Series Shogun

 CHAPTER 1 : Part 1 – Shogun   Blackthorne was suddenly awake. For a moment he thought he was dreaming because he was ashore and the room unbelievable. It was small and very clean and covered with soft mats. He…

 CHAPTER 1 : Part 2 – Shogun   Another spate of words from the samurai. “Omi-san says, because you are the leader you are allowed to walk around the village freely, wherever you want, until his master comes. His master,…

CHAPTER 1 : Part 3 – Shogun  “I’ve thought of that. But we’re not fit enough yet. It’ll take a week for the scurvy to go,” Blackthorne replied, disquieted. “There are too many of them aboard ship. I wouldn’t like…

CHAPTER 2 : Part 1 – Shogun    “The daimyo, Kasigi Yabu, Lord of Izu, wants to know who you are, where you come from, how you got here, and what acts of piracy you have committed,” Father Sebastio said.…

CHAPTER 2 : Part 2 – Shogun   By now there were a number of very important Christian daimyos and many hundreds of thousands of converts, most of whom were in Kyushu, the southern island that was nearest to China…

CHAPTER 3 : Part 1 – Shogun  Yabu lay in the hot bath, more content, more confident than he had ever been in his life. The ship had revealed its wealth and this wealth gave him a power that he…

CHAPTER 3 : Part 2 – Shogun  He could see the jagged scar on the man’s right temple and the deep cleft in the skull below it. That’s a sword cut, he told himself. Did that cause his blindness? Was…

CHAPTER 4 : Part 1 – Shogun Vinck tried to make his legs move but he could not. He had faced death many times in his life but never like this, meekly. It had been decreed by the straws. Why…

CHAPTER 4 : Part 2 – Shogun  Now he was watching her nimble fingers on his mother’s neck. She was beautiful, tiny, her skin almost translucent and so soft. Usually she would bubble with zest for life. But how could…

CHAPTER 5 : Part 1 – Shogun  Just before first light, the cries had ceased.   Now Omi’s mother slept. And Yabu.   The village was still restless in the dawn. Four cannon had yet to be brought ashore, fifty…

CHAPTER 5 : Part 2 – Shogun She smiled. “Yes.”   “I’m glad. At first I was very frightened. It’s very good to please.”   Together they dried Yabu gently and covered him with the quilt. Then the boy lay…

CHAPTER 6 : Part 1 – Shogun  All eyes in the pit went to Blackthorne.   “What do they want with me?”   “I don’t know,” Father Sebastio said gravely. “But you must come up at once.”   Blackthorne knew…

CHAPTER 6 : Part 2 – Shogun   “You’re more than just a little clever.” Yabu laughed. “You’re put in charge of the animals. Omi-san, trainer of men!”   Omi laughed with him. “I’ll try, Lord.”   “Your fief is…

CHAPTER 7 : Part 1 – Shogun   Toda Hiro-matsu, overlord of the provinces of Sagami and Kozuké, Toranaga’s most trusted general and adviser, commander-in-chief of all his armies, strode down the gangplank onto the wharf alone. He was tall…

CHAPTER 7 : Part 2 – Shogun   What about the barbarians? Now they’re your only profit from the ship. How can you use them? Wait, didn’t Omi give you the answer? You could use their knowledge of the sea…

CHAPTER 7 : Part 3 – Shogun   What about the barbarians? Now they’re your only profit from the ship. How can you use them? Wait, didn’t Omi give you the answer? You could use their knowledge of the sea…

CHAPTER 7 : Part 4 – Shogun   “Forty-nine degrees fifty-six minutes North—and watch out for the reefs that bear sou’ by sou’west.”   “You’re the pilot, by God!” Rodrigues shook Blackthorne’s hand warmly. “Come aboard. There’s food and brandy…

CHAPTER 7 : Part 5 – Shogun   “Iyé,” the samurai said, shaking his head. “Kasigi Yabu-sama!”   “IYÉ?” Rodrigues said. “Kasigi Yabu-sama? I’m from Toda Hiro-matsu-sama, who’s a bigger king than your bugger and Toady-sama’s from Toranaga-sama, who’s the…

CHAPTER 8 : Part 1 – Shogun   “What do you think, Ingeles?”   “I think there’ll be a storm.”   “When?”   “Before sunset.”   It was near noon and they were standing on the quarterdeck of the galley…