Book Synopsis:
It was only when the bones of the first devoured victims were discovered that the true nature and power of these swarming black creatures with their razor sharp teeth and the taste for human blood began to be realized by a panic-stricken city. For millions of years man and rats had been natural enemies. But now for the first time – suddenly, shockingly, horribly – the balance of power had shifted . . .
My Review:
The Rats is a chilling, gripping and thoroughly scary read that I won’t be forgetting about soon.
Firstly I’ve never been a huge fan of rats and this book really hasn’t improved my opinion of them. I think the thing that hit me most about this book is how plausible the situation described in the book could be. Rats have a history of spreading disease so mutant rats that attack humans doesn’t seem like that much of a stretch.
The author does a great job of describing 1970’s London with all the grime and class differences that were perhaps more apparent at the time. There is a lot of gory descriptions in the book which are quite graphic at times so might not be to everyone’s taste. I felt that these were in keeping with the situation though and weren’t overdone just to get a reaction however.
I thought this book has a great pace to it, though there are some much needed slower moments amongst all the chaos. The characters seemed incredibly real so I really felt for them and all they were experiencing. This made the book quite emotional at times as I wanted to ensure that all the characters were ok. The ending was very dramatic and I’m now very intrigued to read more in this series.
If you like gripping, horror stories which are perfect for spooky season than I highly recommend this book. Be aware though it’s really not for the faint hearted!
About The Author:
James Herbert was born on April 8, 1943 in East End, London, England, UK. He was a writer, known for The Unholy (2021), Deadly Eyes (1982) and The Survivor (1981). He was married to Eileen O’Donnell. He died on March 20, 2013 in Woodmancote, Henfield, West Sussex, England, UK.
Over The Rainbow Blog 
I remember reading this when I went through a bit of a James Herbert phase as a teenager. Woudn’t read them now! My favourite if his was Fluke which wasn’t scary at all!
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Yes I think I’m a bit late with reading it for the first time lol 🤣 Though I don’t think younger me would have liked it
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