Flesh Gothic

by Edward Lee

Five very special people return to sinister Hildreth House to uncover the truth about the supposedly haunted mansion in which a bloody massacre led to the slaughter of thirteen people who had come to the house to partake in diabolical and debauched revels and the disappearance of the fourteenth. Original.

Genres: Horror, Splatterpunk, Fiction, Erotica, Demons, Ghosts, Audiobook

404 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

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

[Paul Bryant · Rating 1 out of 5]

HE BEGINS OPTIMISTICALLY

Already by page 7 we have had a self-throat-cutting incident in broad daylight and then this on page 10

The large milk-laden breasts wobbled erotically.

You know you could scour Proust and Henry James for a sentence like that. And you wouldn't find one. Go Flesh Gothic!

EXPERIENCE TEACHES ANOTHER HARD LESSON

Holy sex muffins, what was I thinking? Who recommended this? I may have to hunt them down like a dog.

It stood tall, lank but globose in the hell-rendered fat that made up its atrocious physique. It had no face but it looked right at them. The rimmed seam for a mouth gaped, showing a great flap of tongue. Between its legs hung large, abominable genitals.

'One of the buried Adiposians!' Karen shrieked. 'It was resurrected when the Rive opened, and it'll remain alive until the charge of the house is totally dead!'

A SORRY CONCLUSION TO AN ILL-ADVISED EXPERIMENT

So modern horror is two parts microwaved HP Lovecraft imagery stirred lightly with dialogue from 1950s B movies and lovingly sauteed with several stained copies of Hustler and the lesser-known Abominable Genitals Monthly.

[Ck78 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Buckets of Blood, and severed heads abound. Hildreth House is a sensual, bloody good time. Flesh Gothic may just be your cup of tea. It’s the type of horror novel that, well, the lusty hardcore scenes outweigh Edward Lee’s standard trademark gore fest style, shown in much of his works.

Richard Laymon said, “Edward Lee is the hardest of the hardcore horror writers.” That is praise from a mighty god. F.G. is not Lee’s best, but it is a blood soaked treat, indeed.

[Judith Sonnet · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is tits

[Brennan LaFaro · Rating 4 out of 5]

Paranormal investigators, mediums, and murder houses. Oh my! Edward Lee throws a little bit of everything at the reader and its truly surprising how well it sticks. In the hands of a less-talented author, a 400 page story that includes so many off-the-wall elements could very easily lose its thread, but Lee's Flesh Gothic steers steadily toward an explosive finale without ever veering off the road. Not quite as extreme as some of his other work (though I did just read The Pig, so I may be biased), this book is still not for weak stomachs or readers who don't appreciate Lee's unique take on extreme horror.

[Adam Wilson · Rating 1 out of 5]

You know, it is books like Flesh Gothic by Edward Lee which make my friends look down on me for what I enjoy reading most. They don't understand that I read horror for

the unknown factor of it, for the thrill of something that may try something new and push the envelope a bit. I do not read horror for the endless sex scenes or torture

purely for the sake of torture. When it makes the plot progress, a little rape or torture is all right but when it is very obviously put in the novel to make the story

into a novel, or just to shock people, or to live up to some sort of standard which must be broken over and over with each book being more plotless and disgusting than

the last, I call it garbage. Flesh Gothic had nothing in it that I enjoy. I need plot! I need some interesting characters! Give me something to work with here. This

isn't horror. This is apparently splatterpunk but I often love that genre of horror so I don't even consider this to fit. Richard Laymon is in my top five favorite

authors and I have read over 35 of his books and rated most of them four stars or higher, but there are a few that seem to lack that odd Laymon factor which makes it

fun. Those few terrible Laymon books are in the better Edward Lee category. Flesh Gothic is an all time low for even Lee. Now, if anyone at all pays attention to what I

read (which I doubt) they may know that I read Edward Lee's The Bighhead last year and actually enjoyed it. This is because the damn thing was fun. It was like watching

a cartoon or the movie Kill Bill (1/2) but Flesh Gothic isn't fun at all. The Black Train was sick as hell but the plot was fantastic along with that of Slither. This

one just felt like Lee trying to come up with as many horrific acts as possible. Unfortunately, I already read Lucifer's Lottery which was even more lacking in plot

than this one but which I still enjoyed because it was at least intriguing. Lee has it in him to be good, to be great in fact, but sometimes I think he forgets that and

books like this are going to make some of his mildly loyal readers like myself forget that as well.

