Ratman's Notebooks

by Stephen Gilbert, Kim Newman (Introduction)

When his nagging mother discovers a rat infestation, the anonymous writer of these notebooks sets out to drown the pests, but finds himself unable to go through with it. Instead, he befriends the rats, learning to train and communicate with them.

Before long he has the idea of using the rats for revenge against a world in which he has been a failure. His target is his hateful boss, Mr. Jones, who treats him with supreme disrespect and plans to fire him and replace him with someone less expensive. The narrator records his plans in chilling detail as his campaign for vengeance progresses from vandalism to robbery to the most horrific of murders...

The basis for the 1971 film Willard and its 2003 remake, Stephen Gilbert's bestseller Ratman's Notebooks (1968) returns to print in this edition, the first in 40 years. This edition features a new introduction by Kim Newman, who argues that the success of Ratman's Notebooks demonstrated the viability of horror as a mainstream literary genre and paved the way for the horror publishing boom of the 1970s and the early novels of Stephen King and James Herbert.

Genres: Horror, Fiction, Gothic, Classics, Crime, Novels, 20th Century

168 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1968

About the author

Stephen Gilbert (1912-2010) was born in Newcastle, Co. Down in 1912. He was sent to England for boarding school from age 10 to 13 and afterwards to a Scottish public school, which he left without passing any exams or obtaining a leaving certificate. He returned to Belfast, where he worked briefly as a journalist before joining his father’s tea and seed business. In 1931, just before his nineteenth birthday, Gilbert met novelist Forrest Reid, by that time in his mid-fifties. Reid’s numerous novels reflect his lifelong fascination with teenage boys, and he was quickly drawn to Gilbert; the two commenced a sometimes turbulent friendship that lasted until Reid’s death in 1947. Reid acted as mentor to Gilbert, who had literary aspirations, and ultimately depicted an idealized version of their relationship in the novel Brian Westby (1934).

Gilbert’s first novel, The Landslide (1943), a fantasy involving prehistoric creatures which appear in a remote part of Ireland after being uncovered by a landslide, appeared to generally positive reviews and was dedicated to Reid. A realistic novel, Bombardier (1944), followed, based on Gilbert’s experiences in the Second World War. Gilbert’s third novel, Monkeyface (1948), concerns what seems to be an ape, called “Bimbo,” discovered in South America and brought back to Belfast, where it learns to talk. The Burnaby Experiments appeared in 1952, five years after Reid’s death, and is a thinly disguised portrayal of their relationship from Gilbert’s point of view and a belated response to Brian Westby. His final novel, Ratman’s Notebooks (1968), the story of a loner who learns he can train rats to kill, would become his most famous, being twice filmed as Willard (1971; 2003).

Gilbert married his wife Kathleen Stevenson in 1945; the two had four children, and Gilbert devoted most of his time from the 1950s onward to family life and his seed business. He died in Northern Ireland in 2010 at age 97.

Reviews

[Char · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars!

Does anyone remember the movies Willard or Ben? They were both based on this book by Stephen Gilbert.

I can see why this book would be a prime candidate for film. It was vividly written and is told through the personal diary entries of Willard, starting when he was asked by his mother to kill some rats on their property. Willard chooses to take a different route altogether and the reader is in for a ride. (To be clear the author of the diary is never named in the book, I used the name Willard to make writing this review a little easier.)

This is more of a psychological tale than a creature feature. We follow Willard as he begins to befriend and train his rats. It was a fascinating process. It was also fascinating to read Willard's diary entries and follow how his mind slowly warps into something ever more dangerous and desperate.




I had a blast with this book! I found it very difficult to put down and very difficult not to freak out as the rats play a bigger and bigger role in the story. However, believe it or not, there was a point where I felt so sorry for one rat, that I had a tear in my eye! Excellent, simple writing and great storytelling come together in this book and I had a great time reading it.

Highly recommended to fans of creature features and psychological horror!

