Právničce Ann Slavikové se zdají děsivé sny s temným sexuálním nábojem. Vrací se v nich do minulosti: na svět přivádí svou dceru Melanii a zároveň je středem pozornosti záhadných postav v pláštích, které si chlípně pohrávají s jejím tělem… V současné realitě slaví Ann úspěchy v práci, s dnes již sedmnáctiletou Melanií a svým partnerem básníkem Martinem plánuje výlet do Paříže. Jenže radostná očekávání jí kalí ona opakující se noční můra, která ji nakonec dožene k návštěvě psychiatra… a minulost o sobě dá vědět i tím, že zmatenou Ann nečekaně přivolá do jejího rodného městečka Lockwoodu, ztraceného kdesi v lesích, v hájemství vidláků a podivného matriarchálního společenství. Souběžně s tímto vším se v končinách nedaleko Lockwoodu chce dostat na svobodu dvojice nebezpečných chovanců léčebny pro choromyslné. Jakou má jejich urputná snaha souvislost s Ann? A jak se vším souvisí blížící se rovnodennost a fakt, že v noci na vše shlíží narůžovělý měsíc? Sukuby poprvé vyšly v roce 1992 v uhlazené podobě určené pro mainstreamové publikum. O devatenáct let později se dočkaly vydání nového, necenzurovaného, v podobě, jak je autor původně zamýšlel. Český překlad byl na autorovo doporučení pořízen z této pozdější verze, vydané kultovním americkým nakladatelstvím Necro Publications. Vzhledem ke všem těmto skutečnostem četbu doporučujeme čtenářům a čtenářkám starším osmnácti let, kteří jsou srozuměni s tím, že v rukou nedrží romantickou selanku.
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.
This novel was originally released in 1992, but I purchased the book by Crossroad Press (October 10, 2022). It was originally published by Berkley Books but was significantly altered by pulling the original prologue for being “too strong” and scenes (plural) censored. Thus, finally readers today are the lucky beneficiaries of having the opportunity to read “Edward Lee’s 1992 cult masterpiece”. It is totally uncut and contains the scenes never before published, not to mention the original prologue Lee wrote for the novel.
I noted that Amazon boasted a paltry less than 100 ratings, but having said that, the ratings rated 4 Stars overall, and 70% of the readers rated the novel 4 to 5 Stars. I was slightly surprised by only about 500 ratings on Goodreads, albeit the ratings overall were 3.69 a little below Amazon which is almost always the case because of the higher sample provided by Goodreads.
I am a new fan of Lee’s, having read only four of his novels. I have only two things to say along those lines. First, he is an outstanding writer whose character development is excellent, and his plots are well developed with perfect pacing. Second, Edward Lee has etched a position on my list of top five writers of horror, and I will be reading more of his works for certain. His talent in writing descriptive prose is something that needs to be read to be appreciated. He is commonly describing the horrific, thus his sharp-edged graphic approach is so visceral in nature that you are socked right in the solar plexus. There is nothing gratuitous about the sex and violence that are part of Lee’s novels. His work can be disturbing to be sure, but it is literary and articulate work that could never be called “trash”.
So, what about this novel “Succubi” I am reviewing today? The Prologue to this fascinating tale is about a rather mundane archeological dig funded by Oxford that is searching for lost urns. Dr. Fredrick is in charge of the project which shockingly reveals “huge mass graves in the middle of the scenic and tranquil English countryside”. He immediately calls Mrs. Emberle, who as luck would have it was an archeological sociologist and uniquely qualified for Dr. Fredrick’s surprise findings. She was in fact the only expert on the obscure pre-Iberian race of the Ur-Locs. He was fascinated by the application of scientific theory to the wild mythological tales which held archeological significance. Stone cold facts now brutally and surprisingly clashed with the fantastic. Specifically, the colorful and blood-curdling mythology of the pre-Iberian race known as the Ur-locs. In the hands and within their sight line they held and saw undisputable scientific evidence that the Ur-locs in fact did live and carry out the unbelievable horrors that were until that moment believed to be frightening fantasy in mythology. The finding of tangible evidence of an obscure female dominated cult who was more barbaric, bloodthirsty, savage and sadistic than any other Satan worshiping race in recorded history was having a nightmare while wide awake.
