I read this book in high school when it first came out in paper back and loved it. I am glad it has made a resurgence and I can read it again in something larger than the old fashioned paperback.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts. Shogun was a real treat for me in high school. I read the book every night during the week, finishing on Friday. Loved it so much that I immediately started over and read it through again on the weekend. You’re right that it sometimes felt like a “compare and contrast” assignment, but I earned an A on my book report, lol. When my only job was high school, I had so much time to indulge myself. Adulting is hard! 😺✌️
I haven’t read Shogun but having recently read Lonesome Dove and Swan Song I totally agree with the view that long books tap into a variety of feelings: wonder, frustration, exhilaration, melancholy and, sometimes, imprisonment. This coupled with the feeling of achievement when you finish the final lines having been on such a journey is really where that payoff lands. Well done on finishing.
I have read Shogun 3 times - it is my favorite novel of all time. I first saw the mini series from the 1980s as a youngster and then read the book - so I had the benefit of knowing the story first, which might have tempered the work of reading an 1100 page book. For me, Toranaga and how he navigates the competition for Shogun is the best part of it. But all of it is a 5 star read for me.
I read Shogun (and I think all of Clavell's Asia novels) back in the 80's or so, and really enjoyed them. I've thought of going back to them, but it's a big investment of time! Thanks for your review.
Shogun and Eiji Yoshikawa's Musashi are 2 of my favorite historical novels. My personal favorite of Clavell's is King Rat. I just love it when an author takes a bit of a personal history and turns it into a creative exercise like JG Ballard's Empire of the Sun and Ayn Rand's We the Living.
Haven’t read Shogun, but as a fan of both fantasy and sweeping historical fiction, I’ve read plenty of long books. Your reference to Stockholm Syndrome is certainly apt
I read it ~35 years ago when I was working at Crown Books. I took Japanese in Highschool and was in love with the country. Good times and great book. I recently got "King Rat" at a thrift shop. I may re-read "Shogun" first. But first to read through what's been waiting on my shelves and kindle. 🖖 Now I'm rembering the books I read in that time "Trinity," "The Drifters," "Going to Extremes," "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance." I wish I had time to re-read every epic book that meant so much to me. So many books, so little time in a life
I read Shogun back in my teens because my dad went through a James Clavell phase where he read everything. It's weird that I didn't remember it being that long, when you mentioned the number of pages it surprised me. Funny how when you love a book that distorts your idea of its size, and what you forget. I could not recall anything about the intrigues between the various leading Samurai, which says something
I've read most of his Asian series books, and Tai-Pan is the only one I want to read again. Don't get me wrong, I think Shogun is a fantastic novel, but it is an exhausting read.
@@johndillon8051I’ve never read him, this video is the first thing to make me think I might want to. I suppose _Shogun_ to be the most generally accessible (because the most popular) but I hadn’t considered that there might be other novels by this author to consider. _Shogun_ (here) sounds fantastic, and the length will not trouble me if I like the book - the “world building” might be a main attraction for me - but I know that I’m likely _not_ to read any more than one book. Probably I need a good BookTube “Where to Start” video to guide me, but I can’t think that such a thing has been done.
I congratulate you on your accomplishment! Without any hint of desire to emulate it, in this case. So many great books around that won't throw my back out lifting them to open them up ....
Read it just recently. It’s been highly praised on TH-cam, and I think it deserves the praise. That said, I read more than my share of mammoth books, and I love it when they are as engrossing as this. I see the second part as involving two separate, but related political conflicts. Toronaga’s quest to become Shogun; and Blackthorne’s dream of supplanting the Portuguese/Jesuit stranglehold on Japanese trade. I thought the interconnection between these was beautifully done.
Clavell was a POW of the Japanese in WWII, with all the horror that experience implies. Writing the novel was a catharsis for him. He learned about the Japanese culture and people and it helped him to let go of his animosity toward them based on his POW experience
It took me a few times too (going way back to the 80s first attempt), but I eventually settled on the audiobook. I will argue that King Rat is Clavell’s best novel. I have read all but Whirlwind.
