This note contains spoilers for the book.

This is fictionalized history—subtitled "The Will Adams Story, British Samurai". That's right, it's another (much earlier) fictional treatment of the material James Clavell used for Shogun.

I find this book much more attractive than Clavell's. It tells more about the country and less about the language, I think. And it uses, periodically, text extracts from primary sources, log books and journals and letters and such, which I like.

I've got about 60 pages left, but I recently passed the sentence "When there was neither sneer nor question from Shongo, but only his amiable, 'If you say the ship will come, it will come—' the last doubt vanished from the Pilot's mind and he was, from that moment, insane." I don't think this bodes well for the outcome!

As it works out, the lovely line about insanity foreshadows nothing. Adams continues his decades-long obsession with the Northwest Passage, is all.

Oleg loaned me this, and I appreciate it.