[Kimberly · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5*

I've watched the movie WILLARD, but this is the first time I actually read the book, RATMAN'S NOTEBOOKS, by Stephen Gilbert, that the movie was based upon. The novel was made out to be a series of notebook/journal entries by the main character--who is never actually named--but I couldn't help but think of him as "Willard" in my mind.

This was one of those books that pulls you in steadily, starting out innocently enough when our character's mother asks him to get rid of some rats in the garden. Over the course of the entries, we see how "Willard's" mind goes down a slowly changing path as he befriends the rats, and his outlook drastically alters over the course. I was absolutely spellbound throughout most of this book--from the scenes of our character's degradation in the firm his father once ran, to his relationship with his mother, and finally, his ONLY true friends--the rats. Even after hearing that rats are supposed to be fairly intelligent, there are certain sections here that are positively chilling in the matter-of-fact way that the narrator writes them.

Honestly, this book gave me more of that "creeping horror" sensation that a movie ever could! Another GREAT selection re-issued by Valancourt Books!!!

Highly recommended!

[Phil · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book that inspired the films 'Willard' and 'Ben' is actually a pretty fun read! Written in first person narrative, RN take the form of a diary; no chapters, just a series of journal entries. The narrator (call him Willard, he is not named in the book) lives in an old house in England with his elderly mum. His father was the owner/president of a firm (we are never sure what the firm deals in) but passed away. Willard still works at the firm as a bookkeeper, but his salary is low and he 'has not had a rise' in 10 years. One day his mum mentions that she has seen some rats in the old 'rockery', part of the garden his father kept, but now has run wild. Willard devises a way to drown the rats, but at the last moment, befriends them. One thing leads to another and soon he has several rat friends who he trains for various tasks...

I think I read this in grade school, and I definitely remember 'Willard' as a film, but it has been a very long time for sure. The prose is keen and the pace works well. Willard is a great character-- soft spoken but cunning. Two of the rats stand out as well-- Socrates and Ben. Socrates Willard loves as a pet and even a friend, but Ben and he seem to be at odds right from the start; things like dominance games (who sleeps on the bed) and such.

This novel inspired not just a few films, but I am sure some of Herbert's work as well (The Rats). Published back in 1968, this really is a classic. It also shows a different side of England than usual (out side of a Dickens novel)-- working class and poor. All in all, a fun fast read. 4 squeaky stars!

[Lauma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stāsts par vīrieti, kas pamana dārzā mītošajās žurkās inteliģences pazīmes un nolemj tās nenogalināt. Rezultātā viņš pievēršas žurku apmācībai sava prieka pēc, taču, ar laiku atklājis, ka var žurkas izmantot savam personīgajam labumam, stāsts izvēršas diezgan nepatīkams. Bija interesanti, bet nenotika nekas, ko nebūtu paredzējusi, un tomēr paliek neomulīgi vien atceroties to žurku armiju.

[Mark Drew · Rating 4 out of 5]

So they made a movie or three out of this source material - and wouldn't you know it, none of them were as good as the book. I read this over forty years ago before it became "Willard" and was impressed with it than and it has lingered - the only book that makes you cry when a rat dies.

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hey so what the fuck

[Bre · Rating 5 out of 5]

Didn't think this would exist on here. I ordered this book from a tiny little bookstore in nowhere land after seeing the movie. Anyway, I think the movie was better, but goshdarn don't I feel proud to read the book too! Sad that my edition was from 1980something and Willard never really got a reprint. The writing was pretty good, but I think I fell in love with Willard. I waited anxiously for the book to ship to my house, and I remember reading it in Psych class. Wonderful place to read a novel about a man whose bonkers over rats, eh? I finished it pretty quickly, it's short and interesting. I also have this book/movie to thank for imagining rats had gotten into the pool and I was swimming so that I would get a better time on my 50 free. (SWIM AWAY FROM THE RATS, THEY'RE FILLING UP THE POOL!!)Unfortunately, this did not work. I never did that again. It worked much better pretending the coach was going to yell at me for a bad time, so don't use the rats as an excuse for swimming/running faster.

