''Lair'' is a

1979 Events January * January 1 ** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the '' International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the '' Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the so ...

science fiction horror novel by

James Herbert James John Herbert, OBE (8 April 1943 – 20 March 2013) was an English horror writer. A full-time writer, he also designed his own book covers and publicity. His books have sold 54 million copies worldwide, and have been translated into 34 l ...

, the first sequel to his debut '' The Rats'' and sixth book overall.(June 19, 2008),
The Rat Trilogy
" The Horror Section. Retrieved February 7, 2017 He wrote two more sequels in the series after this: 1984's ''Domain'' and 1993's ''The City''. The latter was a

graphic novel A graphic novel is a long-form, fictional work of sequential art. The term ''graphic novel'' is often applied broadly, including fiction, non-fiction, and anthologized work, though this practice is highly contested by comic scholars and industry ...

. Each book charts the spread of a

mutant In biology, and especially in genetics, a mutant is an organism or a new genetic character arising or resulting from an instance of mutation, which is generally an alteration of the DNA sequence of the genome or chromosome of an organism. It ...

breed of carnivorous rat which attacks humans in groups, rips them apart, and devours them. While the first book was set among the

market stall A market stall or a booth is a structure used by merchants to display and house their merchandise in a street market, fairs and conventions. Some commercial marketplaces, including market squares or flea markets, may permit more permanent ...

s and streets of London, this one moves the action to the English countryside.

References

1979 British novels 1979 science fiction novels British horror novels Books about mice and rats Novels by James Herbert Novels set in Essex Epping Forest District New English Library books {{1970s-horror-novel-stub