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Vinny · Promiscuous enough

I've just finished reading Noble House a second time after reading Taipan last week. I read Noble way back when ('97 I think), finding it in my Grandma house in California, and throughly enjoyed it. I am going to jump into Shogun next and I hope to get to King Rat, Gai-Jin, and Whirlwind eventually.

I was wondering if anybody else has read these and is totally mesmorize by the series as I am, and to recommend it to others who have never heard of him or the Saga. Here's a link to a pretty neat site about Clavell and his work.

http://www.jamesclavell.net/default.html

Any GLers out there for some Clavell's discussion?

Ferris · Daedalian Member

The only one I've read is King Rat, which I enjoyed a great deal. The ending is particularly well crafted, in my opinion. Recommended.

I may well search out some of the others now...

Vinny · Promiscuous enough

Ferris, I suggest you try Noble House next. There are two characters from King Rat in Noble, in minor subplot, but not the King himself. I think King Rat was semi-autobiographical for Clavell. I haven't read that one yet.

Chuck · Daedalian Member

I saw the Shogun and Taipan movies.

Vinny · Promiscuous enough

I heard they really really sux compare to the books, doesn't do them justice at all. I've seen the Noble House TV series starring Pierce Brosnan though and I thought it was fairly good.

Marvin · Pseudo-Yank

I borrowed Shogun and Taipan from a friend a couple of years ago and thoroughly enjoyed them. I was actually in Tokyo for a few months at the time, which probably helped.

Dragon Phoenix · Judge Doom

King Rat is the best one that I have read - by far. I liked Noble House and Taipan, but could not really appreciate Sho-Gun. I have not tried any of the others.

Vinny · Promiscuous enough

Well DP, I am learning quite a bit about Japanese culture from Shogun, but I am not sure how accurate it is. Hong Kong and Chinese culture I am a bit familiar with already, though it was quite interesting to read about them in a book

Vinny · Promiscuous enough

Finished Shogun, and I agree with you DP, it's not as good as Nobel House and Taipan as a whole.

Extremely brief sypnosis of the three books for the non-readers,

Shogun - an English Captain-Pilot, John Blackthorne, stranded in Japan with no hope of getting home, had to survive by slowly learning the Japanese culture, about duty and honor, karma and power, culture clash, daimos (Japanese feudal lords) fighting for Shogun position, Jesuit/Portugal/Spain versus Protestant/England/Dutch, beginning of Japan trade with the Western World, ending of the Samurai era, political intrigues, assinations, sushi and tea, samurai and ninjas, taiko and shogun ...

Taipan - Irish Sea Merchant Dirk Struan, with England fleet, attacked China and won over the Hong Kong island, the establishment of the Hong Kong island from its humble beginning as a barren rock, China/England Opium/Tea/Silver Trade, Chinese Culture versus Western Culture, pirates and cuthroats, mandarines and merchants, smuggling and sea battles, faces and joss, political and economic intrigues in the 18th century ...

Nobel House - a continuation of the Struan legacy in modern day Hong Kong in the hand of Ian Dunross, the 10th Taipan since Dirk Struan ...

[This message has been edited by Vinny (edited 09-16-2002 06:46 PM).]