Carry on Screaming - a history of modern British horror: The Rats by James Herbert (1974)
Vložit
- čas přidán 29. 06. 2024
- Full text review and book details here: criminolly.com/2022/10/26/car...
Subscribe and turn on notifications for a new video every day at 5pm UK time, noon Eastern, 9am Pacific
___
Join my Discord to chat books and stuff: / discord
___
Currently accepting crime, pulp and horror books for review. Email CriminOlly (at) gmail.com
___
If you'd like to support the channel you can donate via Ko-Fi or buy me a book from my Amazon wishlist.
Ko-FI: ko-fi.com/criminolly
Amazon: www.amazon.co.uk/hz/wishlist/...
___
Music: Who's Afraid of Halloween by Alfred Grupstra from Pixabay
Find a guy who looks at you like Olly looks at the cover of The Rats. 😂
😂😂
love james herbert, one thing most people don't know is that he written all his works in longhand and once he finished writing they were then typed up by his wife.
my favourites of his are
the magic cottage, sepulchre and shrine.
great video!!! 💙
I didn't know that!
It had a punk impact on British horror, which is interesting, considering you mention Dennis Wheatley. Before Herbert, our teenage diet was pretty much restricted to the Wheatley Black Magic books and Pan horror anthologies. This changed everything. Yes, he wasn't the greatest of writers, but should still be applauded for enticing so many bookshy teenage boys to read something. I am from a 1970s London Comprehensive school background, and it was also the familiar local environments he set his plots in.
Yeah I totally feel like that’s the vibe the book has - angry, energetic, deliberately shocking and very different from what had come before it.
A battered copy of Herbert’s The Fog was my introduction to horror fiction back when I was FAR too young.
It was amazing.
Ha! I don't think anyone is old enough to read some of the stuff in that book!
Is it only me? I felt that it was somewhat.. stiff..lol some would say that that's VERY BRITISH !
@@jojoheartspaypay As an American fan of Herbert I thought THE RATS was unique for describing parts of London that were crumbling from age and even bombing sites from WW2 that had never been rebuilt.
As a child in the 70’s I loved James Herbert- a rollercoaster orgy of hire and sex. Everything you can imagine on impressionistic minds.
Later on the 80’s he started writing fantastic ghost and paranormal books.
You should do a series on Herbert, he’s hugely underrated.
When I was a kid in the 80s my dad had the Rats, Fog and Lair. Took them down from the shelf I’ve afternoon and started reading……..Innocence shattered.
Ha ha I think that one scene in The Fog shattered lots of kid’s innocence back then 😂
@@CriminOllyBlog Yes. That scene. Scarred by that one no doubt
Loved the rats trilogy and James Herbert...My favorite Author
He’s great. I’ve been reading him for about 35 years!
I read this on holiday about ten years ago. I STILL recommend it to people wanting to get into horror. It's such a visceral book.
It is an absolute belter!
I bought “Lair” (Rats #2) at a used book store a while back not realizing it was the second in a series. I’ve been wanting to read this ever since. Nice review!
You should definitely give it a read. Lair is great too
James Herbert was and is a don. Great job Olly.
Cheers, Asif!
Really good stuff Olly. I was sixteen when the book was published and a single copy was passed all around my class at school. We loved it! Parents and teachers didn't. A few years later I was working in London and living in bedsit land. London was in poor shape then and I remember seeing rats coming and going from the many run down buildings and each time I thought about this book!
Yes, Herbert was really popular at my school as well! Not surprised you thought of the book in those circumstances!
I bought this book because you mentioned it in another video. I'm an avid reader and writer, and The Rats blew me away. Read it in one sitting.
Thanks for your passion for reading. It mirrors mine, so I know I'll enjoy the books you recommend.
That's brilliant! So glad you enjoyed it. I really do think it's a great horror read
@@CriminOllyBlog Yeah, it was fantastic. I'll read The Fog soon, but I just started Psycho II, so I'll fit it in after that!
Olly your popularity is EXPLODING!!! Just the other day you had over 10 thousand subscribers...now you're at nearly 13 thousand!!! I can see why - between the interesting subject matter and your charming delivery, and your good looks, your channel is bound to be massive!!! ♥️
Keep it coming, CriminOlly!!
