Six-foot-nine and four hundred pounds, GOON is a one-man gore-machine of the Wrestling Conference. Police captain Philip Straker isn't a wrestling fan. The bodies pile up like dirty laundry: sex-obsessed tramps used as playthings by some unspeakable creature. Straker is determined to solve the rash of rape and mutilation murders with trimmings that beggar description. Reporter Melinda Pierce will do anything to find out, by offering herself up in order to infiltrate the arcane and lust-drenched warrens of backstage wrestling. This human juggernaut, this masked rack of guts, muscle, and mayhem... Is Goon just a wrestler gone insane? Or is he something hideously worse? "A raunchy riot of wraslin', ringrats, and no-holds-barred-sex. A must for hardcore fans of over-the-top action, and outrageous thrills." -Lucy Taylor. Seven Pages of Artwork by noted artist Micah Hayes. Original Cover Art by Erik Wilson. Our edition completely re-typeset and the author's preferred edition.
"..Goon ... From the moment I picked it up, I could not put it down. For hard-core horror fans only." -- Marlene Leach, FUNERAL PARTY
"A raunchy riot of .. ringrats, and no-holds-barred sex.. for fans of over-the-top action and outrageous thrills." -- Lucy Taylor, author of Safety of Unknown Cities and Silence Between The Screams
"Goon's incredibly lewd, leeringly vulgar and totally tasteless but decidedly clever entertainment that can't be beat." -- Paula Guran, DARK ECHO
"This novel.."enthusiastic" and "vibrant", but that others might call, well, sick... You have been alerted." --Wayne Edwards, CEMETERY DANCE
From the Publisher
The notorious long-sold-out classic of modern horror is back! Overlook Connection is proud to present this newly illustrated edition of one of the most talked-aboutand outrageous--tales to ever be penned in the horror genre.
--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.
Edward Lee is an American novelist specializing in the field of horror, and has authored 40 books, more than half of which have been published by mass-market New York paperback companies such as Leisure/Dorchester, Berkley, and Zebra/Kensington. He is a Bram Stoker award nominee for his story "Mr. Torso," and his short stories have appeared in over a dozen mass-market anthologies, including THE BEST AMERICAN MYSTERY STORIES OF 2000, Pocket's HOT BLOOD series, and the award-wining 999. Several of his novels have sold translation rights to Germany, Greece, and Romania. He also publishes quite actively in the small-press/limited-edition hardcover market; many of his books in this category have become collector's items. While a number of Lee's projects have been optioned for film, only one has been made, HEADER, which was released on DVD to mixed reviews in June, 2009, by Synapse Films.
Lee is particularly known for over-the-top occult concepts and an accelerated treatment of erotic and/or morbid sexual imagery and visceral violence. He was born on May 25, 1957 in Washington, D.C., and grew up in Bowie, Maryland. In the late-70s he served in the U.S. Army's 1st Armored Division, in Erlangen, West Germany, then, for a short time, was a municipal police officer in Cottage City, Maryland. Lee also attended the University of Maryland as an English major but quit in his last semester to pursue his dream of being a horror novelist. For over 15 years, he worked as the night manager for a security company in Annapolis, Maryland, while writing in his spare time. In 1997, however, he became a full-time writer, first spending several years in Seattle and then moving to St. Pete Beach, Florida, where he currently resides.
Of note, the author cites as his strongest influence horror legend H. P. Lovecraft; in 2007, Lee embarked on what he calls his "Lovecraft kick" and wrote a spate of novels and novellas which tribute Lovecraft and his famous Cthulhu Mythos. Among these projects are THE INNSWICH HORROR, "Trolley No. 1852," HAUNTER OF THE THRESHOLD, GOING MONSTERING, "Pages Torn From A Travel Journal," and "You Are My Everything." Lee promises more Lovecraftian work on the horizon.
Bibliography
Nightbait (1982) written under the pseudonym Philip Straker Nightlust (1982) written under the pseudonym Philip Straker Ghouls (1988) Coven (1991) Incubi (1991) Succubi (1992) The Chosen (1993) Creekers (1994) Sacrifice (1995) written under the pseudonym Richard Kinion Header (1995) Goon (1996) with John Pelan The Bighead (1997) Shifters (1998) with John Pelan Portrait of the Psychopath as a Young Woman (1998) with Elizabeth Steffen Splatterspunk: The Micah Hays Stories (1998) with John Pelan "Masks" (1999) "Operator B" (1999): Cemetery Dance Publications. Published as a 26-copy leather-bound hardcover and 450-copy limited hardcover. "Dahmer's Not Dead" with Elizabeth Steffen (1999): Cemetery Dance Publications. Published as a 52-copy leather-bound hardcover and 1000-copy limited hardcover. "The Stickmen" (1999): Cemetery Dance Publications. Published as a 52-copy leather-bound hardcover and 1000-copy limited hardcover. "The Deaths of the Cold War Kings: The Assassinations of Diem & JFK" with Bradley O'Leary (2000): Cemetery Dance Publications. "City Infernal" (2001): Cemetery Dance Publications. Published as a 26-copy leather-bound hardcover and 1000-copy limited hardcover. (April 2002): Leisure Books. Published as a Mass Market Paperback. "Mr. Torso" (2002): Published as a 52-copy hardcover and 300-copy limited softcover. "Sex, Drugs and Power Tools" (2002) "Family Tradition" (2002) with John Pelan "Monstrosity" (2002): Cemetery Dance Publications. Published as a 26-copy leather-bound hardcover and 1000-copy limited hardcover. Leisure Books. Published as a Mass Market Paperback. "Ever Nat" (2003): Published as a 52-copy hardcover and 300-copy limited softcover. "The Baby" (2003): Published as a 52-copy hardcover and 300-copy limited softcover. "Teratologist" (2003) with Wrath James White "Incubi" (2003): Necro Publications. "Infernal Angel" (2003): Cemetery Dance Publications. Published as a 26-copy leather-bound hardcover and 750-copy limited hardcover. (January 2004): Leisure Books. Published as a Mass Market Paperback. "Messenger" (August 2004): Leisure Books. Published as a Mass Market Paperback. "The Backwoods" (October 2005): Leisure Books. Published as a Mass Market Paperback. (December 2005): Cemetery Dance Publications. Published as a 52-copy leather-bound hardcover and 750-copy limited hardcover. "Monster Lake" (2005). Necro Publications. First book for young readers. "Flesh Gothic" (February 2005): Leisure Books. Published as a Mass Market Paperback. "Slither" (2006: Necro Publications.) "Gast" (2007) (October 2009): Leisure Books. Revised, retitled "Black Train", and published as a Mass Market Paperback. "House Infernal" (October 2007): Leisure Books. Published as a Mass Market Paperback. (February 2008): Cemetery Dance Publications. Published as a 26-copy leather-bound hardcover and 1000-copy limited hardcover. "Minotauress" (December 2008): Necro Publications. Published as a 26-copy leather-bound hardcover and 300-copy limited hardcover. "Brides of the Impaler" (September 2008): Leisure Books. Published as a Mass Market Paperback. (May 2011): Cemetery Dance Publications. Published as Hardcover Limited Edition of 1000 signed copies bound in full cloth and Smyth sewn and Traycased Hardcover Lettered Edition of 52 signed and lettered copies bound in leather with a satin ribbon page marker. "Golemesque" (March 2009): Necro Publications. Published as a 26-copy leather-bound hardcover and 300-copy limited hardcover. (April 2009): Leisure Books. Published as "Golem" as a Mass Market Paperback. "Trolley No. 1852" (May 2009): Bloodletting Press. Published as a 26-copy leather-bound hardcover and 300-copy limited hardcover.(October 2010) Deadite Press, Trade Paperback. "Haunter of the Threshold" (Summer 2009) Bloodletting Press. Exclusive limited-edition. (December 2010) Deadite Press, Trade Paperback. "City of Sixes" (2009) Necro Publications. Exclusive limited-edition chapbook included with copies of "Infernally Yours". "You are My Everything" (January 2010) Necro Publications. "Going Monstering" (January 2010) Bloodletting Press. Exclusive limited-edition. "Header 2" (June 2010) Camelot Books. Exclusive limited-edition. "The Innswich Horror" (Summer 2010) Cemetery Dance. Exclusive limited-edition (Club Members Only), (July 2010), Deadite Press Trade paperback. "Lucifers Lottery" (October 2010) Leisure Books. Currently eBook only, possible release date of July 2011 for physical book. "Pages Torn From a Travel Journal" (January 31, 2011) Bloodletting Press. "Vampire Lodge" (January, 2011) Necro Publications. E-Book only (second book for young readers) "Witch Water" (Spring 2011) Bloodletting Press. Limited edition hardcover "The Dunwich Romance" (tbd) "Header 3" (Heads) (tbd) Bloodletting Press. Limited edition
Collections The Ushers (1999) Of Pigs and Spiders (1999) with John Pelan, Brett Alexander Savory and David Niall Wilson Partners in Chyme (2001) with Ryan Harding Sleep Disorder (2003) with Jack Ketchum Haunted House (2007) Brain Cheese Buffet (2010) Deadite Press Bullet Through Your Face (2010) Deadite Press Carnal Surgery (April 2011) Deadite Press
Anthologies Infernally Yours (2009) 'The Senery' by Edward Lee Necro Publications, a limited-edition hardcover. Dark Seductions: Tales of Erotic Horror (1993) 'Private Pleasures' by Edward Lee Bizarre Sex and Other Crimes of Passion (1994) 'I'd Give Anything for You' by Edward Lee & Jack Ketchum Deadly After Dark: The Hot Blood Series (1994) 'Mr. Torso' by Edward Lee Seeds of Fear: The Hot Blood Series (1995) 'Grub Girl' by Edward Lee Stranger By Night: The Hot Blood Series (1995) 'Dead Girls in Love' by Edward Lee & Gary Bowen Darkside: Horror for the Next Millennium (1996) 'The Stick Woman' by Edward Lee Fear the Fever: The Hot Blood Series (1996) 'Love Letters from the Rain Forest' by Jack Ketchum & Edward Lee White House Horrors (1996) 'Night of the Vegetables' by Edward Lee The UFO Files (1997) 'Secret Service' by Edward Lee Inside The Works (1997) 'The Pig' by Edward Lee Whitley Strieber's Aliens (1998) 'Scripture Girl' by Edward Lee 999 (1999) 'ICU' by Edward Lee Graven Images (2000) 'Masks' by Jack Ketchum & Edward Lee Triage (2001) 'In the Year of Our Lord 2202' by Edward Lee Excitable Boys (2002) 'The McCrath Model SS40-C, Series S' by Edward Lee Damned: An Anthology of the Lost (2004) 'Angel' by Edward Lee Small Bites (2004) 'The Room' by Edward Lee
Movies Edward Lee's story "Header" has been made into the film Header. Edward Lee and Jack Ketchum are featured in cameo roles in the movie.
This exercise in hardcore grossout horror, originally published in 1996, may contain more scenes of carnal grotesqueries in its 138 pages than most horror writers publish in a lifetime. Any effort to do so usually comes off as a pale imitation of these two fine writers, who are kind enough to return us to some familiar territory here as well as introduce some new aspects to the genre that none of have ever imagined before. In this volume, we have the return of Philip Straker (Lee's pseudonym he used on his first two novels and the main character in his novel Creekers), we have the return of PFC Micah Hayes (who also illustrated this edition) and Chief Richard Kinion (another Lee pseudonym), and we have a parody of virtually ever professional wrestler in the business.
The book is about a police officer and a reporter who go undercover as ringrats, or wrestling groupies, to try to catch Goon, a heel wrestler who can take a fatal blow to the head without batting an eye and who may be responsible for the murders of several ringrats. To say more would spoil the story, which may be the most unique piece you've ever read. It may not be Faulkner, or even Stephen King, but it will remain in your mind (in a dark corner filled with memories of other things you will never speak of in certain company) long after you've read it.
Fans of the Lee and Pelan team are encouraged to track down copies of Shifters, Splatterspunks, Family Tradition (especially this one, I can't stress enough), and whatever short stories you can find. Fans of Lee should read anything and everything he's written, especially over the last decade. See also the Excitable Boys anthology edited by Kelly Laymon and Santa Steps Out by Robert Devereaux.
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I'm not a wrestling fan but I enjoyed this book. There's some brutal stuff in here, extreme sexual violence that may turn some people off. If you like this stuff, though, get this book.
The one thing that I had a slight problem with were the illustrations. The cover of the book is awesome but the illustrations are sort of cartoonish. It just made the content of the book less horrifying. When I read hardcore horror, I want to be disgusted or horrified.. but I can't if I get the impression that everything is happening in a sort of comic book world.
Anyway, that's my only criticism. Other than that, its excellent. Buy this before it goes out of print!
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Ed Lee has done it again and in combination with Phelan,I just sit here shaking my head in awe. Short and sweet (LOL) this book will gross you out and make you smile. Easily on par with The Bighead, I couldn't put it down.
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