[Mique Watson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Haunting of Hill House meets Rosemary’s Baby but with satanic sex cults and lovecraftian cosmic deliciousness. My new favorite book of the year.

[Pisces51 · Rating 3 out of 5]

FLESH GOTHIC [Crossroad Press March 16, 2022] By Edward Lee
My Review 3.75 Stars

I finished reading Lee’s “Flesh Gothic” late last night. It was originally published in February 2005 (Leisure Books Mass Market Paperback). This was a “Buddy Read” this month on Splatterpunk Horror Club, and I would like to acknowledge our Moderator in choosing this Ed Lee selection.

Initially I considered “Flesh Gothic” [2005]” to be my third foray into the “Occult” novels penned by Lee, having previously read both “Succubi” [1992] and “Incubi” [1991], but that comparison was not really appropriate since it is more in the vein of “Haunted House” story with an underpinning of occult horror and demonology. I had opened the book and read the Intro and into Part One, but when I finally committed to reading the book, I tried to finish it over three nights which morphed into four nights. The premise was both enticing and promising. “The Hildreth Mansion” was well known as a house of debauchery with the owner’s purchase of an entertainment business which consisted of T&T Enterprises. The company’s source of income was churning out X-Rated porno flicks using a stable of beautiful girls and a couple of particularly impressive stallions, one named “Three Balls” which could be interpreted literally. Hildreth relocated the studio and its porn stars to his spacious and impressive mansion. There were orgies filmed nightly while the actual production aspect of the business was all but ignored. The sentinel event which triggers the novel’s plotline is the horrific mass murder by the master of the house Arthur Hildreth on April 3rd. The bloody slaughter and scene of horror is discovered by Faye a lowly custodian employed by Hildreth. The police discover her naked and insane when they respond to the mansion. The police find literally piles of bodies and body pieces in the middle of what the owner had designated as “The Scarlet Room”. It was a bloody slaughter in the red room which defied description. The authorities conclude that the eccentric sex-obsessed owner of the mansion hacked his guests to pieces and subsequently committed suicide.

This is a very well written novel with rich characterization of the characters, impressive degree of background information on the occult and demonology components, and of which is complimented by a tight complex plot and an unhurried pace. The beautiful and wealthy widow Vivica Hildreth summons a wide array of paranormal investigators and a competent freelance journalist to her home to solicit their services in determining what happened at the Hildreth Mansion that fateful night.

The reader is treated to an ample sampling of each successive character’s personality, the reason for accepting Vivica’s offer, and a synopsis of what paranormal skills he or she brings to the table. They are all apprised that the widow Hildreth is more than skeptical that her eccentric, sex obsessed husband killed himself, and in fact believes that he is still alive. She admits to the succession of applicants that she arranged for the press, autopsy findings, and death notice personally. Vivica posits that she wants to confirm that Arthur is still alive, and specifically to be apprised of what was going on in the house and the specifics.

There was a significant difference in what expertise and knowledge base the individual applicants brought to the table. There was a total of five persons summoned and hired, four with psychic abilities and talents, and one writer. The group of hires included Patrick Willis, Adrieanne Saundlund, Cathleen Godwin, Alexander Nyvysk, and Westmore, experienced freelance journalist to function as Vivica’s eyes inside the mansion. Two employees of the widow were already on site, one Karent Lovell, engaged as Mrs. Hildreth’s secretary, and Patrick who was already on the payroll but underplayed his role.

The narrative which was dedicated to a description of each individual’s psychic talents was well researched by the author and quite interesting to read. The group’s collective exploits were similarly quite extraordinary and entertaining to read. Most readers are acquainted with such topics as remote viewing, out of body experiences, mediums, and more, but Lee did a great job with dialogue among the group and actual descriptive segments of how the different members of the team exercised their psychic muscles and deployed their capabilities.

