Scan barcode
nate_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
informative
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Like everyone else this year I to got caught up in the hype of Shogun. This book is truly amazing and has solidified my love of historical fiction. I haven’t seen the 2024 show yet, but I am eagerly looking forward to it. Before picking up this tome I did watch the 1980 miniseries and was pleasantly surprised how much I liked it. One of my favorite miniseries that I grew up watching was the Blue and the Gray and it gave off a similar vibe in terms of production value.
The Good,
This book throws you into the world the 16th century Japan as a stranger in a strange land and takes you on the journey from there with John Blackthorn. Now for me as a foreigner in a strange land for the past 7 years I connected with Blackthorn easily. This is a book that I immediately wanted to reread after finishing not cover to cover per say but several individual chapters or sections which left me awed, or shocked. This book had me laughing by chapter two and even though it is one of the biggest books I have ever read it has never felt like a slog. The situations and the content discussed in this book leaves no stone unturned. They talk about everything in this book from faith, life, death, sexuality, scheming, and politicking. The political scheming in this book is so great it is on the same level of Game of Thrones and House of Cards in terms of how far someone will go to get what they want who will be betrayed and how. This book is incredibly open in its discussion of sexuality and there were times where I had to stop reading and look around to make sure that no one heard the audiobook. The book comments on the hang-ups that the Europeans and westerners in general have when it comes to sexuality compared to that of the Japanese and from what I have seen here I would say there is some truth to this stereotype. Everything that seems to happen by chance has been planned and prepared for like putting Blackthorn in the prison to keep him away from Ishido but for Blackthorn to get information from the Franciscan priest. On two side the Japanese, on another the Jesuits and Blackthorn in the middle each side planning to their own ends. The characters’ inner monologues give a great amount of insight as to who they are and what their motivations are. This book has made me want to look up and read more on the history of Japan such as Spain’s acquisition of the Philippians, Japan’s invasion of Korea and the Christian Missionaries that came to Japan. There are so many fascinating scenes that when I am listening to I feel I should stop after each chapter to take in and think about what just went down. There is so much going on that this is one book where it is difficult to audio while working on something else. One of those numerous scenes that struck me was when Toronaga is hunting with his falcon, and it immediately brought me back to when I read Untethered by Fonda Lee earlier this year. The tea ceremony scene in the book hits differently than in either of the shows and for the better I think as it is very nuanced and as the reader, we don’t really know the true feelings of Mariko because there are layers to the emotions of each of the characters. Around chapter 40 this book really ramps up in the scheming even the minor characters have their own motivations some are aligned while others aren’t. Part six is truly one of the best epilogues I have ever read after coming down from the crescendo that was at the end of part five. The reveal of all plots and scheming, who did what and to whom and why was simply great to see. I wish there was more, I wish it was longer. This is one book that now that I’ve finished it I want to reread it I want to jump back into this world.
Lord Toranaga wants to cement his legacy, and even has passing fancies about different female characters. He is a masterful schemer and plays 4D chess with everybody around him even we as the reader are in the dark until he cares to enlighten us. When we do get the answers, it is always amazing how he anticipated all this. However, he is not without doubt in fact he questions himself multiple times and the few times that we are in his head are some of my favorite parts in the book. Toronaga uses people like falcons or puppets and pulls strings or pushes them in different directions.
John Blackthorn wants to wage war on the Jesuits and the Portuguese, he wants to be with Mariko openly, and he wants to use the Japanese and go home to England. He goes through such a change in this story that the John Blackthorn at the end is a totally different character than he was at the beginning.
Mariko is conflicted between her faith and her allegiance to Toronaga, she is smitten with Blackthorn, and she hates her husband and wants to die for her family’s shame. Mariko falls for Blackthorn to the point that she might even commit herself to him over duty. She is easily my favorite character in the book and how she came to discover things and her conflicted life to the finality of her choices. Everything she prepared for along the way and even in the end; while this book is bittersweet in the end it is perfectly done.