The remainder of the Prologue is exceptionally intriguing for it graphically details the unimaginable horrors the Ur-Locs carried out like it was just another day. The descriptions of cold-blooded acts are described in hot visceral bloody detail by the talented Edward Lee. It irks me to believe that a publisher would yank this critical description, background, and belief system of the female society called Ur-Locs out of this book. I could pull some of my favorite quotes, but I am aware my reviews are quite long enough. We do know from the title that this female society worshiped the Ardat-Lil (Succubus).
In the first chapter we meet our main protagonist, 37-year-old Attorney Ann Slavik who is beautiful, self-centered, and totally consumed by her job at the law firm. She has a male partner (Martin) who has proposed twice, literally manages all of the household functions, cooks for the family, helps with the cleaning, and takes Ann’s 17-year-old daughter to and from school and activities. Ann is highly successful in her work and in fact, on this day she has made partner in the firm.
There is one chink in Ann’s armor and that is a recurring nightmare which is impacting her sleep and her waking hours because of worry and fatigue. The nightmare is about her own birth… naturally Ann is addressing this aggravating problem with a high-priced psychiatrist, Dr. Harold. Ann is hard as nails and as strict as a prison warden on her daughter. That’s nurture for you. Martin tries to mediate pretty much daily. Martin is a critically acclaimed poet who does not make much off the royalties of three richly praised books of poetry that have been published. I considered Martin (and Ann’s daughter Melanie) as important characters in the book. Ann and her mother, the latter still back home in the little town of Lockwood, did not ever get along. Talk about oil and water, that old cliché does not come close to these two. But Ann was close to her father, and just when she has announced to the family that she is taking them to Paris, France to celebrate her promotion and to show Melanie the art galleries, she gets a call that her father is on his death bed.
There is a fascinating subplot that involves a mental patient who is not crazy by the name of Erik Tharp. Erik had been arrested dirt-handed burying corpses of dead children and other bodies. He was arrested in yes, of course it was Lockwood. He has been a prisoner in the state mental hospital for five years now. But he has a desperate need to get free. Erik had been making repeated phone calls to Ann Slavik’s residence and doing unpleasant favors for Duke in return for quarters for the payphone. He was trying to reach Ann to speak to her through his damaged vocal cords.
Ann and her family set out for the town of her birth and childhood, Lockwood. The town of Lockwood on the surface reminds the reader of Mayberry it is so removed from the noise and chaos of the city. Ann and her mother are fighting on first sight of each other. Martin tries to smooth things over of course and Melanie is embraced by her grandmother, and they get along famously.
So, what do you think? Did Erik reach Ann and if so, why was he calling? Erik had spent five years in the mental hospital and knew everything there was to know about the town and the citizens of Lockwood. Erik plans a devious but daring escape from the state hospital, and he needs Duke to help him achieve the getaway plan. Erik with motives unclear to the reader, and Duke who anyone reading would know he is crazy as an outhouse rat and meaner than a snake, a raping, mangling, sadistic killing machine. Strap yourself in because you are going for a wild, crazy journey with these two guys.
Ahead lies the quiet town of Lockwood, so clean and innocent if you look only on the outside. This is a terrific thriller, well written, erotic, and some of the most savage imagery you have ever read. There is suspense to spare, plot twists, and a plot reversal that I dare say very few readers will see coming. The escalation and the ending were so outstanding that I cannot praise the writing and the pacing enough, and the plot was genius.
TERRIFIC NOVEL OF SUSPENSE AGAINST A BACKDROP OF OCCULT EVIL
Succubi by Edward Lee informs us about a group of Archaeologists who are stunned to find remnants of a little known ancient civilization known as the Ur-locs, a pre druid sect of the early Chiltern inhabitants of England. These people formed an occult society that practiced various rituals involving gratuitous sex, sacrifice, and cannibalism. However, what made them particularly unique was the fact that they were a society formed entirely of females. By enlisting the aid of "clever management and fear," they subdued males, enslaving them to do their biding. All of this in the name of their goddess, the Ardat-Lil, a succubus. But these ancient peoples have long since died out.