Well now I'm blushing!
Lol good!
I love British horror fiction!! Graham Masterton, James Herbert, and Ramsey Campbell are a few of my favorite authors!!! Great video ❤❤❤ Emily from Missouri ❤❤❤❤❤
It seems that there are two wars going on: the schools and the rats. They're a great villain (rats). Numerous, and vicious.
Yeah, they're fantastically enjoyable to read about
I had no idea that book was that old , i read all three in the early 80s as a young school lad.
Me too! Good times!
I loved The Rats for all the reasons you mentioned.
It's a classic!
The librarian asked how old I was when I checked out The Rats. I said, "I just turned ten." She looked at me, and said, " You'll like it." All I remember now is the giant pink rat at the end, and the history of one woman who was eaten.
Ha ha she sounds like a cool librarian!
I was a librarian in a small town during the 80s and 90s! Read a lot of horror fiction during that time period ❤❤❤!! Emily from Missouri ❤❤❤❤
Not a huge Herbert fan but the post-war touchstones of "The Rats" does make the book more interesting to me. I have seen the movie though and it's a lot of fun.
I feel like a stuck record but Open Library has a scanned edition of "The City" you can check out.
I should probably actually start checking that before bemoaning the unavailability of books
I recently read The Fog and thoroughly enjoyed it. I do have a copy of The Rats too but not read it yet. I agree about Herbert being able to very quickly and effectively build a character who then usually meets a terrible end.... 😂 Great set pieces.
The Fog is another absolute classic!
@@CriminOllyBlog As an American fan of Herbert I found the descriptions of WW2 bomb sites and the sort of decayed urban poverty very visceral and fascinating, because London is usually only described in fiction via its more pleasant areas.
As for THE CITY, it's kind of a short story graphic novel set hundreds or thousands of years after DOMAIN where the rats have evolved to an intelligent species that have taken over London. The setting and artwork are very cool but there's not much story to it, I wouldn't pay any kind of money to get it. There are PDF scans that float around online, though.
@@zippymufo9765 Interesting - yeah it's definitely a more realistic view of London than you often get (apart from all the rats)
Found out about this because I was a huge fan of the 1982 film Deadly Eye’s based on the Rats 1974. As fun as Deadly Eye’s is directed by Robert Clouse, who normally directed Bruce Lee martial arts film, makes this one fun and campy, where the book really lets you know what it’s like to be eaten alive by a bunch of giant rats. Good creepy times for sure:) James Herbert was praised by Stephen King, and I consider him to he comparable or at least akin to the British Stephen King:)
I really want to see Deadly Eyes - big fan of Clouse’s trash classic China O’Brien
Yeah, I read "The Rats" trilogy as a teenager. A friend gave it to me to read and I was not that impressed. It seemed a bit "pulpy" if that makes any sense. But was very impressed with "Lair" & "Domain" which were much slicker and darker. Great book rec: "The Last Days Of Jack Sparks" by Jason Arnopp. Stunning.
Yeah it’s definitely pulpy, but that’s something I love. I do agree his writing matured over time.
I really liked Jack Sparks, still need to read Arnopp’s other novel Ghoster. Funnily enough I was just chatting to him on Twitter!
@@CriminOllyBlog new Adam Nevill novel out on the 31st - "The Vessel"
@@deadend68 fantastic!
I loved this. Although I read it on a night shift in a veterinary hospital, and every little scratching noise scared the hell out me!
ha ha ha I can imagine!
Great videe, you introduced this book to me and thanks for that. I’ve recently read the rats and loved it. My favourite scene was the tube station attack. I have to admit this but when the janitor flees the rats and gets hit by the oncoming train, I found that grimly hilarious
Yeah the tube scene is incredibly good!
This was a great one. I look forward to The Fog if you decide to do it, and I am quite sure I will see some Ramsey Campbell and Barker in this series
Yes, they will both make an appearance!
What a great book. I read a book by James Herbert but I can never remember the name. It was a man who decapitated his wife and he could hear her still talking from a brown paper bag. Probably wasn't even written by him haha. Great review, thanks Olly 😊
That doesn’t ring a bell! Glad you enjoyed the review!
