Customer Reviews

House of Pain (Velvet)

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

The description of this novel as `extreme` is no exaggeration- something in it is sure to repel even the most hardened devotees of this kind of literature. But it is elegantly written, and many of the descriptions can only be described as delicious. Unremittingly cruel and savage, the graphically detailed sufferings of the victims and the response of their torturers make this a psychological as well as an erotic masterpiece. It will confirm one way or the other whether in your heart you have a taste for these things!

This novel is obscene, blasphemous, brutal, scatological and beautifully written. Its dedication to a relative who died of cancer at age 29, explains the narrator's nihilistic, foul-mouthed rage. Andres Serrano's photographic couplings of crucifixes and bodily fluids are light humor compared to the rites of these Sisters of Sadism. Pantziarka has crafted a seductively repulsive and important work. _House of Pain,s_literary quality denies the usual, easy dismissal of pornography on aesthetic grounds: "Oh,that's such trash." This is good art and the power of its anguish cannot be denied. If you have the stomach for it, this uncompromising journey through the dark side is a black masterpiece

This book is definately for extreme readers only. The scenes are graphic and not for those with weak stomachs. I really liked the first 3rd of the book, but as the novel progressed, it lost a story line and just jumped from scene to scene. The acts became more and more vile with consumption of EVERY body excretion appearing as the only connection between the scenes. I was rather disgusted as i am not into brown and yellow sex, but those who are would like this book. The author is very descriptive, but her obvious nihilistic beliefs penetrate every orfice of this novel and the reader is left with only despair and a turned stomach. The submissive parts were rather good though, and the scenereos, though unbelieveable were exciting at times.

Pan Pantziarka, House of Pain (Velvet/Creation, 1997)

availability: amazon.

The publisher's blurb on the back calls House of Pain
"scorched earth erotica," and a more accurate
definition would be somewhat hard to come by. The book
gives us a nameless narrator (by design, of course,
cf. "Fight Club") who is kidnapped-- perhaps-- and
subjected to various humiliations, etc., which she may
or may not enjoy, depending on her mood. As is usual
with such things, the degradation builds until it hits
a high (low?) at the climax of the book, where the
narrator faces the usual question: how badly do I want
to keep my identity?

The earlier comparison to Fight Club is more warranted
than it may seem at first blush. Pantziarka's writing
style matches nicely with what bits of Palahniuk I've
been exposed to, and the dark, oppressive atmosphere
in House of Pain is certainly a fit with Fincher's
directorial oeuvre (though I have a hard, if amusing,

time imagining Fincher trying to direct this).
Palahniuk works in violence, Pantziarka in sex, and
both explore the paradoxical discovery and loss of
self in breaking successive taboos therein. This is
certainly not a book for the squeamish or the faint of
heart, but those who have already been introduced to
the nasty side of S&M literature and a concurrent
taste for Palahniuk/Jim Thompson/Spillane/etc. will
probably find quite a bit to enjoy here.

As a completely irrelevant side note, I much prefer
the Creation Books cover. ***

Though this book might be a little on the extreme side for most, I enjoyed the delicious descriptive way the book was written. I had no trouble at all imagining what was happening and at some points wished it was me. For those just midly interested, this might be a little much... but for those who know what they want...this definitely worked for me!!

This book is good! First there is the character development of a heroin/victim that no one, not even her mother could like. Then there is willing stupidity followed by more willing stupidity which leads to more bizare players in this game. You haven't even reached page 50 yet and there is so much more destruction of the human animal that you must go on as rapidly as you can to find out what happens next.
Once you are firmly mired in the premise that life, at it's best is, or should be intolerable. You meat, no pun intended, some cheerful folks from a local church. I just love these multi-level psyco-comedies! Let's see, where was I? Oh yes, pain, degradation, revelation, copulation continue at a spritely pace through many imaginative sessions until you become desensitized to the point that it doesn't matter how many ways tab P goes into slot V, A, or M.
I really don't know why I kept reading this book at that point, it must have been my deep seated perversity that kept me going. That or my insomnia. If you have either condition, buy the book. It is a great read on so many levels. Dime store psycologists will have endless fodder to chew on while they try to find the "True meaning of life"!

This book is well writing. Though spotie at times, and some times rough subjuct matter. The storie is good. Some time's you want to put it down, but you can't. If you can handle (extreme erotie). Read this one.

I was not offended but, it was just so bad the story was hard to follow. It made hardly any sense it was just plain bad!