King Rat vs The Tenth Man: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: Prisoners and prisons, Prisoners of war, World War II, Fiction
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…
1 film adaptation
vs
The Tenth Man
In a prison in occupied France one in every ten men is to be shot. The prisoners draw lots among themselves - and for rich lawyer Louis Chavel, it seems that his whole life has been leading up to an agonizing and…
The verdict
- Readers rate King Rat highest: King Rat 4.2 · The Tenth Man 3.7.
- The Tenth Man is the quickest read — about 2 hours vs 6 for King Rat.
- King Rat has the widest readership — 45646 ratings behind its score.
- The Tenth Man runs the darker storyline; King Rat stays the lighter read.
How to choose
Want a one-evening read?
The Tenth Man
≈ 2h vs 6h for King Rat
Want the crowd-tested pick?
King Rat
45646 ratings vs 5568 for The Tenth Man
Just want the better-reviewed one?
King Rat
4.2 vs 3.7 from readers
In the mood for something dark?
The Tenth Man
a darker storyline than King Rat
Want something lighter?
King Rat
an easier tone than The Tenth Man
Scores by source
| King Rat | The Tenth Man | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 4.2 (45646) | 3.7 (5568) |
| Hardcover | 4.1 (84) | 3.8 (13) |
| Google Books | 4.5 (11) | — |
| Apple Books | 4.5 (141) | — |
Reception
| King Rat | The Tenth Man | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 45646 | 5568 |
| Editions | 49 | 31 |
| Citations | — | 10 |
| Film adaptations | 1 | 1 |
| Want to read | 29074 | 3436 |
| Reading it now | 1460 | 90 |
| Written reviews | 1458 | 551 |
| Wikipedia attention | 3398 | 943 |
| Pages | 371 | 155 |