I'm 36. My father gave me that book when I was 13. What a huge impact it had on me. It really opened my mind to curiosity about other cultures throughout history and taught me so much about Japan and politics. I remember using the book as inspiration for some political strife in a Dungeons & Dragons campaign we were running. I've read it probably 5 times over the years an absolute must read.
That's fantastic - kudos to your father for introducing you to this book! I continue to think even more favorably about it the further I get away from reading it. Thanks for watching the video and your comment!
Stumbled upon this review completely by accident and started reading Shogun based on how positive your review was. I'm absolutely enveloped inside the world and loving the book so far (100 pages only). Thank you for the review:)
Thanks for your comment - this makes me glad that people will find this great book because of me! Please stop back and let me know what you thought by the end!
@@RedFuryBooks finally finished it and absolutely loved it, one of those books that just sucks you in. One of the best books I've read to be honest. Only wish I could reread it for the first time again now!
Thank you, great review. Clavell’s books were my favourite on my teen years and have been on my bookshelf from the 1980’s. I guess now is the time for a re-read. I remember loving Tai-Pan too.
Hi, just wanted to come to let you know that I just finished the re-read of this book. It might be my favourite this year too. It was very interesting to find out that my recollection of this book was still very accurate even though 30+ years had passed from my first time reading it. I now watched the review for the second time, thank you! Time for Tai-Pan maybe in January 😊.
Absolutely love this book, I must have read it a dozen times over the decades. It's just a masterpiece, and I don't think it's going too far to say even life-changing - I certainly looked at the world differently afterwards. The bleak beauty of the bushido way of life really is explained very well, Toranaga's 8-dimensional chess political machinations are endlessly fascinating, Blackthorne and Mariko are excellent sympathetic characters, with an amazing supporting cast of allies and villains - or are they... allies can never be fully trusted and even the "baddies" are well-written rounded characters with understandable motivations. As G'Kar says in Babylon 5 - "No-one here is exactly what he appears". One of the few genuine must-read books
Wow - thanks for this comment! A masterpiece indeed! Have you read any of Clavell's other books? I picked up Tai-Pan and hope it grips me as well as Shogun.
Red, you definitely deserve more viewers. I enjoy your relaxed intelligent reviews. That’s why I subscribed the very first time I found your channel. Excellent review of Shogun. By The Way I love your stunning wall of books, beautiful library.
Thank you for the kind words! I'm glad you enjoy the channel - spread the word! And I'll be doing a bookshelf tour later this month, so you can see the library up close!
This book put Japan on my bucket list of countries to visit. The history, people, culture…everything about this book is so captivating. First read when I was 14 and still come back at 50 plus. Deserves to find a new audience. Great review 👍🏻🇬🇧
Glad you enjoyed the review! I can see how this is a book that people come back to reread. I loved my first trip to Japan several years ago and will be going back again next summer.
I work construction so I do audiobooks mostly a i simply love this book. I’ve listened to it several times now (almost 55 hours long) Thanks for the review! I’m happy that I wasn’t crazy to love this book that much. It’s really an amazing book.
Well thanks to the brilliant show, that's just landed. I'm definitely will be tucking into the series. And thanks to you I've now been introduced to pillars of earth.. so that's another to the list
I’ve read the book twice, once at least 30 years ago and once after rewatching the 80s series a couple years ago. I just finished watching the new series and I decided to look up and see what others thought of the book and found your channel. Liked and subscribed… I have now a few of your vids in my playlist to watch…. Oh and I loved the book, like Pillars of the Earth and Gary Jennings The Journeyer, it transported me to worlds unknown, to a time long lost in history.
@@RedFuryBooks The Journeyer is about Marco Polo, author took a lots of liberty with the facts but it makes up for a great story. You did mention that about PoE on your video. Ken Follett is an amazing writer, and his interviews on YT are a great watch. I noticed a lot of Stephen King books on your shelves, IMHO one of the best storytellers of our times.
Appreciate the video. I recently rediscovered my love of reading and in 3 months I've been through 20 books; everything from fantasy, magical realism, noir and just got to book 5 in the Red Rising Series, I need a break from the series lol. Oddly enough my parents have been urging me to give this series a try, given my love of Japan.. so again thanks for making this.
