{"id":436,"date":"2024-05-25T16:42:47","date_gmt":"2024-05-25T16:42:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/guynsmith.com\/1\/?page_id=436"},"modified":"2026-08-12T20:39:54","modified_gmt":"2026-08-12T20:39:54","slug":"night-of-the-crabs","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/guynsmith.com\/1\/?page_id=436","title":{"rendered":"Night of the Crabs"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"483\" src=\"https:\/\/guynsmith.com\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/NightOfTheCrabs.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-931\" srcset=\"https:\/\/guynsmith.com\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/NightOfTheCrabs.png 300w, https:\/\/guynsmith.com\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/NightOfTheCrabs-186x300.png 186w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">by\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Guy-N-Smith\/e\/B0034NE89E\/ref=dp_byline_cont_ebooks_1\">Guy N. Smith<\/a>\u00a0(Author),\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/s\/ref=dp_byline_sr_ebooks_2?ie=UTF8&amp;field-author=Neale+Thomas&amp;text=Neale+Thomas&amp;sort=relevancerank&amp;search-alias=digital-text\">Neale Thomas<\/a>\u00a0(Illustrator),\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/s\/ref=dp_byline_sr_ebooks_3?ie=UTF8&amp;field-author=Andrew-Mark+Thompson&amp;text=Andrew-Mark+Thompson&amp;sort=relevancerank&amp;search-alias=digital-text\">Andrew-Mark Thompson<\/a>\u00a0(Illustrator),\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/s\/ref=dp_byline_sr_ebooks_4?ie=UTF8&amp;field-author=Tara+Paulsson&amp;text=Tara+Paulsson&amp;sort=relevancerank&amp;search-alias=digital-text\">Tara Paulsson<\/a>\u00a0(Editor),\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Night-Crabs-Book-1-ebook\/dp\/B0DDL7KM3V?ref_=ast_author_dp_rw&amp;th=1&amp;psc=1&amp;dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.tpeYvT0nT1BWibnav6JiZNGjF9e5G5NhHr8DefXLi2bCnzUy194gyFzplk6CXDbLFBua7DV8hVFqnoEWOj_d5spm674wwW2cs57ASCxNpNacqsxy3WVxj1hJ4DiIfAn5D-obAc-d7nUkRLFoziXWzq2Bz2JuhzdT1qzF3ShnntTyyDrBcz0ejdE49ovEMxHH2n_589yoDQwJ4U-Ec7i3eZkRY5H_KsHy5CIP2pP1Lz4.cWuOB2mnIqtoFaqJoDBwlQ38rPfYYi11guEZjsLVE2c&amp;dib_tag=AUTHOR#\">&amp;\u00a02\u00a0more<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0Format:\u00a0Kindle Edition<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Night of the Crabs is Guy N. Smith\u2019s iconic pulp horror hit of the 1970s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Plot Summary<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Professor Cliff Davenport&#8217;s nephew disappears with his girlfriend while swimming off the Welsh Coast. Davenport discovers that a colony of giant crabs is responsible, and resolves to track down and destroy them. Will he succeed before the monstrous crabs devour entire human populations? Full of action, suspense and gore, this is classic 1970s animal attack horror by bestselling British author Guy N. Smith (1939-2020).\u00a0<em>Night of the Crabs<\/em>\u00a0(published originally by NEL in 1976) is the first in an 8-book series. The others are (in order of first-publication dates):\u00a0<em>Killer Crabs<\/em>\u00a0(1978),\u00a0<em>Origin\u00a0of the Crabs<\/em>\u00a0(1979),\u00a0<em>Crabs on the Rampage<\/em>\u00a0(1981),\u00a0<em>Crabs&#8217; Moon<\/em>\u00a0(1984),\u00a0<em>Crabs: The Human Sacrifice<\/em>\u00a0(1988),\u00a0<em>Killer Crabs: The Return<\/em>\u00a0(2012), Crabs Omnibus (2015 anthology of short stories),\u00a0<em>The Charnel Caves<\/em>\u00a0(2019).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Themes and Style<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Nature&#8217;s Revenge:<\/strong> The novel reflects themes of nature striking back against human encroachment and exploitation.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Survival Horror:<\/strong> Smith effectively creates a sense of urgency and fear, as characters must fight for their lives against an unstoppable force.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Environmental Catastrophe:<\/strong> The book touches on ecological themes, highlighting how environmental disruption can lead to unforeseen and disastrous consequences.