130:
the narrator grows to despise when it refuses to listen to him. The young man uses the rats to wreak revenge upon his boss and havoc among the local shop owners and home owners, whom he has robbed with the aid of his rats. His "ratman" robberies become a newspaper sensation in the area and the man makes quite a stash of money for himself and for the girl he is courting at work. After his mother dies, the young man inherits the house.
352:
125:
The book is set as a series of journal entries, where the unnamed narrator goes back and forth between his life with the rats and his work, in a low-level job at a company that his father used to own. In these entries, the young man dwells on the hatred he feels for his boss, the stresses of caring
129:
Eventually, the young man trains the rats to do things for him. His favorite is an Agouti
Berkshire rat (normal wild rat color, only with white markings on the belly, who in the film adaptations was portrayed as a white rat) which he calls "Socrates". A rival to Socrates is "Ben", a large rat that
133:
When
Socrates is killed at the young man's workplace by his boss Mr. Jones, he is forced to use Ben in his criminal escapades. He devises a plan to have the rats kill Mr. Jones, avenging Socrates' death. He then abandons all the rats at the scene of the crime, ridding himself of that part of his
29:
134:
life. Eventually, as his relationship with the office girl moves towards marriage, Ben and his colony return, chasing the girl out of the house and trapping the young man in the attic.
403:
126:
for his aging mother, a nameless girl he becomes fond of and above all the families of rats which he has befriended and which he uses for company and companionship.
462:
188:
437:
396:
447:
373:
243:
442:
389:
432:
457:
427:
422:
467:
97:. It features an unnamed social misfit who relates better to rats than to humans. It was the basis for the 1971 film
452:
377:
326:
94:
42:
178:
137:
The book ends with the young man madly scribbling in his journal about the rats gnawing away at the attic door.
236:
308:
292:
110:
99:
183:
363:
213:
229:
146:
76:
416:
174:
359:
274:
90:
113:. After the release of the original film, the book was re-released and re-titled
28:
331:
300:
154:
105:
351:
225:
221:
367:
376:. Further suggestions might be found on the article's
319:
284:
259:
153:in paperback with an introduction by horror author
72:
64:
56:
48:
38:
179:"Ben (1972) Film: In 'Ben', a Boy Befriends a Rat"
397:
237:
8:
21:
404:
390:
244:
230:
222:
27:
20:
374:See guidelines for writing about novels
166:
463:1960s speculative fiction novel stubs
7:
348:
346:
191:from the original on 4 October 2017
366:. You can help Knowledge (XXG) by
14:
438:British novels adapted into films
350:
33:First edition dust jacket cover
1:
111:remake of the original film
484:
448:Novels about mice and rats
345:
26:
443:English-language novels
433:British horror novels
358:This article about a
458:Michael Joseph books
428:1960s horror novels
423:1968 British novels
217:at Valancourt Books
68:Michael Joseph Ltd.
23:
22:Ratman's Notebooks
468:Horror novel stubs
362:of the 1960s is a
268:Ratman's Notebooks
215:Ratman's Notebooks
184:The New York Times
151:Ratman's Notebooks
103:, its 1972 sequel
86:Ratman's Notebooks
453:Fictional diaries
385:
384:
340:
339:
82:
81:
73:Publication place
475:
406:
399:
392:
354:
347:
246:
239:
232:
223:
201:
200:
198:
196:
177:(24 June 1972).
171:
147:Valancourt Books
89:is a 1968 short
31:
24:
16:1968 short novel
483:
482:
478:
477:
476:
474:
473:
472:
413:
412:
411:
410:
343:
341:
336:
327:Stephen Gilbert
315:
280:
255:
250:
210:
205:
204:
194:
192:
173:
172:
168:
163:
143:
123:
109:, and the 2003
95:Stephen Gilbert
43:Stephen Gilbert
34:
17:
12:
11:
5:
481:
479:
471:
470:
465:
460:
455:
450:
445:
440:
435:
430:
425:
415:
414:
409:
408:
401:
394:
386:
383:
382:
355:
338:
337:
335:
334:
329:
323:
321:
317:
316:
314:
313:
305:
297:
288:
286:
282:
281:
279:
278:
271:
263:
261:
257:
256:
251:
249:
248:
241:
234:
226:
220:
219:
209:
208:External links
206:
203:
202:
175:Canby, Vincent
165:
164:
162:
159:
142:
139:
122:
119:
80:
79:
77:United Kingdom
74:
70:
69:
66:
62:
61:
58:
54:
53:
50:
46:
45:
40:
36:
35:
32:
15:
13:
10:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
480:
469:
466:
464:
461:
459:
456:
454:
451:
449:
446:
444:
441:
439:
436:
434:
431:
429:
426:
424:
421:
420:
418:
407:
402:
400:
395:
393:
388:
387:
381:
379:
375:
371:
369:
365:
361:
356:
353:
349:
344:
333:
330:
328:
325:
324:
322:
318:
311:
310:
306:
303:
302:
298:
295:
294:
290:
289:
287:
283:
277:
276:
272:
270:
269:
265:
264:
262:
258:
254:
247:
242:
240:
235:
233:
228:
227:
224:
218:
216:
212:
211:
207:
190:
186:
185:
180:
176:
170:
167:
160:
158:
156:
152:
148:
140:
138:
135:
131:
127:
120:
118:
116:
112:
108:
107:
102:
101:
96:
92:
88:
87:
78:
75:
71:
67:
63:
59:
55:
51:
47:
44:
41:
37:
30:
25:
19:
372:
368:expanding it
360:horror novel
357:
342:
332:"Ben" (song)
307:
299:
291:
275:Rat Catching
273:
267:
266:
252:
214:
193:. Retrieved
182:
169:
150:
144:
136:
132:
128:
124:
114:
104:
98:
91:horror novel
85:
84:
83:
18:
417:Categories
195:27 January
161:References
155:Kim Newman
149:reprinted
378:talk page
145:In 2013,
65:Publisher
57:Published
189:Archived
49:Language
320:Related
309:Willard
293:Willard
253:Willard
141:Reprint
115:Willard
100:Willard
52:English
312:(2003)
304:(1972)
296:(1971)
39:Author
285:Films
260:Books
364:stub
197:2024
121:Plot
60:1968
301:Ben
106:Ben
93:by
419::
187:.
181:.
157:.
117:.
405:e
398:t
391:v
380:.
370:.
245:e
238:t
231:v
199:.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.