Anne is a successful lawyer living in the city, even though her upbringing took place in a small suburban town. She resides with her daughter and her poet boyfriend, yet is living in constant turmoil and regret because her job keeps her from spending enough quality time with them. For months she is continuously awakened, at the same time every night, by the same recurring nightmare. Though her psychiatrist feels that her dreams have something to do with her guilt and stress, she isn't entirely convinced. When she returns home to visit her ailing father, the nightmare takes on a whole new dimension.
Erik Tharp has been living in a mental institution for quite some time now after being caught by police burying children and babies. Though convicted only of burying the bodies, and not killing them, he has been condemned to a life of mental poking, prodding, and dissection. Most of the professionals analyzing Erik write him off as delusional. Regardless of what they think, the vernal equinox, the "tangential lunar apogee," the doefolmon, is upon them, and Erik must find a means of escape.
I really liked this book on succubi and their servants in a little town someplace in the USA. The author is an excellent writer, the story is full of suspense, fluid. Also the historical background on the origin of the English language is quite interesting. You wouldn't expect that when reading a book that is quite hard and open in some descriptions. If you are interested in witches, devil worship and sects this definitely is the book for your. A real pageturner full of suspense, sex, brutality and historical elements. Also the ending is good. Clear recommendation!
Well, with a title like this and Edward Lee as the author, you know you are in for some seriously deranged sex scenes, but Succubi is a lot more than horror porn. We start off at an archeological dig site in England, where some unexpected ruins yielded the remains of a culture that predated the Celts-- the Ur-loc. The Ur-locs ran a society where the women were in complete command, the men being at best slaves. Rivers of blood flowed from their sacrifices and orgies were frequent, as were the eating of humans. The Ur-locs disappeared around 1000 years ago for unknown reasons, but maybe an existing sect still lives in Maryland!
Our main protagonist is Ann, a high-powered lawyer in (I am guessing here) Baltimore, with a 17 year old daughter Melanie and live in boyfriend Martin. Ann has put everything into her work, and really sacrificed her relationship with her daughter; thankfully, Martin (her beau) picks up the slack nicely! After just achieving partnership at her law firm, Ann decides to take Martin and Melanie to Paris for a week, but receives a phone call informing her that her father just had a serious stroke. So, instead of gay Paree, Ann and co make their way to the wilds of Maryland to the small town of Lockwood (just off the 'route', the scene of so many of Lee's novels). Lockwood is seriously sleepy, but zero crime and relatively prosperous. Ann never got along with her parents, however, and dreads coming home. Further, she has been having lurid nightmares for months and is even seeing a shrink about them.
Something is not quite right in Lockwood, however. We are slowly introduced to another POV, that of a mental patient at the 'Rubber Hilton', who came from that town and was arrested years ago burying a heap of dead babies. He is on a mission to stop something from happening, but Lee takes us on a ride before we realize just what is going on...
There is lots of sex in this book, and not very nice sex to be sure. Lots of rape, but women raping men and degrading them in numerous ways. The women of Lockwood, it seems, not only run the show, they wear the pants as well. This is an interesting flip of a classic horror trope, with women being the antagonists abusing/raping men for being, well, men. Well writing as always with Lee, but my Necro Publications edition has quite a few typos, which was annoying. His infamous doorknocker (shaped like a face, but only having eyes) show up on Ann's parents door. 3.5 stars rounding up!!
