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The Sucking Pit #1
The Sucking Pit
Hopwas Wood is a place of mystery and for generations, tales have been told about an ancient gypsy burial site deep within.
Jenny Lawson always knew she had Romany blood flowing through her veins and when given a secret book by her dying Uncle can't resist the urge to mix the ancient potions described inside. In a matter of hours the virginal jenny is transformed into a knife wielding nymphomaniac.
Entranced by the mysterious Cornelius, Jenny uses all her womanly charms to persuade the wood's owner to let the gypsy's set up camp on their holy ground. Ex-boyfriend Chris, an investigative reporter, is horrified by the changes in the girl he once loved and embarks on a quest for the truth only to discover the terror that lies deep within The Sucking Pit !
Jenny Lawson always knew she had Romany blood flowing through her veins and when given a secret book by her dying Uncle can't resist the urge to mix the ancient potions described inside. In a matter of hours the virginal jenny is transformed into a knife wielding nymphomaniac.
Entranced by the mysterious Cornelius, Jenny uses all her womanly charms to persuade the wood's owner to let the gypsy's set up camp on their holy ground. Ex-boyfriend Chris, an investigative reporter, is horrified by the changes in the girl he once loved and embarks on a quest for the truth only to discover the terror that lies deep within The Sucking Pit !
160 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1975
5 people are currently reading
286 people want to read
About the author
Guy N. Smith
175 books297 followersI was born on November 21, 1939, in the small village of Hopwas, near Tamworth, Staffordshire, England. My mother was a pre-war historical novelist (E. M. Weale) and she always encouraged me to write.
I was first published at the age of 12 in The Tettenhall Observer, a local weekly newspaper. Between 1952-57 I wrote 56 stories for them, many serialized. In 1990 I collated these into a book entitled Fifty Tales from the Fifties.
My father was a dedicated bank manager and I was destined for banking from birth. I accepted it but never found it very interesting. During the early years when I was working in Birmingham, I spent most of my lunch hours in the Birmingham gun quarter. I would have loved to have served an apprenticeship in the gun trade but my father would not hear of it.
Shooting (hunting) was my first love, and all my spare time was spent in this way. In 1961 I designed and made a 12-bore shotgun, intending to follow it up with six more, but I did not have the money to do this. I still use the Guy N. Smith short-barrelled magnum. During 1960-67 I operated a small shotgun cartridge loading business but this finished when my components suppliers closed down and I could no longer obtain components at competitive prices.
My writing in those days only concerned shooting. I wrote regularly for most of the sporting magazines, interspersed with fiction for such magazines as the legendary London Mystery Selection, a quarterly anthology for which I contributed 18 stories between 1972-82.
In 1972 I launched my second hand bookselling business which eventually became Black Hill Books. Originally my intention was to concentrate on this and maybe build it up to a full-time business which would enable me to leave banking. Although we still have this business, writing came along and this proved to be the vehicle which gave me my freedom.
I wrote a horror novel for the New English Library in 1974 entitled Werewolf by Moonlight. This was followed by a couple more, but it was Night of the Crabs in 1976 which really launched me as a writer. It was a bestseller, spawning five sequels, and was followed by another 60 or so horror novels through to the mid-1990's. Amicus bought the film rights to Crabs in 1976 and this gave me the chance to leave banking and by my own place, including my shoot, on the Black Hill.
The Guy N. Smith Fan Club was formed in 1990 and still has an active membership. We hold a convention every year at my home which is always well attended.
Around this time I became Poland's best-selling author. Phantom Press published two GNS books each month, mostly with print runs of around 100,000.
I have written much, much more than just horror; crime and mystery (as Gavin Newman), and children's animal novels (as Jonathan Guy). I have written a dozen or so shooting and countryside books, a book on Writing Horror Fiction (A. & C. Black). In 1997 my first full length western novel, The Pony Riders was published by Pinnacle in the States.
With 100-plus books to my credit, I was looking for new challenges. In 1999 I formed my own publishing company and began to publish my own books. They did rather well and gave me a lot of satisfaction. We plan to publish one or two every year.
Still regretting that I had not served an apprenticeship in the gun trade, the best job of my life dropped into my lap in 1999 when I was offered the post of Gun Editor of The Countryman's Weekly, a weekly magazine which covers all field sports. This entails my writing five illustrated feature articles a week on guns, cartridges, deer stalking, big game hunting etc.
Alongside this we have expanded our mail order second hand crime fiction business, still publish a few books, and I find as much time as possible for shooting.
Jean, my wife, helps with the business. Our four children, Rowan, Tara, Gavin and Angus have all moved away from home but they visit on a regular basis.
I would not want to live anywhere other than m
I was first published at the age of 12 in The Tettenhall Observer, a local weekly newspaper. Between 1952-57 I wrote 56 stories for them, many serialized. In 1990 I collated these into a book entitled Fifty Tales from the Fifties.
My father was a dedicated bank manager and I was destined for banking from birth. I accepted it but never found it very interesting. During the early years when I was working in Birmingham, I spent most of my lunch hours in the Birmingham gun quarter. I would have loved to have served an apprenticeship in the gun trade but my father would not hear of it.
Shooting (hunting) was my first love, and all my spare time was spent in this way. In 1961 I designed and made a 12-bore shotgun, intending to follow it up with six more, but I did not have the money to do this. I still use the Guy N. Smith short-barrelled magnum. During 1960-67 I operated a small shotgun cartridge loading business but this finished when my components suppliers closed down and I could no longer obtain components at competitive prices.
My writing in those days only concerned shooting. I wrote regularly for most of the sporting magazines, interspersed with fiction for such magazines as the legendary London Mystery Selection, a quarterly anthology for which I contributed 18 stories between 1972-82.
In 1972 I launched my second hand bookselling business which eventually became Black Hill Books. Originally my intention was to concentrate on this and maybe build it up to a full-time business which would enable me to leave banking. Although we still have this business, writing came along and this proved to be the vehicle which gave me my freedom.
