King Rat

Clavell's story of POWs in a brutal Japanese camp is brilliantly narrated by David Case. The characters and their reactions to prison life vary greatly. However, the King (an American) uses everyone for his own end; he's a master manipulator who keeps his victims perplexed as he routinely abuses them. Case's greatest asset is that he doesn't go to any narrative extremes--no matter how tempting the bleak and brutal story becomes. Each character, whether Australian, English, Scottish, is given distinction, with the Japanese and the female characters (few but vital to the story) being particularly effective. KING RAT offers an incomparable listening experience. S.G.B. Winner of AUDIOFILE Earphones Award. (c) AudioFile 2000, Portland, Maine