Customer Reviews

The Golem (Leisure Fiction)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

For a monster that has been around for hundreds of years, the golem has been one of the more underused creatures in horror fiction and films. While I am sure there have been more recent ones, the only golem movie of note dates back to the 1920s. Whatever the reason, the golem story remains fertile ground in which Edward Lee has successfully gotten new material from.

Unlike vampires or were-beasts, the traditional golem story (which comes out of Jewish folklore) has the clay automaton being often used as a force for good, instead of evil. Not so, in Lee's appropriately titled The Golem, where there are multiple golems, and they are mostly malevolent. The novel takes place around the quiet Maryland town of Lowensport and is really two parallel stories. In the main story, new residents Seth Kohn and Judy Parker have moved to the periphery of the town, into the house that once belonged to the local patriarch Gavriel Lowen. Seth is a millionaire computer game developer and Judy is a former college professor, and both are recovering addicts.

Evil is afoot nearby, led by some corrupt policemen and their drug-dealing partners. One of the dealers has a connection to a truly nasty killer who can be used to eliminate the competition, a killer that turns out to be a golem. Seth and Judy will get tangled up with the pair, not only because of the history of their house but also because of some barrels of clay they've acquired: clay with the mystical properties to create golems.

The parallel story relates the early history of Lowensport, when almost the entire Jewish population was killed in a virulent wave of hate. The killers, in turn will pay, as Gavriel gets his revenge and sets up the foundation for the main story.

The Golem is a darkly entertaining novel that, as stated before, taps into an underutilized area of horror fiction. This is true not only of using the golem, but also Jewish folklore and mysticism. For this fresh subject matter alone, this book is worth reading. The fact that its well-written too is almost a bonus.

Ancient myths and legends often provide the best material for dark tales. They echo with resonance and history. In his latest, Edward Lee harnesses this resonance with powerful and horrifying results. Under his dreadful ministrations, the golem comes alive and walks the earth. Unlike its legendary predecessor, however, Lee's golem is a dreadful engine of destruction, leaving piles of mutilated bodies and torn lives in its wake.

Seth Kohn and Judy Parker have traveled through hell and come out the other side. Seth has not only recovered from alcoholism but also put to rest the tragedy that caused it: his wife's death. Judy has also defeated her demons; a crack addiction that destroyed her teaching career and reduced her to whoring to support it. Rehabilitated, recovered, and together, the future seems bright. Seth's newest video game dominates the market, and they've just purchased and renovated an old home on the quiet Maryland coast.

Their peace is doomed. Corrupt police and redneck drug dealers run rampant, along with something worse. Informants and rival drug dealers are being killed in horrifying ways, and a dark, ancient evil creeps through the night. Both Seth and Judy will be confronted by their worst nightmares, as the Golem - once a holy instrument of justice - is perverted into a force of evil and malice. Old fears will be resurrected, and Judy in particular will once again become what she's always despised - a "dirty crack whore" - all at the whims of an ancient evil.

"The Golem" evokes all the right emotions: hope, fear, despair, and vengeance. Particularly skillful was Lee's layering of the story, interweaving past and present narratives. For most of the novel, the horror plays out in the past, while dreadful anticipation of it builds in the present. And, as all successful horror novelists do, Lee combines supernatural horror with real, tangible horrors: being haunted by the specter of a dead love and returning to a despised addiction. There's resolution at the end, but also a somber reminder: evil endures, and marches on through history.

Lee introduces us to two intermingled stories in Golem, first we have the 1800's tale of settlers battling amongst eachother and reaching to the darker forces for help. This is an entertaining and engaging tale filled with creepy vibes, nasty curses and horrible monsters. Then we flip to the modern day - a young couple is moving into their dream house - located sqarely between the two ancient camps of settlers. They have each recently battled with addictions and survived. Leaning on eachother for support they conquered their habits and have set up a nice life together. With the sale of their new videogame, they are now rolling in wealth that they are unaccustomed to.

We know that their new house is located in a place that holds danger they could not possibly be aware of - or even believe in. The descendents of the original settlers still have a strong hold on the dark arts, and aren't above a little rape, murder, and drug sales to gain what they felt they have lost.

Though this is one of Lee's better books, it's not one that the reader will have any trouble putting a bookmark in to pick back up at a later date. It just never grabs ahold of you like some of the other writers do. For those looking for rape and violence - here it is, but it won't cause you to keep the light on at night, and the monsters have no chance of invading your dreams.