The upcoming remake of the miniseries inspired me to listen to the audio book. I remember the miniseries as an event in my life. I don’t remember reading the full-length book at that time, but I did read the reader's digest condensed version. Listening to the full-length book was wonderful, and as good as I remembered. Thank you for your review.
This is a fantastic review! I absolutely agree about epic historical fiction being so compelling. It’s one of my favorite styles of story. I think you will love Herman Wouk, I remember reading him a few years ago and loving The Winds of War. The Caine Mutiny is also fantastic. Shogun sounds fascinating and is 100% a top TBR historical fiction for me. I can’t wait to get to it! The culture and setting, themes, and plot sound incredibly captivating!
So I was going to refute how old the book is... then I realized that it was written in the '70's... I was born in the '70's... I guess I'm getting up there too! I loved Shogun and impressed that you've come back to it so often! Have you read any other of his Asian Saga books?
@@RedFuryBooks I enjoyed the Hong Kong sagas of Tai Pan and Noble House by Clavell. They are not as good as Shogun, in my opinion, but it has been 30 years since I read them and I can still recall various scenes from both stories. They are both sizeable books, so it should be right up your ally.
I don't think there's a stigma at all - I have a lot of friends that do audiobooks exclusively. I don't do that many of them personally, but do a few every year. Glad to hear this is a good one!
Nice review. RU-vid must have noticed that I watched a couple of videos about the upcoming miniseries so they recommended your review. I'm 75 and have read this book at least 4 times -- the first was years before the 1980 miniseries. Each time I decide to read it, I pick it up and say, "Damn, 1281 pages -- I'll never finish it. Just don't have the time." Then, about a week later, I shout, "NO! It can't be done so soon -- there's still too much story to tell. It can't end now." So, now, in preparation for the upcoming miniseries, and thanks to the prompting from your review, I will begin another trip through feudal Japan with Blackthorn, Mariko, and the rest of the cast. It will be time well spent, and will, as always end too soon. By the way, I noticed that your page has grown in subscribers since you did this review. Congratulations. Good work will be rewarded.
It is such a pleasure to find a real review of this book. New to your channel but the thoughtfulness and depth found here will bring me back. Definitely do more single novel reviews _when a book excites you this way._ You have a fine mind and lots to say. However I would not advise switching to single book videos just to do it. You may well find the average novel cant fuel this kind of quality discussion, and I have seen youtube channels crash by going for frequent, lengthy uploads at the expense of quality.
Thank you so much for your thoughtful comments. I'm glad you enjoyed this video - this was definitely a book that I loved and want to read more Clavell in the future.
Great review! Just to let people know, this beautiful hardcover is no longer being printed. It has been replaced with a streaming series tie-in cover which has a Hulu advert built into it.
Finally getting around to watching your review after reading 500 pages and getting the crave to hear people talk about it! I'm enjoying it a lot. Maybe you remember me saying a few months ago that I was worried about how Japan was going to be portrayed through the lens of a western author, but I haven't been bothered at all at this point. You hit a lot of great points on the themes. I haven't been myself too swept up in the cultural learning since it doesn't feel that "new" or "foreign" to me, but I love seeing Blackthorne and Mariko going through it with their experiences encountering each others' culture. I guess I kind of have a unique position reading this book, to be in a role of sympathizing and understanding both perspectives. Anyway, thanks for getting me to read this book Josh. And... nice japanese!
I'm glad you're enjoying it, because I know your perspective is going to be so different than others. For me, my greatest thing in life is learning, so when I see it portrayed so well on the page, it's something that I gravitate towards. And it'll get deeper as the book continues - I hope you continue to love it!
Mitchener’s Texas or Centennial should be on a future TBR if you haven’t already started. Follet’s Kingsbridge Series is incredible. And Clavell’s Shogun is a gem, as you can tell. I recommend reading Clavell’s next book in the Asian Saga as well, Tai-Pan. Beyond that, do as you will. All of it is still top notch historical fiction, I think I should have taken a break between each one. Great review. Liking your channel!
@@RedFuryBooks I get what you’re doing. But I implore you to read Noble House before Gai-Jin. This was Clavelle at his peak. Yes even over Shogun imho….and I’m a japanophile. I struggled through Gai-Jin. Tai-Pei is also up there.