Od Leeho jsem četla Tramvaj č. 1852 a ta byla fajn, ovšem Sukuby jsou úplně jiný nářez. Tramvaj byla totální zvrácený kosmický mega porno a tohle je totální zvrácený démonický mega porno s hromadou brutality k tomu. Varování na zadní straně obálky je na místě. A je to skvělý. Komu není splatterpunk a bizzaro cizí, tak si to zaručeně užije. Jakožto člověka, co má leccos naposloucháno v žánru true crime, mě jen tak něco nepřekvapí (holka, kterou po znásilnění usekl ruce? Ha, jasná inspirace případem Mary Vincent), takže i brutální a šokující momenty neměly pro mě tak kýžený efekt, ale i tak to bylo něco, co jsem si užila, jakkoli to zní divně.
Not liked too much "The Backwoods", but my second Lee's book was a far better reading: funny, gory and disturbing. Graphic sex scenes (novel's title is a warning...), ultra-violence, well developed characters, creepy old towns, lovecraftian references (Old Dunwich and Pickman's lane! Ah!!!), a shocking unexpected final twist and Duke Belluxi was an hell of a serial killer! Mr Edward Lee just gained a new fan. :D
Dla mnie najlepsza i chyba najbardziej stonowana książka autora. Co nie zmienia faktu, że nadal szokuje. Mroczne kulty, krwawe rytuały, śmierć i brutalność miesza się tu z problemami rodzinnymi oraz wewnętrznymi rozterkami głównej bohaterki. Na minus trochę przewidywalne zakończenie. Czyta się szybko, a wiele scen mrozi krew w żyłach.
Succubi by Edward Lee ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️½ Archaeology, Sex Demons, and the Joy of Filthy Literature
You don’t read Edward Lee—you survive him. You come out the other end of Succubi needing a shower, a drink, and possibly a support group. Let’s not pretend this book is here to make friends. Succubi is proudly, obscenely, gloriously messed up. It’s Edward Lee doing what he does best: dredging the most Lovecraft-goes-to-pornhub recesses of his brain... then saying “Yeah, let’s set it in Maryland.”
The Plot: "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Mommy Domination" We begin at an archaeological dig in England, where some grad student is digging up a bunch of sex altars and femur-chiseled sex chants left behind by the "Ur-locs"—an ancient tribe of demon-worshipping dominatrixes who treated men like sentient Kleenex. These ladies were carving runes into human flesh and holding sacrificial orgies before the Celts even figured out how to throw rocks.
Flash-forward to Ann, a high-powered lawyer and part-time guilt factory, who decides to take her daughter and her overly sensitive poet boyfriend, Martin, on a lovely European vacation. But alas, her dad has a stroke, so instead of baguettes and Louvre selfies, it's back to Lockwood, Maryland—a town with all the charm of Silent Hill on estrogen therapy.
And Lockwood? Yeah, it’s not right. No crime, too clean, and the women look like they just walked out of a 90s music video directed by Satan.
Oh, and Ann's been having erotic demon dreams!
Meanwhile, we check in on Erik Tharp, the world's creepiest ex-babysitter, currently locked in a loony bin for burying a pile of dead babies. He’s raving about the lunar apogee, tangential portals, and demon cults. So, just your average Wednesday in a Lee novel.
Yes, It’s Gross. That’s the Point. People who say Succubi is “just sex and gore” are like people who go to a Slayer concert and complain about the noise. This is Splatterpunk, friend. It’s here to be obscene. It's supposed to make you rip off your underwear, then throw them at the nearest genital-devouring demon priestess.
But what’s refreshing is how gleefully it flips the horror script. The women in this book are the predators. The men are helpless meat bags to be used, drained, and discarded.
And Lee? He’s not phoning this in. This is satanic cultism in its full, unwashed glory—not midnight robes and whispery chants around scented candles, but full-blown blood-soaked orgies, face-shaped doorknockers, and the occasional flashback, though ill-timed.
The Criticisms (And Why I Laughed at All of Them) “The nightmares are repetitive!” She’s being psychically probed by a thousand-year-old sex demon from a pagan death cult. Repetition is part of the deal. It’s not Groundhog Day, it’s Crotch-Rot Nightmares of the Damned. Big difference!
“It’s all just an excuse for gross sex!” Correct. Also, welcome to Splatterpunk, enjoy your stay. Please keep all limbs inside the ride at all times.
