Terror Island

It was originally suggested to me that I might read and subsequently provide a review of this novel for the official Guy N. Smith website. Unfortunately on my part I must say that the domain of literary criticism, review and appraisal of this kind (to which one might add what was once described as the field of the "consumer advocate") are disciplines with which I lack familiarity. I’d like to offer here simply that "Terror Island" struck me as an accomplished, compelling and highly entertaining novel. What follows is a text by Rakie Keig describing the origins of the book and the influence of Guy N. Smith’s work upon her own. (R.D.)

The first time I heard of Guy’s books was when my younger sister was about to embark on a school trip to Colwyn Bay. My dad insisted that she should pack crab-repellent and weedkiller, “in case of attack by giant killer crabs”. When we asked what he was on about, he ran off to find his dog-eared copy of Guy N Smith’s “Night of the Crabs”, which I then promptly stole. I was fourteen at the time, and busy developing a taste for horror novels, and I instantly fell in love with Guy’s writing. “Night of the Crabs” became the first in a large collection of his books, which I’m still adding to now. (As a side note, my sister refused to take crab-repellent on holiday with her, but luckily managed to avoid being eaten by any vicious crustaceans).

It’s fair to say that Guy’s books have been a bigger influence on my writing than just about anything else in the world. When I started writing, I tried to emulate the best things about his novels—the tension, the pacing, the concise and well-defined characterisations, the moments of beautifully observed black comedy, and (of course) the shocking descriptions of gore and horror. I’m still working towards being that good (although I’ve a long way still to go!). When I was writing my first novel, ‘Terror Island’, my goal was to make something as fun and fast-paced and gut-wrenching as my favourite horror books. If I’ve succeeded at all, then it’s definitely due to Guy’s influence. He’s a fantastic writer and a really nice bloke as well. It’s my fondest hope that someday I’ll have as fine and extensive a back catalogue as Guy N Smith.

Rakie Keig

"Terror Island" is Published by Hades Gate Publications