Congrats on finishing Shogun! I was obsessed with the musical Les Miserables back in high school and decided to read the book. Well, I quickly regretted my decision, lol. I loved the story and the characters, but I really didn't care for all of the historical content at that point in my life. I did finish though and as others have said, once you do? The feeling is amazing. I don't really read anything over 600 pages now unless it's something I know I won't DNF.
I first saw Shogun as the mini-series on UK television in the 80's. I had never seen anything like it before. Some years later I read the book, and I think the mini series was a pretty good adaptation. I haven't seen it since, but I still recall parts of it.
It's been close to 30 years since I read Shogun. I liked it as teen but I can't say I remember the full details. I have been tempted to reread it but like you said it's just long.
I have bought the entire Asian Saga and wanted to get to Shogun this year but with the Stormlight reread I'm currently doing,there isn't enough time. It will be a high priority for next year though. I'm currently reading Lost Man's Lane by Scott Carson,a coming of age story and it's excelent,40% into it.
I love Shogun. I first read it in the 1980s after watching the TV series and then I listened to it as audiobook before I watched the new series. I was pleased how closely both TV series followed the book. It isn’t the longest book I have read, I think two of The Song of Ice and Fire books are longer and I read all 5 of the SOIAF over a 5 week period. Long books don’t intimidate me but I have to really want to read them. The longest book on my TBR list is the Australian classic ‘Poor Fellow My Country’ by Xavier Herbert which is 2220 pages long. I might start it next year as a year long read.
I really enjoyed Shogun. I tend to like the longer books. Lonesome Dove is coming soon. I have read several other of James Clavell's books. They are not as good as Shogun, but I still enjoy his world building and the unfolding stories.
I read Shogun as a teenager and it sparked my love and interest in north-east Asia. I tried watching the television series but it seemed to miss “something” that was present in the book.
I read the book (books, actually. I was originally published in two hardcover books) a couple of years after it came out. Fascinating and memorable; I can still remember the names of most of the characters. I have fewer reservations about the story than you do; I found the internals of the Shogun crisis quite interesting, more so than you apparently did. The focus of the book evolves from Blackthorn to Toranaga. Toranaga becomes the heroic figure of interest and Blackthorn is his side-kick. There was a popular 1980 TV miniseries based on this novel.
I have it at Audible but haven't started it yet. One day. Got several big books on Audible I've got to listen to. Looking forward to a four book set on Robert E.Lee . I may not recover. 😂 You have a great channel Sir. Glad I found you .
Shogun is on my to-read list. I have a massive back catalog, but this is one I'm wanting to get to at some point. To add, I think it's a good topic of discussion, long books. I think it takes a really strong author to be able to handle writing a massive tome that spans hundreds if not thousands of pages. But even then, the struggle can sometimes be real. Some folks take it as a challenge to read whether they like it or not. Others have absolutely zero interest of going beyond a certain page point. Some (like me) get intrigued by the idea of a long book, but then it's a matter of execution and if it vibes with us. There's many other viewpoints regarding long books, but those are off the top of my head. A greater discussion of should books be incredibly long, should they be read, and so forth could be valuable. Anyway, cheers for the video!
Great review Olly! I’ve been very intimidated by this book, but I think I’m going to try and tackle this in January. I’ve been watching the new miniseries, and it has inspired me to read the book lol.
