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.
Favorite book of all times. The book is huge and for weeks my mind kept drifting back to the characters and thinking about how the story could have gone on past the ending of the story...I kept wanting more. Oh...for all those starting the book, it does take some time to get into, but the pain in the beginning is so worth it.
Extraordinar de interesanta cartea. E efectiv epic fantasy doar ca e real si asta o face extrem de buna mai ales daca e catdecat historically acurate. Povestea stiu ca nu dar macar cultura japoneza la vremea aia si conflictul maritim si de natura comerciala dintre spania si olanda si tot ce se intampla. Plus ca si povestea in sine e interesanta, plina de intriga politica si personajele sunt foarte faine(Blackthorn e cel mai idealizat barbat din lume dar nu ma deranjeaza, e chiar cool)
A Dutch crew sail to the supposed rich Japans in hopes to sell cargo and gain some wealth, but they are suddenly caught in a storm. Now they are severely down in numbers and trapped in the alien lands they know nothing of. “Shogun” is a book written by James Clavell, that lays under the Historical Fiction genre.
Besides trying to find the legendary Japans for wealth, the dutch ship is also running away from their homeland to avoid being caught English and American authorities for various reasons. The captain of this crew, Blackthorne, tries to find the Japans for the well being of his family. Blackthorne and his crew are caught in a storm however, and lose a majority of their men, and as well go unconcious. Blackthorne wakes up in a home, with extremely unfamiliar architecture, and is greeted by a woman who looks very alien to him. To add to this oddness, she speaks an unfamiliar language, and has to get someone else to speak to. After a series of events in the home, Blackthorne wanders outside, and finds himself to be in the beautiful Japan. However, the beauty is quickly disregarded as soon as he has a taste of what society is like in Japan. He must find his crew and try to leave Japan as soon as possible.
At first read, it honestly is pretty boring at the beginning of the book. However once you get past chapter 3, it does get interesting, with the side plot of the daimyo’s diabolical plan. Even though I do find this book still a tiny bit boring, the target audience seems to be towards Japan culture enthusiasts such as myself; it’s as well targeted towards suspense go-ers. The book frequently brings up Japanese terminology (daimyo, shogun, baka, etc.), and as well brings up dialogue spoken in japanese. As for suspense, there are a lot of moments where the characters are in danger or in some conflict, like being trialed for execution, being caught in a storm, and cage fights.
This was an incredibly long book, but it didn't feel like it. There was never a lull, never a point where I had to "trudge through" it. What an excellent book, filled with action, intrigue, romance, and an enchanting look into Japan's culture in this time period.
nu pot să termin așa ceva. proza e pur și simplu groaznică nu cred că am mai citit de mult o carte așa prost scrisă. trecerea de la un pov la altul e ... prost executată și foarte confusing apoi toate scenele perverse care nu și au locul și nu îndeplinesc niciun alt scop în afara de a-mi arăta perversitatea autorului si care apar în primele 100 și ceva de pagini, nu mă îmbie deloc sa continui sa citesc cartea asta de peste 1000 de pagini. îi oferă o nota de proasta calitate sincer de parcă doar băgând scene de genu poți să atragi cititorii(mediocri) in fine sunt enervată pentru că I wasted time trying to read this
mình cứ nghĩ xen kẽ cuốn khác để đỡ ngấy... nhưng sự thật là cuốn voãi đoái... đọc đi các bạn, đọc để thấy cái hay từ sự xung đột văn hóa, mưu mô.. mình đọc tiếp cuốn 2 đây :D
I liked it a lot. I cannot do justice to it with my clumsy praise. An amazing piece of work -- long, but never dull. So full of places and characters unlike any I have ever met, yet they come to life. The reason I didn't give it 5 stars was the ending. I guess I'm too critical when it comes to book endings: I keep hoping for the "perfect resolution" to a great story line this, but I don't think I've ever found one, am am not even clear what I'm looking for. Maybe it's just hard. All good things must come to an end, and "Shogun" is one of them.
This was a vast project, engrossing and preoccupying. Hardly deathless prose, but the narrative was so compelling that it didn't matter. Memorable, identifiable characters made a foreign world seem familiar. Highly enjoyable.
I wanted so much to like this book as I've waited years to read it. It is so boring, so slow, I couldn't get past 100 pages. Life's too short to waste on bad books. Move on...