Anyone here a James Clavell fan?

[chenGOD]

i've read the whole Noble House series a few times. I like historical fiction a lot, and these are really well done.

Anyone else?

[Lars39]

1. Yes. He also wrote The Children's Story.

http://books.fantasticfiction.co.uk/h0/h120.htm?authorid=15943

I didn't realize it was also made into a movie!
http://www.morrill.org/childrenstorycast.shtml

[asjr]

2. Think he also wrote Shogun. Noble House was terrific. If I am

not mistaken Noble House was a next generation or so of a previous book. Tai something. It has been so many years I can 't remember.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

3. Shogun was a good read, but

Clavell's grasp of Japanese history and culture was not that great. I conce saw a book for history teachers called "Learning from Shogun," and it went through all the historical and cultural errors in the book and miniseries. It was about 100 pages long.

For example, the idea that the Japanese would have been less puritanical than the English in that era is just plain wrong. The Puritans were still a tiny minority in England at the time, and mainstream society was pretty lusty.

The Japanese language used in the book is also pretty bizarre, either as modern Japanese or 16th century Japanese. For instance, the exclamation, "Oh, ko!" is unknown in either variety of the language.

[chenGOD]

5. Well that's why they call it historical fiction ;)

I agree, his grasp of history in Asia throughout most of the Noble House series and Shogun is not great, but it's still a good read with good characters.

The puritanical business, I don't get that. He showed the regular Englishmen as being very lusty, but of course they would be somewhat shocked by the Japanese sexual habits (they're still pretty shocking today), due in large part to the undoubted culture shock. However the Englishmen in high status would surely have been somewhat more puritanical and "refined" than the "common folk". Or at least at little bit more discreet about their sexual escapades.

But yeah, there are plenty of discrepancies with real history.

[DinahMoeHum]

4. His first novel King Rat is a classic, where he drew on his own

experience as a POW in SE Asia (Indonesia/Malay Peninsula/Singapore)

:bounce:

[truthspeaker]

6. I wish he had finished it because I want to know

WHO HAS THE LAST COIN?!

[hayu_lol]

7. The first book in the Noble House series was TAI PAN

Very much worth reading right now is his Whirlwind. Takes place in Iran when the Shah was forced out and Khomeini took over following his return from France.

In Whirlwind, there is a slight clue concerning the probable holder of the last coin fragment.

[truthspeaker]

8. Damn, I read Whirlwind but missed that clue!

Actually I found the whole series had a problem of dropping hints that were never followed up on.

I seem to remember he had some dispute with his publishers, preventing him from finishing the series.