“It’s dated!” Yeah, but in the way that watching a VHS horror flick in your friend's basement is dated: grimy, nostalgic, and probably illegal in three countries. Lesbian cultists, cold war paranoia, and angsty teenagers—definitely 1990s.
Final Verdict: Read It, Regret Nothing Is Succubi a masterpiece? No. But it’s a filthy, frenzied testament to what makes Splatterpunk so beautifully wrong: the fearless celebration of the taboo, the grotesque, the offensive. If you’ve got the stomach for it—and the ability to laugh while your soul is lightly singed—this is one hell of a ride. Just... don’t read it in public. Or around your mom.
4½ Stars – A cackling, demon-possessed blend of horror-porn, ancient evil, and satire disguised as sleaze.
More modern day low-budget-horror De Sadery from Lee on this one. It’s basically about an ancient matriarchal British tribe (forgotten contemporaries of the Angles, Jutes, Saxons, etc) of female sex-demons(?) that prey upon the weak-willed creature that is man. Lee had a good enough concept right there, but he had to fuck around and set it in modern times (sex-demons are obviously immortal, guys) in the ever-present trope setting of horror--the small town. Aside from some very minor and unimpressive plot twists, there was nothing in here that broke my notion that if you’ve read one Edward Lee you’ve read them all.
The main character is a very on-the-ball, straight and narrow woman named Ann whose father is sick and blah blah whatever. The plot is paper-thin and not great, although I did think the idea of a matriarchal tribe of dark ages women that was able to stave off the repeated invasions of Romans and Saxons et al. was very cool. Like I said, it would have been WAY cooler had Lee not taken more advantage of this. Lee is obviously not a master of inventive plots but he can do better than this. It seems a lot of the time to be an excuse for gnarly and gross sex and violence, which is fine because that’s probably what people read this guy for.
I’m not even sure why I’m giving this three stars...Lee’s prose is always solid, which makes it at least an entertaining, comprehensible read. I’m always impressed by how aggressively lurid this dude’s books are. It’s the worst kind of literary debauchery, I always feel slightly violated after finishing one. One thing I have to say is I’m SO fucking sick of the Lee subplot of the two hicks on a sex-murder rampage. It seems like he includes it in every fucking book (I know it’s in Creekers and The Bighead at least) and it’s just gross and pointless.
I’ll be honest. I do find the idea of ancient sex demons constantly doing gross shit like pissing in dude’s faces and mouths kind of amusing and funny, but the hillbilly rape-murder rampage shit is just...offensive, I guess? I feel so conservative for writing that, but it just seems so blatantly tasteless it bugs me. I want to thank Edward Lee for letting me know that in the deep, dark depths of my humanity-spoiled psyche there’s still shit that is too much. It’s kind of a nice feeling.
Ann successful lawyer starts having erotic, morbid dreams and consults a doctor. Two psychopaths escape from a mental asylum and go on a killing spree. A guy shot in the head, explodes like a melon dropped from a great height. Gunk spraying like a hose. Ann needs to return back to her childhood home to visit her dying father. The town with deep dark secrets, her return is meticulously planned. A body hung upside down on a hook, a machete flying through the air, head gone, body twitching, organs put into a pot, spices added, cooking nicely. Large strap on dildos pounding in and out, moans, groans, screams. The village women control the men. Sex demons. More blood flowing like spaghetti sauce.
Obrovské překvapení, myslím, že žádná kniha, kterou letos přečtu s tak malým očekáváním, tuhle nepřekoná, možná nejen letos. Já se tak bavila, až je to hrůza, možná mohla být hlavní hrdinka víc propracovaná a některé postavy mohly dostat větší prostor, ale jinak v rámci žánru obrovský nářez. Něco takového jsem četla poprvé, a doufám, že ne naposledy.
Zajímavá hororová jednohubka, upravené necenzurované vydání. Což sebou nese pár opravdu nechutných scén, které i pro mě byly utrpením. Ale jinak se jedná o hezky se čtoucí knížku se zajímavou chemií mezi některými postavami, hektolitry krve (a jiných tělních tekutin) a zajímavým koncem.