I'm 50% through the first of the two books now. Its been fun and hard at times. I am taking a break to read something else at the moment, but plan to come back and finish it by the end of the year...... I hope
I loved loved LOVED Shogun. I read it in my early 20s, on my way to and from Uni. Took me 2 months to finish, it was a faithful companion to my trips. I then proceeded to read all the books in his Asian Saga series and loved all of them excepting Gai Jin which was just meh. Strongest book is actually King Rat which is based from my understanding on Clavell's experience as a war prisoner in Korea. Highly recommend that one too
I read this as a teenager when the original series first came out and loved it. Went on to read several (but not all) of his follow ups. Now you’ve made me want to read it again and RWYO season is not a good time to read huge books. Bad Olly 😂
Thank you, I really enjoyed your take on SHOGUN, and the subject of the pain and pleasure of reading (and sticking with) really long books is one I can certainly identify with. I am very interested in reading Thomas Pynchon's AGAINST THE DAY, which is just a bit under 1100 pages. Hard to fully describe, it's in the category of historical metafiction, taking place from just before the end of the 19th century up to the end of WWI. It uses the genre of the sort of Boy's Adventure book/series that were popular in the early 1900s, as a framing device in a world where Airship travel and exploration is commonplace enough that they are often commanded by boy's clubs. But it is a DENSE read, with 100s of real and imagined characters to keep up with and vast social , political and technological issues to grapple with. I started it last year (borrowed from the library) and didn't have the time for it then, but recently picked up a copy for my collection at a library sale with the hopes of eventually getting through it. I suppose the DUNE books are a good example of this category of novels too big to want to read by many (myself included), but it was more from disinterest than lack of stamina.
I read "The Books of Jacob" last year. Amazing book, but it took me so long my TBR suffered. 912 page novel by Olga Tokarczuk. The product of extensive historical research and seven years to write.
I started reading it in paperback (bought for $0.50 at a library sale)in my late 20's when books that long were enticing, not off-putting. I was regularly putting away books that were 500+ pages (I've always been a really fast reader, somehow), just as a result of life circumstances at that time. I stopped when I moved, put the book aside, more life stuff happened, and I think I donated it to Goodwill, thinking I'd never get back into it. Now I'm much older, in peri-menopause, and my ADHD is worse than it ever has been in adulthood (this is a real thing, ladies, if you're in your late thirties, or forties, and realize you haven't finished a book in a while, it's worth getting checked out). Reading the kind of huge book where you spend time existing in the world, and live side-by-side with the characters, is a happy memory. Once they get the hormone/med situation sussed out, I'm definitely going to dive back into it; of course now that Shogun's returned to the zeitgeist, used copies of it are relatively pricey on ebay. I'll just have to keep my eyes peeled at Goodwill and my favorite used book store.
I read it a year ago and I thought it was tremendous. Then, I read Tai-Pan, the next book, a few months ago and I thought it was slightly better than Shogun. I plan on tackling Gai-Jin in the next few months.
I read it two (plus) years ago and loved every bit of it. And I'm a slow reader, so it took almost the whole month just reading it alone. Are you gonna see the tv series, or read the other Clavell books?
I liked Shogun without being blown away by it. My main issue with it was that the author made you feel that the whole story was building up to an incredibly exciting climax but it didn't really happen. Some of the main characters end up dying but you get to the end and realise that the author is going to set up the book for a series rather than concluding it in one volume. That's fine for a novel of ordinary size, but for a monster like Shogun that's not good enough for me. You want some sort of definitive resolution after such a long journey,.
That was kind of the point. The massacre was an afterthought, an inevitability, just who would set it in motion. I too rushed to the bookstore only to find out the "sequel" took place like 300 years later.
Yeah, I read it during the pandemic lockdown. It's hard for me to commit that much reading time to one book, even when it's a good one. Shogun got a bit murky in the middle and dragged when it got involved in all the political machinations, but overall, it's great. One thing that kills me with long books is, my memory's not great, while my powers of distraction are amazing. So I tend to "fall out" of books if I don't read them steadily. Skip a day or two and I'll have lost who's who among some of the lesser characters and get frustrated. So I'm always hesitant to tackle one... although they're usually rewarding, ala Moby Dick, Count of Monte Cristo, The Stand, etc.
most of the outlander books are 1000+ pages long and i always have to take a break after reading them because i feel so exhausted from reading such a long book
If a book (long or short) is good, it is easy to finish regardless of the length. If the book is boring or makes too many irritating jumps that interrupt the flow, I won't waste any more time with it.
