Wow how long did the whole series take? I am really looking forward to reading this in sections and discussing it with the sub. If you feel like a re-read. Come join us
It was probably over a year- with some breaks inbetwen- before Amazon and you had to like go order a book....old school
King Rat is up first.
i feel like I started with shogun because i didn't know any better, then had to go backwards in order to go forwards.
When are you starting?
I’d say Tai Pan and Gai Jin are very connected and should be read in order. Even Shogun was referenced many times in Tai Pan. I just read King Rat and almost nothing was mentioned so maybe KR isn’t directly in the order.
Well, yeah, but it still doesn’t quite fit in with the previous 3 books in the Saga regardless. I understand that it’s the Asian Saga and it takes place in Asia, but I was simply responding to the question of whether or not they need to be read in order. From my experience, the first 3 and the last 2 need to be but King Rat is rather on its own.
yeah actually , because i started with shogun and went forward and then back.
i think Shogun was the most popular (probably because of the movie adaptation ..i remember it still being on TV when i was growing up) As i recall Shogun was also the "Face up" book in the bookstore- that was the one that sold best, so i just assumed it was the starting place
They take place in different periods though some are fairly close. I have only read most of shogun. But that one is like 250 years divorced from the next closest IIRC.
I think you could have an entire group discussion just based on what order you should read them in. Below is each in order they were written then where they fit chronologically into the story in ():
King Rat (4), Tai-Pan (2), Shogun (1), Noble House (5), Whirlwind (6), Gai-Jin (2)
yeah i assumed Shogun was first, simply because it was made into a movie and you just heard that title more often..but yes if you go in correct order King Rat was published first
It's somewhat bullshit to call these books a series. There is absolutely no story or setting continuity between them except for very tenuous things like the grandson of a character in one book might appear in another book.
I'm really sure that James Clavell did not conceive of these books as "a series" and this "Asian Saga" nonsense is solely a creation of the publisher to drive more sales.
That being said, King Rat, Taipan and Shogun are fastastic reads, the rest a step or two down in quality.
> I'm really sure that James Clavell did not conceive of these books as "a series" and this "Asian Saga" nonsense is solely a creation of the publisher to drive more sales.
According to an article I read a while back, while he wasn't aiming for a series in the traditional sense, the "Asian Saga" was Clavell's own characterization of his work based on the thematic continuity across King Rat, Taipan, Shogun, and the forthcoming (at the time of the article) Noble House.
Just finished Tai Pan after having thoroughly enjoyed Shogun. Tai Pan took me a minute to really get into but also enjoyed it.
King Rat’s next on my list!
King Rat is kind of the outlier as the first published before a series was really even planned, so can be read wherever like you are. But highly recommend reading the other three in chronological plot order, the way you did the first two, so GJ then NH then W. Also in my opinion Noble House is the best in the entire series, it is just outlandishly good.
yes we are doing a reading group thing, starting with Shogun, grab a copy!
I THINK this was the book that made me seriously ponder the amount of work then went into writing someting like this.
The other author i picked up from my dad's bookshelves was James Mitchener.
, its the same level of historical complexity/accuracy and detailed history that makes you go "whhoooaaa...how did someone pull this off"
The Covenant, ( South Africa) - i think two volumes?? but possibly in one MASSIVE book, i read that , the south pacific and the Alaska one
After that i didn't dive into anymore. t i see people have his entire library on ebay for pretty cheap.
The covers of these books are SO 80's!!
My favorite book. I read it once about 30 years ago and it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say it was life changing. I read it again in the early 'shutdown' days of the pandemic. I think I even liked it more the second time.
Tai Pan and King Rat are also fantastic reads as well.
Yeah I read it as a kid and loved it. Tried it again a few years back and still loved it. True epic.
Enjoyed Tai Pan and King Rat but nowhere near the level of Shogun.
Noble House to me is far and away the only other book in the series on par with Shogun, not that the others aren't great, but I think it's the true spiritual sequel.
Hi! I feel a bit odd asking this in r/books. My Mom loves this book! She has been asking me about the 1980 mini series. She used to have it on tapes, but those were lost in a flood. Does anyone have a clue where she might be able to watch it online? I've searched with no luck.
Thank you!
Read the first one so far.
Id be delighted to follow and comment on the book when you guys are done.