I wrote a horror novel for the New English Library in 1974 entitled Werewolf by Moonlight. This was followed by a couple more, but it was Night of the Crabs in 1976 which really launched me as a writer. It was a bestseller, spawning five sequels, and was followed by another 60 or so horror novels through to the mid-1990's. Amicus bought the film rights to Crabs in 1976 and this gave me the chance to leave banking and by my own place, including my shoot, on the Black Hill.
The Guy N. Smith Fan Club was formed in 1990 and still has an active membership. We hold a convention every year at my home which is always well attended.
Around this time I became Poland's best-selling author. Phantom Press published two GNS books each month, mostly with print runs of around 100,000.
I have written much, much more than just horror; crime and mystery (as Gavin Newman), and children's animal novels (as Jonathan Guy). I have written a dozen or so shooting and countryside books, a book on Writing Horror Fiction (A. & C. Black). In 1997 my first full length western novel, The Pony Riders was published by Pinnacle in the States.
With 100-plus books to my credit, I was looking for new challenges. In 1999 I formed my own publishing company and began to publish my own books. They did rather well and gave me a lot of satisfaction. We plan to publish one or two every year.
Still regretting that I had not served an apprenticeship in the gun trade, the best job of my life dropped into my lap in 1999 when I was offered the post of Gun Editor of The Countryman's Weekly, a weekly magazine which covers all field sports. This entails my writing five illustrated feature articles a week on guns, cartridges, deer stalking, big game hunting etc.
Alongside this we have expanded our mail order second hand crime fiction business, still publish a few books, and I find as much time as possible for shooting.
Jean, my wife, helps with the business. Our four children, Rowan, Tara, Gavin and Angus have all moved away from home but they visit on a regular basis.
I would not want to live anywhere other than m
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews
April 30, 2020
Look at that cover! The book was even mentioned in Stephen King's Danse Macabre as one of the pulpiest horror novels ever written. It definitely is. Coming from the beginning of the Golden Age of Horror you'll find a plain woman turning into a witch, gypsies and a series of murder taking place. The sucking pit is an ideal place for dead bodies? Who will survive the story and what set the mechanism of killing into place? Lots of lewd women (definitely no book for feminists here), wild sex, violence and killing. The storyline? Quite thin, but there's always "thud, squelch, slurp and a fine gurgling into the sacred burial ground". A real pulp horror classic, not to be missed. Highly recommended!
October 21, 2024
this lands in so-bad-it's-good territory. the outlandish plot does feature a bog called The Sucking Pit where a lot of inconvenient bodies can be conveniently stowed away. there's also a sinister peak nearby referred to as The Devil's Dressing Room, which is not the scariest name around. but it's a real place, located in Hopwas Wood UK, where much of the action in this book also takes place. all that said, this book is less about that bog and more about Jenny Lawson, a kindly young woman who, after setting foot in her nefarious uncle's creepy cabin in the woods, almost instantly turns into an evil nymphomaniac hungry for blood, guts, and dick. Jenny really gets into the whole evil thing, quickly killing a poor little hedgehog, her uncle's surprised cat, and some random dude she's just banged in an alley while on the prowl. and then, worst of all, she very meanly breaks up with her sweet boyfriend. she's just not into him anymore, after he proves incapable of providing her with the rough sex she now craves. fortunately for Jenny, into her life stalks a deranged and gigantic narcissist who calls himself "the messiah of the Romany" and who has a rather endearing plan to give his people a place of their own: Hopwas Wood. Jenny is about to make his dreams come true!
anyway, this was fun. it was written as if the author just became literate yesterday, and then decided to write a book while wasted, so don't expect any wonders with the prose.
anyway, this was fun. it was written as if the author just became literate yesterday, and then decided to write a book while wasted, so don't expect any wonders with the prose.
July 21, 2012
When life is hectic, there's nothing better than a little pulpy goodness to take your mind off things. You open the covers, let your eyes rove the pages, and get lost inside the primary-color world. Subtle it is not. For horror pulp, one can trace the over-the-top melodrama and bloodshed to the Grand Guignol Theater in turn-of-century Paris. And for modern day horror-pulp one can find no better than author Guy N. Smith.
Sure, the dialog can be sometimes corny. The characters emotions are usually overly dramatic. But, depending on your temperament, they can also be great fun. This entry in the Smith library is a little slow at times, but overall, I could envision this story scripted as one of the Guignol's finest outings.
Sure, the dialog can be sometimes corny. The characters emotions are usually overly dramatic. But, depending on your temperament, they can also be great fun. This entry in the Smith library is a little slow at times, but overall, I could envision this story scripted as one of the Guignol's finest outings.
March 14, 2015
He enjoys tobacco. He loves guns. He does not like street lights. Truly, Guy N. Smith is a man of many facets, but he’s best known for his crabs. From 1976 until 2012 he wrote Night of the Crabs, Killer Crabs, The Origin of the Crabs, Crabs on the Rampage, Crabs’ Moon, Crabs: The Human Sacrifice, and Killer Crabs: The Return. Along with about 93 other books. But apart from being a prolific writer of all things crab, what does Guy N. Smith have to offer the modern reader? After all, you have to respect an author with the balls to put "suck" right there in the title of one of his books.
Read the rest of this suckilicious review.
Read the rest of this suckilicious review.
June 9, 2009
First published back in 1975, 'The Sucking Pit' was Guy N. Smith's second published novel, following the release of his debut novel 'Werewolf By Moonlight' in 1974. ‘The Sucking Pit’ was soon to be haled as an all-time pulp horror classic and subsequently saw itself re-issued in 1978 and 1989. Even a board game of the spectacular ‘Sucking Pit’ adventures was contrived at one stage, but only on a very minimal scale.
Set in the heart of Hopwas Wood, in the rural Midlands, Smith begins his eerie tale of satanic urges. On the night that local woodsman Tom Lawson passes away, his beautiful and sweet niece Jenny unearths a little black book that was left behind by Lawson’s young gypsy-wife who had disappeared one night a while ago. Jenny Lawson begins to read the passages contained in this harmless looking book, discovering secrets that should never have seen the light of day. The book details of a strange potion to be consumed on the hunter’s moon. Against her better judgment, Jenny Lawson follows the ancient ritual and consumes the powerful potion.
