Shogun
After Englishman John Blackthorne is lost at sea, he awakens in a place few Europeans know of and even fewer have seen--Nippon. Thrust into the closed society that is seventeenth-century Japan, a land where the line between life and death is razor-thin, Blackthorne must negotiate not only a foreign people, with unknown customs and language, but also his own definitions of morality, truth, and freedom. As internal political strife and a clash of cultures lead to seemingly inevitable conflict, Blackthorne's loyalty and strength of character are tested by both passion and loss, and he is torn between two worlds that will each be forever changed. Powerful and engrossing, capturing both the rich pageantry and stark realities of life in feudal Japan, Shōgun is a critically acclaimed powerhouse of a book. Heart-stopping, edge-of-your-seat action melds seamlessly with intricate historical detail and raw human emotion. Endlessly compelling, this sweeping saga captivated the world to become not only one of the best-selling novels of all time but also one of the highest-rated television miniseries, as well as inspiring a nationwide surge of interest in the culture of Japan. Shakespearean i
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First in the Asian Saga. English navigator John Blackthorne wrecks on the coast of Japan in 1600. Taken to a powerful daimyo named Toranaga, he becomes a piece in a long game over who will rule a divided country.
Shogun is fictional but loosely based on the real English navigator William Adams, who arrived in Japan in 1600 and became an advisor to Tokugawa Ieyasu. James Clavell's protagonist John Blackthorne is modeled on Adams.
Yes. FX released a 10-episode Shogun adaptation in 2024 starring Hiroyuki Sanada. The show was widely praised and won 18 Primetime Emmy Awards. A 1980 NBC miniseries with Richard Chamberlain also exists.
Shogun was written by James Clavell, published in 1975 by Delta Trade Paperbacks.
Shogun is 1121 pages in standard print editions, though page counts vary slightly between hardcover, paperback, and large-print formats.
At an average reading pace of about 250 words per minute, Shogun takes most readers 17 to 24 hours to finish.
Shogun is a standalone novel by James Clavell, not part of a series.
Shogun is available in hardcover, paperback, ebook, and audiobook formats from Amazon, Bookshop.org, ThriftBooks, and most major bookstores.
