anyway i finished crabs: the human sacrifice, as befits the 6th entry in what was by then a decade long series there’s some lore to keep track of, lots of interjected notes reading (see NIGHT OF THE CRABS), basically by this point the crabs are all dying of crab plague and so there’s more emphasis on the humans this time.
the plot involves TWO different, duelling ex-SAS men although weirdly the book never makes much of this similarity: the hero talks manfully about his overseas tour shooting people in northern ireland and seems alarmingly happy whenever he gets to torture someone with a lit cigarette (“before long this despicable specimen of loony libbers would be pleading for the police”). meanwhile the villain is the sword-carrying vegan leader who engages in more outdoorsy pursuits like staking naked women out on a moor to be eaten by crabs.
i give here my favourite passages from the rest of the book.
‘According to reports the crabs have killed hundreds of people since they first showed up ten years ago.’
‘Of course they fucking have and can you blame ’em?’ His bearded face was flushed with anger. ‘The crabs have been persecuted right from the start.’
It had not been a good PR demonstration of the war being fought against the crabs.
And the crabs are angry at the way they’re being shot at on sight. They know where the cancer came from too. And … they gotta be appeased, revenged.’
‘How?’ Again.
‘Like I said, we showed the hunt and the fowlers, didn’t we, scared the shit out of ’em. Well we gotta do the same to those who kill crabs. The crabs are demanding human flesh and blood and we gotta give it to ’em. Let me put it to you in two simple words - human sacrifices!’
‘No!’ Their leader knew what they were thinking, silenced their thoughts, dispelled any hopes they might have had of rape and orgy. ‘She’s not for us, brothers. Her flesh is already promised to the gods of the oceans.’
Why, oh why have they done this to me? I haven’t hurt anybody or anything. I haven’t killed any seals, neither has Daddy. Lots of women wear sealskin coats, there’s no harm in that. But whether she was innocent or guilty there was no getting away from her fate. They’re sacrificing me to the crabs!
All those who have harmed animals will be sacrificed to the crabs.
‘You dared to touch the Executioner, eh. Fucking my woman is one thing but soiling warrior steel is another!’
The crab, our god, demands human blood!
Gloating, but his obsession with the crabs was stronger than his lust for his mate.
He remembered the Falklands but that war had been nothing compared with this one.
David’s hand rested on the butt of the pistol in his pocket. Again he was tempted. No, he had to do it his way, SAS-style unarmed combat against the threat of deadly kung fu fighting. And the sword known as the Executioner.