Jenny quickly forgets her old life and now overcome with unquenchable urges, pursues a newly found sexual appetite that the book and its potion have brought to the surface from deep within her Romany blood. Leaving behind her old boyfriend Chris Latimer, Jenny finds herself drawn to the giant gypsy traveler Cornelius.
Lawson’s unstoppable appetite for power is boiling away. Cornelius simply fans the flames as they embark on a bloodthirsty quest for power and sexual gratification. Their one true goal is to regain the ancient Romany burial site of their ancestors. Deep within the dark depths of ‘Hanging Wood’ lies a treacherous and seemingly bottomless bog. This fathomless pit holds the dark and ancient secrets of the Romany’s. Nothing that falls in ever manages to escape its deadly sinking depths. The bog has a name – The Sucking Pit.
Only one man stands in the way of Cornelius’s corrupt plan that is centered around the eerie quagmire. That man is Lawson’s ex-boyfriend Chris Latimer, who without giving up all hope on Lawson after her sudden change in character, sets to unearth the dark secrets that surround Lawson’s newly acquired company and their attraction to the unforgiving Sucking Pit.
Lasting for a mere 111 pages (158 pages in the larger print re-release) the novel would possibly be better suited as being classed as a novella. From the outset, Smith dives in delivering the set up for a classic pulp horror tale, slotting in plenty of potential for over-the-top violence and sexual deviancy. With the plot quickly established, Smith delivers the goods in abundance. The characterization is somewhat predictable and clichéd in places, with the characters filling their roles within the unfolding tale to a clearly set criteria. Rammed with sex and outrageous violence with a fair old wedge of the occult thrown in for good measure, 'The Sucking Pit' has all the winning ingredients for a great pulp horror novel and a further introduction to what Smith will later have to offer the world. Guy doesn't fail in delivering this to us with the sort of non-stop action packed pulp horror fest we want from him as we lap up this wildly over-the-top tale.
For its simplicities and grossly clichéd aspects, 'The Sucking Pit' is far from one of Guy’s more involved and haunting novels. However, the tale is not without its pulp horror charm, unleashing an unashamed abundance of all things nasty with those unmistakable occult undertones that were so predominant in the 70’s pulp horror novels.
Jenny Lawson’s unquenchable desire for non-stop sex adds the much needed injection of lurid behavior. The murder of a local tramp is deliciously gory, bringing with it a monumental insight into the things to come from this ridiculously prolific writer.
For page after page of pure pulp horror entertainment, this short and sweet novel delivers exactly what you want. The novel was later followed up by its 1984 sequel ‘The Walking Dead’.
Set in the heart of Hopwas Wood, in the rural Midlands, Smith begins his eerie tale of satanic urges. On the night that local woodsman Tom Lawson passes away, his beautiful and sweet niece Jenny unearths a little black book that was left behind by Lawson’s young gypsy-wife who had disappeared one night a while ago. Jenny Lawson begins to read the passages contained in this harmless looking book, discovering secrets that should never have seen the light of day. The book details of a strange potion to be consumed on the hunter’s moon. Against her better judgment, Jenny Lawson follows the ancient ritual and consumes the powerful potion.
Jenny quickly forgets her old life and now overcome with unquenchable urges, pursues a newly found sexual appetite that the book and its potion have brought to the surface from deep within her Romany blood. Leaving behind her old boyfriend Chris Latimer, Jenny finds herself drawn to the giant gypsy traveler Cornelius.
Lawson’s unstoppable appetite for power is boiling away. Cornelius simply fans the flames as they embark on a bloodthirsty quest for power and sexual gratification. Their one true goal is to regain the ancient Romany burial site of their ancestors. Deep within the dark depths of ‘Hanging Wood’ lies a treacherous and seemingly bottomless bog. This fathomless pit holds the dark and ancient secrets of the Romany’s. Nothing that falls in ever manages to escape its deadly sinking depths. The bog has a name – The Sucking Pit.
Only one man stands in the way of Cornelius’s corrupt plan that is centered around the eerie quagmire. That man is Lawson’s ex-boyfriend Chris Latimer, who without giving up all hope on Lawson after her sudden change in character, sets to unearth the dark secrets that surround Lawson’s newly acquired company and their attraction to the unforgiving Sucking Pit.
Lasting for a mere 111 pages (158 pages in the larger print re-release) the novel would possibly be better suited as being classed as a novella. From the outset, Smith dives in delivering the set up for a classic pulp horror tale, slotting in plenty of potential for over-the-top violence and sexual deviancy. With the plot quickly established, Smith delivers the goods in abundance. The characterization is somewhat predictable and clichéd in places, with the characters filling their roles within the unfolding tale to a clearly set criteria. Rammed with sex and outrageous violence with a fair old wedge of the occult thrown in for good measure, 'The Sucking Pit' has all the winning ingredients for a great pulp horror novel and a further introduction to what Smith will later have to offer the world. Guy doesn't fail in delivering this to us with the sort of non-stop action packed pulp horror fest we want from him as we lap up this wildly over-the-top tale.
For its simplicities and grossly clichéd aspects, 'The Sucking Pit' is far from one of Guy’s more involved and haunting novels. However, the tale is not without its pulp horror charm, unleashing an unashamed abundance of all things nasty with those unmistakable occult undertones that were so predominant in the 70’s pulp horror novels.
Jenny Lawson’s unquenchable desire for non-stop sex adds the much needed injection of lurid behavior. The murder of a local tramp is deliciously gory, bringing with it a monumental insight into the things to come from this ridiculously prolific writer.
For page after page of pure pulp horror entertainment, this short and sweet novel delivers exactly what you want. The novel was later followed up by its 1984 sequel ‘The Walking Dead’.
