I'm going to persist with the Asian Saga, even though I'm not really a big fan of Clavell's writing anymore. I thought 'Shogun' was great, but 'Taipan' and 'Gaijin' were too much work. Fortunately, as a piece of writing, 'King Rat' is much better - and it should be too, as it is practically autobiographical.

That said, it is hard to communicate the horrors of the prison of war camp, and I don't think that this comes nearly as close as others that I've read. ( )

Clavell was a prisoner of war of the Japanese during WWII & this book is about living in such a camp. It's an incredibly good, yet horrible story. It's not really like 'One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovitch' except that it does give a pretty granular look at just how far from the human norm people can adapt. I can't say much else without a spoiler, so I'll just say that it won't ever be your favorite book to read over & over, but it's a 'must read once'. ( )

Based on the experiences of the author, this book is a harrowing look into the Asian POW camps of WW2, and how it changed the people living in it forever. Heart breaking. ( )

The final novel in Clavell's Asian series which kicked off with Shogun. This book is set in a Japanese prisoner of war camp. ( )

this book is very boring

9.0

Excellent prisoner of war book set in Thailand in WWII. Better than the movie, though it was pretty good as well. ( )

Good, solid Clavell. Not up to Shōgun, but worth reading. ( )

got the book from Bob several months back - engrossing read, especially towards the end when you want to know what happens to the poor guys. clear opinions from the author on capitalism, religion, and the role of the US in WWII and it's cultural differences with it's allies ( )

This is the first volume in Clavell's "Asian Saga" and was written about the Japanese prison camp of Changi located in Singapore, where the author himself was held as a POW during the late stages of World War II. "The King" is a successful wheeling and dealing American. Using capitalistic initiative, he concocts many money-making schemes, the most shocking of which, involves breeding rats to sell as "rabbit" meat. He generates feelings of hatred or envy in others, but everyone wants to be close to him in order to experience the material rewards that he provides. He befriends an honorable British officer, Peter Marlowe, who acts as his interpreter and learns that many ethical dilemmas may be relative. One of the most fascinating aspects occurs after the end of the war, when many of the POWs are fearful to return to normal life. There are moments of excitement and drama, but mostly it is a testament to the strength and adaptability of the human spirit. The story will be most interesting to those who enjoy military, historical, and cultural topics. ( )

James Clavell's King Rat is a prisoner of war novel, the King Rat is the head man in a Japanese run prison in Malaysia. He has to try and use his common sense and skills to keep everything from turning very ugly in such a nasty and stressful environment as this. This involves both following and breaking rules as suits the occasion.

http://notfreesf.blogspot.com/2007/10... ( )

Perhaps it was this book's brevity, compared to the "epic" nature of Clavell's other novels, that left me feeling somewhat underwhelmed.

This is definitely a good book but Clavell, and an interesting look at life inside a Japanese POW camp, but the book didn't have the lasting impact I expected it to. ( )

A belter of a novel, wrung from the author's own experience of life in a Japanese POW camp. The book is concerned with how men interact with one another in such a pressure cooker, and how moralism and character wilt in extremis. The book pulls few punches, and there is very little redemption in the end for any of the characters, and a lot of venom about the unfairness of war (captured in the small vignettes of life at home for the loved ones left behind). This is a classic piece of high tension writing, the pace never flags and the impact is considerable. How did men come through the experience? By being men, with all their faults, strengths and frailty, and they did prevail despite it all. ( )