What can I say about ‘Tai-Pan’? Is it really a Historical novel? Is it a Alternative History? These are the two questions I keep asking myself while working my way through the late James Clavell’s Asian saga, which for your consideration are the following:‘Shogun’ (1600)‘Tai-Pan’ (1841)‘Gai-Jin’ ...
Gai-Jin (meaning 'outside person', or 'foreigner' in Japanese) is based on an actual 1862 event, known as the Namamugi Incident, in which a British national was killed, and two others wounded, by samurai on the Tokaido highway near Kanagawa for not showing the proper respect for passing Satsuma d...
Ding-dong the witch is dead!. 6 months and 1400 pages later, I have finally finished this massive door stopper of a novel, and the best I can say about it is that its better than Gai-jin, the massive tome about Struan's in 1870s Japan which also took me most of a year to get through. I've been re...
4 ½ stars. The first 90% is fascinating. The last 5% not well done - just a summary. The ending was sad.Historical fiction based on actual leaders in 1600 Japan. I loved the thinking, planning, and strategising within the heads of many different characters. For example Yabu is alone with an ...
Клавел наистина има добри попадения изледвайки живота в един лагер на военнопленници по време на втората световна война. Жаждата за живот и омразата към високопоставените изяжда душите на всички. Благодарение на приспособилият се към живота в лагера Цар и сечащият му като бръснач ум преживяват и ...