A (perhaps) more nuanced and complete review can be found here: https://youtu.be/WXr4na44a-g

Clavell's debut novel is the story of life in a Japanese POW camp, and was semi-autobiographical. This seems odd to consider as part of his "Asian Saga" as it really touches upon other themes, and appears to have no tie-ins to the rest of the books. (Unless some of these characters end up in Noble House, book 5). Additionally, this story lacked the East vs. West narrative that made so many of the other books compelling. At times the narrative was incredibly meandering, and honestly dull. But Clavell's conclusion - especially the last 50 pages - was quite strong. I wish that a lot of the themes he explored so well at the end had been incorporated into the text, which honestly had a lot of frippery that seemed inconsequential. 3.5/5

Може би, защото знаех, че автора пише от личен опит или просто защото пише дяволски добре, "Цар Плъх" ме грабна адски бързо. Той те удря с гадната си реалистичност, с многопластовите герои, всеки с различна вътрешна борба и те оставя като ударен с мокър парцал.
Усещаш, че харесваш персонажи, които не трябва да харесваш.
Усещаш, че разбираш действия, които не искаш да си предствяш, че биха ти се наложили да разбереш.
Чудиш се как автора е погледнал през погледа на всеки един от тях и е намерил неговата истина. И я предава на теб. (Заслужава си 5те звезди само за това).
Захласваш се по дългите, интересни диалози на героите - с други герои или сами с техните мисли (нещо, което във филма за жалост не успяват да покажат).

И въпреки това пак се намира място за хумор, бридж, дъжд, кокосови орехи и надежда.

Не очаквах нещо друго на Джеймс Клавел освен "Шогун" да ми хареса, но определно съм грешала. :) Да видим "Тай Пан"

At last, the final book on my 1962 reading list. I read this a long time ago before I was keeping my reading log, so sometime in the 1980s. It was my first experience with what I now call Prison Camp Lit. The dirt, the starving, the dysentery, etc. Ugh.

I remember it as a shorter book. The reprint I got from my local library contains sections left out of the original publication in 1962, giving a look at some of the wives and girlfriends of the prisoners and what they were going through while their men were in the camp. Some people on Goodreads (mostly men) didn't like having those parts added; they felt it broke the spell. I say, it was some much needed relief.

In any case, I am glad I reread it. I had no idea about such things in the 1980s. My, how innocent I was. Imagine writing regularly to someone you loved, not knowing if he was even still alive, not knowing if he got your letters.

I hadn't remembered much except for the King and the rat farm. I hadn't known that the book was based on Clavell's experience in such a camp in WWII and that Peter Marlowe was based on himself.

Though the rest of his Asian Saga books are so very long, I think I may reread them also as I come to them in My Big Fat Reading Project. At least I already know they are not set in a prison camp.

*3.0~3.5*

Ho riflettuto se dare un voto massimo a questo romanzo oppure no. Non ho infatti apprezzato quello che è il messaggio dell'autore: che la vita è nient'altro che lotta tra il più forte e il più debole, e che vi è sempre una gerarchia tra forti e deboli.

Procediamo con ordine. Il romanzo racconta le vicende di diversi prigionieri di guerra alleati nel durissimo campo di prigionia di Changi, vicino Singapore, negli anni 44-45. Prigionia durissima, condizioni miserevoli, lavoro durissimi, umiliazione, fame, caldo, malattie fisiche e morali. L'autore, che fu prigioniero dei giapponesi e quindi (credo) fa anche dell'autobiografia, non si esime dal mostrarci le bassezze e i momenti più duri e tragici di un uomo.

I protagonisti sono due, antitetici. Un semplice caporale americano che nel campo è riuscito a crearsi, tramite commerci in nero e vari affari, una propria reputazione di uomo importante, il Re. Ciò gli ha permesso e gli permette di condurre una vita quasi agiata, di avere degli uomini al proprio servizio.

Il secondo è un capitano d'aviazione inglese, anima moralmente candida e quasi sognatrice, che nel corso del romanzo viene "educata" dall'americano alla durezza della vita del campo. Clavell è bravissimo nel mostrarci in modo drammaticamente interessante e narrativamente avvincente tale percorso, tramite diversi avvenimenti che fanno da snodo alla trama: commerci di preziosi, con cui procurarsi cibo extra per sopravvivere; un allevamento di topi per farne carne da vendere, uscite dal campo e molto altro.

Come dicevo, non mi trovo d'accordo con il messaggio dell'autore. Il Re, infatti, è alla fine un uomo solo: un uomo forte, senza dubbio, ma solo, che fa della posizione di rispetto guadagnata tutta la sua vita. L'unica speranza è rappresentata dall'amicizia con Peter Marlowe. E lo vediamo, difatti, verso la fine del romanzo, fare verso l'amico un gesto d'aiuto disinteressato. Ma l'autore decide di evitare questo finale "di speranza". E il messaggio del libro è affidato alla colonia sotterranea di topi...

Per certi versi, potrei dire che la visione che Clavell ha dell'uomo è quasi insultante. Ho trovato più speranza nel lager nazista descritto da Vasilij Grossman in "vita e destino". Tuttavia non posso negare l'abilità di scrittore di Clavell, la prosa asciutta e immediata, la capacità di imbastire un racconto narrativamente avvincente, quindi si merita quattro stelle (cinque se il romanzo fosse finito come volevo io).

