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Shogun
- The Epic Novel of Japan: The Asian Saga, Book 1
- Narrated by: Ralph Lister
- Length: 53 hrs and 33 mins
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Publisher's Summary
A bold English adventurer; an invincible Japanese warlord; a beautiful woman torn between two ways of life, two ways of love - all brought together in an extraordinary saga of a time and a place aflame with conflict, passion, ambition, lust, and the struggle for power.
James Clavell's Shōgun is a modern classic, a masterpiece of historical fiction that will continue to endure for decades to come.
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What listeners say about Shogun
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Langer
- 2021-02-11
Exemplary Historical Fiction. Great Novel
This book is exhaustively researched, well-planned, and brilliantly executed. Clavell relates an epic tale of the life of a Gaijin (Barbarian) in feudal Japan. The book incorporates romance, war, new languages & cultures, swashbuckling, and absorbing political maneuvering. There are battles, storms at sea, shipwrecks, and earthquakes. It is truly Epic in scope.
There are some major flaws:
First, Clavell writes as though presenting a screenplay - he makes frequent use of 'flashbacks' without warning. If the reader isn't paying attention, it's easy to get lost.
Second, there is also an enormous number of characters - it can get hard to follow.
Third, the plot is overly involved (political and religious maneuvering on a global scale)
Fourth, the dialogue is strained and the characters are invariably angry.
Lastly, the ending is incredibly unsatisfying. There is no recognizable climax. After an incredibly complex and detailed 51 hour buildup, the ending is basically - I'm not kidding - "And then there was a War. The End."
. .but the world-building is peerless. The realism is astounding... the reader feels like they are immersed in 17th century Japan - complete with feudal lords, emperors, samurai/ronin/ninja, honor codes (the mindblowing bushido), and shocking class distinctions (peasants are considered figurative garbage and life has virtually no value).
Despite the inadequacies, James Clavell aspired for the pantheon of great authors with this effort - demonstrating that incredible research can yield an incredible book.
Ralph Lister does an amazing job. He constantly sounds like he needs to suck in the saliva at the corners of his mouth, but the accents sound accurate, his Japanese is excellent, and his pacing and emotiveness is unsurpassed. Speeding the reading to 1.25X on the app resolved some of Lister's drawbacks while preserving the strengths of the performance.
This recording rates 9 out of 10 stars. It is well worth a Credit.
9 people found this helpful
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- AtomJames
- 2020-10-11
audio levels inconsistent
at the end of nearly each sentance they use an audio fade out to splice it with the next sentance and some of the words are even cut short... quite distracting.
4 people found this helpful
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- Greg Moulton
- 2019-05-28
Great reliving a classic
I have read Shogun a few times, but the gentleman reading the audiobook really brought a great story to life, and with his reading, it was very easy to still picture Richard Chamberlain, Yoko Shimada and Toshiro Mifune
4 people found this helpful
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- Shawn D.
- 2019-08-07
exceptional
I struggled to read this book when I was younger, I didnt have the patience for such a large book. Both the author and the man reading this amazing book bring medevil Japan to life. it made me want to pack up and travel to Japan and it rekindled my love of martial arts. If you are wise you will read/listen to this amazing book.
2 people found this helpful
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- Anonymous User
- 2021-02-21
Peak historical fiction
Shogun is a fun read. There's adventure and romance and action and intrigue and all that, but really it's just fun to dive into feudal Japan and learn about the culture. Being a piece of historical fiction written by a Westerner, there are likely inaccuracies that would irk an expert in the subject matter, but from a layman's point of view it seems very well researched and informative. It romanticizes Samurai culture to a certain extent, but for the most part it doesn't seem too interested in making value judgements; it largely just explores interesting differences between Japanese and Western thinking in the 1600s.
The plot itself is also a fun ride, but never quite lives up to the excellently detailed setting. At the end of the book I found myself wishing for a few more heart pounding action scenes, which are remarkably scarce given the length. The story didn't quite wrap up how I was expecting, which is fine, but the narrative could have used some more high points. Despite this, I was never bored throughout the entire 50 hour runtime.
Ralph lister does a great reading, and his excellent use of tone helps to make the many layered political conversations easier to follow.
