Shogun

The Epic Novel of Japan

By: James Clavell

Narrated by: Ralph Lister

Length: 53 hrs and 34 mins

Publisher's summary

The classic epic novel of feudal Japan that captured the heart of a culture and the imagination of the world, by the #1 New York Times bestselling author and unparalleled master of historical fiction, James Clavell

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 in both scope and depth, Shōgun is, as the New York Times put it, “…not only something you read—you live it.” Provocative, absorbing, and endlessly fascinating, there is only one: Shōgun.

©1975 James Clavell (P)2015 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

What a Journey.

Wow! Listening to it is an experience really. I downloaded the TV series too after the book finished. What a journey especially for someone who is smitten with Japan. The books isn’t just a story but a time machine showing you the history of a time bygone. The deep insight into the minds of perhaps on of the most unique people on Earth is mesmerising.
And somebody please give Mr. Ralph Lister an Oscar, A Grammy, A Tony, a Nobel Prize or the Holy Grail itself for this stupendous performance. I stand and clap. Take a bow Ralph Sama. Unbelievable performance. The best I have possibly ever came across.

Worthwhile Re-visit to an Adolescent read

A steady albeit full plot with much historical geo-political, nautical and military interest The characters are well fleshed albeit one dimensional. The strength of the novel lies in the cultural clash between Japanese and Elizabethan / European culture and the ensuing conflict both between the Euro/Japanese and Anglican/Catholic interests. Another success is the pacing of the plot and interest which made the completion of a 1000+ page novel entirely manageable.
With reference to the performance, the sound production was disappointing with frequent fading out at the completion of sentences which was a distraction which occurred too frequently to be dismissed as a quirk instead of
editing and sound mixing failure.

Great book with some audio cockups

The story is great and for the most part audiobook is good. However, in some places the volume level goes so low that you can not hear the readers voice. First audiobook with that problem for me, ever.

a masterpiece

Possibly my favorite book ever. A deep study of cultural and religious fifferences, this book is also a cracking good read. Every day I found myself on the edge of my seat wondering what would happen next. Every evening I found myself chewing over the deeper concepts. A great book never really leaves you. Shogun has stayed in my thoughts years after my first reading.

Excellent novel, outstandingly read

Epic truly is the right word to describe this journey. Most impressive is Ralph Lister’s ability to take on characters and keep consistent with their idiosyncrasies - that’s talent!

Kept me awake for several nights

I love everythin about it, the storyline, the voice actor, the author. Simply the best story I've ever read. I was just a little disappointed that it ends, i was hoping the story would follow the story of Blackthorne even after the war. Well, shikata ga nai, ne? But the rest is marvelous.

Excellent narration

What did you love best about Shogun?

The narration and the story

Which scene was your favorite?

When Anjinsan saves Toronaga during the earthquake, and the subsequent rise to Hatamoto

If you could take any character from Shogun out to dinner, who would it be and why?

One of the complaining crew. I can't recall his name,but I would have thrown him overboard!

Excelente

Muy interesante, bien escrito, un poco largo pero la historia bien desarrollada. Las voces literarias magníficas.

Too long

Interesting, well constructed, character driven, but also way longer than it should have been.

Epic in all the right ways

An incredibly ambitious novel, featuring English, Dutch, Portuguese, Spaniards and of course the absolute stars of the show, the Japanese.
A story deserving of a full cast, although this narrator is just a superhero.
For some reason, the incredibly long duration of this narration won't be a problem, because it hooks one so much, that one doesn't notice the time passing by.
A great summer novel, or winter novel, or anytime-you-have-free-time novel, really.

Great story; poor audio

How could the performance have been better?

The volume randomly dips towards the end of sentences, rudely interrupting what is an amazing story.

Don’t waste your time

After reading the book an audio book seemed a great idea..... until I got this one.

The editing is rubbish, the narrative gets cut off at the end of sentences as if the editor was trying to save time.
So you lose a word or part of a word.

And this narrator seems to have everybody in a bad mood shouting at each other rather than conversing- as in the book , but who knows? Maybe in medieval Japan they were all hard of hearing!

I’ve looked for the book with a different narrator but there isn’t one on Audible.

So this one gets returned and I’ll spend my credit elsewhere.

Modern classic historic novel

I picked this novel up having spent time in Japan expecting a predictable cliched view of Japanese history and war and thought it might be a bit dated. What I found was a very well researched and clever historic novel with strong characters and enough twists and turns to keep the reader engaged throughout. It skilfully intertwined the differences between East and Western cultures and religions including touching upon early trading history in a compelling story.

I'd recommend this to anyone who enjoys historic novels or anyone with an interest in Japanese history and culture.

The narration is excellent and the book is brought to life by Ralph Lister.

Breathtaking!

This book is rightfully considered a classic, the depth and scope of of it breathtaking.

Brief synopsis: Set in the late 1500's during Queen Elizabeth I 's reign, a ship makes it to Japan, the first Protestants to do so. The English know about Japan, but it is a closely guarded secret of Catholic Spanish and Portuguese trade.

The pilot of the ship, John Blackthorne, is a rarity in that he is well educated and articulate and manages to adapt to the Japanese rigid caste structure and culture. He survives and thrives where the majority of Europeans are unable to. He becomes a pawn in the deep plans of a Lord Toranaga while planning to take the Religious wars of Europe to the Jesuit silk trade monopoly.

Japanese society is described in loving detail, bringing it to life in a way that Europeans can access. It is an alien society to the West.

The narration is great, the story superb. IMO, the best of the Asian Saga.

Spellbound...

An absolute must! I read the book years ago and the audio is a compliment. James Clavell is an incredible author and the narrator was excellent, with huge empathy and characters.
Totally recommend, you wouldn't be disappointed

Best historical adventure novel ever?

Any additional comments?

Take historical fact , probably little known to the reader, as the frame of a book. Cover this skeleton in interlocking elements of adventure, political intrigue, romance and tragedy whilst continuously educating the reader in Japanese culture , language and reaction to first contact with Europeans and you produce Shogun.I first read the book shortly after it was published and time has not diminished my view that it is a masterpiece of its genre. Revisiting it in audio form was a delight given the excellent performance by Ralph Lister, although I leave it to others to comment on his Japanese pronunciation.Warning: You will be addicted for 53 hours!

Brilliant

This is the fourth time I have read, watched and listened to this fascinating book. I was very surprised how the audio book was just as good as reading it.

fabulous

excellent story. great perfomance. top notch. I really recommend it. looking forward to listening to the other novels

Ralph is the best narrator ever

Awesome enjoyed so much I have ordered the tv series to watch again. Best narrator ,most voice character's of any of the 12 audio books I have. 10 Stars

Time machine to Old Japan

What did you like most about Shogun?

Complete immersion in the atmosphere from a very sympathetic and knowledgeable view. One of those stories that sweep you up and give you a physical experience of 'being there'.

What did you like best about this story?

History peopled with well described credible characters a la Hillary Mantel

Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

All the characters come over in high resolution...and the love affair between the lead characters is beautiful and heart-rending

Any additional comments?

Narrator needs to warm to the role....took a few hours before he got into the characters so don't be discouraged by the first few hours...hang in there for an emotional roller-coaster