King Rat

The time is World War II. The place is a brutal prison camp deep in Japanese-occupied territory. Here, within the seething mass of humanity, one man, an American corporal, seeks dominance over both captives and captors alike. His weapons are human courage, unblinking understanding of human weaknesses, and total willingness to exploit every opportunity to enlarge his power and corrupt or destroy anyone who stands in his path.

Here is an epic novel that strips human beings down to the most naked passions and elemental survival needs, as all distinctions between East and West fade before the all-conquering force of one man's thrust for personal empire...