Shōgun, Part One

The Asian Saga, Book 1.1

By: James Clavell

Narrated by: Ralph Lister

Length: 24 hrs and 18 mins

Publisher's summary

By the #1 New York Times bestselling author and unparalleled master of historical fiction, James Clavell’s Shogun is soon to be a major FX/Hulu TV series!

Shogun, the classic epic novel of feudal Japan that captured the heart of a culture and the imagination of the world, is now available for the first time in serial format. Part One contains the first half of the complete novel.

After Englishman John Blackthorne is lost at sea, he awakens in a place few Europeans know of and even fewer have seen—Nippon. Thrust into the closed society that is seventeenth-century Japan, a land where the line between life and death is razor-thin, Blackthorne must negotiate not only a foreign people, with unknown customs and language, but also his own definitions of morality, truth, and freedom. As internal political strife and a clash of cultures lead to seemingly inevitable conflict, Blackthorne’s loyalty and strength of character are tested by both passion and loss, and he is torn between two worlds that will each be forever changed.

Powerful and engrossing, capturing both the rich pageantry and stark realities of life in feudal Japan, Shogun is a critically acclaimed powerhouse of a book. Heart-stopping, edge-of-your-seat action melds seamlessly with intricate historical detail and raw human emotion. Endlessly compelling, this sweeping saga captivated the world to become not only one of the best-selling novels of all time but one of the highest-rated television miniseries, as well as inspiring a nationwide surge of interest in the culture of Japan. Shakespearean in both scope and depth, Shogun is, as the New York Times put it, ‘'not only something you read—you live it.’‘

Also available: Shogun: Part Two

©1975 James Clavell (P)2015 Blackstone Publishing

Fantastic

I’ve read some complaints about the amount of seppoku in this book, there is a lot of it…. A lot. But if you give this book the chance it deserves you won’t be disappointed. If you’ve seen the show, this is almost a completely different story. It’s deep and rich. Completely engrossing.

Great Narrator

The story was greatly enhanced by the narrator. The history of Japan is very fascinating

Descriptions were fantastic

The story suffered from a couple of things first being the sense of time passing or lack thereof. Secondly would be it was sometimes difficult to tell who was talking especially when characters went into internal monologue. Over all a very good book.

Insight into 16th century Japan

The only drawback does take a while to learn all the characters names. The narrator is very good and the story is great

Great distinction in voices

I loved how they described which characters were talking in different languages and their inflections, very well done.

Feudal Japan, well written, BRILLIANTLY performed

I think this writing fits the feudal Japan really well. Also the imperialistic attitude of 1400' England. All of which could be really interesting or really boring to the reader, depending on how nerdy you are. I am enjoying it. The amazing part is the narrator. Multiple voices to distinguish between characters, and from my very limited understanding, he does the Japanese extremely well! At least for a gaijin.

What stands out the most is the intricacy and emotion of the tale

This book is a “must read.” I have read Shogun perhaps 7 times over the years. I saw the most enjoyable television mini series first, then I bought the novel. Of course the novel provided the nuance that a tv performance could not. But that’s OK. Interestingly, to me, the characters in the novel have the faces and features of the tv characters. I prefer the look over the descriptions in the book. Sad that the author died. I had always looked forward to his next epic. I have read most, if not all of them.

why two parts?

i love the book, very well written characters. i listened to it a few years ago. i'm very annoyed at the fact that it has been split into 2 books, for no reason other than that i believe it was to get more purchases due to the series on hulu... atleast thats the only reason i can think of, because i know for a fact you could purchase the entire book prior to the release of the series.

Still great after all these years

Read this many years ago. Returned to it after the recent mini series. It’s a bit long winded, but gripping and the reader is extraordinary Be warned that “part 1” literally means they broke this very long book into two halves. This first half cuts off practically in the middle of a scene and does not stand on it’s own by any stretch of the imagination

Fantastic writing brought to life with excellent voice actors.

I read Shogun years ago when it was first published. This audiobook captures the story and characters perfectly, making the characters and 1600 Japan feel very real and relatable to this listener.