First published in May of 2026, UK indie author and photographer Chris Elphick’s ‘GNS3’ was the third fanzine in a series compiling contributions from a variety of fans of Guy N Smith’s work, brought together into a wonderfully presented publication.
The book followed on from Elphick’s first Guy N Smith zine – ‘Guy N Smith: A Personal Fanzine’ (2024) and then the follow-on zine ‘GNS2’ (2025).
For hardcore GNS collectors, it’s worth noting that the very first printing of the zine included several publication errors, including duplicate paragraphs and other such minor publishing mistakes. This extended the zine page count by a couple of extra pages. Only a very small number of these first printings made it to circulation before some of the errors were corrected. The first printings contain 163 printed pages.
Introduction – Chris Elphick – 1 Page
Chris opens his third and final GNS zine with a short introduction explaining that this final offering utilises the same pictorial format as ‘Guy N Smith: A Personal Fanzine’ (2024), whilst keeping the multi-fan content approach established in ‘GNS2’ (2025). Chris then explains that this final zine is devoted to the theme of giant crabs, marking the 50th anniversary of Guy’s seminal pulp horror novel ‘Night Of The Crabs’ (1976).
Book Reviews – Nick Caton – 9 Pages
GNS Super Fan and all round genuinely nice fella, Nick Caton, kicks the fanzine off with an in-depth review of Guy’s novella ‘Killer Crabs: The Return’ (2012). Well, before we take a deep dive into this seventh instalment into the crabs series, Caton first takes us back to the classic novel ‘Killer Crabs’ (1978), with a short rundown of the original tale, and in particular how much he relished the outlandish characters it gave us.
With Caton’s love of the aforementioned original Killer Crabs novel now set in stone, we turn to the first main review of the piece – the seventh instalment – ‘Killer Crabs: The Return’ (2012). Now, as many of you know, this novella has a particular place in my heart, as Guy kindly wrote me into the novel. Not just as a character with the same name, but as me and who I am.
Anyway, Caton’s review of the novella is nothing short of a masterpiece of its own. The review is equal measures knowledgeable and informative, as it is utterly hilarious. Caton knows his GNS! He knows the tropes, he knows the themes, he knows the characters, he knows the tried and tested formulas Smith returned to time and again. With this deep-set knowledge in his reviewing arsenal, Caton plucks out all the good stuff, the best quotes and classic GNS moments. Caton’s review itself is a glorious read and I’ll be honest, puts the DLS ramblings to shame with its quality and humour.
Anyway, Caton’s piece then effortlessly flows into the next in-depth review, that of ‘The Charnel Caves’ (2019). Here Caton doesn’t shy away from his honesty about the novel – explaining how it has more of a cautious pace than the previous novella and less gore heavy. Caton continues to give us another witty rundown of the characters, the trio of plots, and his delight at some of the classic Smithisms contained therein. All this, delivered with the extremely entertaining voice of Caton.
So yeah, the whole write-up is a joy to read, ending with a touching note about this final instalment in the crabs series being akin to the end of an era. We’re then treated to a couple of adorable photos of Nick’s cat – Yuki – before Nick signs off…or so we thought…
Dawn Of The Crabs – Nick Caton – 18 Pages
It would be fair to say that fourteen-year-old Elaine Hood hated everyone with the exception of her seven-year-old brother, Paul. To be fair, Elaine hadn’t had a particularly good childhood. Her father had run off when Paul was born, no doubt because his newborn son had Down syndrome, amongst other persuading factors for the man’s departure.
Elaine’s mother, Carol, wasn’t much of a parent to her daughter. The rundown shithole they called home was little more than a caravan in Mersea Island off the Essex coastline. Carol worked pulling pints at the caravan park, although she made most of her meagre income from laying on her back for the sleazy men frequenting the establishment. The money she made was soon spent on vodka, rather than going towards her two kids.
So, it was possibly no surprise that Elaine turned out how she did. A nasty, vindictive, spiteful girl. But to Paul, Elaine was everything. He doted on her, just as much as she did him. Having recently been diagnosed with hypothyroidism – severely stunting his growth – taking everything into account, Paul’s life was not set to be an easy one.
But he took pleasure from the small things in life. Like hunting for crabs in the rock pools at the nearby beach. Rock pools that would lead them to discovering their biggest and most impressive find to date.
Crabby was a full eight inches across its shell. Paul was absolutely delighted with the find. This one had to go into a bucket for them to keep under the caravan’s crawlspace. Even Elaine was excited about keeping the crab. Although for her, it was more the prospect of what she’d do to the crab. The pain and misery she could bring upon it.
