I’ll assume that the man-child is supposed to look swollen-headed and bubble-eyed. It’s the background that irks me. If that rat is anything less than cat-sized, the window is less than knee-height off the ground. The ceiling wouldn’t reach to a man’s waist. The whole thing is truly…borrible.
I had this book. I read this book. I don’t have it any more.
If I recall aright, the Borribles were sort of like evil hobbits, Peter-Pan runaway kids turned into vicious elfin thugs. The rats spoke in a stupid lisp (I can still remember “those howwible Bowwibles” — actual quote). They’re all unpleasant and they fight. The end.
Yeah. A classic kids’ fairy-tale.
The cover is pretty unpleasant. I really don’t want to contemplate that rat’s bottom.
I seem to remember when the Borribles trilogy was out of print in the early 2000s, old copies like this were changing hands for idiot money on ebay. If that thing on the cover is what I think it is, it’s actually an evil Womble!
Art Direction: “I want a biggish rat fighting a smallish, vaguely-elfin boy, on a pile of books, in a basement. Think Nutcracker meets West Side Story. Just make sure the perspective is clear, we don’t want one of those covers where you can’t tell what size anything is supposed to be.”
Unbeknownst to all, Master Splinter led a bouble life as an avid sewer-and-cellar fight club participant, and refused to fight in anything but the absolute nude.
A British pop culture behemoth in the 1970s which spanned music, TV shows, books, toys, a film and lots of picking up litter. They keep cropping up here and there, so they’ve never really gone away. Their theme tune, once heard, is never forgotten.
This was one of my favourite books when i was a kid. The bad guys (the rat thing in the picture) are called the Wendles and are a dark take on the Wombles. A great book for 10-14 year olds i’d say.
@Graff: Oh, don’t! It’s not age, it’s culture. I’m perfectly old enough for the Wombles. It’s just that I’m a Yank, and I had never, ever heard of them before.
It was much easier to get British books than British TV back in the ’70s. Heck, if my English gran hadn’t given me a kid’s book of monsters-you-can-make, I wouldn’t have known about Daleks until high school.
Yet another book recommended to me by others, but I could never get past the cover art to read. I want to read a book about giant rats beating up on evil elves? Called something that looks like “Horribles” misspelled? Uh…no.
Judging from the comments here, I made a good choice.
Actually it’s a bit like an L. Ron Hibbard novel…the so-called heroes are so obnoxiously unlikeable that you end up REALLY wanting those rats to win. Sorta like Gollum attacking Mrs. Frisby
Actually it’s a bit like an L. Ron Hibbard novel…the so-called heroes are so obnoxiously unlikeable that you end up REALLY wanting those rats to win. Sorta like Gollum attacking Mrs. Frisby. Course, as awful as this cover was a sudden ceiling collapse seems the best possible end to the encounter.
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February 21st, 2012 at 9:03 am
What an awful title! What is that, a cross between “boring” and “horrible”?
February 21st, 2012 at 9:28 am
That rat means business! He’s rolled up his sleeves!
February 21st, 2012 at 9:51 am
Watch out – a rat can break your arm with one beat of its wing! What?
February 21st, 2012 at 10:50 am
In eager anticipation of seeing The Secret of Arrietty, I presume this is a version of ‘The Borrowers’…for horrible people.
February 21st, 2012 at 10:53 am
I’ll assume that the man-child is supposed to look swollen-headed and bubble-eyed. It’s the background that irks me. If that rat is anything less than cat-sized, the window is less than knee-height off the ground. The ceiling wouldn’t reach to a man’s waist. The whole thing is truly…borrible.
February 21st, 2012 at 11:50 am
I had this book. I read this book. I don’t have it any more.
If I recall aright, the Borribles were sort of like evil hobbits, Peter-Pan runaway kids turned into vicious elfin thugs. The rats spoke in a stupid lisp (I can still remember “those howwible Bowwibles” — actual quote). They’re all unpleasant and they fight. The end.
Yeah. A classic kids’ fairy-tale.
The cover is pretty unpleasant. I really don’t want to contemplate that rat’s bottom.
