19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Gory, gruesome reading, a good time to be had by all., July 15, 2005
Let me preface my review by saying I am not a big fan of Edward Lee. Not because he's a poor writer, or has no ear for word flow, but just because I'm not a fan of his over-the-top style of writing. In some of his books I've read, too often I've found the plots left unattended to so he could focus on his proclivity for tons of lust, sex, violence, and death. This can be interesting reading when interweaved with interesting plot elements (like in some of Robert Laymon's more graphic works) but just in my opinion I tend to find it too repetitive, uninteresting, and schlocky.
Now. That said, I came across this book, "Flesh Gothic," and read the description, and decided to give it a try. I really like finding books that have a classic horror setup, I tend to like a well-written, entertaining, classic horror novel than one that sets out to spin the genre on its head and revolutionize everything while lacking a little in the raw entertainment end of it (like House of Leaves). "Flesh Gothic" promises that, and delivers.
"Flesh Gothic" has a setup *very* much like Richard Matheson's classic horror novel "Hell House." A 66 room haunted mansion that is the site of unbelievable depravity, with all the participants dead, except one, seemingly becomes the focus of a team investigators. Very much like Matheson's "Hell House," a fantastic novel. It has a wonderful setup that immediately got me very interested and involved with the novel, and it contains a number of classic haunted house mysteries that beg discover.
A ways into the novel, however, it takes more of a fantastical turn reminscent of the author's "City Infernal." While initially I wasn't that thrilled about the turn it took, as the book continued, it seemed in some way to mesh well with the beginning of the book after all. This is not "Hell House Redux," although it may start out that way. As the investigators explore the house, it becomes less standard horror than "Hell House," and more of, like I said, a surrealistic and sick tour de force of nightmarish imagery. However, it still stays true to classic horror in many ways.
To wrap this up, I would recommend this book. I'm not a big Edward Lee fan, but I enjoyed this novel. It was naughtily depraved like Lee always is, but not unbearably or boringly so. Lee doesn't cheat you on the ending, and he makes the most and expands upon a great formula. 4 stars, give it a read.
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19 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Welcome to the Temple of Flesh, March 28, 2005
In Florida there is a mansion of 66 rooms. It has had a long history of sexual depravity. Recently an orgy turned into a slaughter as guests were killed and dismembered in ritualistic fashion. Afterwards the owner was missing and presumed dead. Now his widow is sending a team of psychics and a writer into the house to determine just what happened.
Very strong imagery is used to tie psychic and sexual ideas together. The characters delve into the darkness of the house while fighting rising lusts that seem to be fed by the house itself. A strange girl, a locked safe, disappearing bodies, abandoned cars, and more drive the plot forward to its horrible conclusion.
Like many Edward Lee books, this one is not for the squeamish or faint of heart. The images of sex and violence are strong and far from vanilla mainstream. The plot was interesting as were the characters but it is definitely only for fans of Lee's style of brutal writing.
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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Quite possibly Lee's best!, June 7, 2005
Edward Lee takes a turn at the old "psychic investigators loose in the world's most haunted house" tale and delivers a devastating, wonderfully dark novel as only he can.
After weeks of depravity, orgies, and murder, a Florida mansion is finally broken into by authorities for them only to find that the wealthy owner of the place has vanished leaving bloodshed in his wake. Presumed dead, his widow now hires a disparate group of investigators, psychics, empaths, and a recovering alcoholic writer to enter the house and see if they can make contact with any of the forces presumed to lurk there.
Lee pulls out all the stops when it comes to sexual, spiritual, and psychic desires and energy. Crafting a tale where the powers that be draw in the team as well as anybody else unlucky enough to be anywhere near the premises, Lee gives us a very solid mystery among all the slaughter. he's done his research when it comes to psychic investigations and the beliefs therein.
Stylish, hardcore, terrifying, and occasionally tongue-in-cheek, FLESH GOTHIC is probably Lee's best novel to date. It works on all cylinders, and will draw you into its bizarre and fantastic realms as surely as the guests are drawn into the dark heart of the house itself.
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