Yabushige is an interesting character. He is like Little Finger in Game of Thrones except I do not want him dead the way I wanted Little Finger dead by the end of season one. He wants to be on the winning side and he wants to supplant Toronaga. Yabushige’s arrogance and his bloodlust got the better of him and even though he was an intriguing character I never trusted him.
Buntaro is obsessed with honor so much so that he is disliked by everyone because honor forces him to do things even though his drunkenness is in direct opposition to his honor. The fact that Mariko got away from Buntaro before the end is one of the story moments I really liked.
Omi hates Yabushige and wants to kill him, he has been ordered to befriend Blackthorn and is Blackthorn’s main rival for Kiku. Omi really came into his own at the end of this story. It would be interesting to have seen what his life with Kiku could have been as there is a moment near the end where they say goodbye and Kiku shows real emotion that their relationship meant something.
Fuji is very present in the first half of the book as Blackthorn’s consort but after the earthquake she is kind of in the background. She was so devoted to Blackthorn and so smart to anticipate his needs or wants she would have been a great wife for him. Her last conversation with Toronaga was great, especially when understood the meaning behind what she is saying and why.
Father Alvito is a true friend to Mariko but hates Blackthorn because he is protestant. My denomination looks down on Catholics especially Jesuits in an equivalent way to Blackthorn in this story. He is more conflicted in the latter half of the book. The newfound respect that Blackthorn and he have at the end of this story is one built on loss, it is through that grief that they learn to live with each other.
The Bad,
I know there are quite a few stereotypes in this book they push people away whether it is violence, sexism, sexuality, homophobia, colonialism, and religious fanaticism. Yes, this book does have all of those but consider when this was written, books today are much more accommodating when it comes to inclusivity, but history was not as inclusive as we have seen. So put yourself in their shoes. Also, when looking at when this was written it opened the western world to Japanese culture at a time when there was little of it in America. Name any books that were in English at the time that this was written especially books that delved into Asian culture let alone feudal Japan, so what this book did for introducing Japanese culture is amazing even if it preys on and reinforces several stereotypes that are still seen today. The dialogue in this book is not complex in fact I would say it’s easy to understand the complexity comes from the use of multiple languages and the large cast of characters There are sentences that become very repetitive and after about the halfway point began to grate on me a little bit such as so sorry, that’s karma no and please excuse me. These phrases are repeated so often.
Would I recommend this? Yes, if you like historical fiction and you are a character driven reader then this book is for you. It is a big commitment as it is over a thousand pages or over 50 hours as an audiobook. The narrator for the audiobook is amazing and really puts in a performance Ralph Lister the narrator puts in the second-best performance I’ve heard next to Jonathan Keeble of Warlord Chronicles trilogy.
The Good,
This book throws you into the world the 16th century Japan as a stranger in a strange land and takes you on the journey from there with John Blackthorn. Now for me as a foreigner in a strange land for the past 7 years I connected with Blackthorn easily. This is a book that I immediately wanted to reread after finishing not cover to cover per say but several individual chapters or sections which left me awed, or shocked. This book had me laughing by chapter two and even though it is one of the biggest books I have ever read it has never felt like a slog. The situations and the content discussed in this book leaves no stone unturned. They talk about everything in this book from faith, life, death, sexuality, scheming, and politicking. The political scheming in this book is so great it is on the same level of Game of Thrones and House of Cards in terms of how far someone will go to get what they want who will be betrayed and how. This book is incredibly open in its discussion of sexuality and there were times where I had to stop reading and look around to make sure that no one heard the audiobook. The book comments on the hang-ups that the Europeans and westerners in general have when it comes to sexuality compared to that of the Japanese and from what I have seen here I would say there is some truth to this stereotype. Everything that seems to happen by chance has been planned and prepared for like putting Blackthorn in the prison to keep him away from Ishido but for Blackthorn