The Friday Face-Off: Chinese New Year/Year of the Rat

The Friday Face-Off was created by Books by Proxy, where each week bloggers can showcase books with covers centered around a weekly theme. You can visit Lynn’s Books for a list of upcoming themes. Join in the fun each Friday by finding a book whose cover is based on the theme!

This week’s theme: Chinese New Year/Year of the Rat – A Chinese-themed cover or a cover with a rat.

I decided to go full rat this week with a book I’m sure other bloggers will also use, it’s so obvious! I’ve selected The Rats, an old horror story by James Herbert. There are plenty of rat-centric covers to choose from. Take a look at some of my favorites:

Macmillan edition 1999 | Kindle edition 2011 | UK edition 1974

UK Paperback edition 1974 | UK Paperback 1980 | Spanish edition 1975

Signet mass market paperback 1975 | Finnish edition 1993 | UK hardcover 1991

Hungarian edition 2008 | French edition 2003 | Dutch edition 1981


I love a bunch of these! How about that Hungarian cover, lol? It looks like more of a crazed dinosaur than a rat. The Spanish edition is pretty funny as well. But my favorite is the 1974 UK paperback edition, with a mean looking rat front and center:

Let me know which one is your favorite:-D

Posted January 24, 2020 by Tammy in The Friday Face-Off / 20 Comments

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20 responses to “The Friday Face-Off: Chinese New Year/Year of the Rat

  1. What a fabulous choice for this week’s theme, Tammy:). My favourite is the Finnish edition – that rat superimposed against the famous London skyline sent a shiver down my back – I’m afraid of rodents and this is the one that looks most lifelike! But you have a great strong selection, here…

  2. I felt sure somebody would go for this book this week so I decided to go for something else. I think the cover I owned was the other UK 74 edition but I love your choice – look at the expression on the rat’s face – that’s one crazy rodent.
    Lynn 😀

  3. I like the Kindle edition best too and I agree with Bob, that is odd. However, the one you chose is pretty awesome as well. But I have to say…WTF is up with the 2008 Hungarian edition? What is that supposed to be – a rat on steroids?

  4. Oh my gosh, those rat covers all made me feel so twitchy and itchy, so I scrolled through them somewhat quickly! LOL! I can’t pick a favorite, but the one with the face covered in rats has made me close my mouth tightly lest a rat footie get in somehow. Bleh!

      • My husband and I got Chinese food last night, and the Lunar New Year made me think of this post. I was telling me husband about it, and then he got all squirrely about the rats, too. I think you’ve done your job 😀

  5. Well, this book may be obvious but I wasn’t familiar with it. I do wonder if I’ve seen some movies inspired by it, though. 🙂 I think my favorite cover is the French edition, with the rat sitting atop the Earth. An ominous bit of foreshadowing, perhaps?

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