Description: "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."--Provided by publisher.
Brief description:
James Clavell (1921-1994) was a novelist, screenwriter, director, and World War II veteran and prisoner of war. He is best known for his epic Asian Saga novels, which launched with the 1962 bestseller King Rat, and their televised adaptations. He also wrote screenplays for such films as The Great Escape and The Fly, and was a writer, director, and producer on To Sir, with Love. His books Shōgun, Noble House, Tai-Pan, and Whirlwind were #1 New York Times bestsellers.
Review Quotes:
"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...It's irresistible."
-- "New York Times"