The Rats

by James Herbert, Robert C. O'Brien · 1970

The Rats, James Herbert’s 1974 debut, thrusts readers into a nightmarish London where the age‑old rivalry between humans and rats is violently reversed. Mutant, blood‑thirsty rats swarm the streets, devouring victims and spreading panic. As the city descends into chaos, high‑school teacher Harris is drawn into the horror after a student is bitten, confronting a terrifying, city‑wide plague that threatens to overturn the balance of power.