This book was reviewed in a horror magazine years ago and I ordered a copy. I have a hard-cover "un-cut" numbered addition so I am not sure how different it is compared to the mainstream copy. My guess is more gratuitous, perverse, and violent sex! The book begins with the accidental unearthing of an ancient female-dominated society, called the Ur-Locs, dating back to after 1000 A.D. Meet main character Ann who is haunted by the same sickening nightmare on a regular basis, always waking from it at 4:12am. The dream involves her giving birth to her daughter while being surrounded by hooded women rubbing and caressing every inch of her sweaty skin chanting words that are not of any language she has heard of. The dream always turns nightmare as there is dagger stabbing into flesh repeatedly, blood everywhere and a symbol that haunts her. She is awakened after contractions hit and she simultaneously reaches orgasm. This dream has started to really screw up her daily life. she has just made partner at her law ferm but her handle on things is slipping. She arranges to go on a trip to France with her boyfriend and daughter to try and forget things for a while, only to have it abruptly interrupted by a call back home to Lockwood, the small town where Ann grew up and had her child. Her father is dying. The book unfolds when she goes back to her hometown and finds her repetitive nightmare is now staring at her in the flesh.
The book was chock-full of violent lesbian sex scenes mixed with cannibalism and torture. This aspect is always fun, however the story itself seems to wrap up a little too quickly. I anticipated where the story was going the whole time I read the novel, but feel there was a slight "rushed" twist at the book's abrupt ending that could have been developed a bit more.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
This is the first "extreme horror" book that I have ever read. I don’t know if this is really a term but I know for sure that I already knew the name Edward Lee because of a popular book called Bighead which back then seemed disgusting through and through. I had nothing but detest for the book and pity for its readers.
In my mind the book served only as a tool of expressing atrocious, perverted and obnoxious ideas. I did not consider that it might have interesting prose, characters and a plot.
A couple of weeks ago I picked up Succubi on a whim. I just wanted to read something totally new to me. It was a pleasant surprise to find out that Edward Lee was a good writer. He not only managed to string sentences together better than authors of higher regard by the mainstream but he also has his references on point. It soon became apparent that he reads a lot and this book is full of interesting anecdotes concerning various topics but most interestingly criminal psychology. (I heard he even wrote another book with an expert in the field)
As for the gore and the disgusting parts. Well, it is full of shocking material but I dealt with it the same way I deal with it in horror movies. I only pay as much attention to it as I need to understand what’s going on, I don’t need to see, hear or read about all the details. So I can say I found the book to be an interesting read despite not being into the violence, gore or any of that nasty stuff. And that speaks for the quality of the writing.
this waz the fifteenth novel i ve read by lee when they get to lockwood it gets real but i thought the ending waz kinda rushed i really liked the professor (i think he waz the same with the brides) a fun read
Edward Lee is an author whose work I feel a little guilty about enjoying so much. His work is violent, grotesque, crude but hilarious and intelligent at the same time. He's written a great many different types of horror stories throughout the years from the bizarre to sheer insanity. He's written comedy, crime, the supernatural, government conspiracies, and beings from another world. Succubi is the last of his mass-market work I needed to read that was published under his name. I would love to grab copies of Night Lust and Night Bait but don't think I will be able to for some time.
Ann Slavik has a beautiful daughter and a loving boyfriend who still wants to marry her someday. But she's been neglecting the two of them to focus on her career as a lawyer, so when she gets promoted to partner it seems she can finally take a break and take them all to Paris. However, she's been having crude and grotesque nightmares as of late, and when she finds out her dad is lying on his deathbed. Her chance for a holiday with her family has been diminished. She must return to her hometown of Lockwood to say goodbye. But nothing in this town is normal, there aren't any boys running around and all the men are subservient to their wives. Just what is up with this town and how does it all connect to an escapee from an insane asylum? Only time will tell but evil forces from the dark times are gathering and Ann's family might not be able to escape from their talons.
