Starting with his shipwreck on this most alien of shores, the novel charts Blackthorne’s rise from the status of reviled foreigner up to the hights of trusted advisor and eventually, Samurai. All as civil war looms over the fragile country.

‘I can’t remember when a novel has seized my mind like this one. It’s irresistable, maybe unforgettable. Clavell creates a world so enveloping you forget who and where you are’