I have read all things Lee has written to date, that said, THE GOLEM is right up there with the best he has published.
As with his fantastic BRIDES OF THE IMPALER, Lee has put in enough researched historical "facts" to flesh out the plot of a Jewish black magic sect making golems. The best part, for me, is the 1880 backstory that explains why the present timeline is so important.
The characters were written well and stayed true, the dialogue was crisp and moved the plot lines along, the gore is high in spots but I feel that Lee has reached a new level of writing and that he doesn't have to rely on gore or violence to shock the reader anymore...a very mature book and you really can't go wrong with anything Lee writes.

Buying a new house and find that it has something of great archeological significance buried on the property? No problem? Its just proof that there was once a boat carrying a special brew of mud to end a fight that had been going on for some time in the 1800s, and it was touched by something that befouled the concoction. No need to worry, though, because living through this isn't going to be a breeze! Even if you manage to get past a town that would not like their history uncovered, you may have something else on your hands. And, well, this kind of mud is the type that stains entire towns red.

Edward Lee has garnered favor from my mind for some time now, and I felt it slipping for a while. It seemed like there were too many of the same things happening and that he wasn't trying to get past the formula that worked. Then came the new stream of books that took the old formula - Creekers with sexual tastes that go well beyond twisted - and spiced it up with newer ideas. That meant that things like the Minotauress could walk, that a train could run the rails, and that this book could fall into my hands. It has all of the Lee trademarks, too, with defiling the dead and the living falling in side by side, with people with nothing better to do murdering as they tour the countryside, and with something huge tearing through its own little world. The one thing that Lee has changed has to be the style he uses to make things, however, because he certainly spends more time making his people real. In the past it was only the thing that got that treatment, and that orked for a while. Now, however, he has modified that touch and it makes the stories more complete beings as they waltz through the land of the living and defile anything they can touch.
Sexy.

If you don't know Lee's works, then you should be ready for anything. They are depraved, have some sick stuff in them, and do not spare us the details i personally appreciate that, too, because life is not one clean stroke and then the body falls. There are horrible people out there with horrible tastes and he builds on that thought to make his Creeker-type personas. This doesn't appeal to everyone but people who like their horror hardcore don't seem to mind it too much. So, check into the thing you are getting to make sure it is for you first, then get it if it doesn't seem too foul for your tastes. i personally love Lee and recommend him highly, but know there are people who need the horror to stop at some point.
Their loss.

Many people say Mr Lee's older horror titles and some independent press books are much better than his mainstream Leisure books. I am starting to agree with that. The Golem I found to be boring and took way too long to get interesting and suspenseful. I almost did not finish it. If you want to read a better Leisure tale from Mr. Lee, try Flesh Gothic and City Infernal. I would not recommend starting here if you are new to this author. If you can find some of his older titles, try The Chosen, Ghouls and Incubus?

Great story. Very interesting with the history on what a Golem truly is, how they are created and what purpose they serve. Until I read this, the only thing I knew about a Golem was from my old D&D days. Of course it would not be a Mr. Lee special if it did not include some nastiness and gore. Highly recommended!

2 AND 1/2 STARS

Having read 75% of Edward Lee's books, both the mass market and the more hardcore limited edition titles, I have to place "The Golem" right in the middle. Not bad, but a bit predictable and not very scary. Sure, it has a nice amount of deranged inhabitants involved in brutal acts of violence and sex, along with some decent gore, but I felt it could have used some editing.

With the exception of the prologue from 1880, I didn't think author Lee needed to constantly return to the past every other chapter as it was clear from present day what had happened. I thought the switching back and forth from present day to 1880 slowed the momentum considerably without adding any real important information we don't eventually discover in the present day chapters. The occult rituals also felt a bit sloppy and pieced together with little or no atmosphere, written matter-of-fact. A premeditated attack on a character also didn't seem to make any sense because the victim had made a last minute decision to go for a walk alone, so how would the attackers know that?

What had me keep reading were the main characters, Seth and his girlfriend, Judy. Their unique house and Seth's profession were very interesting and it was obvious that author Ed Lee did his homework on architectural details and various other histories that helped ground the book and give it an authentic feel. I hate to say it, but the videogame Seth designed was probably the most interesting thing in the story. Still, Lee fans should be happy, but new fans should check out Lee's more groundbreaking work like the Infernal trilogy, consisting of "City Infernal", "Infernal Angel", and "House Infernal".

I've alwways been an Edward Lee fan. With that said, this book was pretty decent, fairly easy read for a "monster" book. Characters are your typical Edward Lee type.

Scary, graphic. Tale about mystical Judaism. It was a fun, quick read that kept my attention. I was a little irritated at some editing errors but overall a good read. WARNING: contains violence against women.