February 21st, 2012 at 12:16 pm
A classic of socialist children’s fiction, which has seen much better covers. China Miéville cites it as an influence.
February 21st, 2012 at 12:51 pm
@Jaouad. But is “socialist children’s fiction” actually a genre?
February 21st, 2012 at 3:03 pm
@Rachel J: Ooh, genre discussion!
Maybe it’s a genre which comprises only this book?
February 21st, 2012 at 3:59 pm
The book also became the musical BORRIBLE SIDE STORY, which bombed.
When you’re a Rat, you’re a Rat all the way
To your first piece of cheese to your last mousetrap slay…
February 21st, 2012 at 5:26 pm
I seem to remember when the Borribles trilogy was out of print in the early 2000s, old copies like this were changing hands for idiot money on ebay. If that thing on the cover is what I think it is, it’s actually an evil Womble!
February 21st, 2012 at 6:31 pm
A fantasy cellar without cobwebs? Unthinkable.
February 21st, 2012 at 7:03 pm
This is the violent scene they cut from Ratatouille.
February 21st, 2012 at 8:22 pm
Art Direction: “I want a biggish rat fighting a smallish, vaguely-elfin boy, on a pile of books, in a basement. Think Nutcracker meets West Side Story. Just make sure the perspective is clear, we don’t want one of those covers where you can’t tell what size anything is supposed to be.”
February 21st, 2012 at 11:19 pm
It’s nice to see someone give a rat’s ass about this book cover…
February 22nd, 2012 at 2:46 am
I think the rat has a nasty weapon. He is going to nail that kid.
February 22nd, 2012 at 10:39 am
Unbeknownst to all, Master Splinter led a bouble life as an avid sewer-and-cellar fight club participant, and refused to fight in anything but the absolute nude.
February 22nd, 2012 at 10:40 am
Also he had a really big ass for a rat.
February 22nd, 2012 at 11:43 am
@Graff: Given that the rats were called “Rumbles,” and with their speech impediment it came out “Wumbles,” I would say you must be right …
What is a “Womble”?
February 23rd, 2012 at 11:47 am
@Alessandra: These are the Wombles:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SeBuGrCCqX0
A British pop culture behemoth in the 1970s which spanned music, TV shows, books, toys, a film and lots of picking up litter. They keep cropping up here and there, so they’ve never really gone away. Their theme tune, once heard, is never forgotten.
February 23rd, 2012 at 1:18 pm
This was one of my favourite books when i was a kid. The bad guys (the rat thing in the picture) are called the Wendles and are a dark take on the Wombles. A great book for 10-14 year olds i’d say.
February 26th, 2012 at 8:35 pm
I’m the Daddy now, said the elfin faced nutcase.
February 29th, 2012 at 1:25 pm
@Alessandra @THX: I suddenly feel really, really old!
February 29th, 2012 at 5:37 pm
@Graff: Oh, don’t! It’s not age, it’s culture. I’m perfectly old enough for the Wombles. It’s just that I’m a Yank, and I had never, ever heard of them before.
It was much easier to get British books than British TV back in the ’70s. Heck, if my English gran hadn’t given me a kid’s book of monsters-you-can-make, I wouldn’t have known about Daleks until high school.
March 12th, 2012 at 7:38 pm
That’s a rat? So, that’s a tail? I thought he has some major issues with parasites!
October 1st, 2012 at 5:20 am
Yet another book recommended to me by others, but I could never get past the cover art to read. I want to read a book about giant rats beating up on evil elves? Called something that looks like “Horribles” misspelled? Uh…no.
Judging from the comments here, I made a good choice.
November 3rd, 2012 at 12:52 am
Actually it’s a bit like an L. Ron Hibbard novel…the so-called heroes are so obnoxiously unlikeable that you end up REALLY wanting those rats to win. Sorta like Gollum attacking Mrs. Frisby
November 3rd, 2012 at 12:58 am
Actually it’s a bit like an L. Ron Hibbard novel…the so-called heroes are so obnoxiously unlikeable that you end up REALLY wanting those rats to win. Sorta like Gollum attacking Mrs. Frisby. Course, as awful as this cover was a sudden ceiling collapse seems the best possible end to the encounter.