January 2, 2021
The Sucking Pit is unabashed unadulterated trashy fun, the very thing that defined the pulp fiction horror of the 70s. The book is Guy N Smith's second book, and you can make that out from the simplistic nature of the plot and the few liberties he takes (such as characters agreeing to things very easily, too easily in fact), but it's entertaining as hell. Finished reading it in a day, so it was not a huge investment of time either. If you are looking for a fun pop-horror read that spells entertainment all through, go for it. Just be prepared for Smith's penchant of addressing all characters by their full names throughout the book; Chris Latimer is always Christ Latimer and Jenny Lawson is always Jenny Lawson!
July 2, 2024
⭐ 3.5
May 16, 2020
The pit started sucking on page 4. The book started sucking immediately after that on page 6. It’s impossible to describe the numerous problems with this book and ultimately how shitty it was. And it was published! Even more mind blowing this book was discussed in a magazine article by Stephen King from the 70s or 80s about new horror publications that were good reads. Uh? Speechless. I seriously don’t know where to go with that. This book was atrocious. It was horrible. It sucked!
October 14, 2021
Really kind of bad - and by bad, I mean lame. A little more spookiness and less of the visceral description and I’d have liked this more. As it is, it’s a lot like a story of infidelity until it suddenly stops. I wanted much more creep, but what I got was much more crap.
October 12, 2020
Pure 🧀 cheesy horror, LOVED IT!
Enjoying this random little novels in the run up to Halloween 🎃☠️👻
Enjoying this random little novels in the run up to Halloween 🎃☠️👻
November 29, 2025
The Sucking Pit (1975) by Guy N. Smith
When you live next to a sucking pit, every personal problem appears solvable with a sucking pit.
[….] This time [Lawson] saw himself. Younger by ten years at least. He carried the bulky sack as though it were weightless, his pose belying its contents. It soared through the air and then seemed to hang suspended for a while until finally it struck that unnatural greenness with a dull thwack. A couple of gurgles and it was gone forever. The bloodstained hessian sack might never have been. Neither, for that matter, the mutilated dismembered corpse inside it. They were gone. Oblivion. Not quite, though. The image of Marie kept returning to him. Sometimes in his dreams. Sometimes in the woodsmoke. He tried to shut her out. It was impossible. That was the outcome of marrying a gypsy girl so much younger than himself. He couldn't stand the pace. She had found what she wanted in the village.
Young men who could match her wriggling snake-like body. He could only stand so much. If they wanted her favours now they'd have to seek them in the depths of the Sucking Pit. That was where they all should be anyway. Again the scene changed. Himself again. Another body. Bolton's this time. Handsome once. Not now. Not when his skull had been split with a felling-axe, slicing it completely in two and showering his brains down on to his chequered shirt and jeans. Now he saw the police investigations. He'd just adopted an attitude of disinterest knowing full well that the Sucking Pit wouldn't reveal his secret. 'Good riddance!' he had told the sergeant. 'The bitch has gone, and I don't want to see her again, ever. Nor Bolton. Nor any of the rest of the crap she's been opening her legs for.' They had accepted his philosophy. They had to. Bolton and Marie had run off together. Somebody goes missing every day. Only a small percentage of them are ever found. It was all too easy to disappear, nowadays. A new place - another name. Mr and Mrs Bolton, Smith, Jones, anything. The woodman's gypsy blood flowed more freely through his veins now that he had experienced it all again. He was back in the present, here in his cottage with its smell of woodsmoke and stale cooking. An old man's den.
Comfortable. Secure in the heart of Hopwas Wood, two hundred acres of conifer plantations on the fringe of the industrial midlands. A backwater in a sea of progress and mechanisation. Its legend was even blacker than his own evil deeds. For instance, there was that area known as the 'Hanging Wood' where Oliver Cromwell was reputed to have hanged one hundred Royalists, leaving their bodies suspended there as a warning to their followers.
On windy nights, if you listened carefully, you could hear the creaking of the branches as the hempen ropes swung to and fro, followed by an occasional thud as one of them snapped under the weight, and the corpse plummeted downwards to the thick carpet of leaves beneath. Few people went there after dark. Less than a quarter of a mile away, on the southern boundary, stood the "Devil's Dressing Room" - another place to be avoided by the faint of heart. It was supposedly here that the Devil had paused on his arrival on earth to change into human form. Strange things had been reported by farmworkers on their nocturnal missions to tend their sheep in the adjoining fields.
Only the gypsies went there... and 'Romany' Lawson as he was known to them. The roving bands often used it as a winter encampment, sheltered from the north winds by its tall Scots pines. They had no fear. They were disciples of the Master anyway.
The Sucking Pit (1975) by Guy N. Smith takes place over several days -- and several nights filled with sex and murder. Old Mr Lawson, after death, either possesses or emboldens his niece Jenny. Jenny makes quick work of a local landowner and a private detective, all while graduating to higher levels of demonic mastery.
Smith does not make much of his materials. A few fruitful notes are left unexploited, and he is determined to have a young journalist hero turn up to set things right.
Ultimately, authorities determine the sucking pit has no bottom.
'It's a vile place.' Chris shivered at the very thought of it.
'Was,' corrected Harman with a smile. 'I ordered several hundred tons of rubble to be dumped in it. It kept on taking it. Finally settled though. You can even stand on it now! It was the only thing to do in the interests of public safety.'
When you live next to a sucking pit, every personal problem appears solvable with a sucking pit.
[….] This time [Lawson] saw himself. Younger by ten years at least. He carried the bulky sack as though it were weightless, his pose belying its contents. It soared through the air and then seemed to hang suspended for a while until finally it struck that unnatural greenness with a dull thwack. A couple of gurgles and it was gone forever. The bloodstained hessian sack might never have been. Neither, for that matter, the mutilated dismembered corpse inside it. They were gone. Oblivion. Not quite, though. The image of Marie kept returning to him. Sometimes in his dreams. Sometimes in the woodsmoke. He tried to shut her out. It was impossible. That was the outcome of marrying a gypsy girl so much younger than himself. He couldn't stand the pace. She had found what she wanted in the village.
