Vampire Lodge

by Edward Lee

VAMPIRES DON’T REALLY EXIST...Thirteen-year old Kevin Bennell has always loved movies about vampires, but of course he knows that vampires don’t really exist...OR DO THEY?When Kevin and his family visit his Aunt Carolyn, unusual things begin to happen, some of them downright creepy. And come to think of it, Aunt Carolyn is a bit creepy herself. She’s pale, thin, always wears black, and... Why has Kevin never seen her in daylight? She lives in an old hunting lodge way back in the woods, and the lodge is full of locked doors, dark hallways, and secret a perfect place...for a vampire.And when the darkness falls and the shadows thicken, Kevin learns more about his aunt and her gloomy mansion in the woods. And he hears the strangest sounds at night. Why are so many bats seen around the lodge? Why is the grumpy groundskeeper digging around the back yard late in the wee hours? And was that really a coffin he saw in the basement through the crack in the door? When Kevin finally learns the answers to these questions, he’s left with no choice but to admit the do exist, and his Aunt Carolyn isn’t the only bloodsucker in the house!Join Kevin, his family, and creepy Aunt Carolyn as the secret in the basement is finally revealed, in Edward Lee’s 2nd children’s book, Vampire Lodge! (For Age 8-12).

Genres: Horror, Vampires, Paranormal, Fiction

160 pages, Paperback

First published December 30, 2010

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.

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.

Reviews

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

A decent book, but probably best left to the kiddies. Ed Lee seems to have a natural flair for children's books (who'da thunk?), but VAMPIRE LODGE doesn't come across as something he spent much time on. Sloppy writing and the occasional typo rear their ugly heads from time to time. The scariest thing about the book is its cover; the story itself gives children very little to be frightened about, and it ends in the most reassuring manner possible.
Ed Lee has been known to write novels in the style of H.P. Lovecraft and M.R. James, now he seems to be aping R.L. Stine. If your kids like GOOSEBUMPS, they should enjoy VAMPIRE LODGE.

[Johann Ingi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kid stuff by edward lee???? it works...but it´s missing the usual brutality

[Danny Welch · Rating 4 out of 5]

Edward Lee is a genius when it comes to overly violent and sexual horror. So when it came known to me that he had written two children's books, I was absolutely flabbergasted but curious to see what they were like. Monster Lake was a really fun read that didn't talk down to the kids, so I was intrigued to see what Vampire Lodge would be like.

Kevin is a 13-year-old boy with an annoying 15-year-old sister called Becky. He and his best mate Jimmy are going out into the wilderness with their fathers and Becky, to see Kevin's aunt at her lodging cabin. He's a vampire enthusiast however and when he discovers a vampire legend in the local area, he soon becomes suspicious of not only the area around him but of his aunt. Is his aunt really a vampire, or is something far more interesting going on?

Vampire Lodge isn't as intriguing as say Monster Lake when it comes to its story, but that's by no means a bad thing. It's still a really fun story with an impeccable sense of atmosphere and a well-written mystery. What I liked about this novella is that unlike Monster Lake it doesn't feel like a Goosebumps book but more like a Famous Five novel by Enid Blyton. This difference in tone and storytelling made for a really nice and enjoyable change for me.

Overall: It's a really fun novella, that I can easily imagine young readers really enjoying. Both of these novellas from Lee are well worth the read! 8/10

[Γιώργος Μπελαούρης · Rating 3 out of 5]

edward lee for younger readers?
yes!
it works?
heck yeah!
it waz like one of the best goosebumps books ever
only... i didnt know it waz for younger readers and i waz expecting classic lee

[William M. · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Vampire Lodge” is the second book in the Little Devil Books’ series by Edward Lee. I did not enjoy this as much as his first book, “Monster Lake”, and my kids seem to agree. The story is your basic Goosebumps-style tale of kids visiting a relative and discovering something dark about the house/town/history.

This book took too long to get started and although this is supposedly written for age groups 8 to 12, I think it is more in line with 6 to 10. That being said, the irony is that the cover of the book has one of the darkest, most evil images I’ve seen in a while (even on adult books). One of the characters is – I believe – twelve in the book and tells his friend that he doesn’t know who Dracula is. Now come on. What kid doesn’t know that?

The story has a few moments of suspense and atmosphere, with some creepy characters, but I feel that author Lee was stalling a lot and trying to stretch the word count to make his quota. The last third of the book is the strongest, but you have to wade through a lot of predictable and repetitive dialogue to get there. The ending is what you expect, but it was nicely wrapped up for kids. This is not a bad book, but fans of his hardcore work will definitely want to skip it. For young kids and Ed Lee completists only.

[Iwan Sutisna · Rating 1 out of 5]

again Edward Lee using the same formula for his second children/young adults books. The main character likes to repeat his/her thought over and over again spreading for many pages. Actually the second book was mucdh better at first part than Monster Lake. It even makes me a little bit edgy when the main character exploring a dark secret room that he thought contains Count Dracula. But what shocking me is the ending. And I started to believe I wouldn't ever going to read Edward's Lee adults books.