Listen free for 30 days

Listen with offer

  • Shōgun, Part One

  • The Asian Saga
  • By: James Clavell
  • Narrated by: Ralph Lister
  • Length: 24 hrs and 18 mins
  • 4.7 out of 5 stars (216 ratings)

$0.00 for first 30 days

Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.
Shōgun, Part One cover art

Shōgun, Part One

By: James Clavell
Narrated by: Ralph Lister
Try for £0.00

£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £19.99

Buy Now for £19.99

Pay using card ending in
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. Please see our Privacy Notice, Cookies Notice and Interest-based Ads Notice.
activate_primeday_promo_in_buybox_DT

Listeners also enjoyed...

Shogun cover art
Tokyo Vice cover art
Blood and Lies cover art
Dune cover art
A Brief History of the Samurai cover art
Wounds of Honour: Empire I cover art
Red Tithe cover art
The Sandman cover art
The Ill-Made Knight cover art
Mr Midshipman Hornblower cover art
Jurassic Park cover art
Viking Slave cover art
Dungeon Crawler Carl cover art
The Silmarillion cover art
Band of Brothers cover art

Summary

By the #1 New York Times bestselling author and unparalleled master of historical fiction, James Clavell’s Shogun is soon to be a major FX/Hulu TV series!

Shogun, the classic epic novel of feudal Japan that captured the heart of a culture and the imagination of the world, is now available for the first time in serial format. Part One contains the first half of the complete novel.

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, Shogun is a critically acclaimed powerhouse of a book. Heart-stopping, thrilling 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 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, Shogun is, as the New York Times put it, ‘'not only something you read—you live it.’‘

Also available: Shogun: Part Two

©1975 James Clavell (P)2015 Blackstone Publishing

What listeners say about Shōgun, Part One

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    171
  • 4 Stars
    31
  • 3 Stars
    11
  • 2 Stars
    2
  • 1 Stars
    1
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    146
  • 4 Stars
    35
  • 3 Stars
    10
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    6
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    164
  • 4 Stars
    21
  • 3 Stars
    8
  • 2 Stars
    3
  • 1 Stars
    2

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

a good audible to listen to.

it's a great book to listen to. if you like the TV shows then this audiobook is a must

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

brilliant

from start to finish thus book doesn't let you down can't wait for the second book

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A great book and a solid reading.

A great book and told very well. The tone and the pacing is just right.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Narrator absolutely brilliant, really brought each character to life!

There was nothing to dislike. The story, plot, characters et al were excellent. Will listen to this again!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great internal dialog

I started watching the show and I had to buy the audiobook. Really enjoyed the internal dialog of all the characters and the historical facts weaved into the story! Highly recommended

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Wonderful story

Certainly an interesting story, I am excited to read the next book. The Japanese speaking was poor however, often unintelligible.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Classic yarn

Great plot with strong historical detail (which I assume is broadly right but haven’t checked!). One reviewer hated the voice/reading - I really liked it FWIW

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Shogun

For everyone interested in the history of the world and the Middle Ages. This is an exciting take on the catholic church and its aim of world domination.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Split unnecessarily

No need to split into two parts other than wanting to double the price for the consumer

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Big story. Big delivery. Will definitely relax part 2

Great all round. A classic and great accompaniment for the new show. So much honour in the story and the writing.
Can’t wait to get into part 2.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!