Young men who could match her wriggling snake-like body. He could only stand so much. If they wanted her favours now they'd have to seek them in the depths of the Sucking Pit. That was where they all should be anyway. Again the scene changed. Himself again. Another body. Bolton's this time. Handsome once. Not now. Not when his skull had been split with a felling-axe, slicing it completely in two and showering his brains down on to his chequered shirt and jeans. Now he saw the police investigations. He'd just adopted an attitude of disinterest knowing full well that the Sucking Pit wouldn't reveal his secret. 'Good riddance!' he had told the sergeant. 'The bitch has gone, and I don't want to see her again, ever. Nor Bolton. Nor any of the rest of the crap she's been opening her legs for.' They had accepted his philosophy. They had to. Bolton and Marie had run off together. Somebody goes missing every day. Only a small percentage of them are ever found. It was all too easy to disappear, nowadays. A new place - another name. Mr and Mrs Bolton, Smith, Jones, anything. The woodman's gypsy blood flowed more freely through his veins now that he had experienced it all again. He was back in the present, here in his cottage with its smell of woodsmoke and stale cooking. An old man's den.
Comfortable. Secure in the heart of Hopwas Wood, two hundred acres of conifer plantations on the fringe of the industrial midlands. A backwater in a sea of progress and mechanisation. Its legend was even blacker than his own evil deeds. For instance, there was that area known as the 'Hanging Wood' where Oliver Cromwell was reputed to have hanged one hundred Royalists, leaving their bodies suspended there as a warning to their followers.
On windy nights, if you listened carefully, you could hear the creaking of the branches as the hempen ropes swung to and fro, followed by an occasional thud as one of them snapped under the weight, and the corpse plummeted downwards to the thick carpet of leaves beneath. Few people went there after dark. Less than a quarter of a mile away, on the southern boundary, stood the "Devil's Dressing Room" - another place to be avoided by the faint of heart. It was supposedly here that the Devil had paused on his arrival on earth to change into human form. Strange things had been reported by farmworkers on their nocturnal missions to tend their sheep in the adjoining fields.
Only the gypsies went there... and 'Romany' Lawson as he was known to them. The roving bands often used it as a winter encampment, sheltered from the north winds by its tall Scots pines. They had no fear. They were disciples of the Master anyway.
The Sucking Pit (1975) by Guy N. Smith takes place over several days -- and several nights filled with sex and murder. Old Mr Lawson, after death, either possesses or emboldens his niece Jenny. Jenny makes quick work of a local landowner and a private detective, all while graduating to higher levels of demonic mastery.
Smith does not make much of his materials. A few fruitful notes are left unexploited, and he is determined to have a young journalist hero turn up to set things right.
Ultimately, authorities determine the sucking pit has no bottom.
'It's a vile place.' Chris shivered at the very thought of it.
'Was,' corrected Harman with a smile. 'I ordered several hundred tons of rubble to be dumped in it. It kept on taking it. Finally settled though. You can even stand on it now! It was the only thing to do in the interests of public safety.'
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 10, 2017
Written in 1975 as Guy N. Smith’s second book – after 1974’s WEREWOLF BY MOONLIGHT – THE SUCKING PIT is a short horror novel that manages to pack almost every one of its 111 pages with sex and violence, violence and sex. It’s a lurid, unpolished read that was obviously knocked out at speed and without much effort. By the time THROWBACK was released ten years later, Smith stood firm as a rather efficient writer, better than many of his contemporaries. Back in 1975, his writing seems frequently amateurish, with much of his dialogue particularly wooden and implausible.
The idea of a swampy pit that efficiently ‘eats’ people is nothing new and Smith, realizing that not much fun can be had with the premise – the pit itself is immobile and without character – makes the villain of his piece a young, nubile girl possessed by gypsy evil. Jenny Lawson is a one-dimensional character – in fact all of the people in the book lack any sort of characterisation, which is the norm for this genre – and her presence in the storyline is merely an excuse for lots and lots of nudity and sex, sequences which are frequently dated and therefore amusing to the modern reader. Smith’s language is admittedly colourful and the author has a liking for purple prose, which makes this book a very amusing read; dialogue from the investigating police, for example, is hilarious.
The storyline – if you can really call it that – is pretty predictable, with minor characters popping up for a couple of pages before being dispatched. Things culminate in an exquisitely gruesome climax, which is pretty exciting with plenty of action for the reader as all hell breaks loose. While the supernatural elements of the storyline are kept to a minimum, gorehounds will find much to enjoy in the novel’s elaborately gory death scenes, which include a tramp being torn to pieces in a graveyard and a villain having the flesh blown from his body and head by the blast of a double-barreled shotgun. THE SUCKING PIT is poorly written but strangely hard to dislike; anybody who reads it must surely know what they are getting themselves into, so it’s hard to criticise it too much. Smith provides ample scenes of sexual activity and gory violence – with the focus on the former this time around. There’s nothing more to be found here, and nothing less. Genre fans get their money’s worth with this one, a book that serves as a nostalgia time capsule for ‘70s horror.
The idea of a swampy pit that efficiently ‘eats’ people is nothing new and Smith, realizing that not much fun can be had with the premise – the pit itself is immobile and without character – makes the villain of his piece a young, nubile girl possessed by gypsy evil. Jenny Lawson is a one-dimensional character – in fact all of the people in the book lack any sort of characterisation, which is the norm for this genre – and her presence in the storyline is merely an excuse for lots and lots of nudity and sex, sequences which are frequently dated and therefore amusing to the modern reader. Smith’s language is admittedly colourful and the author has a liking for purple prose, which makes this book a very amusing read; dialogue from the investigating police, for example, is hilarious.
