Just finished Shogun-Need help picking next book

Read Tai-pan. I liked it better than Shogun. Can’t say anything about Gai-jin, because I have not read it yet. I think it’s the longest in the series, which I think what is keeping me away from it. And from what I understand, yes it’s best but not necessary to read them in order.

ETA: Definitely read Lonesome Dove before Tai-pan. Just because Lonesome Dove is fricking awesome!

You need to read taipan before reading gaijin or noble house, it will make more sense and be a much better book that way.

I enjoyed noble house, taipan, and king rat more than shogun and gaijin. But all clavell is very good.

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I’m reading shogun now and didn’t know there were so many other books in the series. What order are they supposed to be read in?

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Clavell's books Shogun and King Rat are pretty much independent novels and don't need to be read in any particular order, though their are some loose connections and characters/family names that show up in the other books. The other books (called the Asian saga) revolve around the Struan family trading company in Hong Kong and starts with the book Taipan.

Chronologically speaking the books go Shogun, then Taipan, then Gai-jin, then King Rat, then Noble House, and then Whirlwind. That's the order I would suggest reading them in as well if you are reading the entire series.

But mainly you just need to make sure you read Taipan first before the non-Shogun novels, as it details the development of Hong Kong as a colony and the Struan family and company. All the other books build off the history you learn in Taipan, and are much more interesting books with that background knowledge.

Awesome, thanks for the info.

Are there any resources to follow along with while reading Shogun and the other novels that help with names, places, maps, etc?

Obviously I could google these things but I don't want to run in to any spoilers.

I looked up present day Japan on the map. Edo is Tokyo. All the rest, Osaka, Nagasaki, Isu, Yokohama were easy to spot.

Never did quite figure out what the Canto is though.

I did not like Gai-Jin at all, and do not feel I would have missed anything by skipping it. All of the other Asian Saga novels are great. But there’s nothing you’re really needing to remember from Shogun going forward so yeah, any time is a good time to read Lonesome Dove.

That looks very good.

I'm a few hours into Lonesome Dove right now.

Brilliant book!