Great review. Currently reading it, about 20% in and enjoying it. If you like this book, you should definitely check out the Warlord Chronicles by Bernard Cornwell. It's set in the early middle ages and is this fine mix of historical fiction and fantasy.
Bernard Cornwell is an excellent author but personally I don't think he is in the same league as James Clavell. I have read nearly all the works of both authors so don't make this claim claim lightly. the Warlord chronicles are Cornwall s best work to date .
I enjoyed your video . I read Shogon when I was fourteen. It blew me away. I then watched the mini series with Richard Chamblain which was really good and faithfull to the book. Not sure about new series out now.
I have a small vacation planned with the wife tomorrow. Thanks to this video, I've already got this book on my kindle ready to go for the poolside reading. Thank you!
I just finished this book a day ago. Read 100 pages at work and couldn't stop thinking about it. So, when I got home at 1am, finished the final 150 pages. A legit 5 star read. Part of what fascinated me that you didn't cover, was that Blackthorne wasn't the focus through chunks of the book. But yes, Mariko and Blackthornes scenes appealed to me greatly. about his prose, I would explain it as flowing. I could crush two or more pages a minute like a surfboard on a wave. Not the most purple prose, but it pushed you forward.
I'm glad you enjoyed it! Flowing prose is certainly a great way to describe his writing style. I'll be reading Tai-Pan later this year and I'm looking forward to getting back into his works. Thanks for your comment - it's so great to see so many people discovering this great book!
Thank you for your review. I picked this book up recently at a used book store, and have not been sure about starting it. But this review made me want to start it right away!
I found you from Library of a Viking. Love your reviews. Your tastes mirror quite a few of mine and this book (and series) is definitely one of them. I first read this as a young adult. Now, as an old kid I have read it about 6 times. Definitely a favorite. I love good historical fiction. Have you read any Sharon Kay Penman?
Thank you! Glad to hear our tastes align - I love it when I discover a reviewer or BookTuber that likes the same things as I do! Hopefully I give you a few good recommendations along the way! I have not read Sharon Kay Penman.
I actually came looking for a review of this book after reading David Lee Roth’s book a few years ago and listening to his podcasts lately. I’ve recently found DLR to be an incredibly interesting person in how he’s lived life in so many ways but because he’s also someone who loves to learn through books, people, experiences, interests, etc. So naturally I thoroughly enjoyed your review and I look forward to reading Shogun. Thank you. ❤ from Victoria, BC Canada.
I agree, a wealth of information about the culture and traditions in the 1600 century. l learned a tremendous amount from the characters and the story. It's favorite along with the pillars of the earth. Thanks for the wonderful review and summary.
Shogun is one of my favorites. I love Mitchner, especially Caribbean and Hawaii and pillars of the earth was truly great. Wilbur Smith’s River God and Gary Jennings’ Aztec were also very good in this style.
I have not, but just added it to my TBR! I might not get to it soon, but it's ratings are incredibly high and it sounds like something I think I'd enjoy. Thanks for the recommendation!
Hi, Love your channel. I decided not to watch this review because I plan on reading this book next! I will watch this review after I read the book! BTW I did watch the mini series with my family in 3rd or 4th grade.
Thanks for commenting and I hope you enjoy the book! I haven't seen the miniseries, although the historians of a book I reference in the video mostly panned it. But I may check it out anyway - Shogun was in many ways a cultural phenomenon in the '70's and '80's, so I'll have to make up my mind. I look forward to hearing what you think of the book.
It is one of the best stories I have read. Only couple details bothered me about it. And in the end it didn't matter much. Also I think that it was nice when they talked Japanese and it wsn't translated. Or even if it was translated afterwards, but that the Japanese was left there anyway. Like with Mariko and the priests who translated for Toranaga. I just came here because I saw a trailer of new series based on Shogun starting during spring 2024 and it looks good.
Glad you found the video! I saw the trailer as well and am really excited. I'm always nervous when my favorite books get adapted, but this one looks pretty good.
I got about half a billion pages in to this and then stopped reading for a couple of weeks. When I picked it up again I’d lost track of who everyone was or what was going on and stopped. Never finished it. True story
@@RedFuryBooks I enjoyed it. Purely knowing I have to re-read 600 pages to get to where I left off. It was so long ago I’ve forgotten those too so I might as well give it another go.
