The Pig and the House

by Edward Lee

TWO OF EDWARD LEE'S MOST INFAMOUS NOVELLAS IN ONE BOOK!

THE PIG: You know, the traditional tale of a man with big city dreams and how one wrong deal can put you in the woods filming porn with junkie whores, sexual freaks, psycho mobsters and, oh yeah...a pig.

THE HOUSE: Thirty years ago a lot of very bad things happened in the way out in the woods. Things that scarred this house forever. Now Melvin is there to investigate the so-called haunted house. He doesn't believe. But he soon will as his dreams smash head first into the memories of a man sentenced to film the most atrocious sex acts imaginable and to experience the nightmare all over again.

Genres: Horror, Fiction, Splatterpunk, Short Stories, Bizarro Fiction, Ebooks

242 pages, ebook

Published January 1, 2005

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

[Mort · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full review available at The Mort Report:
https://www.uncomfortablydark.com/bla...

My fellow Virgins,

This is not a cookbook, as I had originally thought.
Instead, this is a book where everything gross and rotten gets thrown into a perverted concoction of a sick, twisted broth of disgusting fornication – on camera, I must add – where nothing is off limits. Just take my word for it, I had to read this with a dictionary (real and urban) to find out what most of these terms meant. And then I had to write a stern letter that there are even people who are willing to put this filth in a respected and noble publication that is meant to educate.

I will not go into details. I refuse to lower myself to this level of indecency. But after reading this book, I now know that there are way more positions in which humans do the dirty deed than the three we are all made aware of. Darn it, that just brought up a mental picture and I need a lie down.

Right, I am back to finish this letter. Sorry about that, but I might just need to go and see a professional about these vivid images of abnormality this writer implanted in my brain.

Please, my fellow abstinence soldiers, do not read this vile, disgusting story. It has pushed me to the point where I can’t even look an animal in the eye anymore. This will destroy your fragile little mind. For someone to even think up this filth makes me ashamed to be a human being.

For shame, Mr. Lee, you need electro therapy very badly to make you normal again.

5 STARS

[Nefariousbig · Rating 4 out of 5]

Repulsive from the first sentence, “Sissy looked at the shot glass full of pig semen and threw it back neat.”

Grainy, soundless, 8MM film click, click, clicks through my body as I read this book. There are no words. There is no need. There are only horrific images and the repulsive smell of toxic inhumanity. I am disgusted with myself for being so captivated. I am filthy and vile. Why would I read such a foul and heinous exposition of madness. Why would anyone read this kind of filth? I HAVE NO FUCKING CLUE. I imagine Ed Lee's brain is full of piles and piles of rotting, fetid, naked bodies. The mind of a sick, sick person. Those images are now inside me. They cannot be unseen.

Ed Lee’s character, Leonard D’arava, is an intelligent, naive, farm boy. An idealistic, thoughtful writer/filmmaker, with dreams of someday winning Sundance. Leonard has a hopeful heart. He is an innocent. He is a dreamer. He has written a feature film called The Confessor. It is “a meld of Bergman and Polanski, with bits of Hitchcock and Fulci tossed in for spice.” It is a pensive musing . It is nice. It is who he is. It is who he aspires to be.

”So you’ve come to ask a question?” The vale’s graven dark oozes gossamer mists as if through pores. The writer thinks of sepulchers and uteri, of palls and wedding gowns and newborn pudenda and autopsy saws, and grave-dirt; he thinks of the fornication of opposites.
[…]
The contrast makes him want to throw up right there at the confessor’s black-marble feet. All the world’s love against all of its loss. He sees beautiful flowers tossed into pits of excrement. He sees maggot-filled bodies and stray rot washed up onto beaches of pristine, white sand […]

Fast-forward through optimistic aspirations, unfortunate happenings, and 18 months of story boarding every scene, camera angle, and light effect of his movie. All while being ass fucked and violated by every monstrous miscreant cock on the prison D Block. Fast-forward through the miraculously unsullied, still optimistic aspirations, and his one last act of untainted humanness, sending his film off to Sundance. Fast-forward, fast-forward, fast-forward. STOP.

Leonard is a filmmaker for the mob. And he’s good. He makes scat flicks, nek flicks, snuff flicks, freak flicks, wet flicks and...it only gets worse. There are so many unspeakable, inhuman and, unfortunately, all too vivid images that go on, and on, and on. Through all of this, Leonard holds his idiotic innocence. It’s only after the pig arrives that Leonard loses his shit. Because of BACON! Because, DAMN, Leonard LOVES bacon.

“Something quite out of character happened then. Leonard’s Happy Country Kitchen[…]turned into...a Charnel House. […] Leonard awoke to the pulsating thrum of crickets. “Oh, man. What a horrible dream!” Yet the first thing he saw after that was Snowdrop’s severed head, her tongue sticking out at him from her eye.”