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Reception<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;Night of the Crabs&#8221; was well-received by fans of horror and pulp fiction, praised for its fast-paced, action-packed narrative and its ability to deliver genuine thrills. The success of the novel led to a series of sequels, making the giant crabs a recurring threat in Smith&#8217;s body of work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Sequels and Legacy<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The popularity of &#8220;Night of the Crabs&#8221; spawned several sequels, including:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>&#8220;Killer Crabs&#8221; (1978)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>&#8220;The Origin of the Crabs&#8221; (1979)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>&#8220;Crabs on the Rampage&#8221; (1981)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>&#8220;Crabs&#8217; Moon&#8221; (1984)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>&#8220;Crabs: The Human Sacrifice&#8221; (1988)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>&#8220;Killer Crabs: The Return&#8221; (2012)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">These books expanded on the original story, exploring new settings and escalating the threat posed by the giant crabs. The series has maintained a cult following, appreciated for its blend of horror, adventure, and sheer courageousness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote has-text-align-center is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left wp-block-paragraph\">By 1975 I had achieved my ambition to become a professional author and that year I left my job in banking to go full time. It was a nail-biting move, though, and my main concern was for the future. Would it be sufficient to provide an income which would sustain a wife and three children? Angus, our fourth child, was born in 1976.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left wp-block-paragraph\">I had already submitted the manuscript for \u201cNight of the Crabs\u201d to New English Library but they had not advised me of their publishing plans except that it was due to be released in the summer of 1976.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left wp-block-paragraph\">In July that year we went on holiday to Barmouth where the book was set. So, one balmy evening we were meandering through the town where most of the shops were still open. Gavin, our eldest son, wandered into W.H. Smith\u2019s and suddenly there was a loud shout from him that had heads turning. \u201cDad, they\u2019ve got hundreds of your books in here!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left wp-block-paragraph\">So it was. A major in-store display on shelves and a central revolving rack labelled \u201cThe No.1 Beach read.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left wp-block-paragraph\">The shop manager approached me, enquired if I was the author, and then asked if I could possibly do a signing session \u2013 there and then! The outcome was that I ended up sitting at a table inside the doorway signing copies for a seemingly endless queue of buyers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left wp-block-paragraph\">That was just the start. \u201cNight of the Crabs\u201d was on sale just about everywhere, had already been reprinted before publication, and saw 9 subsequent reprints and a number of foreign translation rights sold. Four months later the movie rights were purchased by Amicus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left wp-block-paragraph\">A year later I fulfilled another of my ambitions, selling our house in Tamworth and moving to Black Hill, a remote area of the Shropshire\/Welsh border hills where I already had the shooting rights and had been travelling here for the past 14 years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n<cite>Guy N. Smith<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>by\u00a0Guy N. Smith\u00a0(Author),\u00a0Neale Thomas\u00a0(Illustrator),\u00a0Andrew-Mark Thompson\u00a0(Illustrator),\u00a0Tara Paulsson\u00a0(Editor),\u00a0&amp;\u00a02\u00a0more\u00a0\u00a0Format:\u00a0Kindle Edition Night of the Crabs is Guy N. Smith\u2019s iconic pulp horror hit of<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/guynsmith.com\/1\/?page_id=436\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Night of the Crabs<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-436","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/guynsmith.com\/1\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/436","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/guynsmith.com\/1\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/guynsmith.com\/1\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/guynsmith.com\/1\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/guynsmith.com\/1\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=436"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/guynsmith.com\/1\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/436\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1225,"href":"https:\/\/guynsmith.com\/1\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/436\/revisions\/1225"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/guynsmith.com\/1\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=436"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}