I recall in the Godfather an expression the Mafiosi used to describe battening down the hatches at a safe house in times of war between the five families. It was 'going to the mattresses'. Well, we've gone to the mattresses to be closer to our Grandson in hospital.
It's half term so my role is to look after the mutt so I'm in the house a lot. I have TV, the Internet and books. Books are winning at the mo and the current tome is Origin of the Crabs by Guy N. Smith.
Written in 1979 and published by NEL Origin of the Crabs explains how giant crabs surface from a Scottish sea loch to wreak bloody havoc on the local laird's estate. The book follows Night of the Crabs and Killer Crabs and was no doubt written on the crest of the author's crab wave at the end of the Seventies.
For me, the clickety series peaked with Night of the Crabs, with the crabs invading the holiday resort of Butlins in Wales. This struck a chord with me as my Parents took me there as a kid in the Sixties!
I must say I love Guy N. Smith's novels. I have read most of them I think. My favourite has to be the Sucking Pit, which I re-read most summers on holiday. Easy, none- taxing, light country horror, the perfect medium for cafes, beaches and sleepy harbours. I suppose, yes, it's trashy horror too.
The late Seventies and the Eighties were the golden years for trashy horror in the UK. It may have been worldwide. Along with Guy, fellow grue meister Shaun Hutson was particularly prolific penning such classics as Slugs and The Skull.
The next novel on my travelling pile is The Great White Space by Basil Copper. Compared with HP Lovecraft, it's a book I'm looking forward to. I may even have read it already as I've forgotten what I've read!
As well as reading these horror paperbacks I do like to own them and my collection is in the hundreds I would say. The garish cover art is really fascinating and almost a lost tradition.
Do you collect horror or sci fi paperbacks readers and what are you reading now?
