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Shōgun, Part One

The Asian Saga

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Shōgun, Part One

By: James Clavell
Narrated by: Ralph Lister
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About this listen

By the #1 New York Times bestselling author and unparalleled master of historical fiction, James Clavell’s Shogun is soon to be a major FX/Hulu TV series!

Shogun, the classic epic novel of feudal Japan that captured the heart of a culture and the imagination of the world, is now available for the first time in serial format. Part One contains the first half of the complete novel.

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, Shogun is a critically acclaimed powerhouse of a book. Heart-stopping, thrilling 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 one of the highest-rated television miniseries, as well as inspiring a nationwide surge of interest in the culture of Japan. Shakespearean in both scope and depth, Shogun is, as the New York Times put it, ‘'not only something you read—you live it.’‘

Also available: Shogun: Part Two

©1975 James Clavell (P)2015 Blackstone Publishing
Genre Fiction Historical Historical Fiction Movie, TV & Video Game Tie-Ins Heartfelt
All stars
Most relevant
I have always loved the old mini-series and finally found the time to listen to the first book and it did not disappoint
Narration is also quite fantastic with so many different voices for the various characters

Fantastic story and narration

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Thoroughly enjoyed learning Japanese in the short pithy expressions used -nan ja? The tension in the plot helps the story move forward.

Language use, in both narration and double language use

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Fantastic story brilliantly delivered
Worth every hour of listening it demands
You will not be disappointed

The performance of the text was great

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At times amongst the story it becomes over discriptive taking away from the flow of the story itself.

Great story of historic Japan, of east meets west

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Finished listening to it in 2 days, what a good story and good performance! The books from J Clavell are always a delight

Lovely

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