If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Rolling Stone may receive an affiliate commission. Shogun set a record at last night’s Emmys , racking up major awards in acting and picking up the Outstanding Drama Series Award. The FX series, streaming on Hulu , is a work of historical fiction centered on a political struggle for power in 1600s Japan.
Shogun also broke ground as the first show with mostly non-English dialogue to win the Best Drama award. Originally slated to be a miniseries, Shogun’s explosive popularity led to its renewal for a second season . The show is available for streaming on Hulu and Disney+ .
Fans will have to wait a while before the second season hits streaming services, but anyone looking for more Shogun should consider the 1975 novel of the same name. Written by James Clavell, the novel, like the show, centers on an English sailor named John Blackthorne who finds himself stranded in Japan. Blackthorne was inspired by a real historical figure, William Adams, the first Englishman to reach Japan.
Shogun , Clavell’s best-known novel, is part of his Asian Saga series. Shogun is the third in the series by publication date but the earliest narratively, taking place in 1600. The first edition paperback is a hefty 1,152 pages, so fans of the series can keep themselves plenty busy while they wait for the second season.
In addition to the hardcover edition, the novel is also available in paperback from Target.