#50 in Historical fiction
King Rat
- 397
- Pages
- about 7 h
- Reading time
- Film 1965
- On screen
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Our view
James Clavell’s first novel, “King Rat”, draws its force from the small, exact details of daily life as a prisoner of war. It follows Allied soldiers struggling to survive in the Japanese camp at Changi in Singapore, where Clavell himself was held. Some readers find the narrative meandering and the tone unsettled, shifting between suspense and comedy. A book for readers of war fiction who prize authenticity.
The view of the BookRank editors, written from readers’ ratings and comments. It does not affect the score or the book’s place in a ranking.
About the book
King Rat is a 1962 novel by James Clavell and the author's literary debut. Set during World War II, the novel describes the struggle for survival of American, Australian, British, Dutch and New Zealander prisoners of war in a Japanese camp in Singapore. Clavell was a prisoner in the Changi Prison camp, where the novel is set. One of the three major characters, Peter Marlowe, is based upon Clavell.
On screen
This book has been adapted for the screen once.
- FilmKing RatIMDb
Adaptation data: Wikidata · On screen →
Where the score comes from
The sources average 8.4 across 117 ratings — not yet many, so the reader vote carries 44% of the weight and the rest pulls toward the Historical fiction average of 8.0. That is how 8.2 comes out.
| Source | Average | Ratings | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open Library | 8.7 | 17 | 14% |
| Google Books | 9.0 | 11 | 9% |
| Hardcover | 8.2 | 89 | 76% |
Frequently asked
How long is King Rat?
It has 397 pages — shorter than 58% of the ranked books in Historical fiction.
In this book
Themes this book shares with others — each leads to the best books on it.
If you liked this
Same shelf — Historical fiction — with scores between 8.0 and 8.2, closest to this book.
