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The Rage
It begins with dull pain. It hits all the nerves until it reaches the brain. Then come the uncontrollable convulsions. Finally, gratefully comes merciful death.
- GenresHorror
215 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published May 19, 1977
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
December 14, 2024
It begins with dull pain. It hits all the nerves until it reaches the brain. Then come the uncontrollable convulsions. Finally, gratefully comes merciful death.
Very expensive on the 2nd hand market, I managed to pick up a beaten-up copy for a price that didn’t make me weep, because I was really keen to read this. As a kid in the 70s, I very much remember the fear that rabies would come to the UK - the posters described in the book, the adverts with lone dogs wandering the street - and I was looking forward to seeing this as a horror novel. Which, sadly, this isn’t, really. Although it does have a few gruesome moments (and a wonderful sequence with a rabid pony!), it reads more like a very melodramatic drama - Lambert Diggery is a civil servant being serviced by a prostitute in Brussels and blackmailed into making deliveries (which is never explored or explained) and, whilst on holiday, his young daughter manages to bring home a rabid dog without anyone (at all!) realising. Said dog escapes and starts biting its way around the county. Ace reporter Andrew Stern is quickly on the case and involves his new girlfriend Dorothy and a local stringer (the only death where I felt sorry for the character). Characterisation is broadbrush (if there’s any at all), there’s little sense of location, the various rabies incidences pop up and leave quickly and the supporting cast is the kind where they’re quickly wheeled on to deliver their piece and then carted off, never to be seen again. On the plus side, it does capture the paranoia of the time and it’s very British. An unfortunate misfire, then, but to be fair, that might be because I was expecting a horror novel, rather than this being pedestrian and a little overlong.
Very expensive on the 2nd hand market, I managed to pick up a beaten-up copy for a price that didn’t make me weep, because I was really keen to read this. As a kid in the 70s, I very much remember the fear that rabies would come to the UK - the posters described in the book, the adverts with lone dogs wandering the street - and I was looking forward to seeing this as a horror novel. Which, sadly, this isn’t, really. Although it does have a few gruesome moments (and a wonderful sequence with a rabid pony!), it reads more like a very melodramatic drama - Lambert Diggery is a civil servant being serviced by a prostitute in Brussels and blackmailed into making deliveries (which is never explored or explained) and, whilst on holiday, his young daughter manages to bring home a rabid dog without anyone (at all!) realising. Said dog escapes and starts biting its way around the county. Ace reporter Andrew Stern is quickly on the case and involves his new girlfriend Dorothy and a local stringer (the only death where I felt sorry for the character). Characterisation is broadbrush (if there’s any at all), there’s little sense of location, the various rabies incidences pop up and leave quickly and the supporting cast is the kind where they’re quickly wheeled on to deliver their piece and then carted off, never to be seen again. On the plus side, it does capture the paranoia of the time and it’s very British. An unfortunate misfire, then, but to be fair, that might be because I was expecting a horror novel, rather than this being pedestrian and a little overlong.
February 5, 2022
A friend of mine lent me this book, and I read it in an hour lol.
This story centers around the idea that rabies has ran ramped in England because a spoiled little girl wants to bring home a rabid dog, how lovely lol. I typically have a hard time reading about stories where animals suffer, but I will say this was a thrilling read. It is also a book that is clearly a product of it's time as an old 70's horror book. I think if you liked this book you would also enjoy Stephen King's novel "Cujo" which I think does a better idea of presenting this theme. Overall, it was an enjoyable retro horror book.
This story centers around the idea that rabies has ran ramped in England because a spoiled little girl wants to bring home a rabid dog, how lovely lol. I typically have a hard time reading about stories where animals suffer, but I will say this was a thrilling read. It is also a book that is clearly a product of it's time as an old 70's horror book. I think if you liked this book you would also enjoy Stephen King's novel "Cujo" which I think does a better idea of presenting this theme. Overall, it was an enjoyable retro horror book.
October 23, 2024
I was expecting a trashy pulp novel but this was honestly one of the most entertaining books I’ve read this year. A truly thought provoking story about an outbreak of rabies and the political fallout from it told mostly from the perspective of an investigative journalist. Really solid and fast-paced read and it wouldn’t surprise me if it had an influence on Stephen King’s Cujo which came out roughly six years later.
March 19, 2019
Review coming soon on scifiandscary.com
June 27, 2013
An amazing book that puts a human face on rage
December 17, 2020
Young spoilt child brings rabid dog illegally into the UK. Probably not a good idea. Might cause some deaths and public panic. Easy and quick read.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews