Writing Shogun, Tai-pan, ect.

[Guest Midnight Rush]

Has anyone here read the book "Shogun", by James Clavell? I haven't met/talked to anyone else who has read the book other than myself, but it was a best seller so someone else had to have read it. Not only Shogun, but any of Clavell's other books, like Tai-pan or King Rat.... Ok that wasn't a sentence lol, but whatever.

Here is why I liked Shogun:

The biggest reason was how Blackthorne's mind gradually changed from thinking "These heathen! They'll be the end of me!" to coming to the conclusion that "They are so much better in some ways" and finally falling in love with one of the "heathen". That sounds kind of simple, but his change was presented in a sort of spell-binding way, hard to describe, so sorry.
All the little details that the story paid attention to: the use of the different languages, day to day items with unchanged names, ect. It really added to the story and gave it a more authentic feel.

Anyway, what do other people who have read Shogun, or Tai-pan or whatever think of them?

[Japan]

I just finished this book about two month ago. It is an awesome book, though sad. My favorite part [spoiler]was the part where they were battling to see who gets to be Shogun of Japan. It was sad that Mariko-san died.[/spoiler] It is a really good book. I recommend it anyone.

I also got the chance to see the Mini series of Shogun on the Hallmark channel last summer. I though that it was well made and loyal to the book. If you are looking for something to teach you a few Japanese words and phrases, this is a good book and mini series for you to watch. You can also learn a lot about the culture of Japan as well.

[sublime2004]

[b][size=1][color=darkred]
I have all four books (ShoGun vols. 1 & 2, Tai-pan, and King Rat) But I have only read King Rat so far.

I liked, in particular, the struggle of how the inter-prison camp bureaucracy worked. No one liked King, but a lot of people needed him to make life in Changi more bearable. I like books with that type of conflict.

I also liked how he kept your mind jumping from one thought to the other and back again while they were dealing with Marlowe's arm. Along with the need to sneak out for the money. And with the sale of the meat.

All-in-all, I loved it.[/b][/size][/color]

[Guest ScirosDarkblade]

I read Shogun about two weeks before The Last Samurai hit theaters. Honestly, I imagined Cruise as Blackthorne when I read the book, probably because of the Samurai trailers, but heck he'd work for it (if you ignore the "golden" hair detail).

It's one the best books I've read, and despite the ton of politics it discusses, it never gets boring. However, one thing does annoy me: (if you haven't read Shogun DON'T READ THIS OR YOU'RE AN IDIOT)[spoiler] it seems to me that Clavell never planned out what exactly to do with Mariko, and her death as well as its aftermath were a bit out-of-nowhere and extremely unfulfilling. It almost seemed to me as a cop-out because figuring out a way for Mariko and Blackthorne to "live happily ever after" would have been really difficult, considering everything. I suppose it was downright unrealistic, but things seemed to be going in the right direction in the book for quite a while, and then bam! Ninjas attack, Mariko dies. It wasn't bullcrap or anything, but I think it could've been done better. Certainly, the novel preceding that moment was better than the one that followed it, in my eyes.[/spoiler] But overall it's still a really great book.

[Godelsensei]

[COLOR=Gray][FONT=Courier New]I started reading Shogun a while ago, but I think my mom took the book to read herself. *mutter* And it was missing three chapters. Don't you just hate it when books dry out and fall apart? _ _U

I watched the TV series when I was in third grade. It was amazing, although my seven-year-old mind did not understand all of it.
I think the biggest message I took out of it, being a little kid, was how every society has good and bad.
I remember a scene where some one killed himself over the carcus of a bird, and how Blackthorne was horrified.

I always wondered why these people never stood up for themselves... I have to finish reading the book, once I get a new copy.[/FONT][/COLOR]