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* EvenEvilHasStandards: Kinda. The gang have an unspoken agreement that all their murders are to be clean "clean," that is, no rapes and no mutilating of sex organs. For example, although they torture and mutilate Shield when they rob him, they leave his manhood intact. This makes Pete castrating Dyke for his attempted betrayal such an unforgivable crime in Dyke's eyes, and what drives him over the edge.
to:
* EvenEvilHasStandards: Kinda. The gang have an unspoken agreement that all their murders are to be clean "clean," that is, no rapes and no mutilating of sex organs. For example, although they torture and mutilate Shield when they rob him, they leave his manhood intact. This makes Pete castrating Dyke for his attempted betrayal such an unforgivable crime in Dyke's eyes, and what drives him over the edge.
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* EvenEvilHasStandards: Kinda. The gang have an unspoken agreement that all their murders are to be clean "clean," that is, no rapes and no mutilating of sex organs. For example, although they torture and mutilate Shield when they rob him, they leave his manhood intact. This makes Pete castrating Dyke for his attempted betrayal such an unforgivable crime in Dyke's eyes, and what drives him over the edge.
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* SlayingMantis: The giant man-eating mantises.
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* EvilCripple: Dyke.
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* EunuchsAreEvil: Dyke.
* EvilCripple:Dyke.Dyke again.
* EvilCripple:
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Not really an example
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* ABoyAndHisX: A crazy ex-con and his giant killer mantis.
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* ABoyAndHisX: A crazy ex-con and his giant killer mantis.
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* FailedASpotCheck: Ordinarily, Dyke is pretty good at ensuring there are no survivors at the homes of his victims. However, by the time he and his mantises hit the Gaut residence, he's gotten sloppy, allowing Ryan's brother [[ChekhovsGunman Fritch]] to slip away unnoticed. Dyke ''thinks'' he sees someone running off, but attributes it to his imagination. [[spoiler:This comes back to bite him in the ass big time at the end.]]
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''Eat Them Alive'' is a 1977 horror novel written by the otherwise anonymous [[AwesomeMcCoolname Pierce Nace]][[note]]The author was in fact be ''Evelyn'' Pierce Nace, a Kansas native and husband of insurer Otis Nace, who wrote under her maiden name and married name as a pseudonym, because horror novels were mostly written by men at the time.[[/note]]. The story is simple. [[JerkAss Dyke Mellis]] is an ex-con who is a member of a gang in Texas consisting of Kane Garrister, Ryan Gaut, Pete Stuart and Zeb Hillburn. One day the crooks hit the big time when they net $2 million in cash from an [[EccentricMillionaire old man]] after they [[ColdBloodedTorture torture him to death]].
to:
''Eat Them Alive'' is a 1977 horror novel written by the otherwise anonymous [[AwesomeMcCoolname Pierce Nace]][[note]]The author was in fact eventually revealed to be ''Evelyn'' Pierce Nace, a Kansas native and husband Evelyn Pierce Nace, wife of insurer Otis Nace, who wrote under her maiden name and married name as a pseudonym, because horror novels were mostly written by men at the time.[[/note]].time[[/note]]. The story is simple. [[JerkAss Dyke Mellis]] is an ex-con who is a member of a gang in Texas consisting of Kane Garrister, Ryan Gaut, Pete Stuart and Zeb Hillburn. One day the crooks hit the big time when they net $2 million in cash from an [[EccentricMillionaire old man]] after they [[ColdBloodedTorture torture him to death]].
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* TooDumbToLive: [[EthnicScrappy Keko]] and his fellow villagers happily go aboard Dyke's boat to visit Malpelo, despite knowing beforehand is it crawling with giant, killer mantises, all on Dyke's sayso.
to:
* TooDumbToLive: [[EthnicScrappy Keko]] Keko and his fellow villagers happily go aboard Dyke's boat to visit Malpelo, despite knowing beforehand is it crawling with giant, killer mantises, all on Dyke's sayso.