If only they knew what their meddling with the crustaceans would eventually unleash. If only they knew…
Oh, what a story! Nick Caton has absolutely delivered the GNS goods here! We have a textbook GNS setup for a story – a down-and-out trashy family, with no hope of a future, living in a grotty caravan park by the shoreline. A classic setting for a Killer Crabs story if ever there was one.
However, it’s with all the grim and trashy details, along with Caton’s bravery including both animal cruelty and a Down syndrome kid in this grisly story, whereby I take my hat off to the tale’s author. Very much in the same vein as Smith, this fella pulls zero punches.
Essentially, we have a story of this vile teenaged girl and her impressionable, mentally disabled brother, torturing a large crab they’ve captured. Of course, it doesn’t end well for them. We can see that from a mile off. Although, quite how and upon who Caton unleashes the full force of this comeuppance was a bit of an unexpected eye opener.
It’s one gritty and grim, pulpy story. One that Smith himself might have raised an eyebrow at. But, oh is it an entertaining treat to chow down upon. It’s a brave man who pulls off a story like this, not to mention eluding to setting down the origin of King Crab himself! Frigging brilliant.
Shooting Crabs – Mike Howlett – 4 Pages
Mike Howlett comes in next with a short piece about his and his wife’s passion for hiking in nature and photographing the animals (primarily reptiles and amphibians) they find along the way. In fact, the pair have been keeping a record of their findings via an online blog. Go and have a peek!
After explaining this delightfully twee hobby, Mike shares a handful of photos he took containing…you guessed it…a variety of crabs. You’ve gotta love the passion of the GNS fanbase for crabs. Awesomeness unbound!
Book Reviews – Mike Howlett – 3 Pages
Mike Howlett follows on with a short, snappy one-page review of ‘Killer Crabs: The Return’ (2012). In his review, Howlett sets down the basic premise, gives the novella a thumbs up, and signs off with a fan’s thanks to the godfather of pulp horror.
Like Nick Caton, Mike then moves onto a brief review of ‘The Charnel Caves’ (2019). Mike again, sticks to delivering a brief overview of the plot before singing Guy’s praises and adding in a final homage to the Great Scribbler.
Click – Shane Agnew – 11 Pages
Kelly O’Hares was a tad worse for wear. He’d been out drinking around the centre of Blackpool through evening and into the night. He’d ended up getting kicked out of a club by one of the bouncers. He knew he probably deserved it, but the humiliation still pissed him off royally.
Seeing a tramp curled up in a shopfront doorway gave Kelly the perfect opportunity to let off his pent-up anger. A few firmly delivered kicks to the vagrant’s ribs and Kelly felt slightly better about himself.
James Smith didn’t share the same feeling of release, having been at the receiving end of the unprovoked assault. Now his ribs ached like a bitch, adding to the homeless man’s woes. Although even the pain down his ribs couldn’t rid him of the strange visions he’d been experiencing. Scuttling shapes that were always just outside of his peripheral vision, accompanied by an incessant noise that was driving him mad.
Click-Click-Click-Click…
If you asked any fan of GNS’s work to describe two textbook character types which appear in almost every GNS book, you’d probably end up with a homeless tramp, and a drunken thug. So, it’s no surprise that hardcore GNS collector, Shane Agnew, has included both within his gruesome short story.
The backdrop itself is also somewhat classic GNS. Of course we have the coastline, but also the dingy drinking holes, and stinking alleyways where we see a boozed-up Kelly O’Hares wobble down, before making his way onto the sandy beach and ultimately his gruesome death!
Prior to all of this, Shane spends a little time laying down the backstories for both characters. It all adds to humanising them, giving them an existence and a life, so that we feel somewhat invested in who they are before demise comes calling.
The short ultimately ends with a grisly twist-ending. Although, I’ll be honest it’s not 100% unforeseeable. Nevertheless, spotting where Shane’s leading us some time before the big reveal doesn’t really take anything away from the entertainment value of the short. Spotting a recurring character from a forthcoming release of the author’s also put a cheeky smile on this reviewer’s face too!
Feeding The Birds – Paul Lewis & Steve Lockley – 28 Pages
Fifteen-year-old Rhys didn’t exactly have the best life. He looked malnourished to the point he was often mistaken for twelve. He lived in a crummy flat which was supplied by the housing association, in which his alcoholic mother spent her time drinking with her boyfriend, Tony. Tony was a drug dealer and all-round bad influence. Not a great environment for a young, impressionable Rhys.