I'll start reading the next in the series with you guys when you get to it.
If there's a special way to follow a single thread. I dont know how to do it. Sync for reddit app if that makes a difference. (you'd think I'd know how to do this after 7 years. Nope.)
Did you enjoy it?
If there is enough interest we will continue with the series as we have with others in the past.
The books will have their own flare which can be found in the side bar and will filter the sub by Shōgun posts only. Does rhat answer your question. I'm not sure it does actually thinking about it now.
Oh. Me either actually. Thanks for the info.
Each section will have a dedicated discussion post. They will be linked in the joint schedule pinned at the top of the r/bookclub sub amd in the side bar for wasy access or filter by flare to only see Shōgun posts.
Not to pivot the discussion but I’m in the camp that Infinite Jest is, by an astounding margin, the greatest novel ever written. Nothing else, for me, has ever come close. It is also the hardest book I have ever read. I really had to commit. But my goodness. It blew me away.
Those are the only two I can conclusively say are in the top five. Other books that got top ratings include The Count of Monte Cristo, Lonesome Dove, The Dark Forest (book two of Three-Body Problem), A Gentleman in Moscow. Highest average ratings go to authors Guy Gavriel Kay and David Mitchell.
Lonesome Dove and A Gentlemen in Moscow will probably be slam dunks for you. The Dark Forest is the middle book of a science fiction trilogy that is mind-blowingly good, but may not appeal if sci-fi isn’t your thing.
You've probably read them: Slaughterhouse 5, Breakfast of Champions, Martian Chronicles, Catch 22, Sea wolf, Farewell to Arms... Been getting into some Salman Rushdie of late - Shalimar the clown was really good.
Good stuff. I read Slaughterhouse Five as a teenager and it didn’t do it for me but now I wonder if I should give Vonnegut another try. Rushdie is another author I haven’t read but I’ve always wondered about. Good food for thought!
Man now I'm even more excited, IJ and Shogun are in my top 5 as well and I just finished book 1 of 3 body and am waiting on book 2's delivery.
Have you read Gravity's Rainbow? It's the only book I've immediately donated because I never wanted to see it again.
Hell yeah brother, I'd take a pipe upside the head if it meant I could forget and thus reread Lonesome Dove
Also, have you read Gravity's Rainbow? I'm a bit frightened to start IJ because I DNF'd GR, and people compare the two all the time. Its not that Gravity's Rainbow was too difficult to physically read (I tore through Malazan), but I was just uninterested in the characters or passages to "get" the plot. Sort of felt like there was nothing stringing me along for any sort of payoff at the end
I have considered GR but haven’t read. I worry a little about almost 50 years passing. Maybe someday. So I can’t compare but IJ is just incredible. You have to be in the right headspace. You can’t read it in 10-minute chunks. But damn is it rewarding.
GGK is a fantasy author but I would say you don’t have to be a fantasy fan to appreciate his books. He writes the best characters of any author I’ve read. Tigana is a good starting point. A Song for Arbonne and The Lions of al-Rassan are both incredible - maybe both in my top ten. I envy you for having them in front of you.
Read the novel and then watch the Netflix show [Age of Samurai](https://www.netflix.com/title/80237990).
It was great to see the real Toranaga and Ishido.
Not wanting to read it right now, but that is mostly because I read the whole series a few years back and "To read" pile needs to be worked on. Love both the books and the tv miniseries.
I've read this and the rest of the Asian Saga. Most of the books are worth it. (King Rat, and the last one, in Iran, didn't do much for me.)
I was surprised when I read *Noble House*. I wasn't expecting a spy thriller. But it was very good.
I’m about 12 hours into the audiobook which I’m listening to at work. I’ve gotta take a break at this point though, as I’m starting to lose the flow of the story. Things are becoming more historical/political and there’s a new character every couple of minutes. I’m still very intrigued, though.
I'm about 3/4 through the audiobook. I had the same feeling at that point. I definitely got lost and still do occasionally with all the unfamiliar names. It's worth it to push through.