[Cristina Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stephen Gilbert's novel-turned-movie, was a fantastic read. The book has more insight into who Willard is and his relationship to the rats that you don't see in the film. There were a few great scenes in the book that I would have thought could have added a lot of suspense in the movie, especially in regards to his descent into madness. There is also more detail into his relationship with his female co-worker that you also don't see in the film. If you liked the movie, then you should read the book.

[Kevin Bell · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is absolutely one of the creepiest books I've ever read. Simple, well written, and terrifying. Willard is one of the better psychological thriller stories out there, but it doesn't seem to get much attention. You might know it as Ratman's Notebooks. Same book. The book is way scarier than the movie. Pretty good read.

[Neil Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

This review first appeared on www.thisishorror.co.uk

In his introduction to this welcome new edition of Stephen Gilbert’s Ratman’s Notebooks, Kim Newman makes the bold claim that it is this book that effectively launched a new era in horror fiction, effectively kick-starting the careers of both Stephen King and James Herbert. Had the book sat quietly on a handful of bookcases – as it was perhaps destined to do – such an idea would appear ridiculous. But a few years after publication a film adaptation appeared and the book was reissued to capitalise on that film’s unexpected success. It was in this form as a mass market paperback and with a brand new title that Kim Newman refers. The book, like the film, was now called Willard. This success was to usher in countless other rampaging animals in print and on celluloid throughout the rest of that decade and beyond.

The story starts with our unnamed narrator sent to get rid of a family of rats by his ailing, yet still domineering, mother in the garden of the house where they both live. Although he carefully makes arrangements to drown them he cannot go through with it. Unknown to his mother, who thinks the rats all dead, he starts to develop a relationship with the rats and sets about training them to perform simple tasks in reward for food. It gradually dawns on him that he might use the rats to get revenge on his bullying boss who runs the company once owned by his late father. What starts as an act of petty vandalism soon escalates to larceny and much worse.

The book is presented as a series of entries in a journal, hence its title. Herein the narrator details his increasingly misanthropic views on humanity at large and his relationship with the increasingly large horde of rats. He concentrates on two rats in particular; the highly intelligent leader he names Socrates and rather devious Ben Suleiman. The first rat he, at first, thinks of as the offspring of Socrates himself, but it soon becomes clear that there is much more going on behind those beady little eyes than even Socrates is capable of.

All but the most severe musophobics will find little to chill the blood within its early pages. The story builds nicely as our much put-upon protagonist recruits an army of rats to get revenge on his hated employer. To begin with the narrator believes that he has been deified by the rats and the novel at times feels like some sort of inversion of Saki’s masterful short story Sredni Vashtar. Though here it is the human as the vengeful and merciless god, not some furry mammal. It is only towards the end that things get very nasty indeed.

After what might have been seen, at the time, as a major and long-awaited breakthrough for its author, Gilbert did not write another book. Based on the talent on display in Ratman’s Notebooks this is a very great shame indeed. Valancourt should be congratulated for once more bringing work such as this back into print.

Ratman’s Notebooks is hard to class as a horror novel in its own right and might not be the most obvious of places to start if you were to map the rise of horror fiction from the start of the seventies. It’s impossible to say whether a world without Ratman might have had any detrimental effect on the success of the likes of Stephen King. But even if what Kim Newman argues remains conjecture, we still have Ratman to thank for Michael Jackson’s hit song Ben.

Now that is a horrific thought.

[Kieran · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this twice over the last two weeks (once last night, stayed up till 2 reading in one sitting) thank u Crispin glover 4 exposing me to fine literature. I think I could read this book over and over again. Willard literally me

[maysmoske · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ratty and nasty. Awesome.

