After the reign of giant atomic monsters had run its course, the 1970s were all about regular-sized animals gone amok. Instead of espousing the dangers of atomic weapons, these stories often had an environmental message, though in this case, it’s a stretch. While Hollywood was churning out movies such as Frogs (1972), Day of the Animals (1977), and The Swarm (1978). England was number one in man-versus-animal pulp. In my collection alone, I have several books from the UK featuring diabolical critters such as rattlesnakes, cats, rats, crabs, and even Northern Pike! 

So, when I was visiting my favorite store, Half-Price Books, and stumbled upon a copy of “Black Horde” for only $1.99, I was ecstatic. And at under 200 pages, I was able to finish it all on a Sunday afternoon. Here’s the synopsis featured on the back of the book.

As stated, the book opens with a plane crash in the Alps. What they don’t mention is that the passengers are a group of scientists from Europe and the United States who just departed Rome after giving “the first of many” ecological lectures in celebration of “World Ecology Year.” I have no idea when this fictional event was supposed to take place, but the book was written in 1979, if that helps.

Apparently, traditional slideshows are too passe for this group of intellectuals, who instead bring a collection of actual animals as visual props. These include creatures as large as an orangutan and as small as the devil’s coach horse beetle, the latter of which ends up the big bad of this story. In fact, the original title of this novella was “Devil’s Coach-Horse” until, I assume, a wise publisher intervened.

The legend is that Satan himself used the bodies of these beetles to hide in, and that when it turns up its tail (which I assume they mean the insect’s abdomen), it “curses” all who gaze at it.

Most of the book is set in England, although there is a prominent scene in the stockyards of Chicago (which haven’t existed since the early ’70s). This was my favorite scene in the book, probably because, in addition to the killer beetles, there were crazed hoof stock stampeding as well. This brings me to an obvious criticism: regular-sized insects don’t exactly make the most exciting villains. Even the book cover seems to undermine their sinister intentions. I just can’t look at that treacherous beetle featured front and center without thinking of Yosemite Sam.

The book’s length undermines character building, with a plot that is already paper-thin. This is one story that leaves both character- and plot-driven readers empty-handed. The beetles’ sudden change in behavior makes absolutely no sense, and the resolution is so convoluted that I couldn’t spoil the ending if I tried. No worries. At that point, I was just glad it was over.

So, let’s break it down…

GENRE: Man vs Nature/Horror

NUMBER OF PAGES: 164

SHELVE IT OR SCRAP IT? This one is probably for horror paperback collectors only (especially for only a $1.99)

THE MESSAGE: When celebrating the UK, think of The Beatles and not the beetles.

~Dave