Succubi is one of Edward Lee's more bleak offerings, it's a very grim novel with some very perverse and grotesque scenes to humiliate its characters, especially men. It is a story about an ancient cult, a psychopathic serial killer, a town with a dark mystery, and a complicated relationship with one's family. It's a very unforgiving novel with a very sinister and claustrophobic atmosphere and plenty of violence and gore.
It's a novel I very much enjoyed a great deal, but all the same, it didn't excite or thrill me nearly as much as Coven did. Succubi is in some ways a novel I feel I've read before but instead, it's written in a way that only Edward Lee could imagine.
Overall: A very engaging and horrifying novel, but not one of my favorites from Edward Lee all the same. 8.5/10
Tohle byl nářez a to doslova. Upřímně jsem asi nikdy nečetl nic až takhle ujetého. Pokud si hororový žánr dává za cíl působit v čtenáři diskomfort, tak se to Sukubám povedlo excelentně. Sukuby byly pro mě asi první kniha z takto extrémního subžánru. Samozřejmě nejde o žádné vrcholné dílo literatury a i Sukuby mají nedostatky. Spousta věcí je zde až příliš náhodně poplatných příběhu a zejména dvojice uprchlíků z blázince by mohla být propracovaná lépe. Stejně tak bych uvítal více prostoru pro Martina. Čím Sukuby vynikají je ohromná brutalita s notnou dávkou invence a pro mne i originality. Scény, které ač erotické, vzbuzují jednoznačný odpor. Veškeré tělní tekutiny tečou proudem a veškeré orgány jsou jen dalším kouskem spotřebního zboží. Fascinuje mne, do jak realistického rámce dokázal autor nadpřirozené prvky umístit. Celkově jsem se přiklonil k vyššímu hodnocení, ač pro mě Sukuby byly spíše na pomezí čtyř a pěti. Nápady a "hororovost" jednoznačně za plný počet, řemeslné zpracování bylo o kousek slabší. I tak řadím Sukuby k nejlepším hororům, se kterými jsem měl tu čest, ač přiznávám, že jich zase až tolik zatím nebylo.
To nie jest książka dla wrażliwców czy osób pruderyjnych, naprawdę. Wszelkiego rodzaju wynaturzenia, dewiacje seksualne, akty seksualnej przemocy i tym podobne – tak można eufemistycznie określić co się w tej książce znajduje. Jak chcecie się dowiedzieć dokładnie, dosadnie i dogłębnie o czym jest mowa – zapraszam do zapoznania się z „Sukkubem”. Poza wyżej wymienionym seksem znajdzie się tam sporo przemocy, mordu, aktów kanibalizmu, a do tego mroczna tajemnica i demony – czego można chcieć więcej od horroru? No może żeby się nie dłużyło i było krwiście – na szczęście „Sukkub” spełnia te wszystkie warunki.
To naprawdę jest kawał niezłego mięcha, szkoda tylko, że to wszystko już gdzieś było. Może nie w taki stężeniu, ale zawsze. Trudno jest jednak zszokować człowieka, który zaczytuje się w horrorach, więc nie mogę mścić się za to obniżeniem oceny. Chociaż mnie chyba w ogóle trudno zszokować pisaniną, do czytania „Sukkuba” jadłam kanapki, a ponoć niektórym się żołądki wywracały.
Jedyne co mnie drażniło to te dziwne wstawki językowe, jakoś nie przypadło mi to do gustu. 6/10
This was my first Edward Lee book, that I have read. The story reads easy and keeps you wanting to know how the characters are going to come together at the end. The pink moon is about to come and on this night a new succubus demon queen will be born. People are being drawn to this ritual, which only happens every 1000 years. Ann keeps having strange dreams and can't understand them. Her shrink isn't much help either. When her dad has a stroke and is stricken ill, she returns home with her daughter and boyfriend to see him. Her old Town has changed alot since she was there 17 years ago. What had changed? There is also a side story of 2 crazy people who have escaped and are on their way to her home town also. What is controlling and guiding Erik there? He has a lunatic in his passenger seat named Duke who goes on a killing spree. All this mayhem comes to a end in the small town of Lockwood. The ritual will take place, but who will survive? Read to find out.