It was now the Easter holidays and Rhys was returning home. However, as he entered the building, he accidentally lets the neighbour’s dog out. Feeling responsible for the small terrier’s escape, Rhys went running after it, down onto the beach, chasing after the mutt as it made its way under some recently erected fencing. Then all of a sudden, in an explosion of sand, the dog was gone. But not before Rhys saw what took the dog. A giant claw, fully six feet in length, that burst out of the sand dune and ripped the dog in two before dragging the remains of the lifeless mutt down into the sand below.
As frightening as the scene was, it also excited Rhys. What the hell could that be under the sand? Had it washed up when the storm had battered the coast a few days ago? Rhys was intrigued. Yes, it had killed, but Rhys knew it had done so to survive. Nature, red in tooth and claw. Now he wanted to see more of what lay waiting under the sand. He had an idea. To do so, he’d have to feed the birds…
This one is absolutely brilliant! For their joint offering, British authors Paul Lewis and Steve Lockley deliver a compelling story about a young lad with a difficult upbringing, who witnesses his neighbour’s dog getting savagely killed by the giant claw of a submerged creature. Of course, we all know what’s lurking under the sand. But it’s what follows that’s so inspired. Our teenaged protagonist wants to see more of the beast, so he starts throwing chunks of bread onto the sandy spot where the dog met its demise. Seagulls invariably come swooping in for the bread, and voila, our crustacean pal has another meal courtesy of young Rhys!
Outside of this fun and games, we’re also introduced to a couple of bad eggs. The first one’s Kieran Williams – a bully who’s two years older than Rhys and has it in for the lad. Then there’s Tony – Rhys’ mother’s boyfriend and an absolute user and abuser if ever there was one. You can possibly see where this might be going. Oh yes, this is quality stuff my friends. An excellent read with excellent characterisation and a thoroughly gripping pace that has you grinning from ear to ear until the dramatic end. Lewis and Lockley are damn good at this pulp horror lark!
Crab Soup – R.J. Ren – 13 Pages
The first signs that there was something wrong with Troy revealed themselves on their journey back to London. They’d spent Christmas with Troy’s parents in the shadow of mount Snowdon, tucked away in a little village called Talsarnau. On the way back Troy had gotten sick. Vomiting half-digested seafood onto the grassy verge. But it was more than just a stomach bug. The skin around his neck was beginning to itch and it was looking increasingly sore. His flesh hanging loosely off his bones. His body’s dramatic decline had happened in just the space of a few hours. God knows how bad he’d be by the next morning…
Ha! This is a fun one. A solid slab of body horror mixed with some good ole crabness. Essentially, a messed-up body transformation piece, somewhere between ‘The Fly’ (1986) and ‘The Thing’ (1982). However, it’s the wonderfully descriptive wordsmanship used within this deliciously grotesque short tale that makes it such a delight. A banquet of rancid seafood and bloated offal delivered with a hint of black comedy. Oh yes, it’s a fun one alright!
Crab Art – Tara Paulsson – 1 Page
Next in the zine we have two pieces of giant crab artwork by Guy’s daughter, Tara Paulsson. The first is work-in-progress piece, whilst the second is a full colour painting. Both showcasing the love and impact Guy’s crab stories had on both fans of his work and indeed his own family.
Lego Crabs – Chris Elphick – 12 Pages
We then have another dose of Lego recreations by Chris Elphick depicting GNS book covers. For this ‘crabs themed zine’ the Lego recreations are of the covers for the recent reissues of the crabs books (six in total), with the cover art reproduced across one page and then Elphick’s Lego recreation across the adjacent page. Honestly, Chris’ recreations are ingenious and so damn creative. And the photography of each is spot on. I do love these. Elphick should seriously think of publishing a coffee table book dedicated to exhibiting all of his wonderful Lego recreations.
Crabs’ Harvest – Chris Elphick – 10 Pages
Judy was aware that Paul’s fixation with crabs had become something closer to a clinical obsession. Now they were at Shell Island, watching as the annual bonfire marked the island’s closure for the year, after which they’d have less than an hour to cross the causeway before the tide came in and left them marooned. Less than an hour for Paul to do what he needed to do, so he could hopefully move on with his life.
He’d become convinced the giant crabs that caused bloody mayhem all those years ago hadn’t perished. In fact, he’d told Judy he wouldn’t be able to rest until he’d come face-to-face with a live giant crab. Tonight’s experiment on Shell Island was designed to conclude the matter once and for all. To coax the giant crabs out. To finally show the world they were still here…waiting…
This was another damn entertaining read. A fan’s love letter to the Great Scribbler. Essentially, it’s a short tale that takes the basic premise from ‘Crabs: The Human Sacrifice’ (1988) and blends it with a faux-reality in which GNS’s crabs stories were historical reality. This coupled with Elphick’s recent pilgrimage to Shell Island (see below) has created a wonderfully entertaining yarn to put a smile on your pulp-lovin’ face.
