King Rat - James Clavell

I reread (sorta) King Rat the other day. Clavell is one of my favorite historical fiction authors. I had a paperback copy that fell apart years ago so, I was excited when I stumbled across it with my torrent program. This time I thought I would let the Stephen Hawking-like Microsoft Reader tell me the story.

I have always found the way Clavell weaves stories together very appealing. In this case, there is no tie to his previous (chronologically) novels. But there is a tie to his next novel, Noble House.

I am very appreciative of the fact that he doesn't go overboard with description. The story is in the characters and he lets them weave the fabric. Very little time is spent describing the environment and yet, I have a vivid image in my minds eye of what Changi prison looks like and how it smells.

Set near the end of WWII, King Rat is a brave exploration of life in a POW camp. The characters are vividly developed and their plight is not glorified. Clavell focuses his attention on the internal battle the individuals wage within themselves. Battling to hang on to their sanity. Balancing their survival needs against their personal morality.

Unfortunately, this brilliant writing does not come through when Microsoft Reader is vocalizing the words. There is no emotion of course and the cadence is so consistent I found myself tiring quickly. After only a few chapters, I gave up on having the story read to me and read it myself. I am sure this feature of the reader has its audience. People who are suffering eye ailments for instance. But if your need for auditory consumption of written material is more long term, I suggest regular audio books.