The Rats (International Edition) Paperback – October 1, 2014

Why is this book better than Jaws? Well I read Jaws 4 years ago so maybe my review isn't fair but the book jaws was kinda odd and it felt like more about the people than a killer shark. The movie was to me better than the book and the characters were all loveable.In Rats you get to know the characters and the writer has a wonderful way of doing this without giving us pages upon pages about characters. He get's you interested then shortly dispatches them with out prejudice. Children, Women, Men the elderly and Homeless all devoured by Rats. This book reads like it could happen the Author doesn't sugar coat it people are killed the Author writes a story that is impartial to it's characters fate.SPoilers O_OSome thing's I wondered before I bought and read this book which interested me and didn't find out until I read the book. I wanted to buy this book for awhile glad I came around to buying it.Oddly enough My interest in this book came a few months before the authors unfortunate death.How Big are the Rat's?There are normal Sized rats and then the mutant ones that are described to be the size of a dog. I'm not sure if their quite the size of the ROUS in Princess bride they might be or at least a few. I imagined them he size of a Beagle or their fellow Rodent Relatives the possum. To be Honest I think the majority are this size but the leaders are the size of a Larger Dog like in Princess bride.Why are they Mutated? A large Tropical Breed of Rat Exposed to Nuclear Waste and Radiation is taken to London by a scientist and bred with Common Black Roof Rats. It is true scientific Facts there are large breeds of rats in the Tropics that are very big probably not as big as a Dog but that's where the Radioactive Mutation kinda comes into place.One of my Favorite parts of the book is when Harris and Howard and the rest of the Group are suited up in Armor looking for the lairs it reminded me kinda of Aliens or Star Ship troopers I wish the story was longer or kept going.The Rats Tear people to pieces it kinda reminded me of Critters 2 where the Crite Ball is rolling around and rolls over a guy and there's nothing left but red bloody bones. You could even compare the Rat's Ferocity to the Scarabs from the Mummy Remakes. It takes awhile for them to eat you but it's pretty fast and when they travel in packs it's pretty terrifying imagine being stuck in a subway and a wave of Black rats engulfs a crowd of people.END Of SpoilersI read this book in two days I could have read it in one if I didn't have any distractions or responsibilities to tend to.Great Book So far looks out of print on hard copy the two sequels can still be bought new on Amazon I got mine Used like new and it really came new very pleased with the Seller. Unfortunately I have a nook and like 30 to 40 books so I can't really invest in a kindle when I have a library already :( Plus I have a local Barnes and noble and at the time I bought my nook Color Kindle Tablet or Color hadn't come out yet so my safest bet was to buy a nook over a kindle because I could get assistance in person by the company. I found as time went on Kindle has more books than Nook and some books I really wish Nook would get a hold of. I may seriously switch come next Tax season. Nook Has Lair and Domain for what ever reason they don't have rats. Either Case I would have bought the Hard Copy just because Electronics break etc Books if taken care of can practically last for ever.IF you have Kindle this book is on here and I encourage you to buy it.

The Rats by James Herbert is a gore fest of a creature feature. Written in 1974, it appears dated at times.But it’s old age doesn’t take away any of the horror, because the rats are something else. They are the stars of this show.The author builds up the horror by adding tons of suspense. I few times I felt that the protagonist was putting himself in unnecessary danger. But the author knows that is what a hero would do.This is a trilogy, but the book is a standalone. I read for a group reading and I’m glad I did. Give this one a try.

I always been a James Herbert fan. Lost all my books yrs ago but decided to start reading them again. Love the rats and will be ordering the next one. The rats keeps you on edge on what's happening especially the end love it !!!!

THE RATS is the third James Herbert novel I have read. I started out with his second novel, THE FOG, after reading a synopsis I found intriguing (I reviewed that one on this forum earlier). I then happened upon THE SURVIVOR at a used bookshop, and once again enjoyed the horrific ride that Herbert takes the reader on. His first novel, however, eluded me for some time; it was out of print for a while and then I forgot about it. Fortunately I finally got round to it.All I can say is WOW. First novels are tricky things; the author's future success relies heavily on the impact they have on the reading public, and if the author should stumble, (s)he may not get a second chance.Some first novels are legendary; Stephen King's CARRIE and Margaret Mitchell's GONE WITH THE WIND come immediately to mind. It matters little that CARRIE was just the beginning of a brilliant career while Mitchell was a flash in the pan; they both achieved a legendary status that will probably remain always.With THE RATS, Herbert really hit the ground running. Most writers, regardless of genre, usually spend a little time setting the scene and providing the reader with a sense of place, and also takes some time to introduce the characters. Not Herbert. As Stephen King once put it, Herbert "grabs you by the lapels and starts screaming in your face." By page ten, the first horror has already been visited on the reader, the roller coaster is in motion, out of control and picking up speed, and heading for one unbelievably horrific crash after another.I really don't need to reveal anything about the plot; if you can't figure out the basic premise from the title, then horror is clearly not for you. And even horror fans may find Herbert a bit much: his books are not for the squeamish; he seldom pulls back from the crunch, and seems at times to revel in the blood and gore he spills.And he does all this in that cool, calm, rational prose so typical of English writers; somehow this makes the endless horrors in THE RATS all the more dreadful.If it is decadent to enjoy a novel like this, I plead guilty. The man was a genius.

I read thi es book 20-30 years ago as a teenager and never forgot how good it was. 30 years later I bought it on Kindle and all the terror and horror were still the same. I loved this book when I first read it an byd have to say it's just as powerful now. Well worth reading if you like horror and James Herbert. Never forgot the school scene .

What an absolutely thrilling book! Well written and extremely addictive, when reading I felt like I was there, watching it all happen in front of my eyes, I’m not usually the sort of person to jump easily but in some parts I was that enthralled, I’d hear a sound and find myself jumping and looking around the room, it’s definitely worth a read, very entertaining

A great book keeps you on the edge of your seat violent and gory this is definitely not a book for the squeamish but the action and mission based chapels will keep anyone riveted from beginning to end

It's not necessarily the best story or published literature in the world but overall I enjoyed reading it and was a little disappointed when I came to the end.Personally, I swept over the fairy-tale or hammer horror style scenes and instead related it to the possibility of being able to occur in real life - that is a much, much scarier thought!

Downloaded for the kindle having read it before. It is a bit basic but was a very early novel. Needed to remind myself what happened before reading the two excellent sequells