Shogun by James Clavell

About the Book

This is James Clavell's tour-de-force; an epic saga of one Pilot-Major John Blackthorne, and his integration into the struggles and strife of feudal Japan. Both entertaining and incisive, SHOGUN is a stunningly dramatic re-creation of a very different world. Starting with his shipwreck on this most alien of shores, the novel charts Blackthorne's rise from the status of reviled foreigner up to the heights of trusted advisor and eventually, Samurai. All as civil war looms over the fragile country.

Editorial Reviews

"Shōgun is irresistible...I can't remember when a novel has seized my mind like this one. Perhaps it was the author's Hong Kong novel Tai-Pan...James Clavell breathes narrative. It's almost impossible not to continue to read Shōgun once having opened it. Yet it's not only something that you read--you live it...People, customs, settings, needs, and desires all become so enveloping you forget who and where you are."- "New York Times Book Review"

"A colossal work in every way...A huge panorama...but you won't want it shorter by one sentence."- "Cosmopolitan"

"A tale surging with action, intrigue, and love...A huge cast...Vast and dramatic...Stunning...savage...beautiful...An extraordinary performance."- "Publishers Weekly"

"Adventure and action, the suspense of danger, shocking, touching human relationships...A climactic human story."- "Los Angeles Times"

"Adventure, intrigue, love...death, bloodshed, and sex...Reader, you'll love it!"- "Library Journal"

"Exciting, totally absorbing...Be prepared for late nights, meals untasted, business unattended."- "Philadelphia Inquirer"

"One of those books that blots up vacations and imperils marriages because it simply will not let the reader go."- "Washington Post"

"Superbly crafted...Grips the reader like a riptide...Gets the juices flowing!"- "Washington Star"

About the Author

James Clavell

James Clavell, the son of a Royal Navy family, was educated in Portsmouth before, as a young artillery officer, he was captured by the Japanese at the Fall of Singapore. It was on this experience that his bestselling novel KING RAT was based. He maintained this oriental interest in his other great works: TAI-PAN, SHOGUN, NOBLE HOUSE and GAI JIN.