DANG, BACON! You really know how to fuck shit up, doncha?

BACON IS FUCKING EVIL INCARNATE!

And, when it’s cooked like Ed Lee cooks it, it’s oh so good, even when it’s bad! Why do I read such foul and heinous expositions of madness?

[Sade · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a disgustingly good book. Loathe as i am to say this lol. I don't think i had anything coherent to say while reading this past OMG!!! I'm just completely blown away that someone, thought this up. Disgusting bit aside, Edward Lee is actually pretty damn good. You'd think this book would be bugged full of incoherent plot, but nope, the story was actually pretty damn good. Granted Book 2 was pretty meh compared to book 1 but still, great work.

Would i read another Edward Lee book? well i wouldn't rule it out but hot damn not anytime soon that's for sure.

[Juxian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stumbled against this book when looking for splatterpunk books. The cover and the title captured my attention at once. And as soon as I read how offensive and scandalous the book was, I knew I needed to read it.
Well, that was some seriously sick shit. 'The Pig' was a string of increasingly obscene and brutal scenes. Delivered stylishly and with a touch of dark humor. And I was pulled into it. And I wanted to know how it all ends. And the ending most definitely didn't disappoint.
'The House' was a sort of sequel, it was a little bit more conventional. I think two stories really work well together.
Anyway, I loved Edward Lee's writing. I see he wrote a ton of stuff, so I'll be reading more. But recommend it to anyone I know? :) Nuh uh.

[Glenn Conley · Rating 3 out of 5]

The problem with writing about debauchery, is that there are only so many variations of brutal sex and torture. Or at least that's what I'm assuming, with this book. Because Edward lee repeats himself often in this book. He borrows from his other sick and twisted books, instead of coming up with new and interesting debauchery.

Well, except for the bestiality, of course. That sick and twisted porn is exclusive to this book, as far as I can tell. Because that's what this book is. Porn. The most disgusting porn I've ever read, that's for sure. There's pig fucking, where the junkie whore catches the pig's jizz in a shot glass and downs that shit with a grin. Then, there's the dog fucking. And the horse fucking.

And it's all captured on film, by our hero, the geeky Leonard D'arava. Leonard is a film school nerd who was looking to make his first film, fresh out of school. Like an idiot, he got a loan from a brutal loan shark, to make his film. Of course, when the time came to pay back the loan, Leonard didn't have the cash.

So now, Leonard is owned by the mob. They keep him at an old farmhouse, out in the middle of nowhere, to make his dirty animal porn. With two strung out junkie whores to keep him company.

One day, the mobsters show up with some white bitch who was the daughter of some judge. I guess the judge didn't take kindly to bribery, so the mobsters took his daughter to the farm, to make a nice snuff film. Leonard films the whole thing. He's not happy with his lot in life, but there's not much he can do about it.

The mobsters didn't give a fuck about Leonard, or the skanky whroes, so the only food they left at the farmhouse was dogfood. So, after a brutal pig-fucking session, where the whores ended up killing the pig, Leonard decided something... Fuck this shit. He'd eat that motherfucking pig.

He butchered it up, and ate that pig. Then, he literally turned into a demon. Because, apparently, that pig was cursed or something. His body turned green. His cock went from being 5 inches erect, to being 10 inches flaccid. Oh, and he started growing horns on his head. Like you do.

At night, he went across the field to an Amish community, and fucked all the virgin Amish girls with his 15 inch cock. Because, that's what you do when you're a green demon with a huge cock. You go impregnate a bunch of pure-as-the-driven-snow Amish girls with your literal demon seed.

I liked this book, because it was sick and disgusting. It made me cringe more than once, that's for sure. I hated this book, because it was just more of the same Edward Lee porn. For him, it wasn't very original.

[Bob · Rating 3 out of 5]

The pig half of the novel was prime Lee. Gruesome, fascinating, and I was unable to put it down. And, like always, Lee has a great plot, which is hard to find for a hardcore horror novelist. The second half, The House, was a bit of a letdown. He had the story there, but didn't execute as he could have. I will recommend the novel as a whole for it is a fast read and entertaining, but not one of Lee's best.

[Izabela · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Pig and The House are two novellas that tried to have connected plots and failed. They failed at having plots, that is. Both novellas are short, Lee-style horrors, but follow no real story-line and have characters that aren't particularly interesting. Not two of Lee's finest pieces.

[Nathan Flamank · Rating 5 out of 5]

These two interconnected novellas really push the boundaries of taste and decency and I for one loved them. Lee has a way of making even the most disgusting of situations laugh out loud funny. Not for the faint of stomach but if you can handle it then you'll love it.