The narrative is filled with references to obscure occultism and practices, and provides a glimpse of satanism, devil and demon worship, all of which I found to be interesting. There are frequent references to sex and lust, and of particular interest the concept of interplanar rape of the females in the group.

There is a subplot which features a gritty cop named Clements who is trekking around with a drug addicted prostitute named Connie who was the only survivor of the sweeping massacre of April 3rd. Connie had been out of commission that night and another unfortunate soul had taken her place. Clements is hellbent in trying to find a missing young girl who he is convinced is within the walls of the sinister mansion. Clements does not believe in psychic mumbo jumbo and also believes that the sinister slaughtering likes of Reginald Hildreth is hiding in the mansion as well.

The sheer imagination of Edward Lee is on full display here with a creative narrative involving everything from a sex fiend slaughtering and chopping up bodies to a team of psychics investigating a “charged” mansion to the practice of demon worship and so much more.

There are more positives to this novel than negatives to be sure. It had emotional depth and had the gravitas that many of his other mass market paperback titles lacked. That said, I experienced difficulty every night I read this novel, and after each reading session I would acknowledge the positives and ask myself what was wrong with me. I did not check anyone else’s review, but I arrived at a rating of 3.75 Stars based upon this review of the book’s strengths. It was something of an epiphany when it struck what lie at the center of my inexplicable boredom and yawning. Simply put there was not a single character in the storyline that I could relate to or even designate as a protagonist. Westmore “felt” like the lead character but there was nothing about him I especially liked. There was also a lot of action going on in the narrative and the story had sufficient depth that it was necessary to pay close attention. As opposed to a “slow burn” the book was a “slow read” for me. I would not hesitate to recommend it to any reader who enjoys Ed Lee in particular or gothic horror in haunted houses in general.

CREATIVE, ACTION-PACKED TALE OF DEMON WORSHIP AND THE PARANORMAL

[Erin *Proud Book Hoarder* · Rating 4 out of 5]

Flesh Gothic is a powerfully written roller coaster, loaded with gore, sex, viciousness, and amazing imagery. Although the plot isn't propelled by 100 mile an hour action, it still grips the throat, dries the mouth, and tantalizes the morbid senses. The story was cloaked in mystery, even to the point of 'red herrings', with finely chiseled characterization, psychologically-addictive hooks, and in-your-face commentary. It kept me reading, so it did it's job, almost too well.

This isn't for prudish readers - but if you want your horror hot and heavy, unrelenting and fierce, try this one. It won't let down even the most jaded fans.

[Brian Steele · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you're a fan of safe, traditional Horror Fiction like Koontz and Saul - stay far away from Edward Lee. Every time I read a book by him, I continue to be astounded at the new levels of depravity and gore that swim in his head. I consider this a GOOD thing. Sure, this is just Lee's take of the "Haunted House story," but he twists it so far beyond recognition, you have to respect him.

Some say he's nothing but a "splatterpunk" writer, but I disagree - his work has a certain visceral esoteria to it. He weaves his own mythology deeply among the abominations written on the page. It's Edward Lee, if anyone I've read in the last decade, who deserves comparison to Clive Barker.

[Ravenskya · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’m not entirely sure what to make of this book... it wasn’t nearly as horrifying, violent, or disturbing as I was lead to believe. In my never-ending hunt for a good haunted house tale I picked this up. I had never read anything by Edward Lee before but had heard that he borders on pornographic so I was a bit leery of starting.

Short Summary: The book opens with the “shocking” murders of everyone that works at T&T porn company; they are all hacked to tiny bits in disturbing cultish fashion by the owner of the porn company who then vanishes. So the widow of the billionaire owner takes it upon herself to call in a pack of psychics an ex-priest, and a writer/PI to investigate the house and determine what her now missing and obviously homicidal husband had planned. Bad things start happening, everyone is horny, dead bodies pile up then disappear everyone is telling lies or half-truths, it all becomes very mysterious.

