While Shōgun season 2 seems impossible since it is based on one novel by James Clavell, several other books by the author can also be adapted for TV.

Shogun-Tadanobu-Asano-Kashigi-Yabushige-Cosmo-Jarvis-Fuji-Moeka-Hoshi

Although a second season of the celebrated limited series Shōgun isn’t possible, there are still plenty of options for expanding the franchise. Shōgun, based on the acclaimed novel of the same name by James Clavell, is a standalone work that is expected to conclude after ten exceptional episodes. Shōgun episode 9 saw another ally of Lord Toranaga make a shocking sacrifice to advance his plan to become the new shogun, which will all come to a head in episode 10 “A Dream of a Dream.”

Although Shōgun is arguably the most famous Clavell novel, the renowned author wrote additional books that exist in the same universe. Known as Clavell’s “Asian Saga”, Shōgun is the first narrative in a series of six novels written by Clavell between 1962 and 1993. The novels all similarly focus on stories about Europeans in Asia, such as John Blackthorne in Shōgun. The entire book series at large depicts the earliest conflicts and assimilations of Eastern and Western civilizations.

James Clavell’s Other Asian Saga Books Could Be Adapted Instead Of Shogun Season 2

Clavell wrote five other historical fiction books set in Asia

Hiroyuki Sanada wielding a sword as Toranaga in Shogun episode 10
Ishido at a ceremonial gathering in Shogun season 1 Ep 9 Blackthorne raising his eyebrows in Shogun season 1 Ep 9

Since it’s very unlikely that Shōgun season 2 will happen since it will be a complete story after its series finale, Hulu and FX could explore other original works in Clavell’s Asian Saga to adapt as well. The other novels in Clavell’s Asian Saga include King Rat (1962), Tai-Pan (1966), Noble House (1981), Whirlwind (1986), and Gai-Jin (1993). Shōgun was published in 1975, thirteen years after King Rat, but still acts as the first in the chronological order of the book series.

The various books in Clavell’s Asian Saga share storylines and characters that connect them all together. Whirlwind, which is set in Iran in 1979, is somewhat of an exception because it connects to the other books in the series to a degree, but not as much as the others. The sequential order of the books is very different from the order of their publications, as seen in the table below.

Chronological Book Order
Publication Year
Book Setting

Shōgun
1975
Feudal Japan, 1600

Tai-Pan


1966
Hong Kong, 1841

Gai-Jin
1993
Japan, 1862

King Rat
1962
Singapore, 1945

Noble House
1981
Hong Kong, 1963

Whirlwind
1986
Iran, 1979

Why Gai-Jin Would Be The Best Sequel Show For Shogun

Gai-Jin is set in Japan and follows a descendant of Toranaga

Toranaga sitting in an imposing posture in Shogun season 1 episode 6

Image via Hulu/FX

Out of all of Clavell’s novels in his Asian Saga, Gai-Jin would be the best to adapt after Shōgun. Gai-Jin is the only other book in Clavell’s Asian Saga that is set in Japan and follows a descendant of Lord Toranaga. Even though it’s not a direct sequel to Shōgun, the fact that it follows a Toranaga descendant and is set just a few decades before the end of the Edo Period, which Toranaga’s real-life inspiration Tokugawa Iyeasu had established, makes it the best choice for Hulu and FX to expand on the success of Shōgn.