Rating: 
Summary: A first-rate novel on MacArthur in the Philippines and Japan
Review: As fiction, this is first-rate, with vivid scenes and excellent characterization of the Philippines and Tokyo in the closing months of World War II. As history it is flawed by numerous errors, which will not be noticed by most readers but grate on my own personal experiences as long-time resident of the Philippines, where from 1941 until February 1945 I a civilian POW; then an Associated Press war correspondent in devastated Manila, later covering the war crimes trials of Yamashita and Homma. For example, Webb discusses only military POWs, ignoring the 7500 American and other Allied civilian men, women and children who remained alive for liberation in February 1945 and even then confuses prison camps. He provides a location for Yamashita's surrender across two major mountain ranges from the actual site. It was the Roosevelt administration that prodded him to provide details on how he planned to try Japanese war criminals. Even historical fiction needs to get the background details right.
Rating: 
Summary: A masterpiece which propels the reader back in time.
Review: Not only does Mr. Webb accurately portray MacArthur's historically documented megalomania in the book, he masterfully transports the reader back through time and gently sets him or her down in the Republic of the Philippines and Japan at the close of World War II, where they then observe the making of history. Rather than being merely a reader of this novel, one who absorbs its pages becomes a participant in the recapture of the Philippine Islands and Japan's defeat. A must-read for all!
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Summary: Excellent book with great historical significance
Review: When I bought this book, I did not know what to expect. Perhaps just another adventure novel of WWII. What I got instead was a combination history lesson of great significance and a great love story. The protagonist of the story, Jay Marsh, relates the initial occupation of Japan by General Douglas McArthur. Marsh is McArthur's , " gofer", and is privy to much of the intrigue in McArthur's administration of Japan. The main crux of the story is the trial of General Yamashita, evidently railroaded to execution by General McArthur for the purpose of shielding the Emperor and the royal family from any culpability in the rapes of Nanking and Manila. Easily the best book I've read this year. I couldn't put it down. Five stars to be sure.
Rating: 
Summary: It's probably closer to 2 stars!
Review: General MacAthur has always been an enigma to me; this book did nothing to solve the enigma. Was the general an evil egoist, or a genius? Was he manipulating the Japanese, or being manipulated by them? Could the general be so easily conned by Colonel Genius and Captain Marsh? The plot was there, the telling was not. The ending was infantile. Maybe it is really closer to 1 star.
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Summary: WHAT A FIND!
Review: Webb brought his characters, both real and fictional to life. The studies of McArthur and the Japanese royal family are fascinating. A close relative of mine was captured in Bataan and survived imprisonment [author, Lester Tenney of "My Hitch in Hell"] and has talked often about his feelings, both good and ambivilent about his Japanese captors and emotionally concerning McArthur and General Wainwright. While, I was hardly walking when these events took place, I spent many years working directly with, and studying the Japanese,their culture and language. After reading "The Emperor's General", much like Clavell's novels, I now have a clearer perception of "Majime." I highly recommend Webb's book to anyone who is interested in history, military or otherwise and Asian culture. I will look forward to reading "Fields of Fire."
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Summary: The most brilliant of Webb's works
Review: This is by far the best novel that Mr. Webb has written in years. Thoughout the book, one not only senses that he has done an enormous research on the subject of his topic, but one sees that he has infused his book with a passion and creativity.</br> Told in a first-person narrative fashion from the view point of General MacArthur's young fictitious aide, the story evolves around Gen. MacArthur's attempt to transform Japan into a reliable American ally in the aftermath of WWII. Facing enormous pressure from the Allies to prosecute Japanese war criminals, on the one hand--including Emperor Hirohito who was actively involved in conducting Japan's war--and fierce resistance of the Japanese officials trying to protect the Emperor, on the other, MacArthur is pitted in a dilemma. The General needs to secure Emperor Hirohito's cooperation in his grand scheme, lest he face opposition from the Japanese for humiliating the Emperor. He finds a scapegoat in a brilliant Japanese general named Yamashita, his old nemesis in the Philipines.</br> The story is objective in exploring the tragic flaws and the greatness of one of America's greatest heroes. But the author could not have been objective without being creative. His objective creativity blends with passion as the tale is told through the narrator, MacArthur's fictitious aide named Jay Marsh. He is not a mere passive observer, but actively involved in the General's grandiose scheme as junior staff officer. The plot would have been stale had the author assigned the narrator to a passive role of an observer. In this regard, the novel reads like a brutally honest memoir. The narrator is present when MacArthur returns in the Philipines to free the soldiers he had abandonned. As the General's interpretor, Marsh is present when the General meets the Emperor for the first time. He acts as MacArthur's messenger to Marquis Kido, Emperor Hirohito's trusted adviser, and is later forced to witness the execution of Yamashita. The narrator, as an active participant, does not refrain from expressing his own views of these events, thereby, flavoring his otherwise objective accounts with certain biases. He holds nothing back when criticizing MacArthur's tragic flaws, nor does he hide his contempt for his opportunistic counterpart, Kido. What is more, the narrator is candid about how his involvement in the making of history had changed him.</p> By any standards, this is a superbly written historical fiction. Mr. Webb's interpretation of historical facts are very accurate, despite certain biases. What still amazes me to this day about Mr. Webb is his rich character sketch, and his often-poetic narrative style.</br>
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Summary: The Emperor`s General is an epic masterpiece.
Review: This novel represents the best of all possible fictional worlds: a deeply felt, richly observed love story (reminiscent of From Here to Eternity), an epic drama (more powerful than Noble House), and an extraordinary portrait of MacArthur and the Japanese, particularly Yamashita, for readers who want to be entertained at the highest level. A must read. One of the great novels of the 90`s.
Rating:
Summary: Magnificent!!!
Review: James Webb has outdone even himself on this book. My favorite Webb novel used to be "A Sense of Honor," but now it's been bumped aside. Webb is miles ahead of my second-favorite and third-favorite military novelists, Lucian K. Truscott IV and Ed Ruggero. This is no reflection on these other two superb writers; rather, it's simply that Webb has created a class of his own. If a "six-star" rating were possible, I'd give it to this book.
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Summary: They Got away With It!
Review: James Webb's novel is based on the fictional story of one of General Mac Arthur's aids. One Captian Jay Marsh. Based immediatly after the liberation of the Phillipines and then the defeat of Japan. Webb takes us on a journey of mystery and intruge that still surrounds the favourable peace terms offered to Japan. It is known that Mac Arthur favoured a hurriedly established democratic government in Japan, mainly to stave off the threat of Communisim that was slowly overhauling the Asian mainland. Webb deals with this issue in the dramatic style he is known for. I could continue but that would spoil the story.
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Summary: A Treat for the Ears
Review: This is a fantastic book to listen to on tape. David Dukes, a fine actor, is also a gifted reader. He masters the many voices of the book with believable accents and affectations. He does great justice to the broad range of emotions Capt. Jay Marsh experiences. The reading of the abridged edition by Mr. Dukes has inspired me to buy the book to read for myself.
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