A review by the_pale_woman
Shōgun by James Clavell

adventurous challenging tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

4.0

I really enjoyed this read, but it's not a book that I would lightly recommend. This is a pretty slow book. It will not spare you the deatils. I could see a less patient reader, finding it a bit much. Especially the dialog. It was written to give the illusion of translation. Giving Japanese, Portuguese, and Latin their own feel and cadence when "translated" for the reader. This structure works well, but it can feel repetitive. The audiobook isn't the best, in my opinion. The narrator put a little too much emphasis on the characters' voices for my tastes. Despite this, the story hooked me early. I would just recommend sticking with the text if you're sensitive about narrators. Because if you're a fan of big epic tales like this, I'm sure you'll find it satisfactory. To me, this was just a compelling story. I enjoyed this host of complicated characters with their endless intrigues and betrayals. I was expecting a little more out of the ending, but overall, I thought it was well done. I'm excited to continue with the series and see how it develops.