[Josh · Rating 5 out of 5]

this is my favorite ed lee book, with goon a very close second.

[Max Q · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hilarious! Love the writing style.

[Vicki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gross 🤮😂 But definitely enjoyable. I feel weird saying that. WTF is wrong with me?! Barf-o-Rama!! Gross Out Horror at its finest!

[Bean · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another stellar disgusting romp of a read from Ed Lee. Strong stomachs only need apply. 4 out of 5 stars

[Jonathan · Rating 5 out of 5]

he Pig and the House by Edward Lee is an unapologetically brutal and grotesque journey into extreme horror that only Edward Lee could deliver. Known for his fearless approach to graphic content, Lee creates a narrative that is both horrifying and morbidly fascinating, challenging readers to confront some of the darkest, most unsettling themes in the genre. This book is a visceral exploration of depravity and the human psyche, a story that will stick with you long after you close the cover.

The plot centers around two seemingly unconnected horrors: a mysterious, decaying house with a dark history and a monstrous entity known as “The Pig.” True to Lee’s style, these horrors are not only disturbing but carry a surreal, almost mythological quality that adds layers of intrigue to the narrative. As the story unfolds, Lee intertwines supernatural terror with visceral, human horror, pulling readers deeper into a world where evil manifests in both monstrous and human forms.

Lee excels at creating a relentless atmosphere of dread and tension. The house itself feels like a living, breathing entity, an oppressive and malevolent force that traps both characters and readers alike. The sense of claustrophobia and decay permeates every page, and as the characters confront the horrors within, Lee spares no detail. His writing is graphic, raw, and utterly unfiltered, making each horrific moment feel disturbingly real.

But The Pig and the House isn’t just about shock value. Beneath the gore and depravity, there’s an exploration of human vulnerability and fear, as Lee delves into the primal emotions that drive people to face the unfaceable. The characters, despite the horrific circumstances, are layered and relatable, each grappling with their own traumas and insecurities. This grounding in human emotion makes the horror all the more effective, as readers feel a reluctant empathy that pulls them deeper into the nightmare.

For fans of extreme horror, The Pig and the House is a masterclass in pushing boundaries. Lee’s willingness to explore the grotesque and taboo gives this story an edge that few authors dare approach. It’s dark, brutal, and unflinchingly intense—yet somehow, Lee’s twisted sense of humor occasionally shines through, adding an unsettling, darkly comic touch that only he could pull off.

[Gregory Eakins · Rating 4 out of 5]

When he pulled that sizzling loin out of the oven and set it on the table, he got an erection as turgid as if Esther the tainted Epiphanite were soliciting his sex drive with her feet.

The Pig and the House are two short stories that happen when someone with a fucked up mind becomes an author. Each one is just so repulsive that you can't stop reading.

We start with The Pig, where our nerdy friend Leonard D’arava stumbles into a fucked up situation with the mob. He has dreams of becoming a film maker, and a film maker he becomes - but it's not exactly what he wanted to do. He makes scat flicks, nek flicks, snuff flicks, wet flicks, and whatever else his audience demands. But the pig. The pig changes everything.

The Pig gets more insane and brutal with every page. It's hard to stop. There's more brand new sentence work here than just about anything else on your shelf.

Thirty years later begins The House. Melvin is another nerdy kid looking to write an article about this famous house where some mob shit went down. He goes there to investigate rumors that it is haunted - and has a bizarre experience that is a nightmare in itself. While not quite as depraved as The Pig, this one is a worthwhile read.

This is my first foray into Edward Lee's work, and I feel like I must check out his other work - once I recover from my nausea.

Maybe I'll go order a Shake-A-Puddin'. That should help.

[Amaya Adam · Rating 5 out of 5]

They ask me whats real love and l say Edward Lee🤭😜🤭

[Chris Amies · Rating 3 out of 5]

Having most recently read one or two of Mr Lee's less gory and more humorous takes on redneck life, namely Header 2* (though '3' dives back into gore and nihilism territory being basically 'Deliverance' without boats) and White Trash Gothic, it was slightly unsettling to hit the all-out violence and degradation of 'The Pig'. We are treated to some Lee staples: drugs, prostitution, porn and animals, and an infamous torture scene that was hard to read (usually the only thing of his I skim-read are Hock Parties, which let's face it are gross-out humour, no more). I'm not sure if his dropping in the supernatural is jarring or not - it fits in with the story and of course his narrator has every reason to be an unreliable narrator. The House is a follow-on to The Pig taking place some years later and follows once more familiar paths of sexual frustration and the idea that places can be marked by violent events that happened in them. It's probably a better piece of writing as in a way The Pig could be seen as setting up the action in The House. the supernatural bit in The House is even more sketchy than in the first novella and isn't really required at all - the denouement can take place without it. (definitely an old Kenny Rogers song going through my head at that point, you know the one).
Having postulated a comic book called ASSHOLE - suitably bloody of course - I was amused to find a video called ASSHOLE in this book. (then of course there's Craig Raine's poem of almost the same name, cue a million comments like 'What do you think of Craig Raine's Arsehole?' and so on).

