{"product_id":"king-rat-9781982537593","title":"King Rat","description":"\u003cp\u003eJapanese 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\u003ci\u003e he\u003c\/i\u003e knows the King's place is at the bottom. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe 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, \u003ci\u003eKing Rat\u003c\/i\u003e 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eClavell, James:\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e - \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eJames Clavell\u003c\/b\u003e (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 \u003ci\u003eKing Rat\u003c\/i\u003e, and their televised adaptations. He also wrote screenplays for such films as \u003ci\u003eThe Great Escape \u003c\/i\u003eand \u003ci\u003eThe Fly, \u003c\/i\u003e and was a writer, director, and producer on \u003ci\u003eTo Sir, with Love\u003c\/i\u003e. His books \u003ci\u003eSh\u003c\/i\u003e\u003ci\u003eōgun\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eNoble House\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eTai-Pan\u003c\/i\u003e, and\u003ci\u003e Whirlwind\u003c\/i\u003e were #1 \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestsellers.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Blackstone","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50603612700946,"sku":"9781982537593","price":17.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_d12b122a-71bf-4c4a-bfbe-3d39325108a5.jpg?v=1732249037","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/king-rat-9781982537593","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}