[Kenya Starflight · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a spooky and chilling little book! I've never seen "Willard" (either version) or "Ben," the movies inspired by this novel, but for whatever reason I decided to pick this volume up anyhow. I'm a sucker for a story about animals, and even one with a dark turn might be interesting. And boy, is "Ratman's Notebooks" a dark book, plunging into its main characters psychology and making us at once sympathize with him and disgusted by him... and both fascinated and repelled by the rats and his mysterious bond with them.

The nameless narrator keeps this journal as he observes the rats living near his home... and his efforts to domesticate them after he saves a mother rat and her kits from drowning. One rat in particular, whom he names Socrates, seems far more intelligent than the rest of his kind, and the narrator develops a plan to not only train Socrates and his fellow rats, but to use them to gain revenge against an unfair-seeming world. At first he starts out small -- slashing his tyrannical boss's tires, stealing food and money from shops, etc. But as the injustice of the world seems to mount against him, he decides the time has come to use his army of rats for something far more sinister. And when the rats themselves develop a will of their own, not even our narrator, the self-styled Ratman, can count himself safe...

Written as a first-person account, this book delves deep into the troubled psyche of its main character, and is absolutely chilling as a result. I found myself sympathizing with his difficulties even as I found myself repulsed by his actions and the means by which he carried them out. And while his actions can be despicable at times, it's clear that even he has lines he won't cross, and even he is terrified by some of the very things he's responsible for. It makes for a complex and fascinating character study... and makes the events even more chilling as a result.

There are some problematic bits to this book that prevent me from giving it a higher rating. The fact that the narrator can't tell the difference between a male rat and a female rat is laughable, as males have, um, extremely obvious physical traits. Some of the bits about rat biology and behavior felt a bit unbelievable, though some of this I chalk up to creative license. And given that this book was written in the late '60s, there are some bits that don't hold up to a modern-day reading, such as a workplace justifying hiring primarily women because "it's cheaper." This book is a product of its time, and should be read with that consideration.

"Ratman's Notebooks" is a chilling little psychological horror novel, one that explores the mind of its villain protagonist in uncomfortable but fascinating detail. Definitely NOT for kids, but if you enjoy a good horror novel that focuses more on the psychological aspects than on blood and guts and jumpscares, you'll definitely enjoy this book.

[Mark Mancini · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Ratman's Notebooks" is a 1969 epistolary horror novel written by Northern Irish author Stephen Gilbert.

Without this book, and others like it, we probably wouldn't have "Jaws" or "Jurassic Park."

The late sixties and early seventies saw growing public awareness about ecological issues, from pollution to the need for endangered species protections.

Fiction writers took notice. "Ratman's Notebooks" is an early example of the "eco-horror" subgenre that really blew up in those days.

Okay, so the book carries some historical significance. Neat. But is it any good?

The answer is a resounding "yes."

Heartless and delicious, "Ratman's Notebooks" is a hair-raising revenge fantasy for everyone who's ever suffered under a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad boss.

You know who you are.

Gilbert's story is framed as the lost diaries of an amoral outcast, the eponymous "Ratman" who uses trained rodents to do his bidding.

Our antihero's chief nemesis is his employer, one Mr. Jones. A borderline wage thief, Jones leaves no penny un-pinched, no worker unexploited.

At first, the Ratman is content to strike back by having his furry pals chew up the boss's car tires. But when a disaster at work leaves him strapped for cash, the rats are enlisted to help commit robberies and other crimes.

That sounds crazy because it is. Nevertheless, Gilbert sells it.

His setup may be absurd, but there's an internal logic he follows throughout.

Complications keep the story fresh. The Ratman's success as a petty criminal attracts a little too much media coverage, leading to some close shaves with law enforcement.

On top of that, one of his rats, known as Ben, proves exceptionally, unnervingly bright. And damned stubborn. He'll obey the master when it suits him, but Ben's got a short fuse; he's not a creature to be trifled with.

All the while, that dastardly Mr. Jones keeps right on scheming--undeterred by the rodent shenanigans.

Sooner or later, things are bound to come to a head. Someone's going to get hurt.

I can find almost no fault in this novel. It's tense, it's creepy, it's opinionated--and it's morbidly funny.