Well the opening was rough, the porn industry weighs heavily on the plot, and everyone seems to be a bit sex-starved… but I felt rather blasé about the whole “sex” topic in the book. I don’t see that someone could read this and be turned on (but long ago I learned you never can tell with some guys). Most of the sex is depraved, but it’s all past tense, and not very descriptive to the point of it almost becoming comedic – “Look a woman with a goat!” The violence all also seems to “happen off stage” for the most part, so it’s nothing at all like “Off Season” for over the top gore. Also the lack of description seems to lighten it a bit because there really aren’t the big disgusting details that some of the other authors use to make us cringe while reading. I do, however, now know how to run all kinds of paranormal psychic testing and ghost detecting equipment courtesy of the long and involved owner’s manual that resides about a third of the way into the book. Actually it wasn’t that bad, but the over explanation made me wonder at that point if I was going to be able to continue on to the end of the book, happily I made it past all of the technical jargon and the class on “Abbreviations used by Psychics.”

In actuality this is a fairly standard haunted house book… it seems to be very similar in plot to the bad movie version of “Haunting of Hill House” only replace the people who can’t sleep with psychics and replace the child murderer with “owner of porn studio” and you pretty much have this book. It’s nothing new, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t a bit fun to read. You can fly right through it because the lack of description keeps your mind from bothering to picture much of it. Pretty good read if you’re bored and looking for something quick and mindless.

[Icy-Cobwebs-Crossing-SpaceTime · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review: FLESH GOTHIC by Edward Lee.

Extraordinary novel. Edward Lee is a master of the macabre. This 2004 novel is "out of this world" superb (sometimes literally). I read it in one day, 12-13 hours reading, because I COULD NOT STOP. . I read the original 2004 paperback version, which intensified the immediacy for me, as if I was reading at the initial publication date.

FLESH GOTHIC is true horror wrapped in extreme horror (very) wrapped in gore wrapped in sensuality (very) wrapped in satanism wrapped in psychic powers wrapped in "other-worldly" (Hell) delivered in an engrossing,unstoppable, no-happy-endings-here story.

In a well-concealed house in St. Petersburg, FL, a multi-millionaire gathered porn stars, prostitutes, loyal employees, and victims, all in preparation for his plans to open a portal, in service of his "Lord." High body count, slaughter, and rampant deception. All to succor a Lord of the underworld. In the hands of this master, it is all believable--and riveting.

[Gregor Xane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Did this book live up to my expectations? Yes. I went in expecting a schlocky, over-the-top, gory B-movie experience in book form and that’s exactly what I got. The story moved along quickly. It was filled with raunch and blood and silly occult happenings. The one thing that struck me as quite unbelievable (from a character perspective) was the female psychics/mediums shrugging off sexual assaults by otherworldly entities as merely routine workplace hazards and no big deal. I think most folks would get into another line of work after the first spectral gang rape.

[Helen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Certainly unlike a lot of other horror fiction I've read of late, graphic, tense, grotesque. Think I may look out for some more Ed Lee.

[Alan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Probably in hindsight just shy of 4 stars. I quite enjoyed this one. The novel had a cast of great characters who all had a decent amount of backstory, the house setting was fun. There's a treasure trove of well researched occult stuff going on, but for the majority of the novel it plays out like a haunted house novel. There's a lot of segments of the book where we are transported to a hellish dimension which reminded me a little of Clive Barker. By a lot of Edward Lees standards this book is also quite tame and mainstream feeling. The one thing I would like to note is the length of time it took me to read this one, with life getting in the way etc, the book was not at fault really but it didn't absorb me quite as much as some of the other novels I've read lately.

[Amanda M. Lyons · Rating 2 out of 5]

I can't say I hated this book outright but that doesn't mean I didn't have several problems with it. Overall it has a pretty decent start. I can get into the headspace of the male character and the mood is set quite nicely. Unfortunately as the book progresses the mood is overshadowed by several flaws in the writing.

The characters who are called to the house aren't bad as a start but Lee doesn't do much with developing them and we never really get to know them or where they're coming from (this is a serious problem for someone who loves character driven narratives and this plot really requires some of this sort of work to convey it properly). As a result many of the events that take place come off as contrived or jarring because you don't know the character enough to have perceived those things about them even after those points are made to you.