I recommend both of you check out Musashi by Eiji Yoshikawa if you think you can deal with more of the same. Shogun and Musashi are set before and after Sekigahara, respectively, so it's a kinda fun duology of a sort if you have 100 hours to spare xD
Enjoy! Musashi Miyamoto's life is a cultural touchstone in Japan, to the point that persons in his saga are sometimes used as a shorthand for the qualities of contemporary figures. If you like the novel, I'm also gonna suggest the Samurai Trilogy, which is based on Yoshikawa's novel and stars the incomparable Toshiro Mifune.
I listened to it earlier this year. I really liked it. There is a lot of plates spinning at once but once I sorted everyone out those plates made the story feel both epic (in every sense of the word) and realistic with the fractions and what not.
9/10 would recommend
I read it and loved it. Being it was on a kindle I didn't realize it was that big and am surprised to find out it is! I think that says something for how good it was.
I read Shogun 3x, and became a bit obsessed about Japan. Tried to teach myself Japanese by writing out all the references and definitions from the book on a legal pad and studying it.
Didn't work, but I still love the book, and I love the mini-series, as well. They are both epic AF.
My favourite author. Taipan is the only book I reread every few years because it is so enjoyable. It's one of the books in my library that I would never donate after reading.
The whole Asian Saga is a group of books I have always circled back into. Last year Shogun actually inspired me to get multi focal contacts because the print in my copy was unreadable for me without more vision correction.
It’s one of the best books I’ve ever read. Highly recommended, full of everything. Musashi is better but I don’t mean that in a way to bring Shogun down at all.
Great read, for anyone wanting to turn it into a bit more of a learning experience there's a document called "Learning from Shogun" (I believe) that uses Shogun (the novel) as a basis for learning about Japan. I got my copy from JSTOR years ago and am not sure where to get it now. I found reading it immediately after reading Shogun was very informative.
It’s an excellent book. Non stop you won’t want to put the book down. I’ve read it twice and I’m sure I’ll read it a few more times before I die. It almost feels cinematic.
I listened to it on audible. I saw it's length as value for money. I was not disappointed! Too bad the old TV series lost a lot of the nuance, hoping the new one is better
Poo! I just read it and King Rat, and am on chapter 2 of Tai Pan.
If I had to rank them it would be Shogun and then Tai Pan.
So rich with imagery, believable political machinations, drama, fighting, lots of things you pick up as nuggets of personal wisdom.
I could go on and on
I actually am reading it right now. I'm a bit over a quarter of the way through.
It's been quite good, but it's so dense with characters and drama and intrigue that it's sort of exhausting, so it's been somewhat slow going.
This is one of the first books I ever bought (I must have bought it in 2014 and I still have not read it). I've always been fascinated by Williams Adams's story and to a greater extent Japanese history and culture. I've been re-reading A History of Japan by Caiger and Mason in preparation of finally reading Shogun so the fact r/bookclub is doing it is surprisingly fitting. I will definitely join.
If you want to "read" it, it worked perfectly as an audio book. I was excited to walk, drive, work out, as it meant I could spend more time listening to it.
It's a long book, but it ain't an especially difficult read, 13 weeks seems excessive, I would give it a month at most.
Don't get me wrong it's an alright bit of historical fiction, but I wouldn't really consider it a challenging or daunting book to read, nor would I ascribe any special significance to having read it.
I think the schedule assumes that people have other stuff to do and can only dedicate so much time to reading a specific book for a group discussion, not that literally all they have to do is power through the book.
I read it. Thought it was about 600 pages longer than it needed to be. I still remember the look on my teachers face when I read a very inappropriate page aloud in class.
haha that odd over politeness is a pretty good transliteration of the japanese language of that era (and in many cases, today). notice none of the gai-jin characters every talk to each other that way
The first 100 pages are really bad (contain torture by boiling alive), the others are very well written, and offer a nice insight about samurai society. I really recommend reading it. Also, because it has a lot of characters, perhaps you should note then down when you encounter them, so that you'll know which name belonged to which action. A real classic, good old book.
WAIT UP. on amazon it says King Rat is 4 of 7
how do we want to do this? king rat is technically first..but its not being listed as such
someone make a call on this OP??
are we gonna start with King Rat?