There are likely many who will take issue with this novel simply because if is a book about Japanese culture written by a Westerner, and people more informed that myself might be able to point to examples of Clavell leaning on cultural caricature rather that authentic understanding, I'm not sure. But in my experience, Shogun was a good time and a respectful exploration of a fascinating culture.
1 person found this helpful
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- Russel
- 2020-03-08
A Classic
narrator was great, the book was hard to put down. the characters are well formed and it is a privilege to read such a magnificent book. although both fictional histories of the same area and era but not intentionally connected, I think Musashi by Eiji yoshikawa would be an amazing sequal to read right after shogun
1 person found this helpful
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- Rhett Fleming
- 2019-08-26
A great value.
Over 50 hours of content. All of it interesting and engaging. Immersive writing really put the reader in touch with 16th century Japan.
1 person found this helpful
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- JohnS
- 2019-08-18
A marathon listen, but very worth it
This is a wonderful narrative of life in shogunate Japan in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. The author contrasts in an excellent manner the norms and mores of European and Japanese cultures through the lives of selected characters very effectively. My interest was held throughout. The narration by Ralph Lister is excellent.
1 person found this helpful
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- Gareth Whitecap
- 2019-07-19
Loved it!
Great story with great narration.The historical setting is great, the characters are interesting and the narrative excellent.
1 person found this helpful
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- gus
- 2019-05-12
Great narrator for great book!
Easily the best narration I’ve listened to, Ralph Lister does a phenomenal job. And the book is awesome as well.
1 person found this helpful
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- J.B.
- 2015-03-04
A Wonderful Story and A Wonderful Study of Bushido
I first read Shogun about one year after it was originally released, in 1975. I was studying karate at the time (and for many years thereafter) and wanted to know as much as I could about Bushido. Bushidō (武士道?), literally "the way of the warrior", or the way of the samurai. I was taught much about the way of the combatant in the book, but that was merely a setting for the real voyage that the story takes you upon. The book was a constant weighing between cultures – Western European versus Japanese. The complexity of the story’s plot was there merely to present each culture’s élan or perhaps moral underpinnings. The purpose was to give you the reader the opportunity to determine who were the barbarians. The Westerners or the Japanese of the 1600s. I’ll give you a hint as to the author’s conclusion – one society bathed constantly the other – well perhaps never at all. The book does manage ones considerations of who was the beast very well.
The tale itself is about competition between two daimyos or Lords, and each’s competitive efforts to rise to the Shogunate; the all-powerful Lord who would be “effectively” the king but for the existence of the emperor. The emperor though, is only a god on earth to be provided for by the Shogunate. The story is seen through the eyes of an English sailor John Blackthorne, (sailing on behalf of the Dutch) who, after wrecking into the Japanese islands unintentionally takes on Japanese ways and name of Anjin ( a seafaring navigator or"Pilot"). The Anjin becomes Japanese, but not by intent – merely by the drift of life. One of the Lords, Torenaga, manages the Anjin as an asset in the scheming and strategizing to move society in favor of his goal to be the Shogun. Watching Torenaga scheme is the most wonderful part of the book. Of course, there is a grand love affair to assist the Anjin-san in his drift into the Japanese way. The book is enchanting and a wonderful read or listen to and well worth one’s time but – but – but for the reader, Ralph Lister. Mr. Lister reads the story very well. I do not understand though when speaking on behalf of the Anjin-san, he finds it necessary to change to a loud boisterous ignorant rage. He has the Ajin speaking stupidly throughout. I read the book in the 1970s thinking of all in soft consideration. The story was much better that way. Yet, this is still a very worthwhile endeavor. In fact, everything James Clavell wrote was magnificent as a story and study of Oriental beings and their ways. Glad to see Audible is going to finally have his works in its library.
135 people found this helpful
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- Ruby Dickson
- 2015-04-24
amazingly well done!
absolutely love this book. it's certainly quite long, but I never felt any difficulty in finishing it, because it's truly thrilling to listen to! I certainly recommend this book to anyone looking for something to occupy them for a long time. if you get bored then we might not be listening to the same book!
the narrator is also great, even if his women are very silly sounding. he has distinct accents and voices for each character, and astoundingly, did not seem to get them mixed up even once in over 50 hours. kudos to him!
115 people found this helpful
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- Chip Atkinson
- 2015-11-10
Clavell Deserves More Attention
Shogun and really all the novels in Clavell's Asian series has to be the most fascinating historical fiction in modern literature. Unfortunately for movie buffs, a few weak efforts in miniseries in the 70's were attempted to capture the brilliance of each story. If HBO took it on, Ive no doubt it would rival the Sopranos in viewership.
The story revolves around a shipwrecked British sailor who is drawn into the intrigue of the Samarai culture. For me, the clash of cultures and ways of life at that point in history are what fascinates me the most.
Ralph Lister did a good job with narration.
This book was a huge best seller years back for good reason. Its a one of a kind story.
73 people found this helpful
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- Deb C
- 2015-04-20
excellent listen
Any additional comments?
I enjoyed the narration, story, characters. My favorite part was the elderly gardener burying the rotting pheasant and the ensuing drama. This was a long listen and hours of pervasive impingement on my thought process such that I was addressing co-workers with -san and bowing to people in the hallway, as well as trying to drink from an empty cup-- but I found it an enjoyable and educational time.
69 people found this helpful
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- bmh
- 2016-12-08
Frustrating listen
What did you like best about Shogun? What did you like least?
I love this story (and all of Clavell's work) and have read the book over many times. I own the full miniseries and enjoy it, too.
What didn’t you like about Ralph Lister’s performance?
This performance, however, is frustrating to listen to. The last word or two of EVERY sentence is in "down-speak" and mumbled. Even almost knowing the book by memory, I can't catch the last word of each sentence. I gave up after 3 chapters... It's a shame because the story is so moving.
Any additional comments?
I won't be listening to any of Lister's other performances.
59 people found this helpful
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- Amazon Customer
- 2015-11-08
Thank you for finally re-recording
Where does Shogun rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?
Not just audiobook, but the book itself is one of my all time favorites. This is one of the books that I pick up anytime and just start reading anywhere in the book.
What did you like best about this story?
What's not to like about this story? It's one of the all time greats!
What about Ralph Lister’s performance did you like?
He's not the last guy they had perform this (he was truly horrible and ruined the book). Once I saw that Shogun had been redone, I listened to the sample and instantly re-purchased it.
Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?
This is one of those books that will have you reading til the wee hours of the morning. Then you realize that you have to be up in two hours for work. Then during work, your digesting what you read just a few short hours ago and trying to figure out how you can squeeze just a few minutes more of it during the day.
Any additional comments?
Thank you for re-recording one of the greats, it truly needed it!!!
55 people found this helpful
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- Kurt Schwoppe
- 2016-08-09
Always Amazing
This is the only novel that I have read three times, and will likely read it one more time before I die. It is the standard by which I measure all other historical fiction. Shogun is truly an excellent book filled with with huge characters, an amazing plot with numerous riveting subplots, that are punctuated by fascinating history and a never ending patchwork of human intrigue. This book should be on everyone's "must read" list.
50 people found this helpful
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- James
- 2016-10-11
Poor sound mixing
The story is broad and immersive however the recording quality/narration leaves much to be desired. The narrators' voice drops out at the end of a long sentence. Often I cannot even hear the last word or two. It is as if someone turns the volume down. I don't know if it is the narrators' habit or poor mixing. My guess is on the latter. It is really driving me crazy especially if I am in the car since my Bluetooth turns the volume down on my audio a second or two before my phone rings. I keep expecting a call but there is none. It is just the terrible recording.
That said the story is great. I am going to rent the DVDs from Netflix someday and see if the miniseries was close to the book.
48 people found this helpful
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- Z
- 2018-02-07
Really annoying narration
I could not listen to the jarring “ effects” of the narrator .
It just sounded silly , shame as this is such a good book .
34 people found this helpful
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- Rebecca
- 2015-07-22
Epic.
I enjoyed the rich plot and character development. The narrator deserves special recognition. Ralph Lister did an amazing job. He really brought the story to life.
29 people found this helpful