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''Eat Them Alive'' is a 1977 horror novel written by the otherwise anonymous [[AwesomeMcCoolname Pierce Nace]][[note]]A December 7th article of ''Pampa Daily News'' revealed the author to in fact be Evelyn Pierce Nace, a Kansas native and husband of insurer Otis Nace, who wrote the novel using his maiden name and married name as a pseudonym, because horror novels were mostly written by men at the time.[[/note]]. The story is simple. [[JerkAss Dyke Mellis]] is an ex-con who is a member of a gang in Texas consisting of Kane Garrister, Ryan Gaut, Pete Stuart and Zeb Hillburn. One day the crooks hit the big time when they net $2 million in cash from an [[EccentricMillionaire old man]] after they [[ColdBloodedTorture torture him to death]].
to:
''Eat Them Alive'' is a 1977 horror novel written by the otherwise anonymous [[AwesomeMcCoolname Pierce Nace]][[note]]A December 7th article of ''Pampa Daily News'' revealed the Nace]][[note]]The author to was in fact be Evelyn ''Evelyn'' Pierce Nace, a Kansas native and husband of insurer Otis Nace, who wrote the novel using his under her maiden name and married name as a pseudonym, because horror novels were mostly written by men at the time.[[/note]]. The story is simple. [[JerkAss Dyke Mellis]] is an ex-con who is a member of a gang in Texas consisting of Kane Garrister, Ryan Gaut, Pete Stuart and Zeb Hillburn. One day the crooks hit the big time when they net $2 million in cash from an [[EccentricMillionaire old man]] after they [[ColdBloodedTorture torture him to death]].
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''Eat Them Alive'' is a 1977 horror novel written by the otherwise anonymous [[AwesomeMcCoolname Pierce Nace]]. The story is simple. [[JerkAss Dyke Mellis]] is an ex-con who is a member of a gang in Texas consisting of Kane Garrister, Ryan Gaut, Pete Stuart and Zeb Hillburn. One day the crooks hit the big time when they net $2 million in cash from an [[EccentricMillionaire old man]] after they [[ColdBloodedTorture torture him to death]].
to:
''Eat Them Alive'' is a 1977 horror novel written by the otherwise anonymous [[AwesomeMcCoolname Pierce Nace]].Nace]][[note]]A December 7th article of ''Pampa Daily News'' revealed the author to in fact be Evelyn Pierce Nace, a Kansas native and husband of insurer Otis Nace, who wrote the novel using his maiden name and married name as a pseudonym, because horror novels were mostly written by men at the time.[[/note]]. The story is simple. [[JerkAss Dyke Mellis]] is an ex-con who is a member of a gang in Texas consisting of Kane Garrister, Ryan Gaut, Pete Stuart and Zeb Hillburn. One day the crooks hit the big time when they net $2 million in cash from an [[EccentricMillionaire old man]] after they [[ColdBloodedTorture torture him to death]].
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A Boy And His X is when they form a bond with the "X" that "changes them forever, usually starting them down the path to adulthood."
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* ABoyAndHisX: A crazed, revenge-driven nutcase and his giant pet praying mantis.
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* ArtisticLicenseBiology: Mantises, giant or not, aren't typically known for being a subterranean species. Or, at least, living below ground that long should've caused them to lose their eyesight.
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* ArtisticLicenseBiology: Mantises, giant or not, aren't typically known for being a subterranean species. Or, at least, living below ground that long should've caused them to lose their eyesight. They're also as likely to eat ''each other'' as any other potential prey.
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* SlayingMantis: Giant, human-eating mantises.
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* SlayingMantis: Giant, man-eating mantises.
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* SlayingMantis: Giant, man-eating human-eating mantises.
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* SlayingMantis: Giant, man-eating mantises.
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* {{Fetish}}: Mantises eating people is [[{{Vore}} this]] for [[NightmareFetishist Dyke]]. Odd, given he has lost the ability to become aroused.
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* {{Fetish}}: Mantises eating people is [[{{Vore}} this]] this for [[NightmareFetishist Dyke]]. Odd, given he has lost the ability to become aroused.aroused, something he himself even {{Lampshades}}.
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* {{Fetish}}: Mantises eating people [[NightmareFetishist is this]] for Dyke. Odd, given he has lost the ability to become aroused.
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* {{Fetish}}: Mantises eating people is [[{{Vore}} this]] for [[NightmareFetishist is this]] for Dyke.Dyke]]. Odd, given he has lost the ability to become aroused.
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* EatenAlive: It's right there in the title.