Sounds like David Byrne read it too, then formed Talking Heads and wrote Psycho Killer 🎵
@@bloochoob haha 😄
I read The Rats 4 years ago. Whilst the prose was pretty bad; I loved the style. That scene on the metro was so incredibly visceral. Genuinely felt like I was in that scene.
Reading The Fog right now, about 75% through. It's great! Better writing and the horror is in-your-face.
Also, big it up for my favourite Carry On, Carry on Screaming is a great film.
FRYING TONIGHT!
😂😂😂 I was going to try and put a clip from the film into the first video in the series but I thought it might be a breach of copyright
You must be getting close to The Doll Who Ate His Mother. My recollection is that it's a game changer. Admittedly I was young at the time.
Yep, that one comes up soon!
Can't wait to read this one! Looking to check out shaun Hutson, another Olli recommendation
Hope you enjoy Hutson!
Good stuff! I just bought it the other day, going to start reading it today.
Enjoy!
I've read and re-read The Rats - agree it's a great read :)
It really is! Thanks for watching, Lisa!
When I was at secondary school in the early 80s me and my friends were reading James Herbert books, they were so popular back then. I remember doing my English exam they used a page of The Rats.
I read The Rats couple of years ago and it is a brilliant book full of violence. Lair was good Domain was a disappointment.
That’s really cool about your school days! Glad you enjoyed it when you got round to reading it
He is my fav and this was my 1st horror I read
I love how varied his work is!
We really need a movie adaptation of the RATS Trilogy. The third book especially is completely mad----flesh eating rats AND a nuclear war!
Creed by Herbert is superb.
Yeah I remember liking that one. Great cover too!
Have you ever read any of film critic John Brosnan's novels written under the names Sidney Ian Childers or Harry Adams Knight? Worms, Carnosaur, and The Fungus are among my very favorite monster novels in this vein. (Carnosaur was written before Jurassic Park and was more fun and had better science but The Fungus is his best.)
I have! I had a copy of Carnosaur back in my teens and remember enjoying it. I do need to check out his other stuff too
James Herbert RIP, one of my favourite horror writers. I remember that particular cover....that is one evil looking rodent. The Rats was my first Herbert novel, and it blew me away how brutal and bleak it was.
RIP indeed! I live in Sussex, not all that far from where he lived, and the morning after his death it was incredibly foggy
I read that book years ago. Part were a little far fetched but I enjoyed it quite a bit. I've read a few of his books.They are hard to come by in New England.
Yeah it's definitely a fun read! Sorry to hear it's hard to get his books over there!
@@CriminOllyBlog I don't know, I think it makes them have extra special because of it..
I read that in the 80s when I was a teen 🐀 I think I’ll re-read it now
You should! It’s a belter!
The Rats, excellent book!
it is!
Fun Book, but deeply speciest.
'Doctor Rat' by William Kotzwinkle (1976) is a good counterbalance.
I used to have a copy of that, but never actually read it!
Love James Herbert. Read all his books. Including The City. My favourite is The Spear. What I find interesting is how his later novels took on increasingly religious themes,perhaps an expression of his Catholic roots. Many later novels have themes of redemption. Some may find this unsettling but l think they represent an interesting growth in how he understood horror.
The Spear is a really interesting one, feels a lot like a Ludlum style thriller at times. I agree his writing definitely evolved over time
Just a random question, have you read any David Baldacci books? If not, I really suggest him. He is a thriller author and is probably my favourite author at the moment. I am currently reading the book The Whole Truth by him and it is the best. Great video, Olly! Keep up the great work!
I have, but not for a while. I do remember him being good though. Cheers, John!
A classic, indeed! That is a fantastic copy of The Rats.
It is! All horror paperbacks should be this cool
The Rats is punk! I loved James Herbert and he was my gateway into horror. Not a great technical writer (certainly when compared to Ramsey Campbell), but a great storyteller.
Yeah, he's rough around the edges, but when he's great, he's great
That book was everywhere back in the day lol. Micheal Jackson’s Ben was slightly different…
lol very true
Hi! Great review. Could you do the other books in the Rats trilogy?
