Asian Saga in Order
The Asian Saga is a sequence of six long, standalone novels about Europeans in Asia, from a shipwrecked English pilot in feudal Japan to the British trading houses of Hong Kong. The Struan family and its trading company, the Noble House, link several of them.
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Series facts
The reading order
Every Asian Saga book in publication order, with the story order a switch away. Choose a title for its cast and summary.
- 1King Rat1962With Peter MarloweIn 1945, in the Changi prisoner of war camp in Singapore, an American corporal known as the King runs a black market that lets him live in comfort while the other prisoners starve.Buy on Amazon
- 2Tai-Pan1966With Dirk StruanIn 1841, as Britain takes the barren island of Hong Kong, Dirk Struan, the ruthless head of a great trading company, sets out to make it the centre of his empire, while his bitter rival plots his ruin.Buy on Amazon
- 3Shōgun1975With John BlackthorneIn 1600, John Blackthorne, an English pilot, is shipwrecked on the coast of Japan.Buy on Amazon
- 4Noble House1981With Ian DunrossOver a single week in Hong Kong in 1963, Ian Dunross, the tai-pan of Struan’s, the Noble House, fights to save his company from rivals, a stock market crash and an American raider, while spies and police circle.Buy on Amazon
- 5Whirlwind1986In 1979, as the Iranian revolution sweeps away the Shah, the pilots of a British helicopter company working in the oil fields must plan an escape from the country with their aircraft.Buy on Amazon
- 6Gai-Jin1993With Malcolm StruanIn 1862, Malcolm Struan, the young heir to the Noble House, is badly wounded in an attack by samurai on the road near Yokohama, and is nursed by the beautiful Angelique, as foreigners and Japanese clash.Buy on Amazon
Do you need to read them in order?
The novels stand alone and can be read in any order. Many readers start with Shōgun. In story order they run Shōgun, Tai-Pan, Gai-Jin, King Rat, Noble House, Whirlwind.
Who appears in which book
The series’ main characters, book by book. Lead means the book is told around them; minor covers cameos.
| Book | Peter Marlowe | Ian Dunross | Dirk Struan | John Blackthorne | Malcolm Struan | Andrew Gavallan |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 King Rat | LLead | |||||
| 2 Tai-Pan | LLead | |||||
| 3 Shōgun | LLead | |||||
| 4 Noble House | MMajor | LLead | ·Minor | |||
| 5 Whirlwind | ·Minor | MMajor | ||||
| 6 Gai-Jin | LLead |
Characters in the Asian Saga books
11 characters from James Clavell’s chart, with the number of Asian Saga books each appears in.
| Character | Books | First in this series |
|---|---|---|
| Peter MarloweRAF officer in Changi | 2 | King Rat 1962 |
| Ian DunrossTai-Pan in 1960s Hong Kong | 2 | Noble House 1981 |
| Dirk StruanThe Tai-Pan, founder of the Noble House | 1 | Tai-Pan 1966 |
| John BlackthorneEnglish pilot shipwrecked in Japan | 1 | Shōgun 1975 |
| Malcolm StruanYoung heir to the Noble House | 1 | Gai-Jin 1993 |
| Andrew GavallanHead of a helicopter firm in Iran | 2 | Noble House 1981 |
| The KingAmerican corporal who runs the black market | 1 | King Rat 1962 |
| Culum StruanDirk's son | 1 | Tai-Pan 1966 |
| Tyler BrockDirk's rival | 1 | Tai-Pan 1966 |
| Lord ToranagaDaimyo bidding to become shōgun | 1 | Shōgun 1975 |
| Toda MarikoChristian noblewoman and translator | 1 | Shōgun 1975 |