Killer Crabs: the Return
Made-to-Order Paperback, 149 pages
Twenty
something years after Guy N. Smith concluded his original Crabs sextet with Crabs: the Human Sacrifice (1988), the killer crustaceans are
back, click-click-clickety-clicking
their way back into our hearts and stomachs. El maestro Smith knew what his
fans wanted and gave us more mayhem and it’s just what the doctor ordered. Released
as an E-book as well as a paperback, it is a very slim volume that can (and should) be read in one sitting. At 149
pages of large, double-spaced print, and the usual crab craziness, the book
just flies by.
Brock
Logan, the son of a crab victim, has been waiting decades for their reemergence
to avenge his father’s death and to get a crab for his trophy room. But we
don’t really care about Brock. Fans of Smith’s crab books can rest easy; the
crabs mean business. “A crustacean banquet had begun.” This time it’s just one
big one, a male who is raising and training his offspring, teaching them the
joy of devouring human flesh. Parenting done right!
No,
this book doesn’t break any new ground; it is just a valentine from Smith to
his crab-happy fans, of which I am a huge one. It wasn’t his last foray into
crab calamity, thank goodness. Rest in peace, Guy, and thank you for giving us
the crabs.
This review originally appeared in Midnight Magazine #9, March, 2022.