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I read it in my late teams and I remember being enthralled with it. It spurred my interest in the Japanese society.
I read this book in high school when it first came out in paper back and loved it. I am glad it has made a resurgence and I can read it again in something larger than the old fashioned paperback.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
Shogun was a real treat for me in high school. I read the book every night during the week, finishing on Friday. Loved it so much that I immediately started over and read it through again on the weekend. You’re right that it sometimes felt like a “compare and contrast” assignment, but I earned an A on my book report, lol. When my only job was high school, I had so much time to indulge myself. Adulting is hard!
😺✌️
Ha! Adulting is hard!
I loved Shogun. I don’t think I would have cut a page. I really need to get to the rest of Clavell’s books.
Your praise of it was one of the things that made me want to give it another go
I haven’t read Shogun but having recently read Lonesome Dove and Swan Song I totally agree with the view that long books tap into a variety of feelings: wonder, frustration, exhilaration, melancholy and, sometimes, imprisonment. This coupled with the feeling of achievement when you finish the final lines having been on such a journey is really where that payoff lands. Well done on finishing.
Those are both absolutely great ones!
I have read Shogun 3 times - it is my favorite novel of all time. I first saw the mini series from the 1980s as a youngster and then read the book - so I had the benefit of knowing the story first, which might have tempered the work of reading an 1100 page book. For me, Toranaga and how he navigates the competition for Shogun is the best part of it. But all of it is a 5 star read for me.
@@philmitchell12 i am 100% in agreement. My favorite and also 3 times. Maybe once more before I’m done. Actually an easy read IMO.
I read Shogun (and I think all of Clavell's Asia novels) back in the 80's or so, and really enjoyed them. I've thought of going back to them, but it's a big investment of time! Thanks for your review.
I think I'm going to try the others at some point
Shogun and Eiji Yoshikawa's Musashi are 2 of my favorite historical novels. My personal favorite of Clavell's is King Rat. I just love it when an author takes a bit of a personal history and turns it into a creative exercise like JG Ballard's Empire of the Sun and Ayn Rand's We the Living.
Shogun was amazing and is quite possibly my book of the year, but it was a drain. I swore off long books for almost 6 months after I finished.
Yeah, books that huge really can take it out of you
Haven’t read Shogun, but as a fan of both fantasy and sweeping historical fiction, I’ve read plenty of long books. Your reference to Stockholm Syndrome is certainly apt
I read it ~35 years ago when I was working at Crown Books. I took Japanese in Highschool and was in love with the country. Good times and great book. I recently got "King Rat" at a thrift shop. I may re-read "Shogun" first. But first to read through what's been waiting on my shelves and kindle. 🖖 Now I'm rembering the books I read in that time "Trinity," "The Drifters," "Going to Extremes," "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance." I wish I had time to re-read every epic book that meant so much to me. So many books, so little time in a life
One of my earliest book buys was the new King Rat. I loved it 😊
Trinity is one I really want to try sometime
@@CriminOllyBlog good book.
I read Shogun back in my teens because my dad went through a James Clavell phase where he read everything. It's weird that I didn't remember it being that long, when you mentioned the number of pages it surprised me. Funny how when you love a book that distorts your idea of its size, and what you forget. I could not recall anything about the intrigues between the various leading Samurai, which says something
Books can be weird like that. Bad short books can feel loooooong
Tai-Pan is also fantastic.
I've read most of his Asian series books, and Tai-Pan is the only one I want to read again. Don't get me wrong, I think Shogun is a fantastic novel, but it is an exhausting read.