Better still, at 189 pages, you'll breeze right through it.

(That should give you plenty of spare time to check out "Willard," the novel's 1971 movie adaptation. Which I also liked, but I'll save my full review for another time. This post is overlong as is.)

"Na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-RATMAN!"

[Barry Meyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was the basis for the 1971 thriller Willard, about a young man who befriends a pack of rats, and eventually uses them as tools for revenge. The movie was enjoyable, not only for the thriller aspect of rats attacking, but also because of the way it explored the character of Willard, and his blossoming relationship with his new friend -- the rat Socrates. The novel moves in the same fashion, however digging deeper into the mind of the young man -- who goes unnamed in the book.

The entire book is a series of journal entries from the young man. He began jotting in his notebook as a form of release from the tedium of the day, but then used his notebooks to detail his "experiments" with a family of rats. He was to have killed the rats, at his nagging mother's request, but the young man noticed, very simply, that he could train these animals to do little chores. Being a loner, and quite the push-over, the young man concocted schemes to use the rats to wreck havoc on his boss's life (training them to chew holes in the tires of his car).

At work, the young man gets little respect, even though the company was built by his late father. He is constantly harassed by his boss, who is forever asking the young man to sell him the beautiful house his father left him. And in an attempt to force him into hardship, the boss cuts his pay. This sparks an idea, which has the young man using his well trained rat pack to rob store owners of their money.

This is where the novel and the movie differ. In Ratman's Notebooks, the robbery schemes are numerous, and thrillingly detailed, while in the movie, Willard seeks to rob his boss more out of revenge than desperation. Also, quite notable, the 1969 novel is based in England, whereas the movie is American.

[meef · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book sooo much. I started reading it because of Will Wood. He had written a song about it, did a photo shoot with his rat (Mr Algernon Socrates Boy) with the book in frame, and had talked about it. Me being obsessed with him, decided to pick it up.
Within the first few pages, I was hooked I was a bit confused because I didn’t fully understand the lack of actual chapters or that it was a journal, but I caught on quickly. I love how the story was told through the POV of the unnamed character (who, later on, get named Willard through the movies I think?) and how we see the change on his thoughts of rats. I love how he went from seeing them as dirty creatures to intelligent, family oriented creatures. It was really fun reading through him training the rats and bonding with them. I knew Socrates died, and I knew Mr Jones died. I knew Mr Jones killed Socrates, and Willard and the rats killed Jones. But I never really knew how it happened and it left me pretty surprised, not gonna lie. I had to put the book down for a minute when Socrates was killed. And I loved how Willard and the girl got engaged towards the end. The ending left me kinda like “WAIT WHAT” but I honestly really love how it ended. I give it a 10/10, I would read it again and recommend it. I literally got an old copy that’s falling apart because I adored it so much and wanted a physical copy. Can’t wait to watch the movies-

[Meli · Rating 5 out of 5]

Previously published as "Ratman's Notebooks" and eventually adapted for film starring cult actor Crispin Glover, Willard is a short novel about a guy and his, well, rats. Initially our narrator's mother tasks him with disposing of the rats that have shown up in their garden, but something keeps him from carrying out his task and he comes to enjoy their company, and one in particular - Socrates. Slowly he escalates from training them to fetch, and come & go as he commands to destroying property and eventually further devious acts.

Surprisingly less graphic and violent than I expected and more heart as well.
Our narrator has major Norman Bates vibes, so there is a sense of humor to the narration as well.

Told in a series of diary entries, Willard is a fun, sometimes disturbing, thriller about a man and his rats.

[George · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book so much! Highly recommend it if you enjoyed We Have Always Lived in the Castle and The Other. Or if you simply liked the movies based on it.

I thoroughly enjoyed the dark humor as empowerment in this.

The protagonist learns to lead as a boss by training the rats. It’s highly inspiring. And it made me smile on more than one occasion.

I guessed the ending only about 30 pages away from it, and it’s still a clever ending, in a meta-sense.