Honestly such an interesting book, just finished it and waited until I did to watch your review. Have you read any other of James Clavell’s works? I see he has quite a few and by how good Shogun was I’d very much like to see what his other books are like.
I finished Tai-Pan a few weeks ago! While I didn't love it like I did Shogun, I really liked it. A lot of similar themes, although the setting - mid-19th century Hong Kong - was much different. Not as good as Shogun but still a very good book.
There is one little historical error early in the book. There's a part when Blackthorne is still not used to Japanese ways and doesn't want to be forced to bathe, so pressure points are used to subdue him, and it incorrectly states that the man knew jiu-jitsu and karate. Jiu-jitsu was the battlefield art the Samurai used in close hand to hand combat, but Karate was an Okinawan art that wasn't introduced into Japan until the 1920's.
I just d8wcovered y9ur ctahheo and subscribed. Shogun is a magnificent novel. I read it when i was un high school in 1977...in 3 days dur7ng my summer vacation....i simply could not put it doen. I also agree about Pillars Of The Earth. Great channel!!
Found this book at thrift store as a teenager and it has been a top fave of mine ever since. Still have that same copy (totally falling apart 😂) over 20 years later.
I haven't read this one yet but I'm really excited to. Every time I talk to someone who's read it, they rave about how good it is. The only thing that's kept me from reading it is it's length. However, another thing I continue to get told by people is that it's such an entertaining read that the length didn't matter to them. That they actually wished it was longer.
It's worth devoting the time to. The first time I read it, it took me a year because I could only devote 15-20 minutes at a time during lunch at college.
It's worth devoting the time to. The first time I read it, it took me a year because I could only devote 15-20 minutes at a time during lunch at college.
It's worth devoting the time to. The first time I read it, it took me a year because I could only devote 15-20 minutes at a time during lunch at college.
Your reviews are so systematic and well explained. Do you do reviews based on followers' requests such as we give you a title to read and then you review it. I am a mystery thriller reader but also like epic sagas and fantasy too
@@chenkeith7272 thank you! I do reviews when I feel inspired to do so - at least for the individual book reviews. But I do monthly wrap ups with short reviews of everything I’ve read.
Atlas Shrugged Battlefield Earth Roots Lonesome Dove Les Miserables War And Peace Gone With The Wind John Carter Of Mars The Water Margins Journey To The West Romance Of The Three Kingdoms A Dream Of Red Chambers Moby Dick David Copperfield All long thick novels
Musashi went right onto my TBR after I finished Shogun! If you remember to do so, please stop back and let me know if you enjoyed it as I don't know anyone who has read it.
@@RedFuryBooks Took me about 2 years of on-and-off reading, but I finally finished it a week ago. I read Musashi because of finding out that the manga "Vagabond" was in hiatus. The manga was really interesting, so I thought the source material might be just as much. I've never read novels before, so this was pretty much my first. Having to picture in my head every scene--unlike the full illustrations of manga--was a bit demanding, but I found comfort in taking my time to imagine things and I got used to it pretty quickly. I'd typically read it while taking breaks. Good for a little chill-out session. A slew of foreign, Japanese keywords confused me, but nothing a quick search couldn't solve. Might've as well learned a bit more about the feudal Japanese culture while I was at it. This being an interpretation of a philosopher's life story, a lot of the philosophy stuff went over my head. Not a philosophy nut, unfortunately. The story itself follows more than just the titular legend, Seeing a prodigy going far beyond his limits and discovering deeper within himself is exciting, but arguably more intriguing(albeit also frustrating) is his best friend trying so hard to even do a sliver of what the prodigy could do, as much as it hurts. It makes for a really touching story. It's due time I cut this rant off. With that rant out of the way, I really enjoyed it. Don't know what else to say. I've had too many guilty pleasure media to properly convey how I feel about it. It's a great breath of fresh air that I needed.
I hope you enjoy Shogun! I'll definitely read Malazan at some point, but not likely this year. My top priority this year is Robin Hobb's Realm of the Elderling's. I'll be finishing the third series today or tomorrow.
I can't say for sure, but I don't think the writing style is overly complex. I would think the challenges would be similar to that of native English speakers - namely the Japanese names and the Japanese language that isn't translated. Good luck!
