I think culminated in the Blackthorne character). The only concern I have is that those who don't fully understand or appreciate how the Japanese value life will misunderstand the depth of respect Japanese actually have for life, given the number of characters who attempt, threaten, or go through with seppuku. It's actually quite the opposite.

If you are intimidated by the size of the book, it might be easier to read if you watch in the FX remake. It follows the book really well and did an impressive job with the sets and costumes. It deserved every Emmy it got this year.

Content Warnings

tawallah's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This epic historical adventure story is based on the influence of Europeans on the land of the Rising Sun in 17th century.

From the beginning, it is clear that this is turbulent times, natural disasters, disease and war. John Blackthorne is an Englishman on a Dutch ship sailing to the famed Eastern area dominated by the Portuguese. A great setup for the political intrigue that peppers this book. Treachery and betrayal are its major themes. From clashes in culture, religion and the power struggles.

Perfect for fantasy readers or historical readers who enjoy political intrigues. It is a tome which will be familiar to this type of reader.

And boy, is that title a bit misleading. But I did say this book is full of treachery.

Content Warnings

badger_ti_robespierre's review against another edition

Go to review page

tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

The set up is painfully slow. Especially if the reader is well versed in the time period. Highlights are when Japanese culture is highlighted. The obtuseness of the main is at times necessary as a foil to others around him but i found that hard to tolerate at times. A good read overall and I plan to continue the series but not at breakneck pace.

Content Warnings

zarazera's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark reflective sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Content Warnings

More...