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Summary: A great immersion into feudal Japan, and a great story too!
Review: I have read many of Clavell's novels based in the orient -- SHOGUN, TAIPAN, GAIJIN, WHIRLWIND, KING RAT, etc., and in my opinion SHOGUN is at the top of the pile! I lived in Japan for 2 years. As I read Shogun I could see clear similarities between Japanese history, culture, and even much of modern living that is in many ways a direct result of feudal samurai Japan presented in the book. The immersion of any unprepared European into feudal Japanese culture, as the character John Blackthorn was in the book, is enough to make anyone's head spin. I was intruiged by the way Blackthorn dealt with things, and with the way that the internal politics of Japan at the time came through so well. I found the book to be historically and culturally accurate -- sure, yeah, and then? More importantly though, I found that the book presents unexpected twists and turns, and outstanding character development. If you are interested in reading a Clavell novel, definitely start with this one. I am admittedly attracted to this book because of the historical and geographic setting (in Japan), but even so, it's a great read, pick a copy up for the summer. Top-notch -- 5 stars!
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Summary: Clavell's absolute best
Review: With _Shogun_, I believe, Clavell created his masterpiece. Set in the earliest time period of all his sagas, for me it is the standard by which the rest of his novels are measured. None that I have read live up to Shogun, or could fairly be expected to. The novel starts with a dramatic shipwreck that violently sucks you in. Before you know it you have read the first fifty pages, and are well on your way to uncovering the tragic, thrilling, funny, suspenseful, scandalous, and brutal clash between Japanese and European culture that surrounds Clavell's hero Blackthorne for the rest of the novel. The characters are brilliantly complex and surprising. It isn't often that an author can reach such a deep level with so many characters. The cultural details, the landscape, the dress, the everyday objects are so vividly described, you feel like you've entered a high-resolution dream. I've never read another story that so skillfully depicts the intricacies and subtleties of the Japanese culture in a manner so accesible to us Westerners. You become frustrated, enchanted, and enraged right along with Blackthorne as he simultaneously tries to find a way home and simply survive in such a mysterious and often treacherous world. Perhaps because the characters are so three-dimensional, all aspects of the story seem real. You can feel the heavy Japanese burden to live up to an unbending code of honor. You feel the hatred, friendship, arrogance, respect, romantic tension as if they were your own. You cover so much ground with Blackthorne in Japan that you are reluctant to reach the novel's last pages as they finally come. When you finally do close the book, however, and wake up from the dream, you leave Clavell's masterpiece with that solid satisfaction of having been completely entertained and with the chill of some surprising realizations that really make you think-- the mark of a great masterpiece.
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Summary: Ah, disapointment bitter
Review: My father never gets to read books. When he does, he takes this old battered copy of Shogun and reads it, reareads it, immersing itself in it: you know, like the old saying about the difference between good books and great: the great you want to visit again and again. So perhaps it was with too many expectations that I started reading this book. But when you finish reading, you have to admit that though the boundries are great, saga-like, the story doesn't manage to fill this great framework, and from the middle on it tends to be long and frustrating; that although the Japanese philosophy is intriguing, the harsh rules everyone seem to act by leave no room for real, burning emotions, and lusts you can identify with--see that pale love story; that though I personaly came out wanting, wishing, dying to know more of these affairs (which are, my dad claims, REAL,) I would certainly not read Shogun again.
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Summary: Clavel is a Master!
Review: Once a year, I find myself re-reading this book. Each time I pick it up, I enjoy re-living the epic tale that we are taken on. Critics discuss the lentgh of the book, but the story is told through the careful selection of words. Clavel paints a perfect picture of the Shogun and European Exploration eras. This book is a must read for anyone who is a history buff, or a lover of Japanese culture. The book is equally enjoyable for all - it has a tremendous amount of action and suspense, while it meanders through romances and love triangles. Pick this book up, and read about an exciting part of history - where one wrong word can cost you your head!
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Summary: Already A Classic, Its legend Will Grow In Years To Come
Review: Look up the word 'sweeping' in any dictionary, and you find "James Clavell's Shogun." A masterpiece of plotting, character development, intrigue, romance, suspense, historical research, and human spirit, this book will stand the test of time and surely ranks as one of the great pieces of historical fiction ever written upon this earth. I have read it yearly for well over a decade and its power to amaze never dims. It is the only literary work that has ever made me weep for the sole reason that the story comes to an end, that there must be a last page. reading 'Shogun' is a humbling, masterful experience.
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Summary: what a literary masterpiece.
Review: What a beautifully complex novel James Clavell has woven. His writing style is superb. The characters are unique. The story is awesome. Politics, sex, romance, drama and action are all crammed into this novel. It is tragic to learn Clavell has died.
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Summary: The Best Book I've ever Read
Review: This book is the best I have ever read not only because of heart stopping action, a great story or high lierary quality, It is because of it's ability to teach me something so interesting when taught in the correct way. Shogunite Japan is one of the most interesting time periods that has ever been. Yet it is also one of the worst represented. Clavell's book shows us a view of the world through the eyes of a man used to living in the sewer that was England at that time, and places him in the civilized world of Japan. The novel is gripping and I guarantee once you have started to read you will not be able to put it down. P.S. Not many people realize that Shogun is actually based on the story of the Japanese General Ieyasu and an Englishman named Adams.
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Summary: One of the great 20th century novels
Review: This was the first Clavel novel that I ever read. Once I started reading it, I couldn't stop. I often measure the quality of a book by the amount of sleep I lose over it. This book is so gripping that by the time I reached the final chapters, I stayed up ALL NIGHT to finish it. It's just that good. Clavel must have performed a mind-boggling amount of research to produce this work. It is full of details about life in 16th cenutry Japan. Culture, politics, sex, class distinctions, race relations, and more are all covered. As far as "historical novels" are concerned, this is probably the pinnacle of the genre. If you enjoy historical novels, are a history buff, enjoy Japanese culture, or just want to read a great book, you can't go wrong with this one. It is truly great and you will be better off for having read it.
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Summary: Literature at it's finest.
Review: A truly excellent piece of literature. Character development is true and the plot riveting. Should be in the top 100 books. My only criticism, if one should, is that Clavell quickly wraps up the finale in a mere 100 pages which clashes with his style in the previous 800 pages - I could have continued another few hundred... but then who would challenge 1500 to 2000 pages of reading? Now on to Tai-Pan.
Rating:
Summary: Awesome, yet beware those with short attention spans.
Review: Yes, Shogun is the best book I've ever read. Yes it is awesome. But, it is 1,152 pages. To fill up those pages, Clavell describes...and describes...and describes. For me, that is a plus. Yet that isn't a plus for all, so if you want action, and want it immediately, try something half this length.
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