The storyline – if you can really call it that – is pretty predictable, with minor characters popping up for a couple of pages before being dispatched. Things culminate in an exquisitely gruesome climax, which is pretty exciting with plenty of action for the reader as all hell breaks loose. While the supernatural elements of the storyline are kept to a minimum, gorehounds will find much to enjoy in the novel’s elaborately gory death scenes, which include a tramp being torn to pieces in a graveyard and a villain having the flesh blown from his body and head by the blast of a double-barreled shotgun. THE SUCKING PIT is poorly written but strangely hard to dislike; anybody who reads it must surely know what they are getting themselves into, so it’s hard to criticise it too much. Smith provides ample scenes of sexual activity and gory violence – with the focus on the former this time around. There’s nothing more to be found here, and nothing less. Genre fans get their money’s worth with this one, a book that serves as a nostalgia time capsule for ‘70s horror.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 10, 2023
1975.
Are you guys going to the Sucking Pit tonight? Supposed to be some killer bands playing. This book is short and uhhh…sweet? Craggy swamp hermit lives in a cabin in the woods. Wait! Shit. I forgot. The book actually starts with a fox named Reynaldo or something watching some hound dogs sink into the Sucking Pit. NOW back to our hermit. He’s salty and loves the Sucking Pit. He’s part gypsy. Can you be part gypsy? If you’re not gypsy now, you never were. He only has one relative, his niece Jenny. She’s super wholesome and comes out regularly to check on her eccentric Uncle, much to her boyfriends dismay. On her recent visit she comes upon the open cabin with Uncle Salty lying on the floor dying of a heart attack. With his last dying breath he tells her to get his secret black book. He dies. She reads book and happens upon a spell for power wherein she has to drink a concoction of Hedgehog and Shrew blood. She thinks this is a great idea and does it. Some unfortunate animal slaughter here. She gets powerful and horny. Drives to town. Impersonates hooker. Gets ten bucks to fuck some guy. Cuts his dick off. He dies from his dick being cut off which I don’t think would happen. At least not right away. She then breaks up with boyfriend. Entraps cabin landlord with sexual favors for free rent and money. Meets the local Gypsy King. Gypsy King hears about her drinking the blood potion and decides, hey, this is my new wife. She’s all in. They dig up her uncle’s grave so he can be buried in the Sucking Pit like all gypsies should be. Some supernatural stuff.
Jenny’s ex shows up. Says she’s possessed. Hooks up with landlord’s wife. More people murdered and thrown into the Sucking Pit. Yeah. This was pretty silly. Fun silly. It goes real fast. Jenny went from scared of the dark to drinking animal blood in three paragraphs. There were some hilariously bad monologues, by Ex-boyfriend and Landlord, about how both ladies had similar bodies and were therefore interchangeable. We’re not talking deep stuff here people! The Gypsy’s look bad at the beginning but the author goes above and beyond to show that it was just one bad Gypsy. So, that was nice of him. Basically, it’s a story about some shitty folks killing people and throwing them in a swamp with a pinch of (I’m assuming made up) Gypsy folklore. Great shit!
Are you guys going to the Sucking Pit tonight? Supposed to be some killer bands playing. This book is short and uhhh…sweet? Craggy swamp hermit lives in a cabin in the woods. Wait! Shit. I forgot. The book actually starts with a fox named Reynaldo or something watching some hound dogs sink into the Sucking Pit. NOW back to our hermit. He’s salty and loves the Sucking Pit. He’s part gypsy. Can you be part gypsy? If you’re not gypsy now, you never were. He only has one relative, his niece Jenny. She’s super wholesome and comes out regularly to check on her eccentric Uncle, much to her boyfriends dismay. On her recent visit she comes upon the open cabin with Uncle Salty lying on the floor dying of a heart attack. With his last dying breath he tells her to get his secret black book. He dies. She reads book and happens upon a spell for power wherein she has to drink a concoction of Hedgehog and Shrew blood. She thinks this is a great idea and does it. Some unfortunate animal slaughter here. She gets powerful and horny. Drives to town. Impersonates hooker. Gets ten bucks to fuck some guy. Cuts his dick off. He dies from his dick being cut off which I don’t think would happen. At least not right away. She then breaks up with boyfriend. Entraps cabin landlord with sexual favors for free rent and money. Meets the local Gypsy King. Gypsy King hears about her drinking the blood potion and decides, hey, this is my new wife. She’s all in. They dig up her uncle’s grave so he can be buried in the Sucking Pit like all gypsies should be. Some supernatural stuff.
Jenny’s ex shows up. Says she’s possessed. Hooks up with landlord’s wife. More people murdered and thrown into the Sucking Pit. Yeah. This was pretty silly. Fun silly. It goes real fast. Jenny went from scared of the dark to drinking animal blood in three paragraphs. There were some hilariously bad monologues, by Ex-boyfriend and Landlord, about how both ladies had similar bodies and were therefore interchangeable. We’re not talking deep stuff here people! The Gypsy’s look bad at the beginning but the author goes above and beyond to show that it was just one bad Gypsy. So, that was nice of him. Basically, it’s a story about some shitty folks killing people and throwing them in a swamp with a pinch of (I’m assuming made up) Gypsy folklore. Great shit!
October 17, 2014
THE SUCKING PIT ist ein Sumpfloch in einem Wald, in dem Zigeuner schon seit Zeiten ihre Toten bestatten. Als Guy N. Smith das Büchlein schrieb, gab es noch keine Diskussion darüber, ob die Bezeichnung „Zigeuner“ eine Diskriminierung darstellt. Für Smith sind die Zigeuner Teil der Horror-Requisite und ihr Anführer ist dem Klischee entsprechend groß, kräftig, hat gelockte Haare und goldene Ohrringe und kann sich mit dem Leibhaftigen oder einem seiner Stellvertreter in Verbindung setzen. Zigeuner an sich sind schauergeschichtenerprobt, und wenn sie sich auch noch zusammenrotten, ist die Landbevölkerung besorgt. Zigeuner verfügen über geheimes Wissen. Sie können magische Tränke brauen, die den Charakter verändern und ungeheure Kräfte und vor allem ein gesteigertes sexuelles Verlangen bewirken. So jedenfalls die fiktive Realität hier.