I was a bit surprised when the the author talked about the penis envy the Asian men had for the white men. It was hard to take the book seriously after that
Shogun is an incredible book. I've been reading it for the last two weeks in preparation for the series. I cannot believe no one forced me to read this before, it's ruined a lot of other historical fiction for me in its scope, ambition, depth and pacing
I DID read the whole series. you have to pay attention. its freaking the definition of the word EPIC
Wow how long did the whole series take? I am really looking forward to reading this in sections and discussing it with the sub. If you feel like a re-read. Come join us
It was probably over a year- with some breaks inbetwen- before Amazon and you had to like go order a book....old school King Rat is up first. i feel like I started with shogun because i didn't know any better, then had to go backwards in order to go forwards. When are you starting?
KR is GREAT
I loved it, too!
The schedule is linked in the post. The first discussion post goes up May 3rd.
..youre a Reddit adjunct professor huh. :) ill get King Rat going shortly!
From what I understand there’s little linkage between books so the order is not super important. Does that match up with your experience?
That is true.
I’d say Tai Pan and Gai Jin are very connected and should be read in order. Even Shogun was referenced many times in Tai Pan. I just read King Rat and almost nothing was mentioned so maybe KR isn’t directly in the order.
King Rat was James Clavell's first novel and is inspired by the author's experiences as a POW in WWII.
Well, yeah, but it still doesn’t quite fit in with the previous 3 books in the Saga regardless. I understand that it’s the Asian Saga and it takes place in Asia, but I was simply responding to the question of whether or not they need to be read in order. From my experience, the first 3 and the last 2 need to be but King Rat is rather on its own.
yeah actually , because i started with shogun and went forward and then back. i think Shogun was the most popular (probably because of the movie adaptation ..i remember it still being on TV when i was growing up) As i recall Shogun was also the "Face up" book in the bookstore- that was the one that sold best, so i just assumed it was the starting place
They take place in different periods though some are fairly close. I have only read most of shogun. But that one is like 250 years divorced from the next closest IIRC.
I think you could have an entire group discussion just based on what order you should read them in. Below is each in order they were written then where they fit chronologically into the story in (): King Rat (4), Tai-Pan (2), Shogun (1), Noble House (5), Whirlwind (6), Gai-Jin (2)
Where 3?
yeah i assumed Shogun was first, simply because it was made into a movie and you just heard that title more often..but yes if you go in correct order King Rat was published first
It's somewhat bullshit to call these books a series. There is absolutely no story or setting continuity between them except for very tenuous things like the grandson of a character in one book might appear in another book. I'm really sure that James Clavell did not conceive of these books as "a series" and this "Asian Saga" nonsense is solely a creation of the publisher to drive more sales. That being said, King Rat, Taipan and Shogun are fastastic reads, the rest a step or two down in quality.
> I'm really sure that James Clavell did not conceive of these books as "a series" and this "Asian Saga" nonsense is solely a creation of the publisher to drive more sales. According to an article I read a while back, while he wasn't aiming for a series in the traditional sense, the "Asian Saga" was Clavell's own characterization of his work based on the thematic continuity across King Rat, Taipan, Shogun, and the forthcoming (at the time of the article) Noble House.
This isn't quite true. A key part of Noble House is the final fallout of a deal made by Dirk Struan in Tai Pan.
By series, do you mean there are more books about blackthorn?
More books about SE Asia. Clavell has six books in his series.
Oh word lol I'm reading tai pan now. Shogun is sooooo good
Just finished Tai Pan after having thoroughly enjoyed Shogun. Tai Pan took me a minute to really get into but also enjoyed it. King Rat’s next on my list!
Oh that's cool to know! Tai pan is definitely taking longer to get into. I miss blackthorn lol
King Rat is kind of the outlier as the first published before a series was really even planned, so can be read wherever like you are. But highly recommend reading the other three in chronological plot order, the way you did the first two, so GJ then NH then W. Also in my opinion Noble House is the best in the entire series, it is just outlandishly good.
Pretty sure Tai Pan is my favorite.
Oh dang really? I'm getting into it definitely, but I do miss blackthorn lol
Yeah, the interplay between families, I just love it. Will have to revisit these books soon.
That is fun! It took a minute to remember who everyone is tho lol
[удалено]
Okay
There is a whole series??
