Status Updates From A History of Japan to 1334

Only 70 pages to go. Only 70 pages to go.

I'm not even sure why I hate this book so much. I've read and loved far duller books. There's a lot of interesting tidbits. Japan has a fascinating history and some of my favorite movies and novels are Japanese.

But every single time I open it up, I go crazy.

Sansom may have been a good Japanologist, but he most definitely had the slightest flair for good, engaging writing of anyone I've ever read. His storytelling prowess so flat that he makes even the most exciting adventures feel boring. It's almost impressive. Besides, this is primarily a military history of Japan, with some brief asides on literature and religion. Not really my thing.

Somehow Sansom manages to turn Japanese history into an insanely boring ordeal. Mid-century narrative history told with class and wit, written for an educated but not specialist audience, is generally my favorite. Maybe it's an utter lack of wit, but something is awfully lacking here.