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The Rats - James Herbert

Customer Rating:

Being the first "Horror" book I've ever read, "The Rats" really does live up to it's genre, I've never found it so difficult to bite my nails and turn the page at the same time. Set in East London in the seventies, the young art teacher - Harris, plays our leading man. Harris finds himself in working with the Minister of Health and the police force after a surge of decease carrying rats the size of dogs mercilessly attacked and devoured the public. This horror novel comes with so much shocking gore I couldn't put it down, I really enjoyed it, even though it gave me the heebie jeebies!

My first Herbert novel

Customer Rating:

And I would recommend it. Gorier than anything else I have read, but it has its genre place even if I won't be making it my sole or main type of book to read. It is also important to put it into the context of being written in 1974 and in some places it shows that it is over 34 years old, but bearing this in mind it makes it tolerable. Look how Jaws has aged. Also at only 200 pages it is a short easy read that you can finish in a couple of days and won't be trying to wade through weeks later.

A good tale

Customer Rating:

I read this after my friend read the series and told me she was too scared to go to the loo anymore! Not since Stephen King's Dreamcatcher has there been a book to have an affect on me from a horror point of view. So out I went and bought The Rats. I was unable to put it down as it was very easy to get into and easier to read. Although it was written in the seventies, I didn't find it too dated either which was good. It tells the story of giant mutant rats over running the city of London. They have aquired a taste for human flesh and also carry a deadly disease, so that if you manage to survive an attack you will die within 24 hours from the bite. There are some good characters here too, my favourite being that of the 'hero' teacher Harris. Just an ordinary bloke who stands up for the fight without much thought for his own safety. The origins of the rats are explained, but left me wanting to know more about the massive white rat in the cellar at the climax. Hopefully I'll find out more when I read Lair. This book was good enough for me to want to read the follow up titles in the series. All in all this is a good tale but it didn't have me afraid to use the facilities or give me bad dreams. (I think I'll stick with my beloved King for that!)

Iconic

Customer Rating:

Did you ever see the episode of "Friends" where Joey kept his copy of "The Shining" in the freezer because it scared him to have it lying around? Well that's how I feel about The Rats. I read this at age 13 and ever since, whenever i see it on my parents bookshelf I shiver. It is an iconic book which captures 1970's Britain in all its hideous glory. The gore is truely horrific, the death of a tiny baby eaten alive haunts me to this day. I cant actually bring myself to read it again it scared me so much! I cant believe this is the same man who wrote "Fluke". Without a doubt, The Rats is a book everyone should read at least once in their lives.

more than just a trashy horror

Customer Rating:

James herberts first book served a purpose in the 1970's that has more recently been filled by Harry Potter, in that it introduced youngsters to reading. The story is that of huge rats (some the size of small dogs)which were a product of radiation induced mutations, terrorising London. Herbert is no Edgar Allen Poe, but his longevity alone surely must show he does have something. The style is very easy to read, and edge of the seat suspense and continuous action will keep you going to the next page. To the more learned, or to the older, the book is also a fine reflection in may ways of 1970's Britain. Herbert really manages to capture the feeling of an era which we now look back on as defined by the 3 day week, strikes, disollusionment, beakdown of society etc etc. So this is a book which can be read on a variety of levels, and perhaps one day may even find a place among more serious literature for its sociological aspects.