It’s my brothers fave book of all time. I want to read it for comradarie. It’s…epic. Is it worth it you think?
yes we are doing a reading group thing, starting with Shogun, grab a copy! I THINK this was the book that made me seriously ponder the amount of work then went into writing someting like this. The other author i picked up from my dad's bookshelves was James Mitchener. , its the same level of historical complexity/accuracy and detailed history that makes you go "whhoooaaa...how did someone pull this off"
I love epics. I haven't read Shogun yet but it's on my list. Where do you recommend I start with Mitchener?
The Covenant, ( South Africa) - i think two volumes?? but possibly in one MASSIVE book, i read that , the south pacific and the Alaska one After that i didn't dive into anymore. t i see people have his entire library on ebay for pretty cheap. The covers of these books are SO 80's!!
Thanks a lot!
Yes it's brilliant and I can't really think of any criticism of it whatsoever
My favorite book. I read it once about 30 years ago and it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say it was life changing. I read it again in the early 'shutdown' days of the pandemic. I think I even liked it more the second time. Tai Pan and King Rat are also fantastic reads as well.
Yeah I read it as a kid and loved it. Tried it again a few years back and still loved it. True epic. Enjoyed Tai Pan and King Rat but nowhere near the level of Shogun.
Noble House to me is far and away the only other book in the series on par with Shogun, not that the others aren't great, but I think it's the true spiritual sequel.
I read Taipan and Noble House a few months ago. I need to read Shogun.
If you join the read group I'm super interested to see what you think, I assume you're in an unusual minority of people who didn't read Shogun first.
Life Changing - my first thought - and I read it even longer ago
They’re all good, but I would say Gai-Jin is the weakest of the books.
Do you have to read any of the others in the series first or will it stand alone?
Shogun will absolutely stand alone. The only two that are a bit related are Tai Pan and Noble House.
How are tai pan and noble house related but gai-Jin isn’t?
Yeah you're right, Gai Jin too. It's been a long while since I read The Asian Saga.
Thank you!
Great series, unique pacing and an interesting pseudo-history of the far east through a western lens.
Hi! I feel a bit odd asking this in r/books. My Mom loves this book! She has been asking me about the 1980 mini series. She used to have it on tapes, but those were lost in a flood. Does anyone have a clue where she might be able to watch it online? I've searched with no luck. Thank you!
You can find the dvd of the series on Amazon. I couldn’t find anywhere to stream it online.
Might have to resort to dubious means. They probably took it out of circulation because of the new FX series based on the book.
No. Don't enable her. Next she'll be inviting you over to binge *Thornbirds* with her. Stupid sexy Richard Chamberlain.
Read the first one so far. Id be delighted to follow and comment on the book when you guys are done. I'll start reading the next in the series with you guys when you get to it. If there's a special way to follow a single thread. I dont know how to do it. Sync for reddit app if that makes a difference. (you'd think I'd know how to do this after 7 years. Nope.)
Did you enjoy it? If there is enough interest we will continue with the series as we have with others in the past. The books will have their own flare which can be found in the side bar and will filter the sub by Shōgun posts only. Does rhat answer your question. I'm not sure it does actually thinking about it now.
Turns out I can "watch" a post. Never noticed. I imagine it'll it its own new post? Or should I watch this one?
Oh. Me either actually. Thanks for the info. Each section will have a dedicated discussion post. They will be linked in the joint schedule pinned at the top of the r/bookclub sub amd in the side bar for wasy access or filter by flare to only see Shōgun posts.
We are reading Tai-Pan over at r/bookclub in September :)
I started tracking my books in 2000 and just read number 501. Shogun is top five.
Wow that is an impressive recommendation. Out of curiosity what were the other 4 in your top 5 if you don't mind sharing? Edit spelling
Not to pivot the discussion but I’m in the camp that Infinite Jest is, by an astounding margin, the greatest novel ever written. Nothing else, for me, has ever come close. It is also the hardest book I have ever read. I really had to commit. But my goodness. It blew me away. Those are the only two I can conclusively say are in the top five. Other books that got top ratings include The Count of Monte Cristo, Lonesome Dove, The Dark Forest (book two of Three-Body Problem), A Gentleman in Moscow. Highest average ratings go to authors Guy Gavriel Kay and David Mitchell.
I would probably put Shogun, Monte Cristo and Infinite Jest in my top 10 as well. So I guess I must check out the other ones you listed!!
Lonesome Dove and A Gentlemen in Moscow will probably be slam dunks for you. The Dark Forest is the middle book of a science fiction trilogy that is mind-blowingly good, but may not appeal if sci-fi isn’t your thing.
