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  • The Rats

  • The Rats Series, Book 1
  • By: James Herbert
  • Narrated by: David Rintoul
  • Length: 6 hrs and 14 mins
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars (28 ratings)

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The Rats cover art

The Rats

By: James Herbert
Narrated by: David Rintoul
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Editorial reviews

Veteran actor David Rintoul delivers a superb performance of best-selling British author James Herbert’s The Rats, the first book in the classic The Rats series. His rich voice and charismatic delivery heighten the exciting nature of this audiobook. London comes under attack and a state of emergency is declared. The problem? Rats. Swift, terrifying rodents wreaking havoc in the big city. No one is safe. As the death toll rises, it appears that evacuation may be the only option left - that or war.

Publisher's Summary

Book One in Herbert's classic "rats" series. 

The terror begins. London is struck by an invasion. Women, children, old and young, none are safe from the deadly menace. The attacks are swift and sure, escape is impossible. A state of emergency is declared. Evacuation seems the only solution in the face of a growing panic and mounting death toll. War is declared on the public enemy number one. The Rats! 

James Herbert was one of Britain's greatest popular novelists and our #1 best-selling writer of chiller fiction. Widely imitated and hugely influential, he wrote 23 novels which have collectively sold over 54 million copies worldwide and been translated into 34 languages. 

Born in London in the forties, James Herbert was art director of an advertising agency before turning to writing fiction in 1975. His first novel, The Rats, was an instant bestseller and is now recognised as a classic of popular contemporary fiction. 

Herbert went on to publish a new top ten best-seller every year until 1988. He wrote six more bestselling novels in the 1990s and three more since: Once, Nobody True and The Secret of Crickley Hall

Herbert died in March 2013 at the age of 69.

©1974 James Herbert (P)2013 Audible Ltd

Critic Reviews

“Herbert was by no means literary, but his work had a raw urgency. His best novels, The Rats and The Fog, had the effect of Mike Tyson in his championship days: no finesse, all crude power. Those books were best sellers because many readers (including me) were too horrified to put them down.” (Stephen King)
"There are few things I would like to do less than lie under a cloudy night sky while someone read aloud the more vivid passages of Moon. In the thriller genre, do recommendations come any higher?" (Andrew Postman, The New York Times Book Review)
"Herbert goes out in a blaze of glory" ( Daily Mail)

What listeners say about The Rats

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

There's definitely vermin in this story.

I couldn't even get past the obscene grooming taking place in the opening chapters. It seems monstrous Rats aren't the only predators in this story.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great story

I really liked the story was going to read this as a kid year’s ago
The reader got on my nerves a bit when he tried to change character All the characters sounded the same but in all a great read

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

read thid many years ago

really enjoyed listening to this book always remember reading it as a kid and it scared the hell out of me but glad I listened again great book story line.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

A must-read for horror fans...

I doubt you'll ever find a book about giant mutant killer rats that's better than this (except maybe the sequels, which I haven't read/listened to yet).

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Revisiting a favourite from my teens

Well I'm not disappointed, quite the opposite. I got so much more from listening to this now than when I read it in the early 90s. I thoroughly enjoyed revisiting this blast from the past and looking forward to continuing my nostalgic journey.

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