to get information from the Franciscan priest. On two side the Japanese, on another the Jesuits and Blackthorn in the middle each side planning to their own ends. The characters’ inner monologues give a great amount of insight as to who they are and what their motivations are. This book has made me want to look up and read more on the history of Japan such as Spain’s acquisition of the Philippians, Japan’s invasion of Korea and the Christian Missionaries that came to Japan. There are so many fascinating scenes that when I am listening to I feel I should stop after each chapter to take in and think about what just went down. There is so much going on that this is one book where it is difficult to audio while working on something else. One of those numerous scenes that struck me was when Toronaga is hunting with his falcon, and it immediately brought me back to when I read Untethered by Fonda Lee earlier this year. The tea ceremony scene in the book hits differently than in either of the shows and for the better I think as it is very nuanced and as the reader, we don’t really know the true feelings of Mariko because there are layers to the emotions of each of the characters. Around chapter 40 this book really ramps up in the scheming even the minor characters have their own motivations some are aligned while others aren’t. Part six is truly one of the best epilogues I have ever read after coming down from the crescendo that was at the end of part five. The reveal of all plots and scheming, who did what and to whom and why was simply great to see. I wish there was more, I wish it was longer. This is one book that now that I’ve finished it I want to reread it I want to jump back into this world.
Lord Toranaga wants to cement his legacy, and even has passing fancies about different female characters. He is a masterful schemer and plays 4D chess with everybody around him even we as the reader are in the dark until he cares to enlighten us. When we do get the answers, it is always amazing how he anticipated all this. However, he is not without doubt in fact he questions himself multiple times and the few times that we are in his head are some of my favorite parts in the book. Toronaga uses people like falcons or puppets and pulls strings or pushes them in different directions.
John Blackthorn wants to wage war on the Jesuits and the Portuguese, he wants to be with Mariko openly, and he wants to use the Japanese and go home to England. He goes through such a change in this story that the John Blackthorn at the end is a totally different character than he was at the beginning.
Mariko is conflicted between her faith and her allegiance to Toronaga, she is smitten with Blackthorn, and she hates her husband and wants to die for her family’s shame. Mariko falls for Blackthorn to the point that she might even commit herself to him over duty. She is easily my favorite character in the book and how she came to discover things and her conflicted life to the finality of her choices. Everything she prepared for along the way and even in the end; while this book is bittersweet in the end it is perfectly done.
Yabushige is an interesting character. He is like Little Finger in Game of Thrones except I do not want him dead the way I wanted Little Finger dead by the end of season one. He wants to be on the winning side and he wants to supplant Toronaga. Yabushige’s arrogance and his bloodlust got the better of him and even though he was an intriguing character I never trusted him.
Buntaro is obsessed with honor so much so that he is disliked by everyone because honor forces him to do things even though his drunkenness is in direct opposition to his honor. The fact that Mariko got away from Buntaro before the end is one of the story moments I really liked.
Omi hates Yabushige and wants to kill him, he has been ordered to befriend Blackthorn and is Blackthorn’s main rival for Kiku. Omi really came into his own at the end of this story. It would be interesting to have seen what his life with Kiku could have been as there is a moment near the end where they say goodbye and Kiku shows real emotion that their relationship meant something.
Fuji is very present in the first half of the book as Blackthorn’s consort but after the earthquake she is kind of in the background. She was so devoted to Blackthorn and so smart to anticipate his needs or wants she would have been a great wife for him. Her last conversation with Toronaga was great, especially when understood the meaning behind what she is saying and why.
Father Alvito is a true friend to Mariko but hates Blackthorn because he is protestant. My denomination looks down on Catholics especially Jesuits in an equivalent way to Blackthorn in this story. He is more conflicted in the latter half of the book. The newfound respect that Blackthorn and he have at the end of this story is one built on loss, it is through that grief that they learn to live with each other.