Solch einen Trank braut sich die junge und attraktive Jennifer, nachdem ihr Onkel, in dessen Adern Zigeunerblut floss, verstorben ist. Unter dem Einfluss des Tranks gibt sie ihre bürgerliche Existenz auf, verbringt nun ihre Tage in der Hütte des Onkels, der als Waldaufseher für den Landeigentümer tätig war, verführt selbigen und lässt sich als dessen Geliebte aushalten. Das Interesse an ihrem ehemaligen Verlobten hat ihr neues sexbesessenes Ich völlig verloren, stattdessen fühlt sie sich zum Zigeuneroberhaupt Cornelius hingezogen. Der Plan ist, das Waldstück künftig allen Zigeunern frei zugänglich zu machen und dort ein „Zigeunerreich“ zu errichten. Doch die sexuelle Hörigkeit des Landlords hat ihre Grenzen und einem Mord folgt bald der nächste.
Sex und Mord, das sind die hochdosierten Hauptingredienzien des magischen Tranks, den Smith dem Leser braut, und natürlich gibt es auch wieder die damsel in distress und einen heldenhaften jungen Mann, der allen Fährnissen zum Trotz seine (neue) Liebe findet.
THE SUCKING PIT steckt voller Klischees und entspricht nicht den heutigen Vorstellungen von politischer Korrektheit. Aber: es liest sich schnell, unterhaltsam und spannend. Damit qualifiziert es sich als „guilty pleasure“, und um das Maß voll zu machen wurden der signierten und limitierten Ausgabe einige freizügige Zeichnungen spendiert.
Solch einen Trank braut sich die junge und attraktive Jennifer, nachdem ihr Onkel, in dessen Adern Zigeunerblut floss, verstorben ist. Unter dem Einfluss des Tranks gibt sie ihre bürgerliche Existenz auf, verbringt nun ihre Tage in der Hütte des Onkels, der als Waldaufseher für den Landeigentümer tätig war, verführt selbigen und lässt sich als dessen Geliebte aushalten. Das Interesse an ihrem ehemaligen Verlobten hat ihr neues sexbesessenes Ich völlig verloren, stattdessen fühlt sie sich zum Zigeuneroberhaupt Cornelius hingezogen. Der Plan ist, das Waldstück künftig allen Zigeunern frei zugänglich zu machen und dort ein „Zigeunerreich“ zu errichten. Doch die sexuelle Hörigkeit des Landlords hat ihre Grenzen und einem Mord folgt bald der nächste.
Sex und Mord, das sind die hochdosierten Hauptingredienzien des magischen Tranks, den Smith dem Leser braut, und natürlich gibt es auch wieder die damsel in distress und einen heldenhaften jungen Mann, der allen Fährnissen zum Trotz seine (neue) Liebe findet.
THE SUCKING PIT steckt voller Klischees und entspricht nicht den heutigen Vorstellungen von politischer Korrektheit. Aber: es liest sich schnell, unterhaltsam und spannend. Damit qualifiziert es sich als „guilty pleasure“, und um das Maß voll zu machen wurden der signierten und limitierten Ausgabe einige freizügige Zeichnungen spendiert.
February 23, 2017
It's Guy N Smith, you know exactly what you're gonna get, and he doesn't disappoint. I picked this up from the man himself at his annual convention a few years back, and needed a shorter read to chew through before my holiday. When it started up, you kinda wonder how on earth the titular sucking pit will come into it, but it's used well. Very much of a different age, but still entertaining nonetheless. If you fancy an initial GNS read, away from the usual suspects of the Crabs books, this is as good a place as any to start.
August 28, 2023
Tytuły spod szyldu Phantom Press mają to do siebie, iż są to raczej pozycje niszowe, które oferują masę flaków na równi z dużą ilością negliżu i seksu. Tu tego nie brakuje, choć tego co zabrakło -to fabuła. Czego tu nie ma? Jest las, który skrywa swoje tajemnice. Jest miejsce kultu, tytułowe bagno, gdzie różne osobniki wrzucały ciała różnych osób. Są tajemnicze rytuały i nawet coś rogatego wskoczy zza węgła. Tu ma się dziać, nie pytajcie w jakim celu.
Mamy też Cyganów, bo oczywiście żadna zła heca nie może się bez nich obejść. Mamy też papierowych, jednowymiarowych bohaterów, którym od czasu do czasu przytrafia się coś złego. W międzyczasie będą spółkowali i ginęli. To akurat aspekty, których w twórczości Smitha nie brak. I tak to się toczy. Zmian konwencji mamy tu też kilka razy. Bo raz mamy dziewoję, która nagle postanawia pić krew zwierząt i parzyć się na potęgę.
Potem wkracza pewien uber-Cygan, który robi za pewnego Mesjasza. A jeszcze potem... Czyta się to szybko, makabry jest pod dostatkiem, więc dla miłośników takich aspektów jest to idealna pozycja. Mnie ściągnęły tu "Kraby", czyli pulp jaki polubiłem będąc jeszcze gimbazą. Teraz jest to lektura, którą, ukończyłem na zasadzie: "bo zacząłem, tylko po co". Największy plus? Czyta się to wybitnie szybko i jeszcze szybciej zapomina.
Mamy też Cyganów, bo oczywiście żadna zła heca nie może się bez nich obejść. Mamy też papierowych, jednowymiarowych bohaterów, którym od czasu do czasu przytrafia się coś złego. W międzyczasie będą spółkowali i ginęli. To akurat aspekty, których w twórczości Smitha nie brak. I tak to się toczy. Zmian konwencji mamy tu też kilka razy. Bo raz mamy dziewoję, która nagle postanawia pić krew zwierząt i parzyć się na potęgę.
Potem wkracza pewien uber-Cygan, który robi za pewnego Mesjasza. A jeszcze potem... Czyta się to szybko, makabry jest pod dostatkiem, więc dla miłośników takich aspektów jest to idealna pozycja. Mnie ściągnęły tu "Kraby", czyli pulp jaki polubiłem będąc jeszcze gimbazą. Teraz jest to lektura, którą, ukończyłem na zasadzie: "bo zacząłem, tylko po co". Największy plus? Czyta się to wybitnie szybko i jeszcze szybciej zapomina.