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* GroinAttack: What Pete does to Dyke when he tries to rip the gang off.
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* GroinAttack: What Pete does to Dyke cuts off Dyke's penis when he tries to rip the gang off.
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* CrazyPrepared: Dyke just happens to have very nearly everything he ever needs for any given situation, such as tons of stocked up meat to feed Slayer ''and'' and a cage to keep him in, when he initially captures him.
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* CrazyPrepared: Dyke just happens to have very nearly everything he ever needs for any given situation, such as tons of stocked up meat to feed Slayer ''and'' and a cage to keep him in, when he initially captures him.
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Dyke is betrayed and beaten within and inch of his life by the others when he tries to run off with their money ([[ProtagonistCenteredMorality so actually he betrayed them first]]). In particular, they [[GroinAttack castrate him]].
After surviving the attack, he escapes to South America and ends up living on Malpelo Island off of Colombia. Here he discovers a race of gigantic [[BigCreepyCrawlies praying mantises]] who he trains to kill and eat people, and, of course, uses them to [[RoaringRampageOfRevenge exact vengeance]] upon his former partners in crime. And pretty much everyone else unfortunate enough to stumble across him.
After surviving the attack, he escapes to South America and ends up living on Malpelo Island off of Colombia. Here he discovers a race of gigantic [[BigCreepyCrawlies praying mantises]] who he trains to kill and eat people, and, of course, uses them to [[RoaringRampageOfRevenge exact vengeance]] upon his former partners in crime. And pretty much everyone else unfortunate enough to stumble across him.
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Dyke is betrayed decides to take all of the money for himself, but fails and beaten is captured. His gang beat him within and an inch of his life by the others when he tries to run off with their money ([[ProtagonistCenteredMorality so actually he betrayed them first]]). life. In particular, they [[GroinAttack castrate him]].
him]]. After surviving the attack, he escapes to South America and ends up living on Malpelo Island off of Colombia. Here he discovers a race of gigantic [[BigCreepyCrawlies praying mantises]] who he trains to kill and eat people, and, of course, uses them to [[RoaringRampageOfRevenge exact vengeance]] upon his former partners in crime. And pretty much everyone else unfortunate enough to stumble across him.
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After surviving the attack, [[RunForTheBorder he escapes to South America]] and ends up living on Malpelo Island off of Colombia. Here he discovers a race of gigantic [[BigCreepyCrawlies praying mantises]] who he trains to kill and eat people, and, of course, uses them to [[RoaringRampageOfRevenge exact vengeance]] upon his former partners in crime. And pretty much everyone else unfortunate enough to stumble across him.
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After surviving the attack, [[RunForTheBorder he escapes to South America]] America and ends up living on Malpelo Island off of Colombia. Here he discovers a race of gigantic [[BigCreepyCrawlies praying mantises]] who he trains to kill and eat people, and, of course, uses them to [[RoaringRampageOfRevenge exact vengeance]] upon his former partners in crime. And pretty much everyone else unfortunate enough to stumble across him.
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* EarthquakesCauseFissures: The quake that hits Malpelo opens up a big rift in the earth, allowing the mantises to escape.
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http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/eatthemalive_cover_4308.jpg
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* BrainFood: Among their various other nasty ways of gobbling people up, the mantises enjoy cracking heads open against rocks like otters with clam shells so they can slurp out the yummy, yummy brains.
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http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/eatthemalive_cover_4308.jpg
->''His thirst for revenge was unquenchable until he stumbled on the terrifying monsters of Malpelo Island.''
-->-- '''Cover Blurb'''
->''[[{{Narm}} Let me go! Don't kill me! Don't eat me any more!]]''
-->-- '''Mona Stuart'''
''Eat Them Alive'' is a 1977 horror novel written by the otherwise anonymous [[AwesomeMcCoolname Pierce Nace]]. The story is simple. [[JerkAss Dyke Mellis]] is an ex-con who is a member of a gang in Texas consisting of Kane Garrister, Ryan Gaut, Pete Stuart and Zeb Hillburn. One day the crooks hit the big time when they net $2 million in cash from an [[EccentricMillionaire old man]] after they [[ColdBloodedTorture torture him to death]].