Now I want to get a pet rat and name him Socrates (Ben can stay outside).

[Freder · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really creepy and ghastly in a guilty pleasure kind of way. Well written in the sense that it accomplishes its unpleasant objectives and its equally unpleasant reversals in a convincing and compelling way. I first read this because I was too scared to go to the movie (the ORIGINAL movie with Bruce Davison, Elsa Lanchester and Ernie Borgnine ["TEAR HIM UP!!!":], which is excellent ), and after I read it I was even MORE scared. Original title is RATMAN'S NOTEBOOKS.

[Jeff Rausch · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the book that the movies Willard and Ben were based on. This is one of the greats in the animals attack books I love to read. the book works better than the movies at giving you a look into the life of Willard Styles. I can understand what drives him to his actions and at the end I was as terrified as him.

[Rick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book that the movie WILARD was based on. Pretty close to original film, it is one of those really good books that shows a man going crazy, but you as a reader get taken in and think everything is normal till the end

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Better than the movie.

[Jemiah Jefferson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent, chilling horror novel by the sadly obscure Stephen Gilbert. The film adaptation starring Crispin Glover finally takes this horrifying tale seriously.

[Paige Fletcher · Rating 4 out of 5]

you gotta pick 10 000 rats

[Joseph Fountain · Rating 4 out of 5]

My review of Ratman’s Notebooks

[Gary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Creepy and fun....better than the original film, which is amusing due to the campiness.

[MALTESER · Rating 5 out of 5]

Den här boken är så jävla vrickad och jag är så jävla ON BOARD ! Troligtvis för att den innehöll råttor.

Huvudkaraktären är pragmatisk, någorlunda sexistisk, en rånare, en mördare, möjligtvis psykopat?
Jag gillade att läsa om hans upplevelser men tyckte inte att han förtjänade ett gott slut. Utan att avslöja för mycket var jag nöjd med slutet, vilket jag började tro att jag inte skulle vara.
Huvudkaraktären är tyvärr ganska relaterbar ibland. Inte psykopatsidan av honom men att han hellre vill sova än att jobba och att han bara vill bli lämnad ifred och verkar bli smått irriterad av alla karaktärer i boken förutom tjejen och Socrates


Om jag någonsin skaffar råttor ska naturligtvis en av dem heta Socrates.

[Kristoph Kosicki · Rating 4 out of 5]

For being such a short book, it took me a while to get through this one. But I read the last third in one sitting as it really picked up. The author expertly makes the main character likeable and I had to remind myself that he's actually the bad guy. Everything the main character does is actually really slimy, cold and calculating. Even his moments of compassion and tenderness. He's paranoid, and distrustful of everyone, and it shapes his world view. The dangers of a victim mentality I guess? Even his fantasies suggest he has no remorse for his actions and much enjoys his secret fame as ratman, even right up to the end. He refuses to let go of his ratman identity, buried by his obsession.

The actual plot is repetitive, as there is a formula for each crime he commits with the rats, but it's nessecary to show the escalation of his crimes eventually leading to his ultimate crime.

I much enjoyed the book overall. It was an interesting and fairly unconventional piece of literature.

[Grayson King · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars
while I love the concept, the structure (incredibly short sentences) and the narrator's wet sock disposition which prevailed for most of the story made it not so enjoyable. he does develop, but not until post jones eve i think

not a one star or plain two star because it does succeed i think very highly in the more exciting bits, but it honestly bored me between its peaks. i will say the second half did pick up more than the first, so for that im rounding up rather than down. jones day was spectacular in extent, but emotionally lacking in effect, and the ending went similarly, but maybe im just tired

super quick read! first book of the summer

[Daniel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Havent read a horror book in years so I randomly came across this one and gave it a shot. A nifty creepy story about a social awkward man who trains rats to perform crimes. Its well written enough that I felt bad for a dead rat. Not particularly horrifying but it did make your skin crawl a bit. Not bad for such a small book.