<i>The Rats</i> is splatterpunk deluxe. Not only great, gory fun but a prime example of what was once called "the British nasty." I loved it then, love it still
- Stephen King,
Lean, mean, and nasty as punk, <i>The Rats</i> are here! Capable of inciting riots and causing bloodshed
- Grady Hendrix, <i>New York Times</i> bestselling author of <i>How to Sell a Haunted House</i>,
A one-off; a true horror original
- Peter James, <i>Sunday Times</i> bestselling author of the Roy Grace books,
A seminal work from a king of British horror
- Adam Nevill, author of <i>The Ritual</i>,
One of the more fecund of all horror novels: its children are many, its litter both large and ravenous
- Stephen Graham Jones, <i>New York Times</i> bestselling author of <i>The Only Good Indians</i>,
Herbert's <i>The Rats </i>is a big personal influence of mine. If you're a horror reader seeking to delve into the history of the genre, it's one of a handful of books you really ought to read
- Nick Cutter author of <i>The Troop</i>,
The effectiveness of the gruesome set pieces and brilliant finale are all its own
- <i>The Sunday Times</i>,
With<i> The Rats</i>, Herbert established himself as a master of the sort of apocalyptic horror that's so popular today
- <i>The Guardian</i>,
<i>The Rats </i>is a delightfully gory James Herbert classic
- <i>SciFiWard</i>,
A special 50th anniversary edition of the classic bestselling horror novel The Rats.
‘The Rats is splatterpunk deluxe. Not only great, gory fun but a prime example of what was once called "the British nasty." I loved it then, love it still‘ – Stephen King, author of The Shining and Carrie
The first victim was a former paper salesman drinking himself into oblivion down by the docks. Next a child and her beloved dog, then six drifters fighting over a bottle of gin - all devoured by a black, writhing mass of giant rats.
As London descends into panicked chaos, high school teacher Harris is pulled head-first into the nightmare when a student arrives with a rat bite on his hand. And he quickly realises that this is no ordinary creature, nothing like anyone has ever seen before.
With their intelligent, wicked-looking eyes and razor-sharp teeth, the balance of power between man and rat has suddenly - shockingly, horribly - shifted.
The rats have had their first taste of human blood.
And they're hungry for more . . .
‘Lean, mean, and nasty as punk, The Rats are here! Capable of inciting riots and causing bloodshed‘ - Grady Hendrix, New York Times bestselling author of How to Sell a Haunted House
‘A seminal work from a king of British horror‘ - Adam Nevill, author of The Ritual