Dyke is betrayed and beaten within and inch of his life by the others when he tries to run off with their money ([[ProtagonistCenteredMorality so actually he betrayed them first]]). In particular, they [[GroinAttack castrate him]].
After surviving the attack, [[RunForTheBorder he escapes to South America]] and ends up living on Malpelo Island off of Colombia. Here he discovers a race of gigantic [[BigCreepyCrawlies praying mantises]] who he trains to kill and eat people, and, of course, uses them to [[RoaringRampageOfRevenge exact vengeance]] upon his former partners in crime. And pretty much everyone else unfortunate enough to stumble across him.
That's the plot, such as it is. What Pierce Nace's novel is remembered for though are its shocking levels of [[{{Gorn}} violence and depravity]]. Although there are plenty of nastier books out there, ''Eat Them Alive'' is renowned amongst "gorehounds" for being nothing but violent death after violent death, with many victims' demises taking several pages to describe. Nace does this to the point of actually making intestinal ravaging and throat-ripping at the mandibles of giant praying mantises repetitive. Clearly, what the novel lacks in substance it makes up for in sheer quantity.
Have lots of BrainBleach ready for when, and if, you read this.
----
!!This novel provides examples of:
* ABoyAndHisX: A crazed, revenge-driven nutcase and his giant pet praying mantis.
* TheAllegedCar: A 1950 Ford something-or-other.
* AssholeVictim: Kane, Pete, Ryan and Zeb. [[spoiler:Also Dyke at the end.]]
* ArtisticLicenseBiology: Mantises, giant or not, aren't typically known for being a subterranean species. Or, at least, living below ground that long should've caused them to lose their eyesight.
* ArtisticLicenseGeography: There really is a Malpelo Island, but it is nothing like the one described in the book.
* TheAtoner: Ryan tries to be this with Dyke, but Dyke is beyond listening to reason by this point.
* BigCreepyCrawlies: Slayer and the giant mantis brigade!
* BiggerOnTheInside: The conventional cargo truck Dyke buys can carry nine of the mantises in back and somehow Slayer fits in the cab up front.
* ChekhovsGunman: Fritch Gaut.
* CrazyPrepared: Dyke just happens to have very nearly everything he ever needs for any given situation, such as tons of stocked up meat to feed Slayer ''and'' and a cage to keep him in, when he initially captures him.
* CruelAndUnusualDeath: Virtually every''one'' and every''thing''.
* EccentricMillionaire: Old Man Shield.
* EvilCripple: Dyke.
* {{Fetish}}: Mantises eating people [[NightmareFetishist is this]] for Dyke. Odd, given he has lost the ability to become aroused.
* {{Fingore}}: Just one of the tortures inflicted upon Shield by his attackers.
* ForTheEvulz: The crooks don't just rob their victim, they take time out to slowly cut him to pieces with their knives.
* {{Gorn}}: Lots of it. Page after page. To the point of monotony. Especially focused on women's breasts. The mantises (Slayer in particular) love eating those first when their victim is a female.
* GroinAttack: What Pete does to Dyke when he tries to rip the gang off.
** Dyke later repays the favor by having Slayer eat Pete's manhood. Slayer also does it to Zeb.
* HeroAntagonist: Fritch, Ryan's brother.
* HeroOfAnotherStory: Fritch again. [[spoiler:He brought his ''own'' pack of killer mantises to avenge his murdered family.]]
* HoistByHisOwnPetard: [[spoiler:After Dyke is fatally shot by Fritch, Slayer eats his erstwhile master.]]
* ImAHumanitarian: After watching the mantises eat so many people, Dyke repeatedly toys with the idea of sampling human flesh, himself.
* InfantImmortality: Subverted. [[WouldHurtAChild Again]] and [[EatsBabies again]] and [[SerialEscalation again]].
* InsectGenderBender: Slayer, the largest and most voracious mantis, is a male. [[UnreliableNarrator So says Dyke]], anyway. In real life it is the ''female'' mantis that is usually biggest, strongest and more voracious.
* KillEmAll: ''No one'' ever survives a run-in with Dyke and his mantises. [[spoiler:Dyke also does eventually bite it, too.]]
* KingMook: Dyke paints Slayer's head red to tell him apart from the other mantises.
* MeaningfulName: The castrated male protagonist is named ''Dyke''. Also [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Slayer]].