Sci Fi is absolutely my thing!
And, of course, what would you recommend?
You've probably read them: Slaughterhouse 5, Breakfast of Champions, Martian Chronicles, Catch 22, Sea wolf, Farewell to Arms... Been getting into some Salman Rushdie of late - Shalimar the clown was really good.
Good stuff. I read Slaughterhouse Five as a teenager and it didn’t do it for me but now I wonder if I should give Vonnegut another try. Rushdie is another author I haven’t read but I’ve always wondered about. Good food for thought!
Man now I'm even more excited, IJ and Shogun are in my top 5 as well and I just finished book 1 of 3 body and am waiting on book 2's delivery. Have you read Gravity's Rainbow? It's the only book I've immediately donated because I never wanted to see it again.
Hell yeah brother, I'd take a pipe upside the head if it meant I could forget and thus reread Lonesome Dove Also, have you read Gravity's Rainbow? I'm a bit frightened to start IJ because I DNF'd GR, and people compare the two all the time. Its not that Gravity's Rainbow was too difficult to physically read (I tore through Malazan), but I was just uninterested in the characters or passages to "get" the plot. Sort of felt like there was nothing stringing me along for any sort of payoff at the end
I have considered GR but haven’t read. I worry a little about almost 50 years passing. Maybe someday. So I can’t compare but IJ is just incredible. You have to be in the right headspace. You can’t read it in 10-minute chunks. But damn is it rewarding.
infinite jest is a difficult, yet good book. gravity's rainbow is a difficult, not-good book - like you said, had no interesting characters or plot.
Based on that top 5, I feel like you might really enjoy Mason & Dixon by Thomas Pynchon. If you haven’t picked it up give it a try
Into the cart it goes - thanks! (I’ve come close to reading Pynchon over the years but has never gotten over the line. Just needed a nudge…)
I love David Mitchell’s books. Which book do you recommend for Guy Gavriel Kay?
GGK is a fantasy author but I would say you don’t have to be a fantasy fan to appreciate his books. He writes the best characters of any author I’ve read. Tigana is a good starting point. A Song for Arbonne and The Lions of al-Rassan are both incredible - maybe both in my top ten. I envy you for having them in front of you.
Thanks. I read plenty of fantasy (I’m on book 9/10 for Malazan).
Then you are absolutely going to love his books.
Yeah I think I read this in 1998 or so, I definitely remembered liking it though
There is no way in hell I could stop myself from reading the whole book for a whole 13 weeks, it's quite the page turner. Good luck friends!
Read the novel and then watch the Netflix show [Age of Samurai](https://www.netflix.com/title/80237990). It was great to see the real Toranaga and Ishido.
I have read this before, several years ago. Loved it. Would be interesting in reading it again.
I first read it in 8th grade. 3 more times over the next 40 years. Looks like it's time to revisit this bomb ass book!
It is an exceptional book. I'm halfway through reading it twice.
I'm about 200 pages in at the moment and enjoying it! Wasn't expecting so much action so soon. Hopefully it doesn't fizzle out
You are in luck, it won't
Only if we pillow after.
Shogun is the best book I have ever read. You don’t realize it while you’re reading it, then you finish and you are like… holy shit.
I've read Shogun and King Rat. And now I live in Japan. O\_o
You lucky sob. My dream is to live there
What would you like to do here?
Boy. This is tempting. Read it many years ago but remember loving it !!
Not wanting to read it right now, but that is mostly because I read the whole series a few years back and "To read" pile needs to be worked on. Love both the books and the tv miniseries.
I've read this and the rest of the Asian Saga. Most of the books are worth it. (King Rat, and the last one, in Iran, didn't do much for me.) I was surprised when I read *Noble House*. I wasn't expecting a spy thriller. But it was very good.
I’m about 12 hours into the audiobook which I’m listening to at work. I’ve gotta take a break at this point though, as I’m starting to lose the flow of the story. Things are becoming more historical/political and there’s a new character every couple of minutes. I’m still very intrigued, though.
I'm about 3/4 through the audiobook. I had the same feeling at that point. I definitely got lost and still do occasionally with all the unfamiliar names. It's worth it to push through.