@@johndillon8051I’ve never read him, this video is the first thing to make me think I might want to. I suppose _Shogun_ to be the most generally accessible (because the most popular) but I hadn’t considered that there might be other novels by this author to consider. _Shogun_ (here) sounds fantastic, and the length will not trouble me if I like the book - the “world building” might be a main attraction for me - but I know that I’m likely _not_ to read any more than one book. Probably I need a good BookTube “Where to Start” video to guide me, but I can’t think that such a thing has been done.
I loved "Noble House". But beware of the horrible TV series they made. It's not even close to the book.
I loved "Noble House". Read it when I was 18. I always wanted to read it again but never got around to it so far 😂.
I congratulate you on your accomplishment!
Without any hint of desire to emulate it, in this case.
So many great books around that won't throw my back out lifting them to open them up ....
Ha ha nicely put
Read it just recently. It’s been highly praised on TH-cam, and I think it deserves the praise. That said, I read more than my share of mammoth books, and I love it when they are as engrossing as this. I see the second part as involving two separate, but related political conflicts. Toronaga’s quest to become Shogun; and Blackthorne’s dream of supplanting the Portuguese/Jesuit stranglehold on Japanese trade. I thought the interconnection between these was beautifully done.
Clavell was a POW of the Japanese in WWII, with all the horror that experience implies. Writing the novel was a catharsis for him.
He learned about the Japanese culture and people and it helped him to let go of his animosity toward them based on his POW experience
It took me a few times too (going way back to the 80s first attempt), but I eventually settled on the audiobook.
I will argue that King Rat is Clavell’s best novel. I have read all but Whirlwind.
My parents both really rate King Rat
Congrats on finishing Shogun! I was obsessed with the musical Les Miserables back in high school and decided to read the book. Well, I quickly regretted my decision, lol. I loved the story and the characters, but I really didn't care for all of the historical content at that point in my life. I did finish though and as others have said, once you do? The feeling is amazing. I don't really read anything over 600 pages now unless it's something I know I won't DNF.
Yeah I do think books over a certain length really need to justify themselves to the reader
I first saw Shogun as the mini-series on UK television in the 80's. I had never seen anything like it before. Some years later I read the book, and I think the mini series was a pretty good adaptation. I haven't seen it since, but I still recall parts of it.
I do want to watch that old series
It's been close to 30 years since I read Shogun. I liked it as teen but I can't say I remember the full details. I have been tempted to reread it but like you said it's just long.
I have bought the entire Asian Saga and wanted to get to Shogun this year but with the Stormlight reread I'm currently doing,there isn't enough time. It will be a high priority for next year though. I'm currently reading Lost Man's Lane by Scott Carson,a coming of age story and it's excelent,40% into it.
My 2nd favorite book of all time behind Lonesome Dove. The second book in the series, Tai-Pan, is awesome too.
Lonesome Dove is so great
Thanks!
Thank you so much, Elaine!
I love Shogun. I first read it in the 1980s after watching the TV series and then I listened to it as audiobook before I watched the new series. I was pleased how closely both TV series followed the book.
It isn’t the longest book I have read, I think two of The Song of Ice and Fire books are longer and I read all 5 of the SOIAF over a 5 week period. Long books don’t intimidate me but I have to really want to read them. The longest book on my TBR list is the Australian classic ‘Poor Fellow My Country’ by Xavier Herbert which is 2220 pages long. I might start it next year as a year long read.
Oh wow, that is long! Don’t think I’ve heard of that one
I really enjoyed Shogun. I tend to like the longer books. Lonesome Dove is coming soon. I have read several other of James Clavell's books. They are not as good as Shogun, but I still enjoy his world building and the unfolding stories.
Lonesome Dove is phenomenal
I read Shogun as a teenager and it sparked my love and interest in north-east Asia. I tried watching the television series but it seemed to miss “something” that was present in the book.
