Monday 14 June 2021

The Rats by James Herbert

 


"As he stood he felt tiny feet running up the length of his body."



This was recommended to me by a friend, and I really had to question what his basis for that decision was after I had read it. It was clearly written by a man from a by-gone (or at least I’d like to think it is) age. His depictions of women are frankly appalling, but that was not the real reason my stomach was in knots.

Graphic horror bleeds across every page. Killer Rats is a hideous premise that will haunt my nightmares from this day forth. Make no mistake, Herbert is a master of gore and suspense, even if the writing can be a little patchy at times.

I recall reading the paperback (which I note had a forward by the always amazing Neil Gaiman) at a medical centre, and positively squirming in my chair at the thought that someone in the waiting room might be able to read the gruesome depictions of half-eaten humans over my shoulder.

4/5 - Buying rat traps at Bunnings asap!

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