Night of the Crabs

By Guy N. Smith

Book Overview

Summer of '76. A scorching heatwave hits Britain and holidaymakers flock to the beautiful Welsh coast for sun, sea and sand. But something is terribly wrong. When bathers start disappearing, marine biologist Professor Cliff Davenport discovers giant crabs lurking in the deep. Giant crabs hellbent on destruction. Can Davenport and the military annihilate these monstrous crustaceans before they extinguish humankind? Or is mass mutilation just a pincer-grip away? By the time you hear clickety-click ... it's already too late.

Night of the Crabs was Guy N. Smith's iconic pulp horror hit of the 1970s. This version is an extended edition, containing extra chapters and characters written by Smith in 2009 and first published by Ghostwriter Publications. This collectors' edition contains a foreword by the late J.F. Gonzalez (Clickers), an introduction by the author, a preface by Tara Paulsson, design work by J.R. Park, and artwork by Rick Melton (cover art) and Chris Hall (interior).

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1915943663
• ISBN13: 9781915943668
• Release Date: September 2026
• Publisher: Black Hill Books Collector
• Length: 252 Pages
• Weight: 0.56 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.0" x 0.6" x 5.0"

Customer Reviews

Book 1 of the "Killer Crab" series by Guy N. Smith

I picked up the entire "Killer Crab" series from my local used book store for a nice price. The books were located in the store's "Pulp" section. I admit, I laughed for a good five minutes when I saw the covers. I love cheesy, funny, horror films... and that is exactly what this book series is like. Many characters continue in each book, just like a series of horror films. I believe all of the books in the series are (with original print dates): #1 Night of the Crabs (1976) #2 Killer Crabs (1978) #3 The Origin of the Crabs (1979) #4 Crabs on the Rampage (1981) #5 Crabs' Moon (1984) #6 Crabs: The Human Sacrifice (1988) They are all short, and great quick, fun, reads. Not to embarrass myself too much, but I actually read these during my bathroom breaks at work. They are easy to put down and pick up again the next day. Now I just have to find all of his other books like "Bats out of Hell" and "The Sucking Pit".

Don't feel guilty!

I winced even as I read the spine. I grimaced as I dragged all twenty pounds of guilt induced weight from the shelf to the register. I took my little book home, read it, and then something mystifying occurred; I liked it! There's something ultimately fascinating and altogether satisfying about giant man-eating crabs invading a quiet English shore. It just tugs at your heart-strings and pumps your adrenaline! Each time you're sure the Crabs have been thoroughly dealt with, eradicated and happily eliminated, they reappear! Get used to the format dear readers; there are seven more novels similarly structured awaiting you! Luckily, they're all deliciously fast reads.And doesn't that King Crab just send shivers down your spine?

Pre-eminent literature

The Night of the Crabs is an unsurpassed masterpiece written by a worthy preceptor to anyone with a penchant for penning perverse excellence. I last read this novel several years ago and only recently have I recognised its genius; how it has haunted me in the interim. Like 'Moby Dick' and 'Arnie the Darling Starling' we are confronted with an edifying treatise on its respective discipline - crustaceology. There are few better ways to include crabs in your life. Indeed it goes further! Every twenty-fifth rapt page we are taught, by Mr Smith the Amorist, how to indulge in the most deeply sensuous love - no Sade or Sacher-Masoch could ever have anticipated such a usurpation. The conformal structure of the novel will not trouble anyone, it is simply pure and purely simple. Positively sodden with sweat, blood and tears. Riddled with tribulations and triumphs. Gorged on sudden death and heroic sentiments. This is a towering triumph of whimsical reverie. My last utterance can only be one of whole-hearted recommendation.

Classic Crabs

Night of the Crabs is perhaps one of the finest books I have ever read and I have read alot. Everthing you could possibly want is here in under 150 pages. Murder, mutations, crabs and Cornwall is here. The sex scene alone bought me to tears.You will feel cheaper but happier for reading this book.

Jaws could never chase you out of the water like this.

Possibly the most important Guy N.Smith book ever written, this was the bestseller which allowed him to give up his job and take up writing full-time.The story is an absolute gem. The idea of giant crabs coming ashore to devour human beings may not be original but this novel is filled with spine-chilling suspence and thrills, well-thought-out characters, great dialogue and not so much as a paragraph of padding.One of Guy N.Smith's best even after all this time and certainly one of the best monster-on-the-rampage books ever written.