I haven't tried the show yet but probably will at some point
I read the book (books, actually. I was originally published in two hardcover books) a couple of years after it came out. Fascinating and memorable; I can still remember the names of most of the characters. I have fewer reservations about the story than you do; I found the internals of the Shogun crisis quite interesting, more so than you apparently did. The focus of the book evolves from Blackthorn to Toranaga. Toranaga becomes the heroic figure of interest and Blackthorn is his side-kick.
There was a popular 1980 TV miniseries based on this novel.
I have it at Audible but haven't started it yet. One day.
Got several big books on Audible I've got to listen to.
Looking forward to a four book set on Robert E.Lee .
I may not recover. 😂 You have a great channel Sir.
Glad I found you .
Thank you! Glad you're enjoying the channel and good luck with your long books!
Shogun is on my to-read list. I have a massive back catalog, but this is one I'm wanting to get to at some point.
To add, I think it's a good topic of discussion, long books. I think it takes a really strong author to be able to handle writing a massive tome that spans hundreds if not thousands of pages. But even then, the struggle can sometimes be real. Some folks take it as a challenge to read whether they like it or not. Others have absolutely zero interest of going beyond a certain page point. Some (like me) get intrigued by the idea of a long book, but then it's a matter of execution and if it vibes with us. There's many other viewpoints regarding long books, but those are off the top of my head. A greater discussion of should books be incredibly long, should they be read, and so forth could be valuable.
Anyway, cheers for the video!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Great review Olly! I’ve been very intimidated by this book, but I think I’m going to try and tackle this in January. I’ve been watching the new miniseries, and it has inspired me to read the book lol.
Hope you enjoy it!
I'm 50% through the first of the two books now. Its been fun and hard at times. I am taking a break to read something else at the moment, but plan to come back and finish it by the end of the year...... I hope
Hope you achieve that!
I loved loved LOVED Shogun. I read it in my early 20s, on my way to and from Uni. Took me 2 months to finish, it was a faithful companion to my trips. I then proceeded to read all the books in his Asian Saga series and loved all of them excepting Gai Jin which was just meh. Strongest book is actually King Rat which is based from my understanding on Clavell's experience as a war prisoner in Korea. Highly recommend that one too
My parents both really like Kind Rat
Try King Rat. One of the first novels
I read. It got me into reading, along with Papillon 😊
My parents both rave about King Rat!
I read this as a teenager when the original series first came out and loved it. Went on to read several (but not all) of his follow ups. Now you’ve made me want to read it again and RWYO season is not a good time to read huge books. Bad Olly 😂
Ha ha yes I deliberately finished it before RWYO!
The Harry Potter books are long but I blew through them no problem. It just depends on the book.
I'm halfway through "Gravity's Rainbow" and it has took me six months, I've read loads of other books along the way.
Thank you, I really enjoyed your take on SHOGUN, and the subject of the pain and pleasure of reading (and sticking with) really long books is one I can certainly identify with. I am very interested in reading Thomas Pynchon's AGAINST THE DAY, which is just a bit under 1100 pages. Hard to fully describe, it's in the category of historical metafiction, taking place from just before the end of the 19th century up to the end of WWI. It uses the genre of the sort of Boy's Adventure book/series that were popular in the early 1900s, as a framing device in a world where Airship travel and exploration is commonplace enough that they are often commanded by boy's clubs. But it is a DENSE read, with 100s of real and imagined characters to keep up with and vast social , political and technological issues to grapple with. I started it last year (borrowed from the library) and didn't have the time for it then, but recently picked up a copy for my collection at a library sale with the hopes of eventually getting through it. I suppose the DUNE books are a good example of this category of novels too big to want to read by many (myself included), but it was more from disinterest than lack of stamina.
That Pynchon book’s concept sounds fun, not sure I could manage it though at 1100 pages
I read "The Books of Jacob" last year. Amazing book, but it took me so long my TBR suffered.
912 page novel by Olga Tokarczuk. The product of extensive historical research and seven years to write.
