Horror Aficionados discussion

Book: The Rats, followed by the sequels
Lair
Domain

Rules: 2 chapters a day. No getting ahead / finishing the book early.
Editions: Kindle or hardcopy is fine!

RATS Start Date: 7th December.
LAIR Start Date: 27th December.
DOMAIN: 7th January.

Readers:
Ekel
Terry
Troy
Tom
Wolfrott

DAYS QUOTA
7th Advent prologue, Chapter 1, 2.
...
16th Chapter 19, 20.
17th Chapter 21, 22.
18th Chapter 23, 24.
19th Chapter 25, 26.
20th Chapter 27, 28.
21st Chapter 29, 30.
And so on...

Amazing and great horror! I would join a read, but I've just re-read the trilogy in 2014, so I fear it might still be too fresh in my mind and memory.

No hard feelings! I last read it in primary school so I've been itching to read it again.

What date would be good? 1st of December?

Alright, so the 7th :D

I had read rats long ago and didn't know that it was part of a trilogy. Thanks for the news (to me at least). I've got WAY too much going on, including other books that I'm trying to get through, else I would join the read. :( Will be checking out the other books at some point...

Its actually a quadrilogy, he had published a graphic novel / comic book to end it, The City, but it's not really considered canon I think because it's so.... Unlike the others. It's set like hundreds of years later.

S.J. wrote: "I had read rats long ago and didn't know that it was part of a trilogy. Thanks for the news (to me at least). I've got WAY too much going on, including other books that I'm trying to get through, e..."

I hope you enjoy the other books! :D For me, his writing didn't suffer as the story went on.

Wolfrott wrote: " Its actually a quadrilogy, he had published a graphic novel / comic book to end it, The City, but it's not really considered canon I think because it's so.... Unlike the others. It's set like hundreds of years later."

It was illustrated by Ian Miller and I can recommend it, too, since the comic describes a wonderful post-apocalyptic horror inferno. The visual aesthetics are simply amazing in my opinion. However, it indeed feels very non-canon and more like a crossover between The Rats and Planet of the Apes than a genuine fourth part of the series. Some disturbing details were already hinted at in Domain, but on the other side, the events in Domain are simply not enough to explain that amount of post-nuclear madness.

So who else will be joining? Ekel, were you in?

Sign ups will be closed on the day of the buddy read's beginning date.

Is it ok if I read the German editions? I own them as paperback.

That's fine! :D

I have read a couple of his books, notably The Dark as well as The Survivor. Both were terrific, I will definitely have to check this series out.

I'll join in. This one finally needs to come off the shelf!

I read Rats over the summer. I can't wait to read your reactions. I will look for the lair

Wolfrott wrote: "That's fine! :D"

Count me in then.

If I had more time I'd join you for this. It must be twenty years since I read them. I still regard Herbert as one of my favourite authors. Enjoy!

Thanks, A.C!

I last read them maybe 18 years ago :) Nostalgia. I love Herbert so much .

Is the sign up list accurate so far? Anita, were you in?

I've had The Rats on my desk to read for quite a while now. I'll join along.

I loved this! it's an awesome trilogy well worth the read. reminds me I have to sort out exactly what I've read and put them into order.

You in, Littlebookcove?

The buddy read starts today. Does the prologue count as one chapter?

Hrm, never thought of that. I think it doesn't, because prologues can be quite short.

Certainly a fast start with the action in this book!

Yep!

I forgot how fast paced it is, which is great.

The prologue was neat, different from the usual introduction to the baddies.

What do you guys think happened in the old couple's house? And why she was taken away and committed?

I normally hate prologues. To me they just signify the book needs a lot of help to hook me, but I loved this prologue. I agree it was a totally different style.

I'm really digging this so far.

I don't know what happened to the couple. I felt really sad for them.

Funny, my version of the book doesn't have a prologue, just a short introduction by Neil Gaiman.

If you do the "Look Inside" feature on Amazon, you can read the prologue in the book preview: http://www.amazon.com/Rats-James-Herb...

If it's not too late, I think I'd like to get in on this Buddy read.

I've wanted to read Rats for a long time but have never gotten around to it.

I read the prologue this morning and will read chapter 1 later today.

Looking forward to it.

Thanks, Jennifer. I never would have thought to look there! Don't know why they left that out of the version I have. Makes Wolfrott's question make sense.

Wolfrott wrote: "What do you guys think happened in the old couple's house? And why she was taken away and committed?"

(view spoiler)[I understand that the house is the same that later holds the rat's nest. It never occured to me before, but perhaps the strange tropical disease her husband died of is an explanation why the rats got infected with a deadly virus in the first place? (hide spoiler)]

The rest is just human tragedy.

Troy wrote: "If it's not too late, I think I'd like to get in on this Buddy read.

I've wanted to read Rats for a long time but have never gotten around to it.

