Book · 1975
Shōgun
by James Clavell
A shipwrecked English pilot washes up in feudal Japan and gets pulled between warlords, Jesuit priests, and Spanish traders, and has to pick a side to survive.
What does Reddit think of Shōgun?
Shogun reads here as the advanced-tier pick, not a starter. One r/suggestmeabook thread stacks it in the 'Experts' bracket, above Beginners (The Book Thief) and Veterans (Blood Meridian), alongside The Memoirs of Hadrian and Europe Central. Another comment lays out the premise in full: a shipwrecked British pilot caught between the national warlords, the Catholic Jesuit mission, and the Spanish traders out to get rich. r/Fantasy treats it as an exit ramp for readers tired of the genre, naming it in the same reply as Dorothy Dunnett's Lymond Chronicles and the Accursed Kings series, itself an explicit GRRM influence, though that particular lineage runs to Accursed Kings, not to this book. One commenter skips all the framing and just calls it 'probably the best book I read in 2024.' Nobody in the sample pushes back on any of it.
Community feedback & reader fit
Themes
- · Outsider POV dropped into feudal Japan's political triangle
- · Used as the advanced tier in structured historical-fiction reading lists
- · A recommended branch-out point for fantasy readers tired of the genre
- · Offered as a follow-up read rather than reviewed cold
Common praise
- + One r/suggestmeabook commenter (↑234) walks through the full premise, the pilot, the warlords, the Jesuits, the traders, without needing to oversell it.
- + Another just calls it 'probably the best book I read in 2024,' no caveats attached (↑177).
- + r/Fantasy slots it next to Dorothy Dunnett's Lymond Chronicles as a way out of genre fatigue (↑198).
Common criticism
- − The GRRM lineage gets raised in the same reply, but it's the Accursed Kings series that's credited as the actual influence, not this book (↑198).
- − It's frequently offered as a follow-up read rather than assessed on its own, a 'palate cleanser' after other historical epics (↑299).
- − None of the displayed excerpts mention the book's length or pacing, an odd gap for a novel this size.
Who it's for
If Pillars of the Earth left you wanting something bigger, one r/suggestmeabook reply moves straight from that book to this one. Historical-fiction skeptics get routed here through r/Fantasy, which treats it as the exit door from a fantasy-reading rut. Rank yourself against the Beginner/Veteran/Expert ladder in one thread and Shogun sits at the top, next to Memoirs of Hadrian. Want a one-line review instead? One commenter's whole take is 'best book I read in 2024.'
Mentions over time
Which Reddit comments matter for Shōgun?
The most relevant excerpts across the subreddits where this book is mentioned — opinionated, argued takes first, then top-upvoted mentions. Click through to read the full thread.
“**Shogun** (James Clavell) Immersive historical fiction set in 17th century feudal Japan. Told from the POV of a shipwrecked British pilot/pirate who finds himself caught in the middle between the national warlords, the Catholic Jesuit mission, and the Spanish traders out to get rich. Ordered by a …
“How about Shogun, another epic period novel to cleanse your palate?
“You need to branch out into historical epics. Shogun by James Clavell is cool. The Accursed Kings series is an explicit inspiration for GRRM. I've only read the first book, but the Lymond Chronicles by Dorothy Dunnett is amazing and does scratch that itch. It's a difficult read, but if you can mana…
“Shogun. Probably the best book I read in 2024
“I love Shogun, the book that has come closest to it in terms of epic scale is The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follet. It’s set during the Anarchy in 11th century England and follows the people connected with the building of a cathedral. Sounds boring but it’s truly not, the characters are diverse an…
“You want to be reading historical fiction. For me it scratches the same itch as fantasy, except set in the real world. I would recommend the pillars of the earth by Ken Follet, Shogun by James Clavell, wolf hall by Hillary mantel, and Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtree
“I suppose you are aware of this but on the slim chance that you aren't you should know that the show is based on James Clavell's novel *Shōgun* which is excellent! It is not fantasy but I've mentioned it on this sub various times in the past because feudal Japan is so different from modern culture…
“I re-read Shogun recently. 1152 pages. That’s my top 1000+ page novel.
“Shogun by James Clavell. A masterpiece in my eyes.
“Currently on the wild ride that is Shogun by James Clavell. The Lonesome Dove series also had me going without stop for all 4 books.
“It's Fiction not Fantasy but Shogun by James Clavell is a great read. Tons of action
“Glad you enjoyed THE BOOK THAT BROKE THE WORLD:) Blue Eye Samurai, Shogun, and Fallout were all excellent in very different ways.
“Shogun by James Clavell. Kept seeing it suggested on this sub and picked it up earlier this month. Have not put the book down since. Reading until 4 am every night. My work is suffering as a result, but I give not two s****. This book is just so damn good
“Shogun is awesome. It's historical fiction, but it has everything you could want from a fantasy novel except maybe stuff like magic or fantasy creatures.
“Shogun by James Clavell, brilliant book, couldn't recommend it more. Its main character is one of the most rounded, well developed characters I've ever seen. War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy. It's long but it is a beautiful classic, which in my opinion, everyone has to or at least try to read.
Convinced? Pick up Shōgun
Readers also mention
Books that share discussion threads with Shōgun — counted from the comments, not curated.
Shōgun — frequently asked
Is Shogun a good entry point into historical fiction?+
Reddit treats it here as an advanced pick, not a starter. One r/suggestmeabook thread (↑286) ranks it in the 'Experts' tier, above Beginners (The Book Thief) and Veterans (Blood Meridian). If you're new to the genre, the displayed data suggests starting elsewhere first.
What is Shogun actually about, according to Reddit?+
A shipwrecked British pilot caught between Japan's warlords, the Catholic Jesuit mission, and Spanish traders, per one detailed r/suggestmeabook description (↑234). No excerpt in the sample disputes that framing.
Does Shogun compare to Game of Thrones?+
Not directly in this data. One r/Fantasy reply (↑198) mentions Shogun alongside the Accursed Kings series, and separately notes Accursed Kings is an explicit GRRM influence, but that lineage is attached to the other series, not to Shogun itself.
Is Shogun worth reading in 2026?+
At least one 2024 reader thought so: 'Shogun. Probably the best book I read in 2024' (↑177), no elaboration offered or needed. That's an isolated data point, not a trend, but it's an emphatic one.