@@MMjones6459 That one is sitting on my bed beckoning me on….
@tommonk7651 I hope you have a better grasp on history and place names. I found myself struggling to make sense of the travels.
I started reading it in paperback (bought for $0.50 at a library sale)in my late 20's when books that long were enticing, not off-putting. I was regularly putting away books that were 500+ pages (I've always been a really fast reader, somehow), just as a result of life circumstances at that time. I stopped when I moved, put the book aside, more life stuff happened, and I think I donated it to Goodwill, thinking I'd never get back into it. Now I'm much older, in peri-menopause, and my ADHD is worse than it ever has been in adulthood (this is a real thing, ladies, if you're in your late thirties, or forties, and realize you haven't finished a book in a while, it's worth getting checked out). Reading the kind of huge book where you spend time existing in the world, and live side-by-side with the characters, is a happy memory. Once they get the hormone/med situation sussed out, I'm definitely going to dive back into it; of course now that Shogun's returned to the zeitgeist, used copies of it are relatively pricey on ebay. I'll just have to keep my eyes peeled at Goodwill and my favorite used book store.
Yeah I was much more inclined to read longer books when I was that age too. Hope they get you levelled out soon!
I read it a year ago and I thought it was tremendous. Then, I read Tai-Pan, the next book, a few months ago and I thought it was slightly better than Shogun. I plan on tackling Gai-Jin in the next few months.
I do have Tai Pan so may move onto that at some point
I read it two (plus) years ago and loved every bit of it. And I'm a slow reader, so it took almost the whole month just reading it alone.
Are you gonna see the tv series, or read the other Clavell books?
I will probably watch the new one at some point. And I have most of the other books so I'm sure I'll give them a go at some point
I read it about 40 years ago. Thought it was great, except I remember being mad about the ending.
I read 'The Thorn Birds' recently...it was such a dense and detailed 700 page family saga. I finished it and wanted to know what happened yet lol
I'm going to be trying that one soon!
I liked Shogun without being blown away by it. My main issue with it was that the author made you feel that the whole story was building up to an incredibly exciting climax but it didn't really happen. Some of the main characters end up dying but you get to the end and realise that the author is going to set up the book for a series rather than concluding it in one volume. That's fine for a novel of ordinary size, but for a monster like Shogun that's not good enough for me. You want some sort of definitive resolution after such a long journey,.
That was kind of the point. The massacre was an afterthought, an inevitability, just who would set it in motion. I too rushed to the bookstore only to find out the "sequel" took place like 300 years later.
Yeah, I read it during the pandemic lockdown. It's hard for me to commit that much reading time to one book, even when it's a good one. Shogun got a bit murky in the middle and dragged when it got involved in all the political machinations, but overall, it's great.
One thing that kills me with long books is, my memory's not great, while my powers of distraction are amazing. So I tend to "fall out" of books if I don't read them steadily. Skip a day or two and I'll have lost who's who among some of the lesser characters and get frustrated. So I'm always hesitant to tackle one... although they're usually rewarding, ala Moby Dick, Count of Monte Cristo, The Stand, etc.
That can be a problem for me too!
And the there are the series books (4 or 5, over a thousand pages each) and the almost painful effort to read all through to completion of the series.
I do gave most of them I think
Read it 3 days when it was published.
That's good going!
most of the outlander books are 1000+ pages long and i always have to take a break after reading them because i feel so exhausted from reading such a long book
I did try the first one but it defeated me (possibly because I'd already seen the TV show so knew what was going to happen)
@@CriminOllyBlog it's good but so long!
If a book (long or short) is good, it is easy to finish regardless of the length. If the book is boring or makes too many irritating jumps that interrupt the flow, I won't waste any more time with it.
Finished it in lockdown, think its a nightmare of a book. Couldve easily been 600-700 pages. Waste of so much of my time 😂
LOL it is long af
😴😴😴
LOL