A review by josiah17
Shōgun by James Clavell

challenging dark informative reflective slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Edit 2/29/24: Bumping to 4.5 stars. I've been thinking about this book a lot, especially with the amazing premiere of the FX TV adaptation. It's a historical epic that I will surely revisit sometime down the road.

----------

I'm very glad I finally read this book. From the brief research that I've done, it seems to be a fairly accurate depiction of 17th century feudal Japan. You have the daimyos fighting over their regions and the Shogunate. The religious clash between Buddhism, Christians, and Catholics. The different gender roles of men and women and the formalities of respect and obedience when interacting with each other. It seems Clavell did his due diligence with studying the historical Japanese culture. However there's definitely some exaggeration of some cultural aspects for the sake of the fictional narrative, such as the absurd frequency of seppuku. 

In regards to the overall narrative, it was quite compelling. The political tension was very well written. There's plenty of double-crossing, betrayal, and dishonesty for personal and regional gain. Blackthorne's story also kept me engaged once the whole book started to pick up. At first he's this deplorable Englishmen who views the Japanese in a very negative light, but then comes to appreciate the Japanese culture and becomes accustomed to the ways of the land. And there's even a surprisingly wonderful romance later on with his story.

"How beautiful life is and how sad! How fleeting, with no past and no future, only a limitless now.”

There are some other really great characters too. Toranaga, Mariko, Yagu, Omi, Fujiko. Particularly Toranaga and Mariko. Just excellent character work from Clavell. 

I've said this many times before, but a Japanese setting is just one of my favorite settings. I love the aesthetic, and I love how the setting and culture is at the forefront of this novel as Blackthorne is thrusted into this foreign land and forced to adapt and learn. It never felt like I was reading a history book or a cultural textbook. It felt almost seamless because the reader is also learning alongside Blackthorne. 

"Only by living at the edge of death can you understand the indescribable joy of life.”

For criticisms, I would say it took me about 200 pages to feel immersed. But I was interested, it was just felt like a lot at the beginning. But maybe that was a me thing and just what I was feeling when I picked up the book. But also, the prose is a little off-putting at first. It's not a knock on Clavell, it's just how the dialogue is because he's writing as Japanese, Portuguese, and Latin translated to English. So the dialogue can often feel disjointed or unusual, but I did get pretty used to it. Otherwise I think Clavell writes pretty well. The action scenes were maybe a little lackluster though, although there were not that many for a 1300 page book which was completely fine.

Altogether, a very intriguing and valuable read. I think I'll continue reading the rest of Clavell's Asian Saga.

"What are clouds 
But an excuse for the sky? 
What is life 
But an escape from death?"
Expand filter menu Content Warnings