An historical fiction of epic proportions, James Clavell's Shogun brings true honor to that often over-assigned literary genre. And clearly I'm a big fan. Set in Japan in the year 1600 this is not only the story of an English sailor trapped in foreign lands, a story inspired by real-life naval pilot William Adams, but is even more importantly a story about clashing cultures and beliefs. The setting is expertly drawn, as are the characters and the political and religious situations of the day. Plenty of suspense, violence, and intrigue offset the to-be-suspected softer tale of a hero coming around to retract his initial hasty judgement of an unknown people, the time honored theme of man against self. And there's an even softer tale thrown in, a romance that, if it seems somewhat forced and unrealistic at times, is to be forgiven because of its symbolic value in the greater scheme of the novel. I enjoyed every page of this book, and can only hope that the second in the series is as good. Book 19 on my way to 52.
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