October 22, 2022
Reading old pulp fiction like this often makes me wonder why writers bund themselves by the rules these books so flagrantly break. Jumping around POVs...does it really confuse the reader that much? I wasn't confused while reading this. Just entertained. Entertained, admittedly, in the way you are entertained by a B Movie. The dialogue often seems hysterically implausible, but the beauty of it being such an old book is that you can ALMOST persuade yourself that maybe that was just how people spoke in the 70s (which probably isn't remotely true).
In any case, this was an easy, highly entertaining read. If you can't suspend disbelief or overlook the inherently problematic racial and gender attitudes which the author would have had to have been 40 years ahead of his time to avoid, then this probably isn't a book you'll want to pick up. Personally, I had a lot of fun with it.
In any case, this was an easy, highly entertaining read. If you can't suspend disbelief or overlook the inherently problematic racial and gender attitudes which the author would have had to have been 40 years ahead of his time to avoid, then this probably isn't a book you'll want to pick up. Personally, I had a lot of fun with it.
April 17, 2019
To horror aficionados, Guy N Smith’s The Sucking Pit is legend. It is a short sharp and compelling horror novella that still packs a decent punch. The story is jam packed with gypsies, cops, reporters, ruthless land owners, magic potions or curses, private detectives, and the sucking pit itself; like a black hole whatever goes in does not come out. It only took me 44 years to catch up with this little gem. A good short novel is always a great experience. It’s reminiscent of a Robert Bloch or a John Skipp. Excellent.
May 20, 2024
A bit trashy but not in a particularly bad way. This is my first exposure to Guy N. Smith and I believe this is one of his earliest works. It’s short and has a lot of fairly unbelievable characters who just seem to fall on each other’s genitals moments after meeting and there is at least one major plot point that isn’t resolved or fully explained but for a pulp horror novel it’s enjoyable and moves along at a brisk pace. I personally wish there was more horror and less sex but that’s a personal preference.
May 5, 2019
The sucking pit - the Romany people’s burial place and The Mighty One’s power stronghold. And Jenny Lawson’s scene of demise. Also, the general area where people change overnight and fall in love, mutually, in short, short periods of time. Unbelievably short.
I was not a fan of this story, and I'm glad it was short. It had potential, but the characters were just all unbelievable, especially their emotions. The pit wasn't the only thing that was sucking...
I was not a fan of this story, and I'm glad it was short. It had potential, but the characters were just all unbelievable, especially their emotions. The pit wasn't the only thing that was sucking...
June 30, 2025
Wow, I really need to shower now.
I mean, I knew a bit of what I was getting into; I also expected a high level of sleaze. But this is pure smut, with racism and violence mixed into it.
It's not entirely without skill, though. There are passages that read like a novel, like someone knew what he was doing. Still wordy and flowery and still always culminating in sex or violence or both.
These 110 pages honestly took me a month to read. I could only suggest it in small pieces.
I mean, I knew a bit of what I was getting into; I also expected a high level of sleaze. But this is pure smut, with racism and violence mixed into it.
It's not entirely without skill, though. There are passages that read like a novel, like someone knew what he was doing. Still wordy and flowery and still always culminating in sex or violence or both.
These 110 pages honestly took me a month to read. I could only suggest it in small pieces.
August 14, 2021
Mistrz horroru w szczytowej formie :) Bohaterowie zachowują się idiotycznie, prawa logiki tracą jakiekolwiek znaczenie, a cała groza powieści zawiera się w kilku zdaniach opisujących jatkę...
Idealne czytadło, jeśli ktoś akurat czeka w kolejce do dentysty. Leczenie kanałowe nagle okazuje się całkiem znośne :)
Idealne czytadło, jeśli ktoś akurat czeka w kolejce do dentysty. Leczenie kanałowe nagle okazuje się całkiem znośne :)
August 16, 2021
The more Guy N Smith I read the more I can see how he develops as a writer. This is one of his early releases and you can tell lol. Not that it's a bad book, just not as much realistic character development or plot as some of his later novels. Still this is a worthy part of my collection, a 1st/1st of The Sucking Pit? Doesn't get much better than that :)
May 2, 2025
not really my thing. takes great leaps in the storyline with no explanation and just has no sense of reality, for example, one character falls in love with another in less than 24 hours, and one minute characters are evil, the next their mind has snapped because of what the are doing. nonsensical from start to finish.
November 10, 2024
Wonderfully sinister and yet oh so disappointing when it ends... too many books are too long...
In fact the pit might be the star of this show and I would like to have heard more about that natural (?) anomaly... perhaps some modern budding fan author might pick it up and run with it?
In fact the pit might be the star of this show and I would like to have heard more about that natural (?) anomaly... perhaps some modern budding fan author might pick it up and run with it?
October 22, 2019
Hilariously bad! It was like something Garth Merenghi would have written :)
May 12, 2020
Good pulpy fun!
The Sucking Pit is a plot-driven page-turner that I thoroughly enjoyed. If you're a fan of old pulps, this one is well worth a read. Short, sweet, and satisfying.
The Sucking Pit is a plot-driven page-turner that I thoroughly enjoyed. If you're a fan of old pulps, this one is well worth a read. Short, sweet, and satisfying.
October 19, 2023
2⭐
Jak ja się cieszę, że to skończyłam. Nawet nie wiem jak mam opisać tą książkę. Niektóre momenty były STRASZNIE obrzydliwie.
Podsumowując: nie czytajcie tego.
Jak ja się cieszę, że to skończyłam. Nawet nie wiem jak mam opisać tą książkę. Niektóre momenty były STRASZNIE obrzydliwie.
Podsumowując: nie czytajcie tego.
January 20, 2024
this was so bad it made me want to sell my horror book collection and never look back
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