In fact, you can almost sense how Elphick’s put himself into the story. The character of Paul is undoubtedly a reimagining of Chris, with his experiment on Shell Island being almost a fanciful daydream that Chris might have concocted whilst exploring the island. Elphick’s passion for both exploring and preserving GNS’s legacy is exhibited throughout this piece.
Although in this story in particular, there’s unfortunately a large number of typos, which can frequently derail the reader. In fact, Judy is even accidentally renamed Jenny at one point in the short tale! Nevertheless, it’s still a damn enjoyable read and just emphasises the DIY ethos of the fanzine.
A Pilgrimage To Shell Island - Chris Elphick – 9 Pages
Next up we have a non-fiction piece from Chris Elphick in which he provides us with a brief write-up of his pilgrimage to Shell Island which he undertook in 2025. Essentially, we have Chris telling us about the few days he spent camping at North Wales island with his partner.
The write up is interspersed with light humour and heavy with references to ‘Night Of The Crabs’ (1976) – as you’d no doubt expect! Sadly, by the sounds of it the weather wasn’t great for the pair, however, Chris did manage to get some spectacular photos of the spot, which appear in the zine in full colour. Honestly, they look great and Chris is clearly a talented photographer. Although, once again the write-up is a tad hampered by a veritable litany of unfortunate typos, which at times leads to needing to decipher the text a little. Hopefully, this will be corrected for future prints!
The Last Talk – Ian Talbot Taylor – 24 Pages
Despite his job as the guide and lecturer for a seaside aquarium, Dr Raymond Banter had come to realise that he didn’t actually like aquatic creatures. He simply enjoyed catching, hurting and killing them.
As such, at the old Victorian Aquarium in the coastal resort of South Easton, he not only delivered talks that deserved better pay and more astute audiences, but he also got the opportunity to torture and kill sea creatures. And whilst he had his wicked way with the creatures, he’d voice a sinister farewell, informing the unfortunate sea inhabitants they were experiencing their last talk by a highly qualified aquarium talks presenter. Oh, how Raymond enjoyed giving them their last talk…
For this final story in the zine, I’m going to have to be brutally honest. For me the story made the cardinal sin for a pulp horror story (especially for a short story) – I got bored. I guess this was potentially exasperated by another load of typos which constantly derailed me as a reader.
To be fair, the first few pages of the tale were pretty solid. When we learn of Dr Banter’s sociopathic tendencies and how he tortures the sea creatures, it’s all pretty dark and engaging stuff. I was effectively drawn into the tale at this stage. Then sadly, it all seems to fall to pieces.
There’s definitely far too much padding in the story. This combined with constant typos and mangled sentences leads to you losing interest, or patience with the story. Which is a shame because there’s definitely something in it.
Honestly, some serious proofreading and editing would likely change the outcome of the story completely.
Book Review – Ian Talbot Taylor – 5 Pages
As a final review for the zine, we have Ian Talbot Taylor’s thoughts on ‘The Origin Of The Crabs’ (1979). Ian’s reviewing style is more akin to a conversational piece, talking us through his purchase and first read of the book and only then his thoughts on it as a prequel. Interestingly, Ian read the novel before reading ‘Night Of The Crabs’ (1976), reading the novels in chronological order rather than the order in which they were released.
Ian astutely talks through the novel’s limitations, in particular with it being a prequel and so the outcome is somewhat known from the outset. We also have brief overviews of the characters which upon reading Ian’s review, brought back fond memories from when I read the book so many years ago.
The review perhaps struggles a bit with a slight lack of direction and conciseness (yeah, pot kettle, I know!) and as such at times feels a tad rambling. Nevertheless, there’s plenty in there to have you reminiscing about the book and perhaps (like me) pondering a reread.
Conclusion – Chris Elphick – 2 Pages
Chris wraps up the zine with a final message explaining that this will unfortunately be the last GNS zine he’ll produce, and going forward there’ll be just the odd GNS article posted up on his online blog. All in all, it’s a lovely final message showing the passion Chris has for Smith’s work and legacy. Nice one, mate!
The zine runs for a total of 161 pages (163 pages in the first printing).
© DLS Reviews
Other ‘GNS Zine’ instalments:
- ‘Guy N Smith: A Personal Fanzine’ (2024)
- ‘GNS2’ (2025)
- ‘GNS3’ (2026)