There are also several scenes where rape is shrugged off out of hand by the victims of that assault. This just WOULD NOT HAPPEN! A psychological or paranormal rape of the sort written here would be just as traumatic as a physical rape (also constantly present in the book)! Repeated rape is not any less so and is actually more likely to be a more serious blow as it occurs. As a matter of fact the amount of 'oh yes I was raped but oh well' reactions in this book just adds to the jarring effect created by the lack of character development and overlooks an excellent opportunity to get into the characters' heads.


There are also several areas toward the end where the scene is rushed and clearly not invested in by Lee as if finishing something of a plot to get to the end was more important than making that plot complete and interesting. I don't find his evil cult members and sexual predator monsters terribly threatening and a bit too repetitive in their actions. To be fair part of that may be that I'm also usually bored by Satanic horror plots but I've read some that certainly worked better than this one.

Sadly this isn't a case of bad writing as much as it is a case of LAZY writing. Clearly he knew how to set the tone for the book and he created a great setting for a premise that could have been really inspired if he'd invested his time as much as it required. I really wish he had! More than anything I felt disappointed and frustrated that the book wasn't as well written as it promised to be at the beginning.

I'm not going to rule out trying his books again down the road but this one left me feeling the need for an editor's pen and the ability to request several changes.

[Phil · Rating 3 out of 5]

A sleazy, violent spatterpunk novel by Lee, but then again, that could be said of most of his work. If you know Lee, you would expect _lots_ of sex and violence, and that you get here in spades. In a mansion in Florida, Hildreth house, a satanic debauchery/slaughter takes place, leaving about a dozen dead and the owner, Hildreth himself, absent. Hildreth's wife hires a team of psychics to go to the house and discover whatever energy is there, and to find out what happened to her husband. No surprise when they determine the house is haunted.

Mr Hildreth a year prior had purchased a porno company and moved the actors into the mansion for films, and the sexual energy helped to break down the 'door' between the spiritual realm and reality. The team of psychics know something is going on, but they are not sure what. Not the most complicated plot to be sure, although Lee does through a surprise in the end. Not the best of his books, but not the worst either.

[Dollie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reginald Hildreth is an extremely wealthy man who owns a company which produces sex films. He is a sex addict who worships the devil. Not Satan, the Prince of Darkness, but Belarius, the Prince of Carnal Pleasures. He disappears one night during an orgy in his mansion where a number of people have been beheaded and their blood drained. His widow, Vivica, hires several people to stay in the mansion and investigate what really happened there. Several of them are people she’s paid a lot of money to. People who have talents, such as the ability of have out of body experiences, do remote viewings and who can see touch things and know all about them, all of them who have sexual related issues. She also hires a reporter to keep an eye on everyone else in the mansion and to keep her informed of what is going on. Things go south very quickly. This was definitely a different kind of horror story for me - lots of sex, lots of rapes and gruesome, bloody deaths. I only found a few of the characters were likable, but the story is a mystery, so I had a hard time putting it down until the end, which (to me) was unexpected. My Lee writes well, but this really isn’t the type of book I usually read, so I probably will skip any of his other books.

[Alenna Burleson · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this story we follow five different people and their return to the hildrith mansion. Hildrith was in charge of essentially a porn house, when one day everyone in the house was murdered and he committed suiside. A year after the incident. Hildreths wife hired a journalist to try and find the truth behind her husband, sending him to the house, and a group of other spiritually aware people, find out what actually happened that day.


This was another cosmic and spiritual horror tainted with arguably the most sexual energy he’s written about in a book so far (as to what i’ve read.) This book was so much fun I actually really loved all the characters I thought they were all interesting and had a lot going for them plot wise. This was a really fun read!

[MamaKate4 · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a book like I've not read before. Captivating, I really enjoyed reading it, and an intense deep dive. I was feeling more eloquent earlier, lol, but this is a book well worth reading. Lots of TW's, esp **x, **use, and sat**ism. I am definitely going to check out more books by this author.

[Lucas Mangum · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a great time.