Edward Lee always writes such lovely dark and disturbing stories that suck you in and strangle you with hopelessness.
Filled with gore and lust, the coming of a succubi/demoness, goddess of an ancient cult where women debase and destroy men, has been haunting the dreams of successful lawyer, Ann Slavick. Her father is dying so she returns home to Lockwood, with her lover and her teenage daughter, to say her goodbyes and face her disapproving mother.
Meanwhile, two psychopaths escape from an insane asylum/mental hospital, also heading to Lockwood. One killing and raping, the other other to try and stop Ann from getting there.
Throw in a psychiatrist trying to figure out the truth, if one of the patients is really a mad killer with religious/cult beliefs he made up or if there really is a ancient religious cult in Lockwood makes this a riveting read.
Ann continues to have very erotic nightmares that her psychiatrist is helping her figure out. A strange astronomical event concerning the moon is taking place soon that coincidentally seems converge with Ann's nightmare. Can her psychiatrist really help Ann what her nightmares mean in a figurative sense or are they harboring more realistic events?
As usual, Edward Lee takes a topic and then ramps it up a million times over with very descriptive detail. When you read Edward Lee just remember...you can't unread what you've read.
This tale reminded me of Clive Barker's Hellbound Heart mixed with LovecraftIan horror. Have yet to read anything by Lee that wasn't good!
Směs krve, sexu a nějakých těch zvráceností. Nejsem nijak cimprlich, takže ujetost tohoto typu mi nevadí. Vadilo mi spíš, že autor použil jakousi staroangličtinu či co pro speciální termíny, tím mi zkomplikoval situaci. Mám špatnou paměť na nová slovíčka, když je jich tolik. Na začátku jsou některá slova vysvětlena, ale než se objevila znovu, už jsem je zapomněla. Možná moje chyba, ale pro mě nepříjemnost. Celkově mě to ale bavilo, i když erotika tady asi spíš zafunguje na muže :). Každopádně obálka a název byl lákavější než nějaká "tramvaj", kterou mám už delší dobu a zatím jsem ji ani neotevřela. Tak asi nastal čas se do ní taky pustit.
Recenziu pre Fandom.sk napísala Ena. Úryvok z recenzie:
Sukuby sú okultný román plný erotiky, miestami až porna, krvi, vnútorností a iných nechutností od majstra extrémneho hororu a milovníka Lovecrafta – Edwarda Leeho. Hoci je príbeh plný zvráteností, rituálov a ľudských obetí, zhltnete ho s chuťou ako hladný jednohubku. Predtým, než ho vezmete do rúk, dobre si ale premyslite, či ste dostatočne silní a bez predsudkov, aby ste si ho dokázali užiť...
It’s competent horror, with a reasonably original version of its subject. Unfortunately, there’s more emphasis on a whacky murderous escaped mental patient than on the title demons. The tension-building and spooling out of the cult’s pseudo-Old English lexicon works well. It’s dated - lesbian sex, Communism!, and rebellious teenagers do not have the scare value the author thinks.
For more effective horror around jealousy and sex, I’d recommend picking up one of Livia Llewellyn’s short story collections.
Zvrácená pohanská jízda s dobrým příběhem a zajímavými postavami. Sukuby mají dobrou pověst skandálního díla, které muselo být ve své době pro vydání zcenzurováno (v Česku už vychází překlad kompletního díla) a předpokládal jsem, že to bude pro barvitě vylíčenou sadistickou brutalitu, ale tehdy jistě šokovaly i dobře vylíčené sexuální orgie a temná erotika bez hranic, ze které budou odvaření zejména příznivci femdom. Autor je dobrý psycholog a umí dobře vytvořit úzkostnou atmosféru zla, textu dobře slouží klasicky dobrý překlad Milana Žáčka.