Страхотна книга... Последните 100 страници ги прочетох на един дъх. Войната е пресъздадена доста докосващо, много препоръчвам :)

DNF at 50%.

I just didn't care. Everything I love about Clavell, just in a time period and situation that I just don't care about so I never got pulled in at all. I never wanted to read it.

Plus, the audio included ENTIRE SCENES not in the book and I have no idea why. Absolutely bizarre. I don't think this is a bad book, especially for you WWII buffs out there, but not for me.

a real good story teller. not easy to be a master.

The start was quite slow, and the side stories, while pertinent, felt a bit out of place. The second half of the book was exhilarating though. The characters became more likable and the pace picked up a lot. After plodding through Gai-Jin, I really enjoyed this one. The fact that it is just one third the length of Gai-Jin helped too.

My interest in Japanese culture was just blossoming when I came across this powerhouse of a book, which I have re-read since at least three times. The story, about a friendship between an American soldier and a British officer in a Japanese POW camp, and the way the two men influence one another, is interesting enough on its own, but the book also gives insight in how the camp strips the occupants of their civilization and shows the lengths people go through to survive. Recommended not only to those who want a great war story, but also those interested in Japanese and Western culture clashes.

Εδώ και κάμποσα χρόνια έχω στη συλλογή μου και τα τέσσερα βιβλία του συγγραφέα που έχουν μεταφραστεί στα ελληνικά (όλα, πλέον, εξαντλημένα!), και επιτέλους φέτος αποφάσισα να διαβάσω ένα εξ αυτών, για να δω τι εστί Τζέιμς Κλάβελ. Και έπιασα το "Ο βασιλιάς των αρουραίων", που είναι το πρώτο βιβλίο που έγραψε ο μεγάλος αυτός συγγραφέας, γιατί η αλήθεια είναι ότι ήθελα να τα διαβάσω με τη σειρά που γράφτηκαν.

Λοιπόν, δηλώνω απόλυτα ικανοποιημένος, απόλυτα ενθουσιασμένος. Από την πρώτη κιόλας σελίδα κατάλαβα ότι θα διάβαζα ένα εξαιρετικά καλογραμμένο, έντονο και ρεαλιστικό ιστορικό μυθιστόρημα για τη ζωή σε ένα στρατόπεδο αιχμαλώτων πολέμου των Ιαπώνων στην εξωτική Νοτιοανατολική Ασία, και οι υπόλοιπες εξακόσιες και πλέον σελίδες με επιβεβαίωσαν πανηγυρικά. Ο συγγραφέας με την καταπληκτική, έντονη και άκρως εθιστική γραφή του κατάφερε να με κάνει ένα με τους πρωταγωνιστές της ιστορίας και να με ταξιδέψει πίσω στον χρόνο, στο περιβόητο στρατόπεδο Τσάνγκι της Σιγκαπούρης, και να νιώσω στο πετσί μου όλα αυτά που έζησαν χιλιάδες αιχμάλωτοι πολέμου, όλα όσα αναγκάστηκαν να κάνουν για να επιβιώσουν.

Το μυθιστόρημα αυτό είναι άκρως κυνικό και όχι τόσο σκληρό ή βίαιο όσο θα περίμενε κανείς από ένα βιβλίο που έχει να κάνει με τις συνθήκες σε ένα στρατόπεδο αιχμαλώτων πολέμου υπό τη διοίκηση των Ιαπώνων. Φυσικά, πρέπει να λάβουμε υπόψιν ότι ο ίδιος ο Κλάβελ ήταν αιχμάλωτος στο στρατόπεδο που αποτελεί το σκηνικό του βιβλίου, οπότε αν μη τι άλλο έγραψε για ανθρώπους και καταστάσεις που συνάντησε κατά τη διαμονή του εκεί. Επίσης υπάρχουν και ορισμένες μίνι ιστορίες για μερικές από τις γυναίκες των αιχμαλώτων, δίνοντάς μας έτσι την ευκαιρία να δούμε πώς ζούσαν και τι έκαναν κι αυτές, την ώρα που οι άντρες τους ήταν χαμένοι κάπου στην Ασία.

Ναι, είναι ένα βιβλίο ολοζώντανο, δυνατό και εθιστικό, με έντονα σκιαγραφημένους χαρακτήρες που εύκολα συμπαθείς ή αντιπαθείς. Προσωπικά, κάτι τύποι σαν τον Βασιλιά ή τον Μάρλοου θα μου λείψουν πάρα πολύ, αλλά ακόμα περισσότερο θα μου λείψει ο μικρόκοσμος του στρατοπέδου Τσάνγκι, έστω κι αν είναι από τα μέρη που φυσικά δεν θα ήθελα ποτέ να ζήσω! Είναι από τα βιβλία που δεν ήθελα με τίποτα να αφήσω από τα χέρια μου (έλα όμως που δεν γίνεται να διαβάσει κανείς εξακόσιες σελίδες χωρίς σταματημό), και όταν το άφηνα πάντα ανυπομονούσα να το ξαναπιάσω. Σίγουρα σε λίγα χρόνια θα το ξαναδιαβάσω, ενώ ελπίζω σύντομα να βρω σε καλή ποιότητα και την ομότιτλη ταινία του 1965.

"Животът на мъжа е вечен кръстопът. Но истинският мъж не избира само своята посока. На плещите му винаги лежи съдбата и на други хора."