Mayyyybe - I don't have them in plan at the moment but will be doing reviews of The Fog and The Spear by Herbert
I've read The Rats and the sequels (except the graphic novel) and loved them. I've found the rest of Herbert's work that I've read (The Fog, The Jonah, The Magic Cottage) a bit underwhelming in comparison.
I really like quite a few of his books, but I do think the Rats series is probably his best work
I have a newer copy of the book, the 40th Anniversary edition of the book, and I have read it quite a few years ago, and it frightened me to hell, but I have seen other copies of the books, with the Rat on the front like yours there, and the other copies with a door and no rat on the cover, and the recent cover with the grey background and a rat at the front, and also I think similar stories related to this, are obviously Shaun Hutson with Slugs and parts of Erebus, and also with Jaws as well, and I have enjoyed The Rats really well, but I liked Lair as well, but Domain was a DNF for me, I just couldn't finish it at all, but I am trying to get to finish it soon.
Sorry to hear you didn’t get on with Domain, Lewis!
For some reason this review has given me the image of Spain, English tourists, breakfast buffet. Oh come on, don't be offended, I love the British but never get between them and free food, especially those Yorkshiremen 🤣 I haven't read it. I am a Frank Herbert fan though. 🤣🤣 Oh geez this 15% shochu is too much.
☕️ I think you need to drink this
@@CriminOllyBlogI do but only if there's scones with jam and cream served with it.
Typical Books Lydia had this great 40th Anniversary copy that had glow in the dark yellow eyes and a step back cover! I'd die for that copy. Check out her video on it. czcams.com/video/EODsZNxRGiA/video.html
Just saw that and it's wonderful!
Oh wow this sounds horrific!
It is! You should read it
I use to like killer bees movies!
🐝🐝🐝🐝
As you talk about this book I had a flashback of the movie Willard. Have you ever seen it?
No, I've never seen that one. Thanks for watching, Wendy!
@@CriminOllyBlog it's about a guy that uses rats to kill people.
@@wendyvilla2904 oh interesting!
I’ve read this a few times over the years. Most recently this summer. It is the classic of the Killer Animals genre. Herbert does seem to punish characters for sexual deviancy. I still want to read more by Herbert someday:
Yeah there is definitely a theme of that kind of punishment in his books. I wonder if partly it's because it's an easy way to weave a sex scene into the book without it having to involve a main character. Also he was a Catholic
Good stuff Olly! It would be wonderful talking books with you during a plane trip.
Until you began screaming while trying to rip open an escape hatch.
Hang in there! 🙂🎃
😂😂😂
Dude, you like colored edges on books? Wait til you discover the fancy design-sprayed edges they're putting on some books now! Also, my sister had a mass market paperback called The Black Death sitting around when I was in high school which featured an ominous rat on the cover and which for some reason I never read. Looks like that book came out in 1978, so no doubt inspired by Mr. Herbert's success.
What! How do I find these books?!
@@CriminOllyBlog Folio is doing a fair number of them these days (Anansi Boys, Neverending Story, Phantom of the Opera), so you could check their website or CZcams channel to see some examples. I know the Brothers Gwynne have featured some fancy editions from other publishers that feature the stenciled edges as well. Just recently, I've started to see them pop up on a few regular retail hardcovers as well, although I'd have to go wander B&N a bit to tell you which titles. They may not hit your sweet spot at this point as many of them seem to be fantasy books. It's a very cool, albeit somewhat frivolous, effect.
@@troytradup Thanks - I'll check them out!
I'm trying Olly, immediately went and bought Herbert's The Fog on your high recommendation, gotta say that sadly I wasn't impressed.
Oh no! I’m sorry to hear that! I guess Herbert isn’t for you
Is James Herbert related to Frank Herbert, author of "Dune"?
No, I don’t believe so. There is an author called Brian Herbert though who is Frank’s son
Thank you.
The rats in Deadly Eyes were played by small dogs!
That's great! Hopefully there's an alternative universe where the dog in Marley and Me was played by a giant rat
The city is ok the film was not good they mix the books up
Lair is better.