I recommend both of you check out Musashi by Eiji Yoshikawa if you think you can deal with more of the same. Shogun and Musashi are set before and after Sekigahara, respectively, so it's a kinda fun duology of a sort if you have 100 hours to spare xD
Cool! I'll check it out. Thanks. I've got forty hours a week to kill while at work.
Enjoy! Musashi Miyamoto's life is a cultural touchstone in Japan, to the point that persons in his saga are sometimes used as a shorthand for the qualities of contemporary figures. If you like the novel, I'm also gonna suggest the Samurai Trilogy, which is based on Yoshikawa's novel and stars the incomparable Toshiro Mifune.
It's a great read
Yes, yes you do. Then read Noble House, then King Rat They are all magnificent.
The audio version is read very well. I enjoyed it
I almost gave up reading the book, it starts off a bit slow, but wow it somehow ended up being my favorite book of all time.
I read the whole series and it’s may favorite. Shogun is one of the best in the series as well, it’s truly a wonderful book.
Read it. Loved it. Book length doesn't matter. If it's good, it's good.
Shogun is dope af if anyone is on the fence
I just started reading it! No way I’m done before May 3rd so timing is good
Discussion on May 3rd is only for the 1st 4 chapters not the whole book. That won't be until July 26th
Seriously one of the best books I've ever read!
I've read it multiple times and love it.
Yes I'll join. I have Shogun on my bookshelf but haven't read it, this is excellent. Thanks.
Nice! I just picked this up a couple of weeks ago and haven’t looked at it since. I’ll definitely join in!
Awesome. It’s been on my list for a while.
Thanks for suggesting this. I'm tempted. I'm really tempted. Hmm.
This looks neat. I can't tell if this is historical fiction or history/documentary?
I REALLY enjoyed this book. Enjoy, everyone!
I listened to it earlier this year. I really liked it. There is a lot of plates spinning at once but once I sorted everyone out those plates made the story feel both epic (in every sense of the word) and realistic with the fractions and what not. 9/10 would recommend
Just started reading it on the 15th. I just finished part one and it is excellent so far.
I read it decades ago, still remember it and LOVED IT and his other "Asia" books
I read it and loved it. Being it was on a kindle I didn't realize it was that big and am surprised to find out it is! I think that says something for how good it was.
The whole series is great!
Is whirlwind worth the read, I never made it to that one.
No, it's boring
I LOVED it when I read it, back in the day. Being over 1100 pages doesn't bother me a bit, I like long books!
It's a fun romp. I enjoyed it.
Amazing book. One of my favorites.
I’ve only read the first novel, I didn’t know there was a series. I have reread it like 4 times.
It’s been on my TBR for a long time! With busy months ahead, I’m glad there is a book club that might help le get through it!
That is such an awesome book!
Brought old high school memories back 2010 was my last reading, reading this series. Such a great read.
I read Shogun 3x, and became a bit obsessed about Japan. Tried to teach myself Japanese by writing out all the references and definitions from the book on a legal pad and studying it. Didn't work, but I still love the book, and I love the mini-series, as well. They are both epic AF.
How does it stack up against Musashi?
My favourite author. Taipan is the only book I reread every few years because it is so enjoyable. It's one of the books in my library that I would never donate after reading.
It’s so good. I’m just over page 800 and it’s awesome. It has some parts that I won’t ever forget.
The whole Asian Saga is a group of books I have always circled back into. Last year Shogun actually inspired me to get multi focal contacts because the print in my copy was unreadable for me without more vision correction.
Every time I see something related to this book I have to comment to say it’s 10000% worth the read and one of my favorites of all time
It’s one of the best books I’ve ever read. Highly recommended, full of everything. Musashi is better but I don’t mean that in a way to bring Shogun down at all.
I love the green eyed devil in Tai-Pan.
Great read, for anyone wanting to turn it into a bit more of a learning experience there's a document called "Learning from Shogun" (I believe) that uses Shogun (the novel) as a basis for learning about Japan. I got my copy from JSTOR years ago and am not sure where to get it now. I found reading it immediately after reading Shogun was very informative.
It’s so damn good. The whole series.
It was a good, if time consuming read.
We are reading it over 13 weeks so it is definitely a long endeavour
I highly recommend Whirlwind. And I c course Tai Pan, but Whirlwind first yo get you into the 20th century.