I read the prologue this morning and will read c..."

Welcome! Added you :D

Terry wrote: "Thanks, Jennifer. I never would have thought to look there! Don't know why they left that out of the version I have. Makes Wolfrott's question make sense."

That's very interesting, and quite silly of the publisher, unless perhaps maybe Herbert wrote the prologue years later for new editions? Both my old 70s hc and Kindle versions have the prologue so I never thought of it.

Ekel wrote: "Wolfrott wrote: "What do you guys think happened in the old couple's house? And why she was taken away and committed?"

[spoilers removed]

The rest is just human tragedy."

(view spoiler)[Good theory!

I think maybe the rats killed her husband, or son, or both, or disease killed one, and the wife/mother just lost her sanity from the madness of it all, her family harboring killer mutant rats. (hide spoiler)]

Wow, chapter 2 was really short, and left us hanging.
Can't wait for tomorrow.

About chapter 1: Giving your minor victim characters (who are actually just cannon fodder... or in this case, rat fodder)a history, face and previous life might be in general a good idea for making reading more interesting and the death somehow significant, but I guess nobody did it to the same extent as James Herbert. The man was a master of tragedy in this regard.

Terry wrote: "Thanks, Jennifer. I never would have thought to look there! Don't know why they left that out of the version I have. Makes Wolfrott's question make sense."

Cher wrote: "Jennifer wrote: "If you do the "Look Inside" feature on Amazon, you can read the prologue in the book preview: http://www.amazon.com/Rats-James-Herb..."

Thank you!"

No problem! I'm glad it was in there to share.

Chapter 2: Ooh, I thought the horrors would be contained within the house!

Chapter 3... another shorty but goody.

I agree with Cher's spoiler, totally knew that was going to happen.... which is horrific!!!

Why didn't I read this book years ago????

James Herbert was a master of violent horror. The chapters so far are a prime example for that. Of course, nowadays we have Brian Keene, Edward Lee and many more, but they are genre writers and quite underground, while Herbert's books are from an age when horror literature had its greatest mainstream success.

The chapters are so short, hahah! We'll be finished at this rate soon! Thankfully we have three books ;)

But yes, it's so good, as good as I remembered it in primary & high school. I miss old school horror. Herbert was a genius.

I love how so far the characters aren't your regular heroes, underdogs, or even 'typically unlike what you were expecting' regular tropes'! You definitely get attached to them.

Remember that in the first post of this thread, I am updating every day what chapters we are up to! :)

Chapter 3:
GOOD LORD!

I kept thinking it wasn't going to happen. :)

I'm caught up. This is a fun read.

Yeah, it was nice to see the threads come together in Chapter 4.

Jennifer is right... it is a fun read!!!

Chapter 5: Shocked that this one was a long chapter!

Another thing I've realized about this book is the cool locations. Different. Not your cliche 'New York or Melbourne' locales, Herbert went with lesser used areas for his setting! The bombed areas is a nice touch.

Ch 6. Love the sense of dread when the rats, running from the workmen, one stops and faces Harris as if allowing him his life! Pretty creepy.

Terry wrote: "Ch 6. Love the sense of dread when the rats, running from the workmen, one stops and faces Harris as if allowing him his life! Pretty creepy."
I always wondered about these scenes. Are they sparing his life, do they recognise him as a threat or an ally, or...? They seem to pay attention to him the most.

Wolfrott wrote: "Chapter 5: Shocked that this one was a long chapter!

Another thing I've realized about this book is the cool locations. Different. Not your cliche 'New York or Melbourne' locales, Herbert went wit..."

I mentioned the love (albeit....), detail and effort Herbert put into his minor "rat fodder" characters earlier. I think, of all those characters, I love Mary Kelly, the Irish catholic sex maniac, the most. Her background story is a sheer tragedy. I also wonder what moral message Herbert had in mind, since I cannot imagine he was a guy who considered sex and orgasm to be a sin. I think he rather inended to portray her as a victim of church and society. The lines describing her death are also quite intesting:

James Herbert wrote: "The priests had never managed to save her soul, but then it had never really been lost. Only her mind."

Ekel wrote: "Wolfrott wrote: "Chapter 5: Shocked that this one was a long chapter!

Another thing I've realized about this book is the cool locations. Different. Not your cliche 'New York or Melbourne' locales,..."

Yes! He gets really deep into his red shirts. The world feels more fleshed out and inhabited, rather than rely on a small circle of heroes.

I think Mary Kelly's story was exactly that, as a victim, to better illustrate all corners of our social classes and how everyone has a story, tragedy or not.

maybe also the rats don't discriminate, they pick both 'happily ever after' heroes and the 'forgettable' white noise characters. In movies its always the cliche of 'when life is perfect, now this sh1t happens!' plot twist.

What's everyone's thoughts?