"Cryns’s biography of Will Adams is an easy-to-read, informative, and meticulously researched piece of scholarship. . . . Cryns recounts in crisp prose a remarkable life in a remarkable time in world history. . . . Cryns’s account of the life of Adams is fascinating, the more so because we get a real sense of the heady times in which Adams lived."

Seventeenth Century

"Cryns is a master of detail. What separates this well-researched history from so much else is his unyielding pursuit of a truth far beneath the surface of mere facts. Reading Cryns’s work is as close as we might ever come not just to living in feudal Japan, but to feeling the human heartbeat at its centre."

Justin Marks, creator and showrunner of the miniseries "Shogun" (2024)

"William Adams, an English seafarer, found himself in Japan amidst monumental shifts. Cryns masterfully brings Adams's narrative to life, drawing from an unparalleled depth of primary sources and meticulous research. His laudable book sheds light not only on the life of this extraordinary individual but on its wider historical context. Through Adams’s remarkable experience, the reader uncovers the dawning global age and Japan's transformative journey into modernity, making this book an indispensable read for enthusiasts of history and cultural exchange."

Rotem Kowner, University of Haifa, author of "From White to Yellow: The Japanese in European Racial Thought, 1300–1735"

"William Adams, the real-life figure who inspired James Clavell’s novel Shogun,was a fascinating man, and Cryns’s new book explores his life in vivid terms, using untapped sources in English, Dutch, Japanese, Spanish and Portuguese. This book is destined to become a classic, combining vivid prose with exemplary research, but it’s not just for people interested in imperial Japan. Anyone who wishes to understand the birth of our interconnected, global world will find much to enjoy and ponder."

Tonio Andrade, professor of Chinese and global history, Emory University

"Cryns's treatment of William Adams's life in In the Service of the Shogun is the most thorough and focused that I have had the opportunity to read. It delves into not only the sources, but uses them to create a sensitive and thoughtful interpretation of the wider world in which Adams lived. The pace and density of content are just right, drawing both veteran and novice visitors to Adams's life and times in with ease and pleasure. Unlike many other works on Adams, it eschews speculation and hyperbole, particularly of a nationalist bent, and focuses on 'The Real Story.' A heartily recommended read."

Thomas Lockley, associate professor at Nihon University, and author of "A Gentleman from Japan: The Untold Story of an Incredible Journey from Asia to Queen Elizabeth’s Court"