‘Splatterpunk deluxe . . . I loved it then, love it still‘
– Stephen King

The brutal, masterfully gory classic of British horror, The Rats is the multimillion-copy bestseller from James Herbert.

The first victim was a former paper salesman drinking himself into oblivion down by the docks. Next a child and her beloved dog, then six drifters fighting over a bottle of gin - all devoured by a black, writhing mass of giant rats.

As London descends into panicked chaos, high school teacher Harris is pulled head-first into the nightmare when a student arrives with a rat bite on his hand. And he quickly realises that this is no ordinary creature, nothing like anyone has ever seen before.

With their intelligent, wicked-looking eyes and razor-sharp teeth, the balance of power between man and rat has suddenly - shockingly, horribly - shifted.

The rats have had their first taste of human blood.

And they're hungry for more . . .

‘Lean, mean, and nasty as punk, The Rats are here!‘
- Grady Hendrix, bestselling author of How to Sell a Haunted House

‘A seminal work from a king of British horror‘
– Adam Nevill, author of The Ritual