As previously mentioned I have not read the graphic novel 'The City'.

To follow, however, is a review by John Goldie who has read it and forwarded his comments for addition to this site.

The fourth and probably final instalment of James Herbert's 'Rats' opus is an obscure and near impossible to find graphic novel entitled 'The City'. The story begins seemingly long after the time of Culver and his fellow survivors in Herberts' 'Domain'.

'The City is the tale of an unnamed, armoured scout's odyssey into a destroyed and hellish London in search of his family left behind to endure the insane carnage of a full scale nuclear war in his absence.

During the course of his nightmarish journey, the scout encounters the remains of humanity. the insane, the dying, mutants and scavengers. Dignity and nobility no longer exist. Only degradation and death.

As if all this wasn't enough: The Rats have become the master species allowing humanity to survive only as cattle. The vermin society has ceased to hunt human in favour of cultivating them as livestock.

The Good:

The City is a superbly painted work. Artist Ian Miller conveys the feeling of total holocaust in a fashion that is enthralling and very disturbing. Miller pulls no punches. The story is surreal and nightmarish. The reader has the feeling of viewing events through the eyes of a completely insane voyeur.

The Bad:

As visually amazing as The City is. it leaves the reader feeling a bit ripped off. Herbert fans will be disappointed by the sheer leanness of the text and plot. It is a quick read and offers no revelations and very little character development. The bottom line is that Herbert could have made a much greater effort to create something a little more thought provoking considering his own vast talent as well as that of an artist Ian Miller.

'The Rats' really deserves a better epilogue.

Anyone wishing to comment on John's review can do so via me or e-mailing him direct:

The City can be purchased from Waterstones booksellers. It is published by Pan books, costs £8.99 and the ISBN is 0-330-32471-3. Thanks to James Kelly for e-mailing that information.

The Rats Trilogy The Fog, The Survivor, Fluke, The Spear