[Brainycat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Flesh Gothic came recommended as a steamy horror book. It's very accessible and I was able to read it quickly. This is the first Lee book I've read, and I will definitely be reading more.

It's your basic haunted house story, painted with a Philip Marlowe style protagonist. Despite the standard tropes being trotted out yet again, Lee makes it work with an involved plot and characters that are unique and quirky. After a brutal mass murder with overtones of occult ritual, a disparate group of people are paid exorbitant sums of money by the eccentric widow (she's the beautiful, dangerous client) to live in the house and discover the truth about what happened. There's the fanatically loyal houseservant, the manipulative bombshell, the hardboiled cop and the innocent witness etc. Most of the other characters are psychics with varying areas of expertise, but of course not all is as it seems. As they spend time researching what happened a picture of satanic worship and drug fueled orgies quickly surfaces. Sexual tension abounds, aided by the fact that each character has some sexual trait that drives their interactions with each other and the supernatural goings-on.

The story took a while to get going; I was about 25% of the way through it before I felt like the plot really started going anywhere. This is because Lee drops a lot of background on most of the characters, which in retrospect I appreciate, since the characters drive the plot later. Don't give up on this book too early. The investigation part of the book moves right along, aided and abetted by the sexual tension and my own fascination with things macabre and erotic. The ending, however, was a bit of a letdown. I hesitate to use the term "premature climax", but there you have it. That's exactly what it felt like. The twist was hardly surprising, but well played.

This book is a very quick read. It seemed he sacrificed a lot of descriptive opportunity for the sake of telling the story through character's actions and dialogue. For example, the sense of smell is used descriptively at most about half a dozen times, and most of those are describing women's hair. It seemed to me that while they're out wandering around in the woods in the Florida spring that the air would be alive with bugs and flowers and trees and dew. This is exemplary of the book; Lee is visually vivid but I never felt like I could put myself into the setting. There are a lot of overtly sexual situations, but the sex itself could have been much more explicit IMHO. Reading this for an erotic charge is like watching latenight softcore: it's specific enough there's no question about who's doing what to whom, but it's vague enough you'll have to fill in all the details yourself.

Overall, I liked the book and as Lee covers a lot of territory that interests me in his other books, I'll definitely be reading more of him. I would recommend this book for people who like occult, macabre and erotically charged stories and are looking for a couple of hours of fun if not especially innovative entertainment.

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Think you've seen it all, heard all that could be said? Unless you've read Lee, you haven't even scratched the surface of true in-your-face Horror. There is nothing safe and nothing sacred to Edward Lee. The man is a pitiless psycho. He gets a kick out of making woman cross their legs whenever his name is simply spoken. He can hijack the wills of men and women everywhere, leaving them desperate to escape from the book and even more desperate to delve deeper into his twisted little worlds. What does he have that all of you don't, what is his 'it'? The power of Edward Lee is his ability to do what the other man wouldn't.

Attractive and repulsive, the plot is a trial of psychosexual horror. Using the bare bones of a been-there-done-that outline, Lee adds muscle and flesh with energetic originality. I must warn you though; this book is not for the easily offended or prudish-types. The scenes are graphic, and the dialog is raw. Thanks to Lee, I avoided any intimate interaction for a week. By the way Mr. Lee, Mr. BloodyMary is currently stalking the streets with your picture in his hand. Beware.

All having addictions and weaknesses to sex in one form or another, the characters are both pathetic and admirable in their individuality. Each player is an aspect of what we choose to hide from ourselves and the outside world. While I can respect their personalities, can even place a few among my nearest and dearest, I never once felt close to them. What a waste. Lee’s style of writing is violent, and unique. Eliciting your most primitive fascinations, he attacks your senses, and you inhibitions with unflinching glee. I’m not sure how he does it, but he manages to quiet your fears while simultaneously exciting them. His descriptive technique is extreme, and at times repellant and hard to stomach. I loved it!

Almost operatic, the pace is slow, but comforting. Believe me, between the overall depravity, and the numerous tensions that mount throughout, the speed’s a blessing. Creating a moody masterpiece of eroticism and savagery, the atmosphere is taut and tense. The bitter smell of fear and dread sticks to your skin and invades your pores. To get rid of that nasty grime, I suggest you lather. Rinse. Repeat.

