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Book List: Killer Crabs

My mom is trying really hard to connect with the Monster Kid right now. It’s difficult for her, because she has no interest in Minecraft, Percy Jackson, Harry Potter, Godzilla, or B-movies, but I will give her credit, she is really trying. She is totally confused, and asks lots of questions, and he’s very impatient with her. And most recently, he started talking about killer crabs (pretty random choice, I know) and describing the plot of Attack of the Crab Monsters. She looked at me and said, “Killer crabs are a thing?”

Yeah, Mom, they are. There aren’t, to my knowledge, huge quantities of books out there about them, but Guy N. Smith’s Crabs books are well-loved in some circles. Dylan, the original Monster Librarian, was a gigantic fan of them. In his honor, and for unbelievers like my mother, I present a brief list of books and movies with killer crabs.

 

Night of the Crabs  and the Crabs series by Guy N. Smith

Night of the Crabs is the first book in the Crabs series, a killer animal cult classic. Giant man-eating crabs invade the Welsh coast, and mayhem ensues. Guy N. Smith is not a literary giant, but his reputation for killer animal horror is well-deserved.  I implore you to read the positive reviews on Amazon to see what I mean– the Crabs books are truly beloved by their readers. This fast-paced, quick read is the book that allowed Smith to become a full-time writer.

If you are willing to take the jump, or your original copies have crumbled, the entire series has now been released on Kindle. There are seven books in the series: Night of the Crabs, Killer Crabs, The Origin of the Crabs, Crabs on the Rampage, Crabs’ Moon, Crabs: The Human Sacrifice, and Killer Crabs: The Return.

Clickers by J.F. Gonzalez and Mark Williams

Giant crab-like creatures are invading the small town of Philipsport, Maine, and they’re fleeing even more terrifying creatures– the Dark Ones. Dylan absolutely LOVED this book, with fanboyish delight. It’s not for the faint of heart, though. Gory and violent, with a Lovecraftian tinge, this is an homage to killer animal B-movies that received praise from Edward Lee and Richard Laymon. Clickers is the first book in a series, and is followed by Clickers II: The Next Wave, Clickers III: Dagon Rising, and Clickers vs. Zombies, all co-written by J.F. Gonzalez and Brian Keene.

Crustaceans by William Meikle

I have to admit, it makes me giggle to see that our original review of this book is quoted in the editorial reviews on Amazon. Meikle dedicated this book to Guy N. Smith, and was clearly inspired by his books.

 

Want a movie with your seafood? Try one of these:

 Attack of the Crab Monsters (1957), unrated

An early Roger Corman film with giant, killer, papier-mache crabs stealing the show and knocking off the human characters fairly efficiently, but mostly off-screen.

 

 Mysterious Island (1961), unrated

Crab created by Ray Harryhausen– need I say more? 

 

 Island Claws (1980), PG

This evidently isn’t easily available, but reviews describe it as “relatively blood-free”, so it’s probably safe to watch with your 10 year old.

As always, not every book or movie is appropriate for every reader (or viewer). But if you are looking to dip your toe in the water of killer animal horror with lots of action, crabs might be a good place to start. Enjoy!


Posted on August 20, 2016 by , Reply

Book Review: Return to the Isle of the Lost by Melissa de la Cruz

Return to the Isle of the Lost: A Descendants Novel by Melissa de la Cruz

Disney Hyperion Publishing, May 2016

 

Last year, Melissa de la Cruz introduced us to an interesting, darker twist on the typical Disney tale in Isle of the Lost. In the Disney fairytale realm of Auradon, all the villains, along with their children, have been captured and imprisoned on the deteriorating, isolated Isle of the Lost. The first book introduced a variety of villain children, but focused on four in particular: Mal, the daughter of Maleficent; Jay, the son of Jafar; Evie, the daughter of Evil Queen; and Carlos, the son of Cruella de Vil. At the end of the book, the four of them were invited by Prince Ben, soon to become king of Auradon, to attend boarding school in Auradon.  Isle of the Lost was quickly followed by the live action, made-for-television movie musical, Descendants, in which Mal and her villain compatriots chose to defend Auradon from an attack by Maleficent, who had regained her magic and escaped. Mal defeated Maleficent, transforming her into a harmless lizard.

Return to the Isle of the Lost directly follows the events of the movie. Mal, Jay, Evie, and Carlos are adjusting to, and mostly enjoying, life in Auradon when they receive mysterious messages that they must return home. When they do return,  they make the disturbing discovery that their parents have disappeared without a trace, in an attempt to escape the island through secret, underground passages. Mal, Jay, Evie, and Carlos must find and travel the passageways to keep their parents from tunneling through to Auradon, but to do so, they each must face a challenge left behind by their parents. A note for English teachers: the meaning of the term “anti-hero” is hammered home pretty thoroughly.

In the meantime, Merlin has approached King Ben with a request to use magic, which has been forbidden, in order to deal with a threat to Camelot; the citizens there report attacks by a purple dragon. Ben’s immediate thought is that Maleficent is the cause of the trouble, but since she is still a lizard, that seems unlikely. If you’ve been watching animated Disney movies for most of your life, you probably can figure out who the purple dragon really is in about thirty seconds, but it was a complete mystery to my 8 year old daughter.

