
Shōgun
Shōgun is a 1975 historical fiction and feudal-Japan fiction novel by James Clavell. The story is set in Japan and Anjiro, in the Tokugawa period, 1600–1868. It features John Blackthorne (Miura Anjin - William Adams), Yoshi Toranaga (Tokugawa Ieyasu) and Yoshi Sudara (Tokugawa Hidetada). Key subjects include warlords, Samurai, British in Japan and Catholic Church.
Open Library readers give it an average of 4.3 out of 5 from 24 ratings, and 418 more have it on their want-to-read list. It has been published in 23 editions across 6 languages.
It runs to roughly 1,121 pages — 20–21 hours of reading at an average pace.
About Shōgun
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, Shōgun 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 also 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, Shōgun is, as the New York Times put it, "...not only something you read--you live it." Provocative, absorbing, and endlessly fascinating, there is only one: Shōgun.
Quick answers
Who wrote Shōgun?
Shōgun was written by James Clavell and first published in 1975.
What genre is Shōgun?
It is usually shelved as Historical Fiction and Samurai & Feudal Japan.
How long is Shōgun?
The median edition has 1,121 pages, about 20–21 hours of reading at 250 words per minute.
What books are similar to Shōgun?
Readers who like it often enjoy Desire, Wild Irish Skies and Sweet Compulsion.
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