* MyCarHatesMe: Why Dyke fails to escape with the loot.
* NightmareFetishist: Dyke in spades.
* PetTheDog: Dyke's treatment of the drunken old man he buys his truck from.
* ThePiratesWhoDontDoAnything: Prior to Pete's plan to rob old Mr. Shield, the supposed gang of thieves just sat around not doing much.
* ProtagonistCenteredMorality: Lampshaded ''and'' played straight. ''Dyke'' betrayed his partners ''first'' by trying to steal the money, so his RoaringRampageOfRevenge is kind of hypocritical. When this is pointed out to him, he admits this is so, and confesses he deserved the NoHoldsBarredBeatdown the gang gave him, but then adds he can't forgive the GroinAttack.
* RetiredMonster: Dyke at the beginning, and his former gang when he encounters them again.
* RoaringRampageOfRevenge: The entire point of the story. Well, that and all the blood and guts.
* ScaryBlackMan: Pete, whose hobbies before settling down after the big score involve killing small animals and maiming children.
* ThinkingOutLoud: Dyke does this a lot. He rarely has any InnerMonologue and spends page after page talking aloud to himself.
* TooDumbToLive: [[EthnicScrappy Keko]] and his fellow villagers happily go aboard Dyke's boat to visit Malpelo, despite knowing beforehand is it crawling with giant, killer mantises, all on Dyke's sayso.
* VillainProtagonist: Dyke.
* WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds: Dyke at first. Then he just goes too far and stops being even remotely pitiable.
* [[YouKilledMyFather You Killed My Brother]]: [[spoiler:Dyke's much deserved comeuppance finally arrives at the hands of Ryan's brother, Fritch.]]
----
->''His thirst for revenge was unquenchable until he stumbled on the terrifying monsters of Malpelo Island.''
-->-- '''Cover Blurb'''
->''[[{{Narm}} Let me go! Don't kill me! Don't eat me any more!]]''
-->-- '''Mona Stuart'''
''Eat Them Alive'' is a 1977 horror novel written by the otherwise anonymous [[AwesomeMcCoolname Pierce Nace]]. The story is simple. [[JerkAss Dyke Mellis]] is an ex-con who is a member of a gang in Texas consisting of Kane Garrister, Ryan Gaut, Pete Stuart and Zeb Hillburn. One day the crooks hit the big time when they net $2 million in cash from an [[EccentricMillionaire old man]] after they [[ColdBloodedTorture torture him to death]].
Dyke is betrayed and beaten within and inch of his life by the others when he tries to run off with their money ([[ProtagonistCenteredMorality so actually he betrayed them first]]). In particular, they [[GroinAttack castrate him]].
After surviving the attack, [[RunForTheBorder he escapes to South America]] and ends up living on Malpelo Island off of Colombia. Here he discovers a race of gigantic [[BigCreepyCrawlies praying mantises]] who he trains to kill and eat people, and, of course, uses them to [[RoaringRampageOfRevenge exact vengeance]] upon his former partners in crime. And pretty much everyone else unfortunate enough to stumble across him.
That's the plot, such as it is. What Pierce Nace's novel is remembered for though are its shocking levels of [[{{Gorn}} violence and depravity]]. Although there are plenty of nastier books out there, ''Eat Them Alive'' is renowned amongst "gorehounds" for being nothing but violent death after violent death, with many victims' demises taking several pages to describe. Nace does this to the point of actually making intestinal ravaging and throat-ripping at the mandibles of giant praying mantises repetitive. Clearly, what the novel lacks in substance it makes up for in sheer quantity.
Have lots of BrainBleach ready for when, and if, you read this.
----
!!This novel provides examples of:
* ABoyAndHisX: A crazed, revenge-driven nutcase and his giant pet praying mantis.
* TheAllegedCar: A 1950 Ford something-or-other.
* AssholeVictim: Kane, Pete, Ryan and Zeb. [[spoiler:Also Dyke at the end.]]
* ArtisticLicenseBiology: Mantises, giant or not, aren't typically known for being a subterranean species. Or, at least, living below ground that long should've caused them to lose their eyesight.
* ArtisticLicenseGeography: There really is a Malpelo Island, but it is nothing like the one described in the book.
