4.5 stars!

Does anyone remember the movies Willard or Ben? They were both based on this book by Stephen Gilbert.

I can see why this book would be a prime candidate for film. It was vividly written and is told through the personal diary entries of Willard, starting when he was asked by his mother to kill some rats on their property. Willard chooses to take a different route altogether and the reader is in for a ride. (To be clear the author of the diary is never named in the book, I used the name Willard to make writing this review a little easier.)

This is more of a psychological tale than a creature feature. We follow Willard as he begins to befriend and train his rats. It was a fascinating process. It was also fascinating to read Willard's diary entries and follow how his mind slowly warps into something ever more dangerous and desperate.




I had a blast with this book! I found it very difficult to put down and very difficult not to freak out as the rats play a bigger and bigger role in the story. However, believe it or not, there was a point where I felt so sorry for one rat, that I had a tear in my eye! Excellent, simple writing and great storytelling come together in this book and I had a great time reading it.

Highly recommended to fans of creature features and psychological horror!




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