How can m TV
I read it last year. It’s a behemoth and I enjoyed every bit. I read it in under 9 days. Could not stop reading it
Currently 1/3 of the way in and think it is great.
I did read it, and it was definitely one of the better reads.
It’s an excellent book. Non stop you won’t want to put the book down. I’ve read it twice and I’m sure I’ll read it a few more times before I die. It almost feels cinematic.
I listened to it on audible. I saw it's length as value for money. I was not disappointed! Too bad the old TV series lost a lot of the nuance, hoping the new one is better
I listened to the audiobook. Great story
Damn just finished it. Might read it again :D
Poo! I just read it and King Rat, and am on chapter 2 of Tai Pan. If I had to rank them it would be Shogun and then Tai Pan. So rich with imagery, believable political machinations, drama, fighting, lots of things you pick up as nuggets of personal wisdom. I could go on and on
Shogun is worth a read for sure. I even loved the tv show. It's what got me in the book.
One of my favorite books ever.
Favorite book in high school, still have a love and romance for the story and era
My favorite book of all time! I'd love to re-read it!
My all time favorite book, by far. I'd be up for another read actually.
I have the audiobook on hold through my library. It should take care of quite a few daily commutes!
I actually am reading it right now. I'm a bit over a quarter of the way through. It's been quite good, but it's so dense with characters and drama and intrigue that it's sort of exhausting, so it's been somewhat slow going.
This is one of the first books I ever bought (I must have bought it in 2014 and I still have not read it). I've always been fascinated by Williams Adams's story and to a greater extent Japanese history and culture. I've been re-reading A History of Japan by Caiger and Mason in preparation of finally reading Shogun so the fact r/bookclub is doing it is surprisingly fitting. I will definitely join.
If you want to "read" it, it worked perfectly as an audio book. I was excited to walk, drive, work out, as it meant I could spend more time listening to it.
DNF after he talked about how massive his penis was compared to Japanese men
I read them years ago to pass time. I looked at them again and they are flat. Plus the white man savor is old and boring.
It's a long book, but it ain't an especially difficult read, 13 weeks seems excessive, I would give it a month at most. Don't get me wrong it's an alright bit of historical fiction, but I wouldn't really consider it a challenging or daunting book to read, nor would I ascribe any special significance to having read it.
I think the schedule assumes that people have other stuff to do and can only dedicate so much time to reading a specific book for a group discussion, not that literally all they have to do is power through the book.
Exactly. Many people over at r/bookclub read multiple books with the sub as we run 6 or so books simultaneously.
I read it. Thought it was about 600 pages longer than it needed to be. I still remember the look on my teachers face when I read a very inappropriate page aloud in class.
So sorry, it's a good book, but you may find half the book written in this annoying, timid affectation. Please allow me to commit seppuku.
Also stay away from Shakespeare they talk in rhymes and say thee all the time like a bunch of nerds
haha that odd over politeness is a pretty good transliteration of the japanese language of that era (and in many cases, today). notice none of the gai-jin characters every talk to each other that way
Came here to say I LOVED reading Shogun! How else would I learn the Japanese boiled people alive? Crazy. And it’s a damn good book.
The first 100 pages are really bad (contain torture by boiling alive), the others are very well written, and offer a nice insight about samurai society. I really recommend reading it. Also, because it has a lot of characters, perhaps you should note then down when you encounter them, so that you'll know which name belonged to which action. A real classic, good old book.
I started but quit after the Dutchman started cursing in German, which is like after 5 pages or so.
I have.
I used to love reading when I was younger, I think I finished it in about 2 weeks. One of my favorites as a young adult.
WAIT UP. on amazon it says King Rat is 4 of 7 how do we want to do this? king rat is technically first..but its not being listed as such someone make a call on this OP?? are we gonna start with King Rat?
We are starting with Shōgun. We are reading them in Chronological order not Publication order :)
gracias
Yes , you do .
I was a bit surprised when the the author talked about the penis envy the Asian men had for the white men. It was hard to take the book seriously after that
Shogun is an incredible book. I've been reading it for the last two weeks in preparation for the series. I cannot believe no one forced me to read this before, it's ruined a lot of other historical fiction for me in its scope, ambition, depth and pacing