James Clavell in general

British author, screenwriter, director, world war veteran and ex Japanese Prisoner of War, James Clavell, used his experience of the Far East and the prison camps, to write graphic and gripping novels.(1924 to 1994). He is best known for his Asian Saga, including Noble House and Shogun, which was serialised for television. Noble House and Taipan were based in Hong Kong, Macao and China. Shogun is set in feudal Japan. He is also known for To Sir With Love, King Rat and The Great Escape. According the introduction to King Rat written by Clavell's daughter, 90% of the men who entered that place never came out. The book tells his story and that of ...  Read the complete review

Most people my age (tickling 30) will remember the TV mini-series Shogun. Having not read Shogun for a long time, but it was always in the back of my mind to do so, I picked up the remaining three books that I could find written by him. So far I have read Tai-Pan and Noble House, with King Rat still to read. Tai-Pan is set at the beginning of the island of Hong Kong in 1841 (purely fictional he disclaims), through the eyes of the China Traders, basically opium traders, and specifically Dirk Struan, the Scots head of the biggest house, the Noble House. Tai-Pan is the Chinese word for leader, and each house has it's own, but Dirk Struan is THE ...  Read the complete review