The Doomsday Rats

These great covers were created for the series by Marc McBride who also did the Deltora Quest covers for Emily Rodda.                                 For the Doomsday Rats series I created fast moving stories with fabulous and frightening creatures galore. Watch out for the Gadges and the Firedrake which has an especially disgusting way of killing its prey. My heroes zoom around at break-neck speed, defying death at every turn and refusing to give in to the evil forces trying to destroy them. If you have as much fun reading these stories as I had writing them, we'll all be happy.   The Tunnels of Ferdinand When Berrin is thrown out of his dormer to be eaten by the wild beast of the night, he is, instead, rescued by an grimy-skinned boy who takes him down into the storm water tunnels beneath the city. Here he joins the Rats, a gallant group of children who are fighting back against Malig Tumora, the ominous force who has taken over the city and enslaved all the grown-ups. Traveling at breakneck speed along the underground pipes, the children occasionally venture onto the surface to sabotage and seek ways they can defeat their enemy, guided by the wisdom of Ferdinand, an older boy who is trapped in the darkness by his size. Berrin and his new friend Olanda become two of their best fighters until they are captured by the ruthless Gadger Red. In making their escape, they steal a map that will help them in their struggles, but id the map worthy giving up their greatest secret?   The Scorpion’s Tail Malig Tumora knows where the Rats are hiding now and he is determined to kill them all. First he sends in his Gadges into the tunnels with a strange animal to help them, known only as ‘the probe’. When Berrin and his companions foil these attacks, a robot scorpion appears. Berrin and Olanda are chased into danger Sector 9 where they encounter the terrifying Fire drake. But the scorpion is getting the better of them and even if they do defeat it, Malig Tumora has begun to flood the underground tunnels. The Rats will surely drown, unless Berrin can find a way out         Malig Tumora Berrin has been captured by a pair of hungry Gadges. He’s about to be eaten when Gadger Red, himself, arrives and snatches him away. But only to take him somewhere even more terrible – into Malig Tumora’s menagerie. Here Berrin meetsAden, who seems to be a boy like himself. But slowly he starts to see differences. Is Aden a real human at all, or one day will all humans be like him? Then the two boys are put through a series of ordeals, all part of Malig Tumora’s unspeakable experiments. When these experiments don’t turn out quite as their evil inventor planned, Berrin sees a chance. Can he save himself, and what should he do about Aden?       In the Lair of the Mountain Beast Berrin sets out with Dorian, Olanda and Aden to find the mysterious moth that will help them defeat Malig Tumora. They search the countryside outside the city but discover instead a dispirited bunch of grown-ups. However, one of this motley crew gives them the clue they need to find the moth. At first, the ominous Mount Windenbeck seems to have no life on it at all, until they discover the marvelous secret inside it. But just as they find what they have come for, Malig Tumora tricks them again. A fire bomb will surely kill off their hopes. Can Berrin escape this time and what will he do if the only surviving moths live in the lair of the mountain beast.       Doomsday Berrin has returned to the safety of the underground storm water tunnels as the new leader of the Rats. With Olanda's help, he sets about breeding the precious moths which they have brought back with them from outside the city. But these moths seem a flimsy weapon to use against the fearsome might of Malig Tumora. When Malig Tumora's henchmen, the Gadges, destroy the breeding grounds despair sets in and Berrin's leadership is questioned. Worse still, his beloved uncle, Ferdinand, is close to death in his darkened prison. Does Berrin have the courage and the wits to outsmart their ruthless enemy? With grown-ups now roaming the streets and trying to take charge, the Rats must remain free long enough to carry out their daring plans. For this is a struggle to the death - only one side can win and for the other, Doomsday has come.   Click to see more of my books that pre-High School kids love to read     Swashbuckler and Buzzard Breath and Brains      Fantasy       Aussie Nibbles, Bites and Chomps     After Dark   Click for Home Page  Welcome to James Moloney's Home Page