* TheAtoner: Ryan tries to be this with Dyke, but Dyke is beyond listening to reason by this point.
* BigCreepyCrawlies: Slayer and the giant mantis brigade!
* BiggerOnTheInside: The conventional cargo truck Dyke buys can carry nine of the mantises in back and somehow Slayer fits in the cab up front.
* ChekhovsGunman: Fritch Gaut.
* CrazyPrepared: Dyke just happens to have very nearly everything he ever needs for any given situation, such as tons of stocked up meat to feed Slayer ''and'' and a cage to keep him in, when he initially captures him.
* CruelAndUnusualDeath: Virtually every''one'' and every''thing''.
* EccentricMillionaire: Old Man Shield.
* EvilCripple: Dyke.
* {{Fetish}}: Mantises eating people [[NightmareFetishist is this]] for Dyke. Odd, given he has lost the ability to become aroused.
* {{Fingore}}: Just one of the tortures inflicted upon Shield by his attackers.
* ForTheEvulz: The crooks don't just rob their victim, they take time out to slowly cut him to pieces with their knives.
* {{Gorn}}: Lots of it. Page after page. To the point of monotony. Especially focused on women's breasts. The mantises (Slayer in particular) love eating those first when their victim is a female.
* GroinAttack: What Pete does to Dyke when he tries to rip the gang off.
** Dyke later repays the favor by having Slayer eat Pete's manhood. Slayer also does it to Zeb.
* HeroAntagonist: Fritch, Ryan's brother.
* HeroOfAnotherStory: Fritch again. [[spoiler:He brought his ''own'' pack of killer mantises to avenge his murdered family.]]
* HoistByHisOwnPetard: [[spoiler:After Dyke is fatally shot by Fritch, Slayer eats his erstwhile master.]]
* ImAHumanitarian: After watching the mantises eat so many people, Dyke repeatedly toys with the idea of sampling human flesh, himself.
* InfantImmortality: Subverted. [[WouldHurtAChild Again]] and [[EatsBabies again]] and [[SerialEscalation again]].
* InsectGenderBender: Slayer, the largest and most voracious mantis, is a male. [[UnreliableNarrator So says Dyke]], anyway. In real life it is the ''female'' mantis that is usually biggest, strongest and more voracious.
* KillEmAll: ''No one'' ever survives a run-in with Dyke and his mantises. [[spoiler:Dyke also does eventually bite it, too.]]
* KingMook: Dyke paints Slayer's head red to tell him apart from the other mantises.
* MeaningfulName: The castrated male protagonist is named ''Dyke''. Also [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Slayer]].
* MyCarHatesMe: Why Dyke fails to escape with the loot.
* NightmareFetishist: Dyke in spades.
* PetTheDog: Dyke's treatment of the drunken old man he buys his truck from.
* ThePiratesWhoDontDoAnything: Prior to Pete's plan to rob old Mr. Shield, the supposed gang of thieves just sat around not doing much.
* ProtagonistCenteredMorality: Lampshaded ''and'' played straight. ''Dyke'' betrayed his partners ''first'' by trying to steal the money, so his RoaringRampageOfRevenge is kind of hypocritical. When this is pointed out to him, he admits this is so, and confesses he deserved the NoHoldsBarredBeatdown the gang gave him, but then adds he can't forgive the GroinAttack.
* RetiredMonster: Dyke at the beginning, and his former gang when he encounters them again.
* RoaringRampageOfRevenge: The entire point of the story. Well, that and all the blood and guts.
* ScaryBlackMan: Pete, whose hobbies before settling down after the big score involve killing small animals and maiming children.
* ThinkingOutLoud: Dyke does this a lot. He rarely has any InnerMonologue and spends page after page talking aloud to himself.
* TooDumbToLive: [[EthnicScrappy Keko]] and his fellow villagers happily go aboard Dyke's boat to visit Malpelo, despite knowing beforehand is it crawling with giant, killer mantises, all on Dyke's sayso.
* VillainProtagonist: Dyke.
* WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds: Dyke at first. Then he just goes too far and stops being even remotely pitiable.
* [[YouKilledMyFather You Killed My Brother]]: [[spoiler:Dyke's much deserved comeuppance finally arrives at the hands of Ryan's brother, Fritch.]]
----