I found Return to the Isle of the Lost to be a disappointing follow-up to the first book and the movie. In those, we got to see some very complex characters dealing with conflicts central to their identity. The villain kids in Isle of the Lost are not nice kids. They steal, lie, destroy property, treat other people badly, and can often be shallow. Despite that, you can see these are kids who desperately want their parents’ approval, and there is something there that makes you want to root for them. In Return to the Isle of the Lost, that’s missing. Their parents are absent, so we don’t get to see that conflict, and the kids have pretty much settled on being “good”, although with a preference for painting gloomy castles instead of peaceful sunsets. Very little is done to further character development either; It’s just not as interesting. To be fair, de la Cruz is dealing with a huge cast of characters, and it would be impossible to do justice to all of them, but it seemed like even the main characters got short shrift.

While Isle of the Lost could appeal to those who like their fairy tales dark and twisted, I don’t think Return to the Isle of the Lost will satisfy. However, for your Disney-loving 8 year old who is tired of the same old princesses, I can speak from experience; the book will be a tremendous hit. Recommended for ages 8+.

Reviewed by Kirsten Kowalewski

 


 

Posted on August 4, 2016 by , Reply

Book Review: Madhouse: A Shared World Anthology, edited by Benjamin Kane Ethridge and Brad C. Hodson

Madhouse: A Shared World Anthology, edited by Benjamin Kane Ethridge and Brad C. Hodson, and illustrated by Aeron Alfrey

Dark Regions Press, 2016

ISBN: 9781626411166

Available: Paperback, Kindle edition.

 

Madhouse is a shared world anthology set in the Behavioral Health Center in Golden Canyon, Arizona. The frame story is that a supernatural sandstorm hits the facility, rendering escape futile, and an infectious wave of madness begins to spread through the facility. As the contagion spreads, and the characters attempt to discover how the madness is being passed, staff and patients, each with their own story, are driven to unleash their personally harbored madness.

Several stories kept me awake at night peering into the dark corners of my house.  “Skating the Shattered Glass Sea” focuses on Lily and Timothy, twins who have an unusual ability. After a tragic accident at the age of twelve, Lily is committed to the Gold Canyon Behavioral Health Center, while Timothy goes on to have an acting career and a normal life. When he eventually visits Lily, well into his adult life, his mind starts to fall apart. They used to build lovely palaces in the air, visible palaces. What Lily creates with her broken mind is nightmare fuel to Timothy.

In “The Yellow Bug,” James, an Iraq war veteran, reveals some ugly truths about himself to Dr. Ruiz, who is suffering similar headaches to the ones James had  before he gave in to his desire to kill and let go of his fear. James explains he had help from God, in the form of  a yellow bug. The good doctor is harboring a frightening secret that the God bug helps him release.

“Heal Thyself” centers on the unique treatment offered by Dr. Edlehart in the facility: past-life regression therapy. He has used this treatment on many of the patients, and is mentoring Dr. Alice Jalbert on the practice. The treatment of patient  Jeffrey Jackson, reveals certain truths about the good doctor.

“Bathroom” is a story that stayed with me for some time. Something about it makes me a bit nervous about going into public bathrooms now. Claire fights crippling anxiety, fear, and fascination with drains. This makes trips to the ladies’ room difficult, but her usual escort, Bruce, puts her at ease. This trip, however, is different. She hears the faucet turn on while she is indisposed, and she feels the familiar gnawing at her brain. But what is that wet, sticky sound coming from one of the other stalls? What will she see when she pushes open the door?

“Drake’s Cake” follows one of the most notorious interns in the facility. He’s extremely hostile and regularly torments the patients with physical, psychological, or sexual abuse, occasionally in combination. Somehow, the staff is oblivious to his transgressions against the patients, and no one addresses his abuses against the patients. There is nothing likable about this guy, but he gets his comeuppance in the end, when he makes a disturbing and vomit-inducing error in judgement as the madness takes hold of his mind.

A few of the other stories stuck with me as well. “Birdman” is the story of a man who was institutionalized after his penchant for turning people into birds was discovered. In “Sky is Falling,” Skylar is trying to help evacuate her ward to the first floor, and walks into an unexpected surprise. Nurse Julie helps release the demons from Trisha’s skull in “Fraud.” Agnes is the chef for the facility, and in “Appetite,” she uses special ingredients for those she deems worthy. Her own appetite is sated by the strangest of things. These are the standouts: there are additional stories in this anthology of madness, as well. The short stories can be read as standalone tales, or, read together, can form a complete novel. I can’t think of anything about this book that isn’t compelling. The editors picked a number of amazing authors for this anthology, including Mercedes Yardley, Jeff Strand, John Skipp, Meghan Arcuri, and Rena Mason.

Two illustrators have been effective in scaring the daylights out of me: Stephen Gammell, who illustrated the famed Scary Stories series by Alvin Schwartz, and Aeron Alfrey for this anthology. There were a few pieces that I found myself hypnotized by, including those for “Skating the Shattered Sea of Glass,” “Birdman,” and “Drake’s Cake.” Several of the chapters also have art accompanying them.

This anthology will keep you up at night. Highly recommended.

Contains: gore, cannibalism, violence, rape, abuse, psychological terror

Reviewed by Lizzy Walker

 

Posted on August 4, 2016 by , Reply
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