King Rat (Asian Saga) (Asian Saga, 4) - Softcover

James Clavell

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1982537590 ISBN 13: 9781982537593

Publisher: Blackstone Publishing, 2019

Synopsis

Japanese POW camp Changi, Singapore: hell on earth for the soldiers contained within its barbed wire walls. Officers and enlisted men, all prisoners together, yet the old hierarchies and rivalries survive. An American corporal, known as the King, has used his personality and wiles to facilitate trading with guards and locals to get needed food, supplies, even information into the camp. The imprisoned upper-class officers have never had to do things for themselves, and now they are reduced to wearing rags while the King's clean shirt, gained through guts and moxie, seems like luxury in comparison. In the camp, everything has its price and everything is for sale. But trading is illegal--and the King has made a formidable enemy. Robin Grey, the provost marshal, hates the King and all he represents. Grey, though he grew up modestly, fervently believes in the British class system: everyone should know their place, and he knows the King's place is at the bottom.

The King does have a friend in Peter Marlowe, who, though wary of the King and himself a product of the British system, finds himself drawn to the charismatic man who just might be the only one who can save them from both the inhumanity of the prison camp but also from themselves. Powerful and engrossing, King Rat artfully weaves the author's own World War II prison camp experiences into a compelling narrative of survival amidst the grim realities of war and what men can do when pushed to the edge. A taut masterwork of World War II historical fiction by bestselling author James Clavell.

About this title

About the Author:

James Clavell (1921-1994) was a novelist, screenwriter, director, and World War II veteran and prisoner of war. He is best known for his epic Asian Saga novels, which launched with the 1962 bestseller King Rat, and their televised adaptations. He also wrote screenplays for such films as The Great Escape and The Fly, and was a writer, director, and producer on To Sir, with Love. His books Shgun, Noble House, Tai-Pan, and Whirlwind were #1 New York Times bestsellers.

Review:

"A dramatic, utterly engrossing novel...Harsh and brutal in its revelations...James Clavell is a spellbinding storyteller, a brilliant observer, a man who understands much and forgives much."

-- "New York Times"

"A magnificent novel."

-- "Washington Post"

"Tension wound up to the snapping point."

-- "Christian Science Monitor"

"Clavell's spellbinding masterpiece...is made more engrossing by flashbacks to the home front."

-- "Library Journal"

About this edition

• Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
• Publication date: 2019
• ISBN 10: 1982537590
• ISBN 13: 9781982537593
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 400