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Quick answer: If you loved Musashi, read James Clavell's Shōgun, then Alexandre Dumas's The Count of Monte Cristo and The Three Musketeers, then Arthur Golden's Memoirs of a Geisha, and Natsume Soseki's Kokoro and Hiro Arikawa's The Travelling Cat Chronicles. All are samurai epics.
Eiji Yoshikawa's Musashi is a novel about the legendary swordsman. These picks share its action and philosophy.
Table of Contents
Quick Picks at a Glance
| Book | Author | Ages | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shōgun | James Clavell | Adult | readers who like long sagas |
| The Count of Monte Cristo | Alexandre Dumas | Adult | readers who want a big epic |
| The Three Musketeers | Alexandre Dumas | Adult | readers who want swashbuckling |
| Memoirs of a Geisha | Arthur Golden | Adult | readers who like detailed settings |
| Kokoro | Natsume Soseki | Adult | classic of loneliness |
| The Travelling Cat Chronicles | Hiro Arikawa | Adult | animal lovers |
| The Decagon House Murders | Yukito Ayatsuji | Adult | puzzle mysteries |
| The Last Kingdom | Bernard Cornwell | Adult | readers who like action |
| Sharpe's Rifles | Bernard Cornwell | Adult | historical soldiers |
| The Winter King | Bernard Cornwell | Adult | Arthurian realism |
| Master and Commander | Patrick O'Brian | Adult | readers who like naval fiction |
| The Hobbit | J.R.R. Tolkien | 9-14 | a classic dragon story |
| Eragon | Christopher Paolini | 12+ | older readers ready for long epics |
| The Wrath and the Dawn | Renée Ahdieh | 14+ | readers who like romantic retellings |
| Pachinko | Min Jin Lee | Adult | readers who like family sagas |
1. Shōgun by James Clavell
An English pilot arrives in feudal Japan and gets caught in a power struggle among warlords. Epic in scale and detail.
Best for: readers who like long sagas.
2. The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas
Edmond Dantès escapes prison and takes revenge in a long, thrilling saga. Perfect if you like big stories.
Best for: readers who want a big epic.
3. The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas
D'Artagnan joins the king's musketeers in 17th-century France. Swordplay, loyalty and humor.
Best for: readers who want swashbuckling.
4. Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden
Sayuri tells her life as a geisha in Kyoto. Lush and famous, though it is a novel by a Western author.
Best for: readers who like detailed settings.
5. Kokoro by Natsume Soseki
A student befriends an older man with a past. Quiet and haunting.
Best for: classic of loneliness.
6. The Travelling Cat Chronicles by Hiro Arikawa
Nana, a stray cat, tours Japan with his owner Satoru, who is hiding a secret. A short, moving tearjerker.
Best for: animal lovers.
7. The Decagon House Murders by Yukito Ayatsuji
A group of university mystery fans visits an island where a murderer has struck before, and they begin to die one by one. A landmark of the Japanese puzzle mystery with a stunning twist.
Best for: puzzle mysteries.
8. The Last Kingdom by Bernard Cornwell
Uhtred, a Saxon boy raised by Danes, fights in the wars to create England under King Alfred. Fast battle scenes.
Best for: readers who like action.
9. Sharpe's Rifles by Bernard Cornwell
Richard Sharpe fights in the Peninsular War. Fast and gritty.
Best for: historical soldiers.
10. The Winter King by Bernard Cornwell
Arthur's story told as a gritty historical epic. Fast and vivid.
Best for: Arthurian realism.
11. Master and Commander by Patrick O'Brian
Captain Jack Aubrey and Dr. Stephen Maturin sail in the Napoleonic wars. The first of a beloved series.
Best for: readers who like naval fiction.
12. The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
Bilbo Baggins leaves his comfortable hole to join thirteen dwarves and the wizard Gandalf in reclaiming treasure guarded by the dragon Smaug. The original dragon quest and a good read-aloud.
Best for: a classic dragon story.
13. Eragon by Christopher Paolini
A farm boy finds a blue stone that hatches into the dragon Saphira and becomes a Dragon Rider in a war-torn land. It is longer and more serious, with a strong human-dragon bond.
Best for: older readers ready for long epics.
14. The Wrath and the Dawn by Renée Ahdieh
A One Thousand and One Nights retelling, in which Shahrzad volunteers to marry a killer-king. Romantic and rich.
Best for: readers who like romantic retellings.
15. Pachinko by Min Jin Lee
Four generations of a Korean family in Japan across the 20th century. Epic and emotional.
Best for: readers who like family sagas.
How We Chose These Books
Every pick is a real, widely available book that shares something specific with Musashi: its tone, its themes, its pace or the kind of characters it puts at the center. We mixed well-known favorites with a few less obvious titles, and we noted who each book suits best so you can match it to the reader. Where a book belongs to a series, we list the first volume so you can start at the beginning.
If you are not sure where to begin, start with the first three picks in the table: they are the closest match to Musashi. The rest of the list moves further out, so it works well once you know which part of the original you liked most.
How to Choose
For samurai, read Shōgun. For quests, try The Count of Monte Cristo. For philosophy, pick The Art of War.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who wrote Musashi?
Eiji Yoshikawa.
Who was Musashi?
A real swordsman (c. 1584–1645).
Is it long?
Yes, over 900 pages.
Which book here is best for readers who like family sagas?
Try Pachinko by Min Jin Lee, which suits readers looking for readers who like family sagas.
Which book here is best for readers who like romantic retellings?
Try The Wrath and the Dawn by Renée Ahdieh, which suits readers looking for readers who like romantic retellings.
Which book here is best for older readers ready for long epics?
Try Eragon by Christopher Paolini, which suits readers looking for older readers ready for long epics.