The Bad,
I know there are quite a few stereotypes in this book they push people away whether it is violence, sexism, sexuality, homophobia, colonialism, and religious fanaticism. Yes, this book does have all of those but consider when this was written, books today are much more accommodating when it comes to inclusivity, but history was not as inclusive as we have seen. So put yourself in their shoes. Also, when looking at when this was written it opened the western world to Japanese culture at a time when there was little of it in America. Name any books that were in English at the time that this was written especially books that delved into Asian culture let alone feudal Japan, so what this book did for introducing Japanese culture is amazing even if it preys on and reinforces several stereotypes that are still seen today. The dialogue in this book is not complex in fact I would say it’s easy to understand the complexity comes from the use of multiple languages and the large cast of characters There are sentences that become very repetitive and after about the halfway point began to grate on me a little bit such as so sorry, that’s karma no and please excuse me. These phrases are repeated so often.
Would I recommend this? Yes, if you like historical fiction and you are a character driven reader then this book is for you. It is a big commitment as it is over a thousand pages or over 50 hours as an audiobook. The narrator for the audiobook is amazing and really puts in a performance Ralph Lister the narrator puts in the second-best performance I’ve heard next to Jonathan Keeble of Warlord Chronicles trilogy.
arjenlammers's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
francisnolan's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
youraveragedave's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
informative
mysterious
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? No
4.25
This is one huge book (1100+ pages or 53+ hours audio) and it encompasses a lot. The cast is huge and the plot is sprawling.
Most of the book you feel like Blackthorne, or Anjin-san if you prefer, an outsider to this strange culture, so different from the familiar European way of life Western readers are familiar with. I really liked the way Clavell slowly increased Blackthorne's understanding of Japanese language and way of life, and even his preference for certain things the Japanese did.
The plot is more than a simple stranger in a strange land tale though. We've got culture clash of West vs East. Religion, not only Christianity vs Buddhism, but Catholicism vs Protestantism. There's European wars and hostility between the Spanish empire and the British and Dutch being brought to this foreign land. Added to that is the domestic political intrigue of the Japanese and who will rule and guide this land. Then through in some Japanese societal and family dynamics and you can see why this book is so damn big.
As an audiobook reader, the size of the cast was difficult to keep straight, luckily Clavell gives lots of context clues as to who's talking. Sometimes I wished the plot was simplified and steamlined, but I know that's not how the real world works, it is complicated with many moving parts. Another complaint is Toranaga's omniscience, he seems to always be the steps ahead of everyone and we sometimes get his insight, but not enough for my liking. It can come off as a little deus ex machina at times.
Most of the book you feel like Blackthorne, or Anjin-san if you prefer, an outsider to this strange culture, so different from the familiar European way of life Western readers are familiar with. I really liked the way Clavell slowly increased Blackthorne's understanding of Japanese language and way of life, and even his preference for certain things the Japanese did.
The plot is more than a simple stranger in a strange land tale though. We've got culture clash of West vs East. Religion, not only Christianity vs Buddhism, but Catholicism vs Protestantism. There's European wars and hostility between the Spanish empire and the British and Dutch being brought to this foreign land. Added to that is the domestic political intrigue of the Japanese and who will rule and guide this land. Then through in some Japanese societal and family dynamics and you can see why this book is so damn big.
As an audiobook reader, the size of the cast was difficult to keep straight, luckily Clavell gives lots of context clues as to who's talking. Sometimes I wished the plot was simplified and steamlined, but I know that's not how the real world works, it is complicated with many moving parts. Another complaint is Toranaga's omniscience, he seems to always be the steps ahead of everyone and we sometimes get his insight, but not enough for my liking. It can come off as a little deus ex machina at times.
nwilliams96's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
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? It's complicated
4.25
emmaprew's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
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? It's complicated
4.75
Re-reading this book after watching the new TV adaptation, and after first having read this 16 years ago. Just as good as the first time around. Definitely still one of my favourite books set in Japan.
chrisday2112's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
informative
mysterious
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? It's complicated
4.5
stianbond's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-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
5.0
nlagerman's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0