*Header 2 is only less gory by Lee's standards. WTG is a lot less bloody than the rest.

[TheShrike · Rating 4 out of 5]

Edward Lee is my splatter-punk guilty pleasure. I Love it.
Think of the most extreme and depraved images you can. That's Edward Lee. The Pig and the House seems even more amped up than usual.
Torture, bestiality, more torture, rape. Etc... That's what you get here. And also a bunch of laughs.

The thing about Mr. Lee is that he is actually a great writer as opposed to just throwing out horrible stuff against a page and hoping it sticks. So its actually a fun and compelling read.

This is actually 2 novellas. They take place about 30 years apart. The Pig is the initial story. The House is like a follow-up many years later although a different story really with different characters. I liked the house a bit better - although The Pig was way more extreme.

As with most of Mr. Lee's stuff its highly recommended - but only if you have the stomach for it and know what you are getting yourself into.

[Ludivco Street · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have never read anything quite like this.
If ever anyone points out a book to you that think is extreme, laugh in their faces loudly and present this to them. Honestly, one of the most ghastly, frightening and insane book ever written.
Lee is a curious author in that he seems to know people will take aim at this work as unintellectual drivel. His riposte, however, is to approach this story with some of the best prose of his career and - to emboss this - he throws in a glorious little flurry near the start that acts as a "fuck you" to nay sayers by showing exactly the calibre of writing he is able to achieve should he so wish. Its almost as if Lee is saying with this book... "Yeah, I mean I could write flowery, self-indulgent and poetic prose but here.... have a shot glass cum instead. It packs more of a punch."

[Xiang Yang Ng · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is by far, by a whole margin, by a whole class, the most disgusting cesspool of a book that I’ve ever read. Definitely not for the faint of heart. Hell this thing is not even legal to read in most countries. I have read messed up stuff in the past but not this; this book takes you to a level of degeneracy that can only be conjured up by a true psycho. Not recommended for anyone to read this. That said, I gotta give you a 3 stars for delivering what it was intended for: a most twisted nightmare that beats anything that I’ve ever read.

[Uptown Horror Reviews · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm all for sexual horror and grotesque imagery, but if there isnt an interesting story to go along with it then it just becomes a dull, repetitive chore to read. The book had a bit of potential but the entire time I was reading I just felt as if the book wasnt going anywhere - we just got one set piece after the other as the characters meandered at a snails pace to excel the plot.

2 STARS

[Jennifer Matchett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow. This book was disgusting but I’m glad I read it. It turned into a haunted house story out of the blue which was nice. It was depraved, but not unrealistic. It showed how drug abuse can break a person and turn them into the worst versions of themselves. The it was definitely entertaining to say the least!

[Saanvi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nothing has truly disturb me but this is the closest anything has ever come to it. I have mixed feelings about the explicitly supernatural elements but I think it worked with this story (instead of the high realism I thought the author was trying to go for). I wasn't bored at any point and that's saying a lot because I'm bored pretty easily. Would certainly recommend.

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ya know that friend who listens to everything, until you put on black metal and discover they don’t actually listen to everything? Ed Lee is the guy who you give to people if you don’t want to talk to them again. He’s over the top and gory and gross and splattery, and he’s winking at you through every word.

[Jason · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another one you can't put down from Master Lee. There is always a glimmer of (very) black humor in his writing which is why it can be tolerated in long stretches (at least by me.) Yea, The Pig is a tad bit better than The House, but they make a wonderful pair. I just love this stuff!

[Alessandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Honestly the most disgusting book I have ever read. Never have I ever squirmed so much while reading a book, absolutely such a hard read. Super gross and for that reason I enjoyed it. I love anything that can make me say "what the fuck am I reading."

[Johann Ingi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sick and twisted...loved it :)

[Glenn Griffin · Rating 2 out of 5]

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[Senthil Prasanth · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've been into Edward Lee for some time now. And this sick bastard keeps getting better with each book I read.

[Joe Pitz · Rating 3 out of 5]

NOT FOR GENERAL HUMAN CONSUMPTION... but if you like what Edward Lee does you won't be disappointed.

[Joe D. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maybe a 3.5 instead of 4. Some interesting twists and good imagination but relies more on gross out over scary.