It's a classic for a reason. I can see what other reviewers mean about the style feeling a bit dated now and the prose a bit ponderous. However, this is political historical fiction at it's finest - a compelling story even with a few (now) cringey stereotypes. (In fairness they probably weren't stereotypes when this was written). I agree that the Disney + series is a little more accessible but I enjoyed seeing the detail behind it.

An interesting and immersive listen that tackles cultural differences and the human need to fit in wherever we are via a sweeping epic tale.

This is very loosely based on a true story, though that’s really just the jumping off point for what is largely fiction, and Clavell has done an excellent job of painting a world for readers that would have been completely unknown to those living in the west at the time the story takes place.

This was written in the 70s and has held up far better than many culture clash novels from that era, and it’s especially interesting to look at that now that the book has been adapted to screen.

This does drag in parts and despite being a saga I do think it’s overlong and probably could stand to have been edited down a bit, but on the whole it’s a fun read and an interesting trip back in time.

Took a little while to get into this - the early parts with the shipwreck and dungeon kind of dragged a bit to me - and it was hard at first to keep track of all of the characters. But once it got going, wow, I was hooked! Great world-building, interesting story line, and it became a page-turner. I can't wait to pick up Part 2 to see where it goes from here.

I enjoyed listening to this book, though it did get a bit long, which I knew in the beginning since I read the print copy a long time ago. Thank you for giving me access.

⭐️⭐️ It was OK, I can see why some loved it
I really, really wanted to like this. It's been on my TBR forever but I just couldn't get into it. There was simply too much tactical pontification. I wanted to be immersed in that time and place, the sites, the smells, and instead it was more about who was warring on whom and why. Maybe this genre just isn't for me. 

The narrator, Ralph Lister, did a good job, I had no trouble understanding who was saying what, where, when, with what expression/intension, and the appropriate accent. It was a pleasure to listen to. 

Thank you to Blackstone Publishing, NetGalley, and author James Clavell for providing me with a digital ARC copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review. Shogun Part 1 is out January 2, 2024.

4.0 Stars
This was such an engrossing piece of historical fiction. Despite the length, I flew through this chunky novel because it was so well paced. I would definitely read more by this author. This is definitely one I will reread because it's too much to digest in one pass. The audiobook narration was fantastic.

Disclaimer I received a copy of this book from the publisher.

The rare case when the TV show is an improvement on the book. I read Shogun a veerrry long time ago and remember that I loved it but I cannot see why—alas, it does not hold up. The story feels more dated than historical, stereotypes abound. The narration was very well done, however. This was a heavy lift and Ralph Lister was certainly up to the task.

I expected this to be more like the TV show and perhaps that is on me and an unrealistic standard. but it features characters having unrealistic dialogue (they talk like they are giving the reader a history lesson, not like people actually talking to eachother) and this book is way more heavy on the "white savior" trope than the show is

I was really enjoying this book, but I didn’t realize there was a part two. Needless to say, I was disappointed with the ending as it wasn’t the end! The plot, the characters, and the narration are all fantastic.

Good first half. The narration is incredible. Blackthorne is a great protagonist and seeing all the machinations with the Japanese characters, especially Toranaga, has been great. Unfortunately it's only half a book. Splitting this book is ridiculous, it's been out as one whole for years.

Well, this is certainly an epic! To think there's more in the series ... I'm glad I went for the audibook ... I can't imagine sitting down to read this behemoth. What we have is a foreign tale in a foreign land. I'm not sure of the historical accuracy, although Clavell does boldly explore cultural clashes ranging from religion, killing, sex, gender roles, affairs of state, marriage, family, and so on. Japanese is used at points, and there's a few rough translations throughout (e.g., わかりません was translated as "I understand"). Many things happen and it's hard to summarize, but I suppose this is a slice of history in feudal Japan from an outsider's perspective, and all that implies. John Blackthorne finds himself washed up on the shores of the "the Japans" and makes his way there, with some difficulty, violence, and no small amount of humour. Strikingly, we have Mariko (apparently based off of the historical figure of Hosokawa Gracia), a rare women as a central player, as well as samurai warrior and trailblazer who embodies Christian and shinto faiths without much cognitive dissonance. I'd be hardpressed to recount the various trials and tribulations they get up to with various daimyo and shogun-wannabe warlords, perhaps notably Toranaga. I suspect this is where the ideas of seppuku and samurai first caught on in Western consciousness about Japanese culture. Ralph Lister narrated a diverse set of characters with aplomb.