-As posted on Horror-Web

[Penny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Flesh Gothic starts off a little slow, and confusing, but its worth sticking with. The book is filled with plot twist, some you'll see coming, and others are pretty surprising. As far as gore goes, I'd say it's a mild read. There is a lot of sexual acts, rape, etc... If you get offended by that sort of stuff, you may or may not enjoy this little treasure. I did find part of the book to be a tad "out there", for me. A demon with 10 penis like fingers, hmm. This one did leave me pondering over a few other pieces of Lee's work I've read, and I'm curious as to what sort of metaphysical background he has.

[Ken B · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gore, sex and violence. Okay, I'm good with that. All-in-all not a bad book, some original ideas, but in general nothing that really jumps out and says "rate me higher than 3 stars".

a solid 3 STARS

[Adam Light · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review to come. Too tired at the moment. What an awesome read.

[Bug · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gross, but also really average

[Niko]

DNF

[katooola · Rating 4 out of 5]

Początek kwietnia, w księżycową noc do ogromnej rezydencji Hildretha wkracza dwadzieścia siedem osób aby wziąć udział w orgii przypominającej satanistyczny rytuał. Dwudziestu sześciu z nich znaleziono zarżniętych, jednej osoby nigdy nie odnaleziono. Hildreth, ekscentryczny miliarder popełnił samobójstwo, ale czy na pewno? Co tam się wydarzyło?

Żona Hildretha wynajmuje grupkę osób, które mają zbadać czy dom jest nawiedzony oraz odkryć, co tak naprawdę planował jej mąż?

Fabuła jest intrygująca, wciągnęła mnie. To nie jest książka dla osób wrażliwych i pruderyjnych. Autor nie patyczkuje się z czytelnikiem, opisy mordów są surowe. Jest brutalnie i obrzydliwie. Krew gęsto się leje, kończyny latają. Nie brak tu perwersji seksualnych. Wyobraźnia autora nie ma granic i potrafi zadziwić.

Opis tej mrocznej rezydencji z korytarzami niczym labirynt robi wrażenie. Atmosfera jaka w nim panuje jest gęsta, duszna i przesiąknięta erotyką. Ten dom pełen tajemniczych zakamarków oddziałuje na zmysły przebywających w nim osób. Czuć gotycki klimacik tego miejsca.

Śledztwo prowadzone jest niespiesznie, każda postać ma tu swoją chwilę, dzięki temu poznajemy jej lęki i sekrety. Bardzo zaskoczyło mnie zakończenie.

Gorąco polecam fanom horroru ekstremalnego. To moja pierwsza książka Edwarda Lee jaką przeczytałam i żałuję, że dopiero teraz go poznaję. Świetna rzecz.

[Mike Kazmierczak · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's been a while since I've read a good haunted house story and this book fit the bill perfectly. It had the required haunted house with ghosts, demons and other entities. It had a cast of complex characters who you weren't quite sure of which ones to trust. And it had a ton of sex. OK, sex isn't required in a haunted house story but it certainly adds to the enjoyment.

After a brief prologue and the introduction of all the characters, the story follows Westmore, a reporter who has been hired to determine the secrets behind some murders which occurred by her husband at a huge mansion. Westmore soon gets set up at the house along with two assistants and four psychics; the investigations start turning up weird event after weird event. Before we know it, paranormal events are happening daily and are taken as normal. Stranger and stranger events unfold. And a supernatural charge within the house builds until the climatic ending. All in all, a very exciting and mostly spooky read that I highly recommend.

[Justin · Rating 4 out of 5]

a good read, I had a little trouble getting into it but it's nothing against the book I am just feeling burned out on horror. this one had a lot of stuff with the psychics and out of body experiences and deviners that reminded me of the inferno series, so did the flesh temple and opening the rift and everything on the other side of it. at the same time it was more of a ghost story and also reminded me of the house party of pig and house which is one of my favorites. all together it was good and probably would have gotten a five if I was in the mood for it.